Are we On-Line

Problem/Question/Abstract:

Are we On-Line?

Answer:

The following code is a possibility to detect a connection to the internet,
altough it is not 100%.

I have tested it on Windows NT with LAN connections (DSL and cable)
and it worked in these cases.

uses
  WinInet;
..
..

function InternetConnected: Boolean;
const
  INTERNET_CONNECTION_MODEM = 1; // local system uses a modem to connect to the Internet.
  INTERNET_CONNECTION_LAN = 2; // local system uses a local area network to connect to the Internet.
  INTERNET_CONNECTION_PROXY = 4; // local system uses a proxy server to connect to the Internet.
  INTERNET_CONNECTION_MODEM_BUSY = 8; // local system's modem is busy with a non-Internet connection.
var
  dwConnectionTypes: DWORD;
begin
  dwConnectionTypes :=
    INTERNET_CONNECTION_MODEM +
    INTERNET_CONNECTION_LAN +
    INTERNET_CONNECTION_PROXY;
  Result := InternetGetConnectedState(@dwConnectionTypes, 0);
end;

Note: this solution only works if IE is installed, so it would fail on
'older' machines, like most Windows NT 4 computers. You app would then
display an error during program startup if you referred to Wininet.