These VB.NET samples demonstrate how to call pdfRest APIs using HttpClient. A single console project (VBNetSamples.vbproj) acts as a dispatcher so you can run any sample with a simple command.

• .NET SDK 8.0 or newer (check with dotnet --version).
• A pdfRest API key.
• Internet access to reach https://api.pdfrest.com (or the EU endpoint below).

1. From this VB.NET/ folder, copy the environment template and set your API key:

• cp .env.example .env
• Edit .env and set PDFREST_API_KEY=your_api_key_here

2. Optional: EU/GDPR endpoint for European data residency and performance:

• In .env, set PDFREST_URL=https://eu-api.pdfrest.com
• More info: https://pdfrest.com/pricing#how-do-eu-gdpr-api-calls-work

3. Restore and build the project (from this folder):

• dotnet restore
• dotnet build

4. Run a sample (examples below). The dispatcher pattern is:

• dotnet run -- <command> [args]

• VBNetSamples.vbproj: single console app that compiles all VB samples in this folder.
• Program.vb: a small dispatcher that routes <command> to a specific sample’s Execute method.
• Endpoint Examples/JSON Payload/: two‑step samples (upload, then operate with a JSON body).
• Endpoint Examples/Multipart Payload/: single multipart/form-data request per operation.
• Complex Flow Examples/: multi-step workflows combining endpoints.
• .env: holds configuration (PDFREST_API_KEY, optional PDFREST_URL). Loaded automatically via DotNetEnv.

JSON two‑step (upload → operate via JSON):

• markdown — Convert PDF to Markdown
  • Run: dotnet run -- markdown /path/to/input.pdf
• rasterized-pdf — Rasterize a PDF
  • Run: dotnet run -- rasterized-pdf /path/to/input.pdf

Multipart single request (send file directly):

• markdown-multipart — Convert PDF to Markdown
  • Run: dotnet run -- markdown-multipart /path/to/input.pdf
• rasterized-pdf-multipart — Rasterize a PDF
  • Run: dotnet run -- rasterized-pdf-multipart /path/to/input.pdf

Complex flow:

• merge-different-file-types — Merge multiple inputs (PDFs and non‑PDFs)
  • Run: dotnet run -- merge-different-file-types file1.pdf file2.docx image.png

• Successful calls print the API’s JSON response to stdout.
• Failures write a concise message to stderr and exit with a non‑zero code.
• Tip: redirect output to a file, e.g., ... > response.json.

• Missing API key:
  • Ensure .env exists with PDFREST_API_KEY set, or export it in your shell before running.
• EU endpoint:
  • If using the EU endpoint, verify PDFREST_URL=https://eu-api.pdfrest.com in .env.
• .NET version:
  • Check with dotnet --version. Use .NET 8.0 or newer.
• Clean build:
  • rm -rf bin obj && dotnet build
• Proxy environments:
  • If your network requires a proxy, set standard environment variables like HTTPS_PROXY.

• These are focused samples to help you evaluate pdfRest quickly.
• Do not commit secrets. Keep .env out of version control.
• For more APIs, options, and regions, see the pdfRest documentation and pricing page.