Dotnet Thread

Using the Silverlight Accordion Control

2009-06-13T08:49:00.007-07:00

The Silverlight Toolkit contains the Accordion control, the control that functions similarly to its AJAX equivalent. We'll examine this control and explore is various features, looking at what Silverlight offers over its AJAX equivalent....Full Article.

LINQ to SQL and ADO.NET Data Services: Working Together

2009-06-13T08:49:00.005-07:00

In this article, Sergey examines the relationship between LINQ, SQL and ADO.NET data services with the help of a sample project. He begins by demonstrating the procedures used to detect key fields in a data model and to update data including the steps required to implement the IUpdatable interface....Full Article.

Url Rebasing in ASP.NET 2.0

2009-06-13T08:49:00.003-07:00

In Asp.Net 2.0 masterpages are introduced to help develop websites with standardized and consistent design across all pages. The introduction of masterpages has enabled a new concept called URL rebasing. This article explains URL rebasing and its connection with masterpages. This article also clarifies what the purpose of URL rebasing is and the reason for its emergence. Finally, the article lists some interesting points about URL rebasing....Full Article.

Using ASP.NET 3.5's ListView and DataPager Controls: Editing Data

2009-06-13T08:49:00.001-07:00

The GridView and DetailsView controls offer built-in editing functionality that can be turned on with the tick of a checkbox. Without writing a line of declarative markup or server-side source code, the page developer gets a decent out of the box editing interface. Namely, each field in the GridView or DetailsView is rendered in its editing interface; BoundFields display a TextBox control while CheckBoxFields display an enabled checkbox. Moreover, a CommandField is added, which displays t...Full Article.

"Out Of Memory" Does Not Refer to Physical Memory

2009-06-13T08:48:00.003-07:00

What does the optimize switch do?

2009-06-13T08:48:00.001-07:00

I was asked recently exactly what optimizations the C# compiler performs when you specify the optimize switch. Before I answer that, I want to make sure that something is perfectly clear. The compiler's "usage" string is not lying when it says:

/debug[+|-] Emit debugging information
/optimize[+|-] Enable optimizations

Emitting debug information and optimizing the generated IL are orthogonal; they have no e...Full Article.

Tip# 77: Did you know. How to enable Page Level Tracing for your ASP.NET pages?

2009-06-13T08:47:00.012-07:00

Enabling tracing at page level gives you a bunch of information that can be useful while debugging your application.Tracing helps understand which control uses more view state, start/end of PreInit, start/end of Init, start/end of Render, etc. This information appears at the bottom of the page. By default page level tracing is disabled.

Tracing can be enabled at Page Level and also at Application Level

To enable Tracing at Page Level select DOCUME...Full Article.

Tip #75: Did you know.How to maintain scrollposition after post back?

2009-06-13T08:47:00.011-07:00

When web pages are posted back to the server, by default user is returned to the top of the page. On a large web page, you might have a requirement to scroll down the user automatically to the last position on the page.

MaintainScrollPositionOnPostBack page property can be used to achieve this in one of the following ways.

Application level: To set the property by default for all pages in the website, open web.config and add the attribute to t...Full Article.

Tip #76: Did you know. How to hide a non-visual control in your designer?

2009-06-13T08:47:00.009-07:00

Some times as you are building your web page, you may want to hide all the non-visual controls like Timer control so that the page looks close to how it would be rendered on your browser.

Our Designer can toggle between displaying and not displaying Non-visual controls using

Ctrl+Shift+N

Display ASP.NET Non-visual controls turned on:

Tip# 78: Did you know. How to navigate using Document Outline?

2009-06-13T08:47:00.007-07:00

Document Outline window can be launched from the menu View -> Document Outline, or via short cut key Ctrl-Alt-T. The Document Outline window displays a nested, hierarchical tree of the elements and scripts on the page. It gives you a good overview of the page's content and its layout.

Double-clicking any element listed in the Document Outline window will highlight the corresponding markup for that element in the source view or the element display ...Full Article.

ASP.NET MVC Installer For Visual Studio 2010 Beta 1 And Roadmap

2009-06-13T08:47:00.005-07:00

A little while ago I announced our plans for ASP.NET MVC as it relates to Visual Studio 2010. ASP.NET MVC wasn't included as part of Beta 1, which raised a few concerns by some (if not conspiracy theories!) ;). The reason for this was simple as I pointed out:

One thing you'll notice is that ASP.NET MVC is not included in Beta 1. The reason for this is that Beta 1 started locking down before MVC 1.0 shipped. AS...Full Article.

And Get Rid Of Those Pesky Programmers

2009-06-13T08:47:00.003-07:00

Every now and then some email or website comes along promising to prove Fred Brooks wrong about this crazy idea he wrote in The Mythical Man Month (highly recommended reading!) that

June 7th Links: ASP.NET, AJAX, ASP.NET MVC, Visual Studio

2009-06-13T08:47:00.001-07:00

Download the New IIS SEO Toolkit Beta

2009-06-06T11:11:00.013-07:00

The IIS Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Toolkit Beta is now available - It is a brand new free toolkit that helps Web developers, hosting providers, and server administrators improve their sites' relevance in search results....Full Article.

Download the New IIS SEO Toolkit Beta

2009-06-06T11:11:00.011-07:00

The Misfit Geek Podcast with Joe Stagner is Now Live!

2009-06-06T11:11:00.009-07:00

Microsoft's Joe Stagner hits the airwaves with a brand new podcast. In his first segment he interviews Scott Hunter, a Senior Program Manager Lead on the ASP.NET team. Hear about the future of Web Forms, ASP.Net Futures, and more, directly from the team that drives much of ASP.NET....Full Article.

The Misfit Geek Podcast with Joe Stagner is Now Live!

2009-06-06T11:11:00.007-07:00

Alas, Smith and Jones

2009-06-06T11:11:00.005-07:00

We have a feature in C# which allows you to declare a " friend assembly". If assembly Smith says that assembly Jones is its friend, then code in Jones is allowed to see "internal" types of Smith as though they were public(*). It's a pretty handy feature for building a "family" of assemblies that share common implementation details.

...Full Article.

Alas, Smith and Jones

2009-06-06T11:11:00.003-07:00

...Full Article.

Fabulous Adventures In Russian

2009-06-06T11:11:00.001-07:00

I am pleased to announce that a bunch ...Full Article.

Fabulous Adventures In Russian

2009-06-06T11:10:00.024-07:00

I am pleased to announce that a bunch ...Full Article.

CodeDom vs T4: two approaches to Code Generation

2009-06-06T11:10:00.023-07:00

There are many scenarios where the need to generate source code arises. The MVC helpers I introduced in my last post is one such example. Note that I am focusing on generating source code here, and not on scenarios where you may want to generate IL directly (which certainly do exist as well, but it's a difference discussion).

To pe...Full Article.

CodeDom vs T4: two approaches to Code Generation

2009-06-06T11:10:00.021-07:00

To pe...Full Article.

A T4 based approach to creating ASP.NET MVC strongly typed helpers

2009-06-06T11:10:00.019-07:00

Earlier this week, I wrote a post on using a BuildProvider to create ActionLink helpers. That approach was using CodeDom to generate the code, and there was quite some user interest in it (and Phil blogged it, which helped!).

Then yesterday, I wrote a post on

A T4 based approach to creating ASP.NET MVC strongly typed helpers

2009-06-06T11:10:00.017-07:00

Then yesterday, I wrote a post on

Tip #73: Did you know... about IIS Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Toolkit Beta

2009-06-06T11:10:00.015-07:00

IIS Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Toolkit Beta - is a free toolkit that helps Web developers, hosting providers, and server administrators improve their sites' relevance in search results by recommending how to make them more search engine-friendly. The SEO Toolkit Beta is available for installation via the Microsoft Web Platform Installer 2.0 Beta.

The II...Full Article.

Tip #73: Did you know... about IIS Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Toolkit Beta

2009-06-06T11:10:00.013-07:00

The II...Full Article.

Tip #74: Did you know.How to Add and Remove AJAX Extenders in Visual Studio 2008 Designer?

2009-06-06T11:10:00.011-07:00

Tip#62 showed you how to add an AJAX Control Toolkit to your Toolbox.

Once you have the toolkit here is how you proceed:

1. Switch to Design View of the page and drag drop ScriptManager control from the AJAX Extensions tab of toolbox to the designer.

2. Drag drop an asp button control to the designer to which you would want to add the extender.</...Full Article.

Tip #74: Did you know.How to Add and Remove AJAX Extenders in Visual Studio 2008 Designer?

2009-06-06T11:10:00.009-07:00

Tip#62 showed you how to add an AJAX Control Toolkit to your Toolbox.

Once you have the toolkit here is how you proceed:

1. Switch to Design View of the page and drag drop ScriptManager control from the AJAX Extensions tab of toolbox to the designer.

2. Drag drop an asp button control to the designer to which you would want to add the extender.</...Full Article.

Unknown server tag ‘asp:SearchExpression’ error with QueryExtender control in Visual Studio 2010 Beta 1

2009-06-06T11:10:00.007-07:00

One of the cool things about ASP.NET 4.0 is the Query Extender and the ability to search within DataContext without using WHERE clause, writing extensive code etc., It works on the new set of namespace i.e. "System.Web.UI.WebControls.Expressions" namespace.

I am trying to put up an extensive sample using QueryExtender in the next post, but for this post, I wanted to share an error that yo...Full Article.

Unknown server tag ‘asp:SearchExpression’ error with QueryExtender control in Visual Studio 2010 Beta 1

2009-06-06T11:10:00.005-07:00

I am trying to put up an extensive sample using QueryExtender in the next post, but for this post, I wanted to share an error that yo...Full Article.

ASP.NET 4.0 QueryExtender, AutoCompleteExtender and UpdatePanel – mashing it up all

2009-06-06T11:10:00.003-07:00

I am playing with the ASP.NET 4.0 QueryExtender released as a part of the Visual Studio 2010 Beta 1 recently. It provides endless opportunities for working with data without writing much code and when you combine it with a few Ajax features, gives a truly great user experience with very less effort.

To begin with you need the Visual Studio 2010 Beta 1 and .NET Framework 4.0 Beta 1. Yo...Full Article.

ASP.NET 4.0 QueryExtender, AutoCompleteExtender and UpdatePanel – mashing it up all

2009-06-06T11:10:00.001-07:00

To begin with you need the Visual Studio 2010 Beta 1 and .NET Framework 4.0 Beta 1. Yo...Full Article.

Working with XY Scatter Charts in Reporting Services 2008

2009-06-03T10:38:00.013-07:00

Recently, I've been fielding a few questions regarding XY Scatter Charts in Reporting Services 2008 (see MSDN Forum Question). We have definitely noticed that working with XY Scatter charts is a bit difficult, and we do appreciate the feedback and will work to improve them in a future release. The remainder of this post will detail how you can successfully b...Full Article.

Working with XY Scatter Charts in Reporting Services 2008

2009-06-03T10:38:00.011-07:00

Implementing Incremental Navigation with ASP.NET

2009-06-03T10:38:00.009-07:00

Traditionally, website navigation has been focused on minimizing the number of clicks required to open a given page. However, this goal has nothing to do with the real purpose of navigation, which is to make finding information easy, consistent, and transparent to the user. Also, as websites get bigger, traditional navigation controls such as drop-down menus or tree views become impractical. Faster Internet connections and larger screen sizes now allow developers to experiment with n...Full Article.

Implementing Incremental Navigation with ASP.NET

2009-06-03T10:38:00.007-07:00

Bug Psychology

2009-06-03T10:38:00.005-07:00

Fixing bugs is hard.

For the purposes of this posting, I'm talking about those really "crisp" bugs -- those flaws which are entirely due to a failure on the developer's part to correctly implement some mechanistic calculation or ensure some postcondition is met. I'm not talking about oops, we just found out that the product name sounds like a rude word in Urdu, or the specification wasn't quite right so we changed it or the code wasn't adequatel...Full Article.

Bug Psychology

2009-06-03T10:38:00.003-07:00

Fixing bugs is hard.

A BuildProvider to simplify your ASP.NET MVC Action Links

2009-06-03T10:38:00.001-07:00

One downside of using Html.ActionLink in your views is that it is late bound. e.g. say you write something like this:

  <%= Html.ActionLink("Home", "Index", "Home")%>

The second parameter is the Acti...Full Article.

A BuildProvider to simplify your ASP.NET MVC Action Links

2009-06-03T10:37:00.024-07:00

One downside of using Html.ActionLink in your views is that it is late bound. e.g. say you write something like this:

  <%= Html.ActionLink("Home", "Index", "Home")%>

The second parameter is the Acti...Full Article.

Tip #67: Did you know the list of ASP.Net MVC shortcuts?

2009-06-03T10:37:00.023-07:00

Add Controller (Ctrl-M Ctrl-C)

Add Controller is a simple dialog box that lets you quickly add controllers to ASP.Net MVC Applications. Right-Click the 'Controllers' folder or simply press Ctrl-M Ctrl-C to invoke this dialog.

Tip #67: Did you know the list of ASP.Net MVC shortcuts?

2009-06-03T10:37:00.021-07:00

Add Controller (Ctrl-M Ctrl-C)

Add Controller is a simple dialog box that lets you quickly add controllers to ASP.Net MVC Applications. Right-Click the 'Controllers' folder or simply press Ctrl-M Ctrl-C to invoke this dialog.

Tip #68 Did you know. How simple it is to attach an existing style sheet to your web page?

2009-06-03T10:37:00.019-07:00

Open an existing web site in VWD. Open the page by double clicking on it in solution explorer to which you want to attach the existing style sheet in your web site.

Now, switch to Design View of the page and bring up Select Style Sheet dialog by clicking on menu: Format -> Attach Style Sheet as shown below.

Tip #68 Did you know. How simple it is to attach an existing style sheet to your web page?

2009-06-03T10:37:00.017-07:00

Open an existing web site in VWD. Open the page by double clicking on it in solution explorer to which you want to attach the existing style sheet in your web site.

Now, switch to Design View of the page and bring up Select Style Sheet dialog by clicking on menu: Format -> Attach Style Sheet as shown below.

Tip #69: Did you know.The keyboard shortcut for View in Browser?

2009-06-03T10:37:00.015-07:00

Ctrl +Shift+W does the trick for you.

This short cut is mentioned under File Menu -> View in Browser.

So if you are still using Select File -> Right click for context menu and then selecting View in Browser as shown below, you may want to start using Ctrl+Shift+W.

Tip #69: Did you know.The keyboard shortcut for View in Browser?

2009-06-03T10:37:00.013-07:00

Ctrl +Shift+W does the trick for you.

This short cut is mentioned under File Menu -> View in Browser.

So if you are still using Select File -> Right click for context menu and then selecting View in Browser as shown below, you may want to start using Ctrl+Shift+W.

Tip #70: Did you know. how to install win7 RC IIS through command script?

2009-06-03T10:37:00.011-07:00

Windows 7 RC's IIS included ftp 7.5 feature. Installing it from command line is a little bit different than the vista IIS7 command line. It is as following:

start /w pkgmgr /l:log.etw /iu:IIS-WebServerRole;IIS-WebServer;IIS-CommonHttpFeatures;IIS-StaticContent;IIS-DefaultDocument;IIS-DirectoryBrowsing;IIS-HttpErrors;IIS-HttpRedirect;IIS-ApplicationDevelopment;IIS-ASPNET;IIS-NetFxExtensibility;IIS-ASP;IIS-CGI;IIS-ISAPIExtensions;IIS-ISAPIFilter;IIS-ServerSide...Full Article.

Tip #70: Did you know. how to install win7 RC IIS through command script?

2009-06-03T10:37:00.009-07:00

Windows 7 RC's IIS included ftp 7.5 feature. Installing it from command line is a little bit different than the vista IIS7 command line. It is as following:

Tip #71: Did you know... there are several new configuration settings available in FastCGI Extension 1.5 Beta

2009-06-03T10:37:00.007-07:00

Following are the new configuration settings available in FastCGI 1.5 Extension Beta:

MonitorChangesTo - This property specifies path to a file, changes to which will trigger a recycle of FastCGI executables running for this FastCGI process pool. If value of this property is blank, file change monitoring is disabled. Path to file can be absolute or relative to folder in which FastCGI process (as specified by Exe...Full Article.

Tip #71: Did you know... there are several new configuration settings available in FastCGI Extension 1.5 Beta

2009-06-03T10:37:00.005-07:00

Following are the new configuration settings available in FastCGI 1.5 Extension Beta:

MonitorChangesTo - This property specifies path to a file, changes to which will trigger a recycle of FastCGI executables running for this FastCGI process pool. If value of this property is blank, file change monitoring is disabled. Path to file can be absolute or relative to folder in which FastCGI process (as specified by Exe...Full Article.

Tip #72: Did you know... you can now manage Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2 from Windows 7

2009-06-03T10:37:00.003-07:00

Technorati Tags: VWD,Visual Studio 2008,tips and tricksFull Article.

Tip #72: Did you know... you can now manage Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2 from Windows 7

2009-06-03T10:37:00.001-07:00

Technorati Tags: VWD,Visual Studio 2008,tips and tricksFull Article.

IIS Search Engine Optimization Toolkit

2009-06-03T10:36:00.001-07:00

SEO (search engine optimization) is one of the important considerations that any Internet web-site needs to design with in mind. A non-trivial percentage of Internet traffic to sites is driven by search engines, and good SEO techniques can help increase site traffic even further.

Likewise, small mistakes can significantly impact the search relevance of your site...Full Article.

IIS Search Engine Optimization Toolkit

2009-06-03T10:36:00.000-07:00

Likewise, small mistakes can significantly impact the search relevance of your site...Full Article.

Cross domain access policy in Silverlight applications

2009-06-02T11:00:00.001-07:00

In this article, Sergey examines the role of cross domain access policy in Silverlight. After a short introduction, he examines the interaction between client and server as well as a list of threats which may occur in rich internet applications. He also provides steps to take in order to prevent attacks and operation of Crossdomain Client Access Policy with the help of relevant screenshots and source code....Full Article.

An Alternative Approach To Strongly Typed Helpers

2009-06-02T10:59:00.003-07:00

One of the features contained in the MVC Futures project is the ability to generate action links in a strongly typed fashion using expressions. For example:

  <%= Html.ActionLink<HomeController>(c => c.Index()) %>

...Full Article.

Microsoft Web Platform Installer

2009-06-02T10:59:00.001-07:00

One of the cool new releases coming out this year is a small download manager - the Microsoft Web Platform Installer - that makes installing and configuring web server and web development stacks really easy. It is a free tool that you can download from the www.microsoft.com/web site (here is the direct link to the instal...Full Article.

ViewModel with MVC/Navigation in Silverlight

2009-06-01T11:03:00.003-07:00

ASP.NET MVC Validation with the Data Annotation Validators

2009-06-01T11:03:00.001-07:00

Learn how to use the new Data Annotations Model Binder -- just released on CodePlex.com -- to perform validation in an ASP.NET MVC application. The Data Annotations Model Binder makes it easy to perform validation in an ASP.NET MVC application by using attributes such as the Required and StringLength attributes....Full Article.

Tip#66: Did you know... how to insert quotes values automatically while typing the attrib values?

2009-06-01T11:02:00.007-07:00

It's a nice time saver if you would like the HTML editor to automatically add quotes for the attribute values while you are typing.

To set this option select Tools->Options. Check Show all settings. From the left pane select Text Editor -> HTML -> Format and check the insert attribute value quotes when typing checkbox.

Writing A Page To A String

2009-06-01T11:02:00.005-07:00

ASP.NET Pages are designed to stream their output directly to a response stream. This can be a huge performance benefit for large pages as it doesn't require buffering and allocating very large strings before rendering. Allocating large strings can put them on the Large Object Heap which means they'll be sticking around for a while.

May 30th Links: ASP.NET, AJAX, ASP.NET MVC, Visual Studio

2009-06-01T11:02:00.003-07:00

Here is the latest in my link-listing series. Also check out my ASP.NET Tips, Tricks and Tutorials page and

Mozilla Crash Reporter – the death screen

2009-06-01T11:02:00.001-07:00

LINQ the Bridge between the world of Objects & the world of Data

2009-05-29T10:24:00.009-07:00

In this article, I will illustrate how LINQ makes the relation between objects and data easy to deal with. I will also use code samples to make a comparison between regular code and LINQ code. ...Full Article.

Using ASP.NET 3.5's ListView and DataPager Controls: Deleting Data

2009-05-29T10:24:00.007-07:00

The previous installments in this article series have demonstrated how to display, group, sort, and page through data using the ListView control. In addition to displaying data, the ListView control also provides support for inserting, updating, and deleting data. If the ListView uses a data source control (such as a SqlDataSource or ObjectDataSource) and that data source control is configured to support insert, updating, or deleting, then implementing such functionality in the ListView ...Full Article.

New Webcasts and Podcasts

2009-05-29T10:24:00.005-07:00

Broaden your knowledge by listening to podcasts, watching recorded webcasts, or register for an upcoming webcast hosted by industry experts and the product team on current and upcoming technologies....Full Article.

Two New Videos on ASP.NET MVC

2009-05-29T10:24:00.003-07:00

Rob Conery concludes the series on the ASP.NET MVC Storefront Starter Kit by adding Domain-Driven Design principles to its architecture....Full Article.

Check Out Ramp Up - a Free Online Learning Program

2009-05-29T10:24:00.001-07:00

Ramp Up has just launched 3 *new* ASP.NET tracks. The easy-to-access content (provided by subject-matter gurus) teaches the important skills in a guided path, making the learning process easier and more efficient. Check out www.MyRampUp.com!...Full Article.

June's Toolbox Column Now Online

2009-05-29T10:23:00.005-07:00

My Toolbox column in the June 2009 issue of MSDN Magazine is available online and includes the following reviews:

ProjectLocker - ProjectLocker lets you outsource source control, defect tracking, and other common project management tasks to the cloud. Unlike open source hosting sit...Full Article.

When Five Hundred Posts You Reach

2009-05-29T10:23:00.003-07:00

. look this good you will not. But man, I tell you, the memory goes.

In the July 1985 issue of Fantasy and Science Fiction, Isaac Asimov wrote:

Yesterday I sat down to write my 321st essay for Fantasy and Science Fiction. [.] It went swimmingly. I was pleased at the ease with which I worked out its construction. It practically wrote itself and I scarcely had to look anything up. I whistled while I worked. An...Full Article.

Why Is The Return Type Parameter Last?

2009-05-29T10:23:00.001-07:00

The generic delegate type Func<A, R> is defined as delegate R Func<A, R>(A arg). That is, the argument type is to the left of return type in the declaration of the generic type parameters, but to the right of the return type when they are used. What's up with that? Wouldn't it be a lot more natural to define it as delegate R Func<R, A>(A arg), so that...Full Article.

What Would Tufte Do?

2009-05-29T10:22:00.010-07:00

What is this a chart of? I'll post the answer tomorrow.

Tip#65: Did you know...How to quickly create a GridView that is hooked up to a SQL table?

2009-05-29T10:22:00.009-07:00

In Tip#64, we showed you how to convert a GridView's bound fields into template fields. In this tip, we will show you how to quickly create a GridView that is hooked up to a SQL table.

Typically, if you want a GridView then you need to add it to the page, and then add the datasource and hook the two up through a wizard. But here's a much quicker way to create and hookup the two.

First, if you don't have a connection to your database, then you will nee...Full Article.

Tip#64:Did you know . How to convert a GridView column from asp:BoundField to asp:TemplateField in Design View?

2009-05-29T10:22:00.007-07:00

Assume that you already have a data source SqlDataSource1 that binds to a simple query returning some details from the Customers table.

LIDNUG: Free Online Virtual Chat with Me Today

2009-05-29T10:22:00.005-07:00

LIDNUG (Linked .NET Users Group) is hosting an online chat with me today (Wednesday) from 11:30am to 1pm PST (Pacific Standard Time). Anyone is free to join and the agenda topic will be open - so bring your questions!

Click here to learn more about how to register and attend it.

Hope to chat with you more then,

Scott

Full Article.

Windows Vista SP2 and Windows Server 2008 SP2

2009-05-29T10:22:00.003-07:00

The Windows team put up quick work and released the SP2 for Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 despite the parallel Windows 7 work that has been keeping them busy. So if you are running Windows Vista SP1 or Windows Server 2008, you can install SP2 released from

Bingo Bing :)

2009-05-29T10:22:00.001-07:00

Our new search engine, more than just search, it would be a decision engine.

In a bid to provide better search experiences, we will be releasing a new decision engine next week. The official name is Bing. I think it is a cool name and this would definitely improve the traditional experience people find with Search.

Today, people...Full Article.

Error: Could not load file or assembly 'System.Transactions, Version=2.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b77a5c561934e089' or one of its dependencies. The module was expected to contain an assembly manifest.

2009-05-29T10:21:00.001-07:00

Recently, I was trouble shooting an error for my friend. Despite having all the necessary framework and service packs installed, this error "Could not load file or assembly 'System.Transactions, Version=2.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b77a5c561934e089' or one of its dependencies. The module was expected to contain an assembly manifest." was surfacing, every time we tried connecting to a SQL Server instance using...Full Article.

Google's Philosophy - Ten Things

2009-05-25T09:13:00.003-07:00

One of Google's mantras is to never settle for the best. The perfect search engine, says Google co-founder Larry Page, would understand exactly what you mean and give back exactly what you want. Given the state of search technology today, that's a far-reaching vision requiring research, development and innovation to realize. Google is committed to blazing that trail. Though acknowledged as the world's leading search technology company, Google's goal is to provide a much higher level of service t...Full Article.

Parsing Twitter Usernames, Hashtags and URLs with ColdFusion

2009-05-25T09:13:00.001-07:00

Some time ago, well almost a year ago actually, I posted an article called Parsing Twitter Usernames, Hashtags and URLs with JavaScript. From that article, it became immediately apparent that this was an issue many people were confronting and one that required an answer. Now, belatedly, it is the turn of ColdFusion to get the Twitter love.

Some time ago, well almost a year ago actually, I posted an article called Parsi...Full Article.

Dynamically creating DeepZoom composition

2009-05-25T09:12:00.015-07:00

Explore the process of creating the files to support DeepZoom composition (image pyramids and dz xml files). Assumes a basic understanding of deepzoom. The foundation for the article can be seen on my blog: problog.jamespritz.com. ...Full Article.

DoubleAnimation Basics with Silverlight Application

2009-05-25T09:12:00.013-07:00

This article describes the basics of developing an animation application using the Silverlight Application project found in Visual Studio 2008 SP1....Full Article.

Building an Invoice Application with ASP.NET and Crystal Reports - Part 1

2009-05-25T09:12:00.011-07:00

In this first part of the series, Vince examines the creation of an invoice with the help of Crystal Reports by using the Adventure Works sample database. He provides detailed coverage of each step including the concept of header and detail records and one to many relationships with the help of relevant screen shots and source code. The article also demonstrates the usage of the Crystal Report Viewer and the Object Model to view the report as a PDF using ASP.NET....Full Article.

Crystal Reports Charting Fundamentals

2009-05-25T09:12:00.009-07:00

We all know that what managers like best about reports are the colorful charts. The data presented could mean that the company is struggling for sales, but hey, it is presented in a fancy chart. This article introduces the Crystal Reporting charting basics, and then goes beyond and introduces a way to use third party charting controls....Full Article.

Reporting 101: Understanding the Why, What, and How of Reporting Solutions

2009-05-25T09:12:00.007-07:00

This introductory look at reporting clearly establishes what a reporting solution is, how reports differ from documents, and why you should adopt a reporting solution for your organization. Delivering business critical reports has never been more important, and this white paper explains the why, what, and how of Reporting Solutions you need to get the job done....Full Article.

Creating Parameter Fields in Crystal Reports

2009-05-25T09:12:00.005-07:00

In this article Mohammad Azam demonstrates the usage of ParameterField in Crystal Reports to manipulate reports at runtime. He examines the concept in a step-by-step manner with a comprehensive explanation and supporting screen shots....Full Article.

Securing ASP.NET Applications

2009-05-25T09:12:00.003-07:00

The movie "Hackers" (1995) was spot-on (in being ridiculous.) But security issues are very real to the companies who have to face the fall-out from the compromise of their customer's privacy. This article takes a look at two recent attacks on web applications and how they were perpetrated. Then it dives head first into a litany of different potential security holes and more importantly, how to plug them in ASP.Net....Full Article.

Geographic Data with Crystal Reports

2009-05-25T09:12:00.001-07:00

Did you know that Crystal Reports ships with functionality to render geographic data? In recent years the ability to create reports that visually interpret data has become an easy task, and more businesses are asking for more complex functionality, such as reporting on geographic data. This article introduces the Crystal Reporting mapping basics, then goes beyond and introduces a way to use third party mapping controls....Full Article.

Deploying DTS package in SQL Server 2000

2009-05-25T09:11:00.003-07:00

One of the challenging activities in working with DTS packages in SQL server 2000 is deployment. Hard coding in DTS objects such as connections would appear inevitable and would require changes every time you deploy depending on the environment. Though Enterprise Manager provides extremely good UI to deploy, it is tedious to deploy using it when there are several packages. This article explains the process of removing hard coding with the help of parametrized global variables and also reading co...Full Article.

Panic on Mt Si

2009-05-25T09:11:00.001-07:00

Being that it's a glorious Memorial Day Weekend up here in the Northwest, my co-worker Eilon (developer lead for ASP.NET MVC) and I decided to go on a hike to Mt Si where we had a bit of a scary moment.

Azure Basics - Say 'Hello' to the Cloud

2009-05-24T00:53:00.012-07:00

Shaun shows how to start developing a Windows Azure-based website and shows the steps to deploy that website to the cloud. This is a pretty basic example to help get someone past the basic hurdles of developing for Azure....Full Article.

Understanding the Crystal Reports Object Model

2009-05-24T00:53:00.011-07:00

Often times, when developers think about Crystal Reports, they think about a stand-alone designer and reports running in a sandbox. This is a common misconception and often leads to logic placed on reports that should have been handled in code. In this article Jeff discusses the basics of the Report Document Model and Report View Model with the help of comprehensive explanations and screen shots....Full Article.

Examining Various Silverlight Containers

2009-05-24T00:53:00.009-07:00

This article looks at the various containers in Silverlight and examines how each container works. It also illustrates combining containers together to facilitate a container's needs and examines the various differences....Full Article.

Examining ASP.NET 2.0's Membership, Roles, and Profile - Part 14

2009-05-24T00:53:00.007-07:00

The ASP.NET Toolbox includes two Web controls for managing users' passwords: the ChangePassword control and the PasswordRecovery control. The ChangePassword control allows a user signed into the site to change their password by entering their existing password and their new, desired password. The PasswordRecovery control is used to reset or recover a user's password in the event that it has been forgotten. The PasswordRecovery control is used by anonymous users who need to be reminded of ...Full Article.

An Extensive Examination of LINQ: The Standard Query Operators

2009-05-24T00:53:00.005-07:00

Query operators are methods that work with a sequence of data and perform some task based on the data. They are created as extension methods on the IEnumerable<T> interface, which is the interface implemented by classes that hold enumerable data. For example, arrays and the classes in the System.Collections and System.Collections.Generic namespaces all implement IEnumerable<T>. In

An Extensive Examination of LINQ: Using the Query Syntax

2009-05-24T00:53:00.003-07:00

LINQ's standard query operators provide dozens of built-in techniques for programmatically enumerating, aggregating, selecting, and filtering data. These standard query operators are implemented as extension functions on the IEnumerable<T> interface and therefore available to any object that implements this interface, which includes arrays, the collection classes in the System.Collections...Full Article.

Dynamically Generating and Caching Images in ASP.NET with the GeneratedImage Control

2009-05-24T00:53:00.001-07:00

CodePlex is Microsoft's open source project community and provides a free hosting platform for open source projects created in .NET. Microsoft's own ASP.NET team has its own CodePlex page - aspnet.CodePlex.com - where they give code previews for upcoming releases. There you'll find the ASP.NET MVC 1.0 source code, a preview of the ASP.NET AJAX 4.0 Framework, and other future libraries, frameworks, and controls....Full Article.

Image Transforms with the ASP.NET Generated Image Control

2009-05-24T00:51:00.011-07:00

Last week's article - Dynamically Generating and Caching Images in ASP.NET with the GeneratedImage Control - looked at how to programmatically create and cache images on the fly using the GeneratedImage control, one of a suite of "Futures" technologies found in the ASP.NET Team's CodePlex site. Programmatically creating and displaying images entails the use of an HTTP Handler ...Full Article.

Customizing ASP.NET's CreateUserWizard Control To Display a Fixed Set of Security Questions

2009-05-24T00:51:00.009-07:00

ASP.NET's Membership system and its associated Web controls enable developers to create websites that support user accounts in a fraction of the time that it once did. In a nutshell, the Membership system and the specified provider handle the low-level details of creating a user account, validating a user's credentials, deleting an account, locking out an account, getting information about the currently logged on user, ...Full Article.