Predicate

Change GridView Column HeaderText programmatically

2011-12-19T07:50:00.001-08:00

Actually it does not work on PreRender event, so you have to do it in the RowCreated event:

protected void GridViewLot_RowCreated(object sender, GridViewRowEventArgs e)
        {
            if (e.Row.RowType == DataControlRowType.Header)
            {
                               if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(lt.CustomAttributeName1)) e.Row.Cells[5].Text = lt.CustomAttributeName1; else e.Row.GridView.Columns[5].Visible = false;
                       }

}

Native MD5 in SQLServer

2010-12-15T07:28:00.001-08:00

Starting from SQL Server 2005, you can now compute some hash in your sql queries or stored procedures:



HashBytes ( '<algorithm>', { @input | 'input' } )
<algorithm>::= MD2 | MD4 | MD5 | SHA | SHA1

Example

DECLARE @HashThis nvarchar(4000);
SELECT @HashThis = CONVERT(nvarchar(4000),'dslfdkjLK85kldhnv$n000#knf');
SELECT HashBytes('SHA1', @HashThis);
GO

source:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms174415.aspx

TotalRecall Google Chrome Extension 1.02 Fix

2010-08-14T02:34:00.001-07:00

TotalRecall is a cool google Chrome extension that allow you to save the content of online forms, it’s very usefull for developper :-)

Sadly the extension is not working anymore with the latest google chrome release. After some investigation, I’ve found that it fail because of a breaking change in google Chrome database API…

In the background html, I’ve made the following changes – in bold :

  db:        null,
  dbName:    "totalrecall",
  dbVersion: '2.0', 
  // this creates the database if it doesn't already exist
  databaseConnect: function()
  {
    bgNs.db = openDatabase(bgNs.dbName, bgNs.dbVersion, 'Forms database', 1024*1024*3);
  },

I've repack the extension with the fix: here you can download.

SQL – Get the list of columns of a table

2010-08-12T03:21:00.001-07:00

This can be done by querying the system tables of SQLServer

SELECT   
    SysObjects.[Name] as TableName,   
    SysColumns.[Name] as ColumnName,   
    SysTypes.[Name] As DataType,   
    SysColumns.[Length] As Length   
FROM   
    SysObjects INNER JOIN SysColumns   
ON SysObjects.[Id] = SysColumns.[Id]   
    INNER JOIN SysTypes  
ON SysTypes.[xtype] = SysColumns.[xtype]  
WHERE  SysObjects.[type] = 'U'  

and SysColumns.[Name] like '%mytable%'

ORDER BY  SysObjects.[Name]

SQL Server: how to find view or stored procedure with specific text

2010-08-12T03:19:00.001-07:00

You can query the system tables:

SELECT [name]
FROM [dbo].[sysobjects] obj
INNER JOIN [dbo].[syscomments] cmt
ON obj.[id] = cmt.[id]
where cmt.[text] like '%my text%'

How to get database list in c#

2010-08-08T11:17:00.001-07:00

It can be done easily with the GetSchema method on a SqlConnection instance:

protected string ServerConnectionString
        {
            get
            {
                return "Data Source=(local)\\SQLEXPRESS;;Integrated Security=SSPI;";
            }
        }

protected string[] GetDatabaseList()
        {
            List<string> databases = new List<string>();
            using (SqlConnection sqlConx = new SqlConnection(ServerConnectionString))
            {
                sqlConx.Open();
                DataTable tblDatabases = sqlConx.GetSchema("Databases");
                sqlConx.Close();

                foreach (DataRow row in tblDatabases.Rows)
                {
                    databases.Add(row["database_name"].ToString());
                }
            }
            return databases.ToArray();
        }

Here is a post of David Hayden detailing all the possibility of database reflection exposed by this method:

http://www.davidhayden.com/blog/dave/archive/2006/01/15/2734.aspx

Generating DAL using CodeSmith and .Nettiers (step by step)

2009-12-06T08:35:00.001-08:00

Here is a good step by step tutorial to start with .NetTiers.

http://fci-h.blogspot.com/2009/11/generating-dal-using-codesmith-and.html

The workstation driver is not installed - webDAV

2009-09-18T06:22:00.001-07:00

From: http://blogs.msdn.com/carloshm/archive/2008/04/07/webdav-the-workstation-driver-is-not-installed.aspx

Did you ever receive this message when trying to access WebDav - MOSS through command prompt?

Due to a bug in Windows Server 2003, you will need to restart WebClient redirector service and then start webclient service.

NET STOP MRXDAV

NET START WEBCLIENT

Download Microsoft Web Application Stress Tool Setup.exe

2009-09-18T02:38:00.001-07:00

Lately, Microsoft has removed its download page of “Web Application Stress Tool” (WAS) : –(.
Although it’s a (very) old tool, I still find it very convenient to run simple load tests: easy too use, simple report, efficient !
So I’ve decided to make it available for download: WAS Setup.exe

here you can find a tutorial about Web application Stress Tool.

Free Http sniffer and Viewer

2009-09-08T02:42:00.001-07:00

HttpSpy is a very good replacement for HTTP Analyzer.
It list every http request, with headers, response, status code, etc.

The software is free for personal use, and is developped in .NET !!!

Publisher website

Download HttpSpy.exe here

Novell NetDrive.exe 4.0 download

2009-09-07T05:48:00.001-07:00

This is the original freeware tool from Novell, that allows us to map a webdav or ftp server as a new drive.

Download NetDrive.exe

Visual studio : How to quickly attach asp.net process

2009-09-01T08:09:00.001-07:00

I do this by creating the following macro:

Sub AttachToAspNET()
        Try
            Dim dbg2 As EnvDTE80.Debugger2 = DTE.Debugger
            Dim trans As EnvDTE80.Transport = dbg2.Transports.Item("Default")
            Dim compName As String = WindowsIdentity.GetCurrent().Name
            compName = compName.Substring(0, compName.IndexOf("\"))
            Dim proc2 As EnvDTE80.Process2 = dbg2.GetProcesses(trans, compName).Item("w3wp.exe")
            proc2.Attach() '(dbg2)
        Catch ex As System.Exception
            MsgBox(ex.Message)
        End Try
    End Sub

Then I assign a keyboard shortcut (CTRL+ALT+K) to it via the “Tools\Option\Keyboard” menu.

You can find a more complete explanation here, but its code is not working:

http://blog.lavablast.com/post/2008/01/Attach-to-Process-with-one-shortcut.aspx

nUnit reports no TestFixtures on a network share

2009-06-09T05:22:00.000-07:00

nUnit just detects no tests, with no error message at all !!!

actually if your assembly in on a network share, you need to "trust" this share, with the caspol.exe command line.

Here is the one i've used:

CasPol.exe -m -ag 1.2 -url file://z:\trunk\* FullTrust

I've also tested it successfully under a virtual machine.

Generate a random string

2009-06-09T00:46:00.000-07:00

I always need that method in my unit tests !

There is several implementation around, but here is an interesting one, based upon temporary filename creation:

    ///      /// Get random string of 11 characters.     /// 
     /// Random string.     public static string GetRandomString()     {         string path = Path.GetRandomFileName();         path = path.Replace(".", ""); // Remove period.         return path;     }

Original article here:

http://dotnetperls.com/Content/Random-String.aspx

Create a RSS feed natively with .NET 3.5 and C#

2009-05-04T00:30:00.001-07:00

With the introduction of the System.ServiceModel.Syndication namespace, the 3.5 .Net framework allow us to read (it was talked in a previous post) and write RSS feed with a strongly typed API.

Here is a code snippet that show how to create an HttpHandler that render an RSS feed:

<%@ WebHandler Language="C#" Class="RssHandler" %>

using System;
using System.Web;
using System.Globalization;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.ServiceModel.Syndication;

public class RssHandler : IHttpHandler {
    
    public void ProcessRequest (HttpContext context) {
        context.Response.ContentType = "text/xml";

        SyndicationFeed myFeed = new SyndicationFeed();
        myFeed.Title = new TextSyndicationContent("My Feed");
        myFeed.Description = new TextSyndicationContent("My feed Description");

        myFeed.Copyright = TextSyndicationContent.CreatePlaintextContent("Copyright jroland");
        myFeed.Language = CultureInfo.CurrentCulture.Name;
        
        List<SyndicationItem> feedItems = new List<SyndicationItem>();
        for (int i = 0; i < 10; i++)
        {
            SyndicationItem item = new SyndicationItem();
            item.Title = new TextSyndicationContent("Title " + i);
            item.Summary = new TextSyndicationContent("Summary " + i);
            item.PublishDate = new DateTimeOffset(DateTime.Now);
            
            SyndicationPerson authInfo = new SyndicationPerson();
            authInfo.Name = "John Roland";
            item.Authors.Add(authInfo);
            
            feedItems.Add(item);
        }
        myFeed.Items = feedItems;        

        
        System.Xml.XmlWriter writer = System.Xml.XmlWriter.Create(context.Response.Output);
        myFeed.SaveAsRss20(writer);
        writer.Close();
    }
 
    public bool IsReusable {
        get {
            return false;
        }
    }

}

Taskbar on a second monitor – Free multi monitor TaskBar

2009-04-29T04:51:00.001-07:00

Windows XP and Vista support multi monitor nicely, but the TaskBar is only available on one monitor only :-(.

Ultramon is a well known alternative, but cost money.

Alternatively you can use the free version “MultiMonitor TaskBar” edited by MediaChance.
It display a second taskbar with icons of the application opened on that monitor.

Download it here.

Sharepoint WSS 3.0 Service Pack 2

2009-04-24T07:25:00.000-07:00

Service Pack 2 for Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 and Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 due to ship April 28th

Office Service Pack team announced Service Pack 2 for Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 and Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 would be available on April 28th. It provides many fixes and performance improvements, as well as some new features. Also with the new service pack, Internet Explorer 8 will be added into browser support matrix as level one, and Firefox 2.0 and 3.0 as level two. We recommend every customer to start planning their patch window to apply this service pack. Please look out for more details on April 28^th.

for french readers La date de disponibilité du SP2 de MOSS 2007 et WSS 3.0 a été annoncée: cela sera le 28 Avril! Ce SP fournit de nombreux correctifs et améliorations de performances, ainsi que de nouvelles fonctionnalités. Le SP2 sera un pré-requis pour la mise à jour en version 2010 de SharePoint, il est donc recommandé de prévoir d’ores et déjà son application! Microsoft SharePoint Team Blog : Service Pack 2 for Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 and Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 due to ship April 28th

Snippet Compiler – write and test c# code without saving

2009-04-20T06:32:00.001-07:00

If you’re like me, you’re creating a lot of small console application to test some idea or even to just try a library or API. Snippet Compiler is a small tool that lets you quickly test small apps without having to save the code.

Download the “Snippet Compiler” by Jeff Key.
http://www.sliver.com/dotnet/SnippetCompiler/

Free image / icons library for software programmers

2009-04-17T02:01:00.001-07:00

Everyone knows that developer are poor when it come to icon or graphic design, so here is a free image / icons library named Silk that is very useful when you create a web site or an application and that you need some basic icons to start with.

From the author website:

“Silk” is a smooth, free icon set, containing over 700 16-by-16 pixel icons in strokably-soft PNG format. Containing a large variety of icons, you're sure to find something that tickles your fancy. And all for a low low price of $0.00. You can't say fairer than that.

Download it here

How to download the Free WPF Ribbon control from Microsoft

2009-04-16T02:56:00.001-07:00

Microsoft has release a free WPF Ribbon control that is quite hard to get, even if it have a codeplex page. Actually you have to go to the following page:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/office/aa973809.aspx

and Click on the License the Office UI link.

Then you have to sign in with your live account (who does not have one ?) and accept the OFFICE Fluent UI license.
Beware that you must indicate one or more of your own product that will use the Ribbon…

This done, you have will eventually gain access to this page: http://www.microsoftio.com/officeUI/license/

Ok finally here are the good stuff :

A pdf file “2007 Microsoft Office Fluent UI Design Guidelines License”, that explains in details how to design your own ribbon so that user have a fluent UI.
Microsoft Fluent Third Party usage guidelines: it is a very short doc, mostly about trademark issues.
the file WPFRibbonCTP.zip, titled “WPF Ribbon Control: Binary & Link to Sample Application” . This file contains the RibbonControlsLibrary.dll assembly, and a text file that explain you that :
“A sample application and Hands-on-Lab which uses the WPF Ribbon can be found at http://windowsclient.net/wpf under "WPF Features Preview Hand-on-Lab."”
Actually the sample is here: http://windowsclient.net/downloads/folders/hands-on-labs/entry76491.aspx

Note to the french readers:

Microsoft a publié un control gratuit de “Ribbon” pour WPF, le lien donné sur la page codeplex du projet est “localisé” et arrive sur une page francaise de Microsoft (L’interface utilisateur de la version 2007 de Microsoft Office system est disponible sous licence). La mauvaise surprise c’est que le lien “Obtenir la licence” qui devrait permettre de valider la license et de télécharger la library est faux, et pointe vers une vidéo de channel 9 !!! Donc l’astuce est de repasser sur la version US de la page et d’obtenir ainsi le bon lien: License the Office UI .

How to detect dual monitor in c#

2009-04-15T08:46:00.001-07:00

Here is a small c# method to detect if there is dual monitor, actually it’s just one line of code !

public bool DetectDualMonitor()
{
    return Screen.AllScreens.Length > 1;
}

c# - String to Generic Type conversion

2009-04-09T23:51:00.001-07:00

Lately I was searching about how to convert a string to another type, which is specified as Generic.

The solution is very simple and already present in the framework:

public static T To<T>(this string text)
{
    return (T)Convert.ChangeType(text, typeof(T));
}

// sample usage
int val = "124".To<int>();
double dbl = "124.5".To<double>();

In application development, this can be useful if yours settings are saved as string in a database.

Improved c# Slug generator (or how to make friendly url from a post title)

2009-04-08T23:41:00.001-07:00

here is an improved version of the Slug generator from Kamran Ayub. You can found original post here : http://www.intrepidstudios.com/blog/2009/2/10/function-to-generate-a-url-friendly-string.aspx

I’ve added the ability to remove accent.

public static string GenerateSlug(this string phrase)
{
    string str = phrase.RemoveAccent().ToLower();

    str = Regex.Replace(str, @"[^a-z0-9\s-]", ""); // invalid chars
    str = Regex.Replace(str, @"\s+", " ").Trim(); // convert multiple spaces into one space
    str = str.Substring(0, str.Length <= 45 ? str.Length : 45).Trim(); // cut and trim it
    str = Regex.Replace(str, @"\s", "-"); // hyphens

    return str;
}

public static string RemoveAccent(this string txt)
{
    byte[] bytes = System.Text.Encoding.GetEncoding("Cyrillic").GetBytes(txt);
    return System.Text.Encoding.ASCII.GetString(bytes);
}

note: I’ve chosen to implement them as extension method, feel free to modify this.

Display obscured password on a propertygrid

2009-04-07T05:31:00.001-07:00

To not show your passwords in plain text on a propertygrid, just use the PasswordPropertyText attribute:

[DisplayName("Password"), Category("Authentication"), PasswordPropertyText(true)]
public string Password
{
…
}

Your propertygrid will look like this:

How to define the path for private assemblies

2009-04-06T01:32:00.001-07:00

Here is a trick which I always forget the syntax, so it might be useful for me to write it down…

When deploying an application, you may want to put some dependencies into one or several sub folders; maybe just to clean the root folder from private components assemblies, or sometime to isolate the add-ins assemblies into a dedicated folder.

Your application will not find those dependencies until you modify the application configuration file (the app.config) to set a custom probing privatePath. This probing setting is under the runtime / assemblyBinding section, and the privatePath attribute can take several relative path separated with semicolon.

Here is a sample with a private path to the Addins folder and to the Components folder.

Reference:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/823z9h8w.aspx

c# : How to set default value on automatic properties (auto implemented properties)

2008-11-27T11:51:00.001-08:00

The new c# compiler allow us to write very clean and simplified property declaration, that avoid us to declare the private member and the get/ set accessors. here is the snippet (just do "prop TAB TAB" in visual studio 2008)

public string Name { get; set; }

my original post was wrong (thank for the report), shame on me.

I'll post a fixed version asap.

~~Here is what to do when you need a default value for your property : Just use our good old attributes:~~

[System.ComponentModel.DefaultValue("John doe")]
public string Name { get; set; }

Read an RSS or Atom feed natively with C# (.Net Framework 3.5)

2008-11-26T02:21:00.001-08:00

It's now possible, with the new classes added in the System.ServiceModel.Syndication namespace, to create or read an RSS feed without the use of additional components or classes.

First you'll need to reference the "System.ServiceModel.Web" assembly, then here is a short snippet to read a feed from an url:

            XmlReader reader = XmlReader.Create("http://feeds.feedburner.com/erp360");
            SyndicationFeed feed = SyndicationFeed.Load(reader);

            foreach (var item in feed.Items)
            {
                Console.WriteLine(item.Title.Text);
                Console.WriteLine(item.PublishDate.ToString("dd/MM/yyyy"));
                Console.WriteLine();
            }

            reader.Close();

To read from a feed contained into a string :

                XmlReader reader = XmlReader.Create(new StringReader(FeedXmlContent));
                SyndicationFeed feed = SyndicationFeed.Load(reader);
                reader.Close();

John Frusciante new Album "The Empyrean," due Jan. 20

2008-11-14T00:49:00.001-08:00

John is gonna release its first album since "Curtains" !!!

Original news is here:

http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003889627

Guitarist Johnny Marr and bassist Flea are among the guests on Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist John Frusciante's new album, "The Empyrean," due Jan. 20 via Record Collection.
The Sonus Quartet and the New Dimension Singers also make appearances on the follow-up to 2005's "Curtains." Frusciante has released seven solo albums since rejoining the Chili Peppers in 1998.

In mean time, I discover that John Frusciante just start to blog:

http://johnfrusciante.com/

How to check for a network connection in .NET 2.0 (C# or VB)

2008-10-01T08:25:00.001-07:00

quoted from: http://www.ardentdev.com/blog/index.php/2006/01/18/how-to-check-for-a-network-connection-in-net-20-c-or-vb/

To check for a network connection in .NET 2.0 use this:

System.Net.NetworkInformation.NetworkInterface.GetIsNetworkAvailable()

To monitor a change in IP address or a change in network availability, use the events from the NetworkChange class:

System.Net.NetworkInformation.NetworkChange.NetworkAvailabilityChanged

System.Net.NetworkInformation.NetworkChange.NetworkAddressChanged

How to make a Right click to select a ListViewItem in a Windows Forms ListView (C#)

2008-09-24T05:42:00.001-07:00

It is the normal behavior on windows, but not in the ListView control, I'm wondering why ... maybe an option that I've miss somewhere ?

anyway, here is my solution, you can either override the listview, or put an event handler on the mouseUp event:

First way:

    public class MyListView : System.Windows.Forms.ListView
    {
        protected override void OnMouseUp(MouseEventArgs e)
        {
            base.OnMouseUp(e);

            if (e.Button == MouseButtons.Right)
            {
                ListViewItem item = this.GetItemAt(e.X, e.Y);
                if (item != null)
                {
                    item.Selected = true;                    
                }
            }
        }
    }

Second way :

this.listView.MouseUp += new System.Windows.Forms.MouseEventHandler(this.OnListViewMouseUp);

        private void OnListViewMouseUp(object sender, MouseEventArgs e)
        {
            ListView listView = sender as ListView;

            if (e.Button == MouseButtons.Right)
            {
                ListViewItem item = listView.GetItemAt(e.X, e.Y);
                if (item != null)
                {
                    item.Selected = true;
                }
            }
        }

How to get rounded corner windows forms

2008-09-05T06:23:00.001-07:00

You can use a function available in gdi32.dll, by calling it in the constructor of the form.

From my experience the Border seems to not apply on the rounded corners.

    using System.Runtime.InteropServices;

    public partial class LoginForm : Form
    {
       [DllImport("Gdi32.dll", EntryPoint = "CreateRoundRectRgn")]
       private static extern IntPtr CreateRoundRectRgn
       (
           int nLeftRect, // x-coordinate of upper-left corner
            int nTopRect, // y-coordinate of upper-left corner
            int nRightRect, // x-coordinate of lower-right corner
            int nBottomRect, // y-coordinate of lower-right corner
            int nWidthEllipse, // height of ellipse
            int nHeightEllipse // width of ellipse
        );

       public LoginForm()
       {
           InitializeComponent();
           Region = System.Drawing.Region.FromHrgn(CreateRoundRectRgn( 0, 0, Width-10, Height-10, 20, 20)); // adjust these parameters to get the lookyou want.

        }

Microsoft Visual Basic Power Packs 3.0

2008-08-12T07:10:00.001-07:00

Overview

The new DataRepeater control included in this version of the Visual Basic Power Packs allows you use standard Windows Forms controls to display rows of your data in a scrollable container giving you more flexibility and customization than standard grid controls.
The Line and Shape controls are a set of three graphical controls that enable you to draw lines, ovals, and rectangles on forms and containers at design time making it much easier to enhance the look of your user interface. These shape controls also provide events such as click and double-click allowing developers to respond and interact with end users.
The Printer Compatibility Library allows projects that used the Printer and Printers Collection in Visual Basic 6.0 to be upgraded without having to re-write your printing logic. By simply adding a reference to the library, declaring a Printer and making a few minor syntax changes, your project will be able to print using the Printers collection and Printer object as it did in Visual Basic 6.0. This version adds a new Write method to the Printer object which allows you to print text without a forced carriage return similar to the semicolon syntax used by Print method in Visual Basic 6.0.
The PrintForm component is designed to bring back the ability to easily print a Windows Form. With this the new PrintForm component you can once again layout the Windows Form exactly as you want it and allow your users to print the form as a quick report.

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=371368A8-7FDC-441F-8E7D-FE78D96D4063&displaylang=en

Show All tasks In visual studio 2008

2008-08-11T12:13:00.001-07:00

Finnally Microsoft has fixed that !

In earlier versions of Visual Studio, the task list is populated by using the ToDo tasks that are specified in open files. In this service pack, the Visual C# IDE extends this functionality. The Visual C# IDE populates the task list by using the ToDo tasks that are specified in the whole solution.

French: La liste des t�ches est remplie dans des versions ant�rieures de Visual Studio en utilisant les t�ches ToDo qui sont sp�cifi�es dans des fichiers ouverts. Le Visual C# IDE dans ce Service Pack, �tend cette fonctionnalit�. Le Visual C# IDE remplit la liste des t�ches en utilisant les t�ches ToDo qui sont sp�cifi�es dans la solution enti�re.

So, all we need is to install the Visual Studio 2008 SP 1.

Source: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=27673c47-b3b5-4c67-bd99-84e525b5ce61&displaylang=en

Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 Service Pack 1

2008-08-11T12:02:00.001-07:00

Disponible en t�l�chargement, en fran�ais.

Pr�sentation

Ce t�l�chargement installe Visual Studio 2008 SP1 et .NET Framework 3.5 Service Pack 1 (SP1). Le SP1 traite les probl�mes remont�s par le biais des commentaires des clients et des partenaires ou trouv�s lors de tests internes. Ces Service Packs proposent aux utilisateurs Visual Studio et .NET Framework des am�liorations en termes de r�activit�, de stabilit� et de performances.
Pour plus d'informations sur ces Service Packs, cliquez ici.
IMPORTANT

Si vous avez pr�c�demment install� un correctif logiciel Visual Studio 2008, vous devez ex�cuter l'utilitaire de nettoyage des correctifs avant d'installer Visual Studio 2008 SP1. Pour plus d'informations, consultez Utilitaire de nettoyage des correctifs Visual Studio 2008 pour l'installation de Visual Studio 2008 SP1 (en anglais).
Avant l'installation, vous devez passer attentivement en revue le fichier readme fourni pour vous informer sur les probl�mes connus li�s � cette version.
Les technologies suivantes ont �t� test�es et leur fonctionnement avec SP1 v�rifi� :
- Kit de d�veloppement logiciel (SDK) et outils Silverlight 2.0 Beta2
- MVC version Preview no 3
- Extensions ASP.NET/Dynamic Data Preview
- VC 2008 Feature Pack
- Contr�les VB PowerPack (2.0 et 3.0)
- Expression Studio 2 (RTM)
- SQL Server 2008 et Kit de d�veloppement logiciel (SDK) .NET Framework 3.5
- XSLT Profiler
- Kit de d�veloppement logiciel (SDK) VSTA 2.0
- Kit de d�veloppement Visual Studio 2008 SDK
Si vous rencontrez des probl�mes lors de l'installation du SP1, d�sinstallez les compl�ments des technologies et/ou de d�veloppement et r�essayez l'installation du SP1. Cette liste sera enrichie � mesure que de nouvelles technologies seront mises � jour et que leur compatibilit� avec le SP1 aura �t� v�rifi�e.

Source: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=27673c47-b3b5-4c67-bd99-84e525b5ce61&displaylang=fr

Visual studio command line to open a file into running instance

2008-07-26T14:52:00.001-07:00

here is it:

devenv /Edit "c:\test.txt"

if you omit the /Edit swith then another instance is opened.

string Extension method - Part 2

2008-07-06T14:55:00.001-07:00

Here is a usefull string extension method, in order to validate a string input against a regular expression pattern:

        public static bool IsMatch(this string value, string pattern)
        {
            return Regex.IsMatch(value, pattern);
        }

linq extension methods that extend every classes with reflection helpers

2008-07-03T08:15:00.001-07:00

Here is my simple extension method that quickly obtain the list of property name on any object, and another one to get the property value.

No more getType().GetProperties() over and over again :-D

    public static class ObjectExtension
    {
        public static List<string> GetProperties(this object value)
        {
            return value.GetType().GetProperties().Select(z => z.Name).ToList();
        }

        public static object GetPropertyValue(this object value, string propertyName)
        {
            PropertyInfo propertyInfo = value.GetType().GetProperty(propertyName);
            return propertyInfo.GetValue(value, null);
        }
    }

FFClickOnce Firefox 3 version (hack)

2008-07-02T05:51:00.001-07:00

The famous FireFox extension is not yet compliant with Firefox, so here is a hack of FFClickonce 0.7 that works with Firefox 3.

Download FFClickonce for Firefox 3

C# Save an Image to a byte[] array

2008-06-04T01:51:00.001-07:00

I use this to get the data to put in database:

//Load a picture

Image image = Image.LoadFromFile("toto.jpg");
MemoryStream ms = new MemoryStream();
image .Save(ms, image .RawFormat);

// put the data of this picture in the category object    
Byte[] buffer = new Byte[ms.Length - 1];
ms.Position = 0;
ms.Read(buffer, 0, buffer.Length);

ms.Close();

// Now you can put the buffer data in your database

C# Load an Image from a byte[] array

2008-06-04T01:46:00.001-07:00

Usefull when you store your image in a database.

byte[] data = null; // Load that from your database
MemoryStream stream = new MemoryStream(data);
Image image = new Bitmap(stream);
stream.Close();

How to create fixed length string in c#

2008-05-28T10:20:00.001-07:00

I needed this one to create a csv file. Here is my little method, maybe it should be a class ?

        public static string GetFixedLengthString(string input, int length)
        {
            string result = string.Empty;

            if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(input))
            {
                result = new string(' ', length);
            }
            else if (input.Length > length)
            {
                result = input.Substring(0, length);
            }
            else
            {
                result = input.PadRight(length);
            }

            return result;
        }

How to integrate Araxis Merge with TortoiseSVN

2008-05-13T02:36:00.001-07:00

Araxis merge is an awesome merge/diff tool, which is something invaluable when you work with a source code repository.

Here is how to integrate it with tortoisesvn, in order to replace the internal diff and merge tools.

Source: http://www.araxis.com/merge/scm_integration.html

The External Programs section of the TortoiseSVN Settings window enables external diff and merging programs to be configured.

Merge can also integrate directly with Subversion. Please see Subversion for more information.

To configure Merge as the Diff Viewer:

In the TortoiseSVN Settings window, select the Diff Viewer page (located under External Programs).
Select the External radio button.
In path field, enter the following (all on one line):

"C:\Program Files\Araxis\Araxis Merge\compare.exe" /max /wait /title1:%bname /title2:%yname %base %mine

Note: in the above path, replace C:\Program Files\Araxis\Araxis Merge\ with the full path of the Merge installation directory on your machine.

To configure Merge as the Merge Tool:

In the TortoiseSVN Settings window, select the Merge Tool page (located under External Programs).
Select the External radio button.
In path field, enter the following (all on one line):

"C:\Program Files\Araxis\Araxis Merge\compare.exe" /a2 /max /wait /3 /title1:%tname /title2:%bname /title3:%yname %theirs %base %mine %merged

Note: in the above path, replace C:\Program Files\Araxis\Araxis Merge\ with the full path of the Merge installation directory on your machine.

This page also contains how to integrate Araxis merge will all the other source control.

c# : How to hash a string to MD5

2008-05-12T05:23:00.001-07:00

MD5 hash is a method to obtain a unique "signature" from a string. It is very usefull in order to store password, but be aware that there is no way to get back to the original string, starting from the hash.

I use it for creating unique filename for caching url crawling.

Here is a snipped of a method that give the MD5 hash from a string:

private string HashString(string Value)
{
        System.Security.Cryptography.MD5CryptoServiceProvider x = new System.Security.Cryptography.MD5CryptoServiceProvider();
        byte[] data = System.Text.Encoding.ASCII.GetBytes(Value);
        data = x.ComputeHash(data);
        string ret = "";
        for (int i=0; i < data.Length; i++)
                ret += data[i].ToString("x2").ToLower();
        return ret;
}

How to remove Ads from Windows Live Messenger (MSN messenger)

2008-04-09T01:44:00.001-07:00

Here is a tip that my friend Marc Chouteau just gave me to remove the ads from windows live messenger without installing any cracks.

Actually it does not mess with windows live messenger at all, but with your host file in order to change the IP adresses of the Windows Live Messenger ads servers.

Add the following two lines in your host file (c:\windows\system32\drivers\etc\host) with notepad:

127.0.0.1 rad.msn.com
127.0.0.1 rad.live.com

and your done!

How to detect if Shift or Control key is pressed

2008-04-08T06:15:00.001-07:00

I have this need in a login windowss form: i want to enable some kind of "auto login" (no need to press "OK" to logon), but I also want the user to be able to cancel it, in order to enter a new identifier.

So my idea was to deactivate the autologin feature if the "SHIFT" key is detected as pressed while the form is displayed, here is the code to do that, i put it in the OnLoad method of the form :

if (Control.ModifierKeys == Keys.Shift)
{
   Data.SignMeAutomatically = false;
}

Could not start the Wireless Zero Configuration service on Local Computer. Error 1068: The dependency service or group failed to start.

2008-03-19T01:01:00.001-07:00

I've got this message when i try to start the Wireless Zero Configuration Service...

I've found the solution in a blog post, here is a quote:

As you mention it, if you try to start the WZCSVC service in the MMC, an error code appears referring to its parent services appears (1068, this parent services are Remote Procedure Call and something called NDIS Protocol [I have no idea what this is... ��]). So, if you check the RPC service, it must be enabled (system essential), but you cannot find the other "service".
I have also seen answers referring to disabling any 3rd Party Wireless Management Software (but I don't have one, so it cannot be that).
However, I did find such Protocol Service in the regedit, and I found out it was disabled (it was set to 4). So, in sum, I recommend you to go to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Ndisuio
and check that the "Start" Value is set to 1, 2 or 3 (I set it to 1).

Source: http://www.techsupportforum.com/networking-forum/networking-support/94273-error-1068-when-starting-wzc.html

On mine the key was set to "4". I change it to "1", then I've restarted my machine, and everything is fine now.

It's seems that a virus/trojan have played with it in the past...

How to solve Visual Studio 2005/2008 : Exception of type 'System.ComponentModel.Design.ExceptionCollection' was thrown.

2008-02-26T00:03:00.001-08:00

White screen of Darn

This is one of my worst nightmare under Visual studio, when I try to open a Form in designer view, sometime I get the message "Exception of type 'System.ComponentModel.Design.ExceptionCollection' was thrown." grrr.

then, most of the time I need to close Visual Studio, rebuild the solution, and then re-open the windows form... Sometime it works, and sometime not :-(

I've just found (maybe i'm dumb and everyone already know that ?) that actually we can know what is happenning, because Visual Studio designer is executing the code of our control, it has encounter an error, and we can actually debug this !

Here is the rewritten expanation from connect.microsoft.com:

The real problem of the "ExceptionCollection" being thrown is that when there is a WSOD (White Screen of Darn) indicating a designer load issue, the designer gets unloaded. In your project, the RussTabStrip is throwing exceptions. These get caught by our unload method and get displayed in the dialog box you see.
So, to fix this you should:

1) Start a second instance of visual studio
2) go the the Tools menu, "Attach to process", select the 'devenv.exe' process, and click the 'attach' button.
3) In the Debug/Exceptions menu

Turn on exception catching when first thrown (in the Debug->Exceptions menu).
4) Open the designer with the debugger attached
5) The second visual studion will break on your error.

This just help me to solve a "White screen of Darn" problem that plumb me for monthes, though i should share.

John Frusciante is my god !

2008-02-06T08:14:00.001-08:00

Le rapport Atali

2008-01-23T13:50:00.001-08:00

Le chef de l'Etat s'est cependant d�clar� oppos� � la suppression du principe de pr�caution et des d�partements.

Source: Liberation.fr

Date: mercredi 23 janvier 2008

Cliquez ici pour t�l�charger le rapport Attali au format PDF

Jacques Attali a remis ce midi son rapport sur la �lib�ralisation de la croissance� � Nicolas Sarkozy. Le rapport vise � donner un point de croissance en plus � la France et r�duire le taux de ch�mage � 5%, �si toutes les mesures �taient appliqu�es�, selon Jacques Attali.

Le pr�sident de la R�publique �adh�re � l'essentiel� des conclusions du rapport. Selon lui �notre pays a besoin d'une cure de modernisation intensive�. �On va reprendre une tr�s grande partie des propositions�, affirme-t-il. Sauf deux : la suppression des d�partements, qui selon Nicolas Sarkozy se justifient par leur �l�gitimit� historique�, et la suppression du principe de pr�caution, qui d'apr�s lui ne serait �pas comprise� par les Fran�ais.
Sur le rapport rassemblant 316 propositions, les membres de la commission en ont pr�sent�es les principales :
Education et formation :
- Augmentation des m�tiers de la petite enfance � la rentr�e 2008.
- Augmentation de la formation dans ces m�tiers.
- Sur l'universit�, g�n�ralisation d'une ann�e de stage incluse dans le cursus.
- Cr�ation de 10 p�les universitaires de taille mondiale, sur 10 nouveaux campus, et d�veloppement des partenariats public-priv�.
Environnement :
- Cr�ation de 12 �co-villes
Entreprises :
- Pour les PME, limiter les d�lais de paiement par la loi � 30 jours.
Num�rique :
- R�duire la fracture num�rique : avec le haut d�bit pour tous en 2011 et le tr�s haut d�bit pour tous en 2016 ; en favorisant l'�quipement en ordinateur des m�nages d�favoris�s.
Rapports sociaux :
- En mati�re sociale : favoriser la n�gociation pour produire les r�gles sociales, revoir la repr�sentativit� pour les organisations syndicales, que la validation des accords se fasse par accord majoritaire.
Lutte contre le ch�mage :
- Sur le ch�mage des jeunes, cr�er un bonus-malus favorisant les entreprises qui embauchent des jeunes, notamment des jeunes de banlieue.
- Cr�ation de �contrats d'�volution�, favorisant la s�curisation des parcours professionnels.
- Soutien individuel plus fort dans la recherche d'emploi.
- D�veloppement de la formation pour les demandeurs d'emploi.
Commerce et service :
- Supprimer les numerus clausus sur les professions r�glement�es (taxis, pharmaciens.)
- Ouvrir � la concurrence les secteurs prot�g�s, notamment la distribution.
Immigration :
- Accueillir plus de travailleurs immigr�s qualifi�s. 250 000 immigr�s accueillis par an correspond � 0,5% de croissance par an en plus. Accueillir plus d'�tudiants, de chercheurs, d'artistes.
Services publics et fonctionnement de l'Etat :
- Evaluer l'�fficacit� des services publics et des agents de la fonction publique.
- Instaurer des primes de performance dans la fonction public.
- Evaluer les projets de loi apr�s mise en oeuvre.
- Renforcer l'�chelon r�gional et supprimer les d�partements d'ici 10 ans.
Dette :
- R�duire les d�ficits par une baisse de 20 milliards d'euros par an de la d�pense publique. Par exemple en d�sindexant pendant cinq ans les transferts de cr�dits de l'Etat vers les collectivit�s territoriales, et par la mise sous condition de ressources les allocations familiales.
Un s�minaire gouvernemental se tiendra d�but f�vrier pour d�cider des mesures prioritaires. La �loi sur la modernisation �conomique� pr�sent�e au printemps �incluera des mesures du rapport�, a promis le chef de l'Etat.

Get the properties of an object by reflection

2008-01-22T08:32:00.001-08:00

Actually it's very simple, but i always forget ...

This sample is also reading the property value, and writting is also.

            MyEntity entity = new MyEntity();
            entity.Id = 10;
            entity.Name = "TEST";

            foreach (PropertyInfo property in entity.GetType().GetProperties())
            {
                
                object value = property.GetValue(entity, null);

                Console.WriteLine("{0} = {1}", property.Name, value);

                if (property.Name == "Id")
                {
                    property.SetValue(entity, 11, null);
                    object value2 = property.GetValue(entity, null);
                    Console.WriteLine("{0} changed to {1}", property.Name, value2);

                }
            }

            Console.Read();

Le site d'ERP 360 est en ligne !

2008-01-13T00:51:00.001-08:00

La premi�re version du site consacr� a notre produit fare "ERP 360�" est maintenant en ligne.

http://www.erp360.net

ERP 360 est une suite logiciel d�di�e � la gestion commerciale et particulierement adapt� au domaine du n�goce.

Au menu: Catalogue produit, centrale d'achat, devis, commande client, centrale de livraison, demande de prix fournisseur, gestion multi entrepot, transfert de stock, statistiques et analyse, suivi des KPI, etc.

Le logiciel est construit autour d'une framework d'extensibilit�, permettant en autres:

Des propri�t�s �tendues sur tous les objets.
Personalisations compl�tes des documents via la technologie gratuite "Microsoft Reporting".
Gestion de plugins
Extensions des actions massives sur les listes
Extensions des filtrages avanc�s
Extensions des propri�t�s sur les documents de ventes

Des vid�os de pr�sentations sont disponibles sur le site.

Chouteau Marc: ERP 360, une vision 360° de l'activité des entreprises

2007-12-16T11:46:00.000-08:00

Chouteau Marc: ERP 360, une vision 360° de l'activité des entreprises

Remove ads and speed up web browsing experience

2007-12-15T12:09:00.001-08:00

It's something that everybody must do: change your host file to change the ip of the most well know ad server.

here is a good host file replacement, juste follow the indications:

Remove web ads

Host a Windows Form into another

2007-12-14T08:27:00.001-08:00

Here is a way to do it without the use of MDI.

Form2 f2 = new Form2();
f2.TopLevel = false;
f2.Location = new Point(0, 0);
f2.Size = new Size(this.Width, this.Height - 40);
f2.Anchor = AnchorStyles.Top | AnchorStyles.Left | AnchorStyles.Right | AnchorStyles.Bottom;
f2.FormBorderStyle = FormBorderStyle.None;
f2.BackColor = SystemColors.ControlDark;
this.Controls.Add(f2);

f2.Show();

"AssemblyInfo version" custom CruiseControl.Net labeller

2007-10-26T00:54:00.001-07:00

I need this one in order to integrate a .netTiers project into my build server, cause i want the ccnet project to be labelled with the version written in the assemblyinfo, as this number is generated and incremented at each netTiers generation.

CCnet do not have such labeller, but hopefully it offer a simple extensibility framework for this.

First create a class library project, but be carefull the output file must match the following naming convention in order to be loaded as a plugin container by the ccnet server: CCNet.*.Plugin.dll, so typically you will call your project: CCNet.MyCompanyName.Plugin.

then add these references:

ThoughtWorks.CruiseControl.Core
ThoughtWorks.CruiseControl.Remote
NetReflector

ok now our custom labeller mechanics: an input I juste want to indicate the path to my assemblyinfo file, and optionnally to modify the regexp to catch the version string, here is the code of the class:

using Exortech.NetReflector;
using System;
using System.Globalization;
using System.Threading;
using ThoughtWorks.CruiseControl.Core;
using ThoughtWorks.CruiseControl.Remote;

using System.Text.RegularExpressions;

namespace CCNet.Serialcoder.Plugin
{
    [ReflectorType("assemblyinfolabeller")]
    public class AssemblyInfoLabeller : ILabeller, ITask
    {
        public string Generate(IIntegrationResult previousResult)
        {
            Regex regex = new Regex(m_Pattern);

            string content = System.IO.File.ReadAllText(m_Path);

            Match versionMatch = regex.Match(content);

            if (versionMatch == null)
            {
                throw new ApplicationException("cannot find the version");
                return previousResult.Label;
            }
            else
            {
                Console.WriteLine("AssemblyInfoLabeller: {0}", versionMatch.Groups["version"].Value);
                return versionMatch.Groups["version"].Value;
            }
        }

        
        public void Run(IIntegrationResult result)
        {
            result.Label = this.Generate(result);
        }
                
        private string m_Path;

        [ReflectorProperty("path", Required = true)]
        public string Path
        {
            get { return m_Path; }
            set { m_Path = value; }
        }

        private string m_Pattern = @"AssemblyVersion\(""(?<version>[^\""]*)""\)";

        [ReflectorProperty("pattern", Required = false)]
        public string Pattern
        {
            get { return m_Pattern; }
            set { m_Pattern = value; }
        }


    }
}

Compile, juste put the dll in the c:\program files\cruisecontrol.net\server directory

then in your ccnet.config file, you can use the new labeller this way:

<labeller type="assemblyinfolabeller">
  <path>c:\projects\src\Applications\Serialcoder.Northwind\trunk\nettiers\assemblyinfo.cs</path>
</labeller>

Get the Length of an SQL SERVER IMAGE column

2007-09-25T09:27:00.001-07:00

Here is an example of running these commands on an IMAGE data type using the DATALENGTH function:

SELECT name, DATALENGTH(packagedata)
FROM dbo.sysdtspackages

Set Focus in ASP.NET 2.0

2007-09-24T13:21:00.001-07:00

From http://www.beansoftware.com/ASP.NET-Tutorials/Focus-ASP.NET.aspx

ASP.NET 2.0 simplified this problem and introduce a concept of "default focus". There is a new DefaultFocus attribute that allows you to easily set focus to desired controls. The sample HTML code bellow will set focus on control named textbox1:

ASP.NET 2.0 provides three different new solutions if you need to set focus dynamically. At run time you can use Page.SetFocus method with control's ID as a parameter or you can simply call a new control's Focus method. They both do practically the same thing. It is only programmer's choice to choose which method likes more.

There is also DefaultFocus property of the form element. Set this property to ID of wanted control, run the project and that control will get focus when page is first time loaded.

Default buttons in ASP.NET 2.0

2007-09-24T13:19:00.001-07:00

taken from http://www.beansoftware.com/ASP.NET-Tutorials/Accept-Enter-Key.aspx

ASP.NET 2.0 makes this problems easier and introduce a concept of a "default button". New defaultbutton attribute can be used with <form> or <asp:panel> control. What button will be "clicked" depends of where acutally cursor is and what button is choosen as a default button for form or a panel.

Here is sample HTML code that contains one form and one panel control:

How to make an USB key autorun

2007-09-13T06:11:00.001-07:00

I was searching this for how a long time, my personnal usage is to run Keepass (the opensource password manager) automatically when i plug my usb key. This solution actually not run keepass but it opens the XP run dialog, with a new entry, like this:

To make this happen, you have to create an "autorun.inf" file on the root of the key, with the following content:

[Autorun]
Open=KeePass.exe
Action=Start KeePass
Icon=KeePass.exe
Label=KeePass

I let you customize...

Binding a list of entity into a datagridview throw a BindingSource

2007-09-06T12:26:00.001-07:00

it works great till you press the 'esc' key on the first row... then it throw a InvalidOperationException grrrr

the solution i present here is a little mod of the one presented here:

Source: http://forums.microsoft.com/MSDN/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=301807&SiteID=1

You have to subclass the DataGridView and add the following override:

protected override bool ProcessCmdKey(ref Message msg, Keys keyData)
{
      if (keyData == Keys.Escape)
      {
           if ((Rows.Count == 1 || Rows.Count == 2) && (CurrentCell != null && CurrentCell.RowIndex == 0))
           {
               IBindingList bl = (IBindingList)DataSource;
               bl.Clear();
               return true;
           }
      }

      return base.ProcessCmdKey(ref msg, keyData);
}

Cr�ation colonne DataGridView et persistence des propri�t�s

2007-06-15T04:45:00.001-07:00

Si vous essayer de cr�er une nouveau type de colonne pour une datagridview, et que vous essayer d'y ajouter une propri�t�, aucun probl�me pour voir cette propri�t� dans l'�diteur de colonne du designer de Visual studio. Par contre, si vous entrez une valeur pour cette propri�t�, elle n'est pas enregistr�e dans le designer, et si vous editez une nouvelle fois cette colonne, la propri�t� reste vide... voici la classe que j'ai cr�e:

public class DataGridViewSortableTextBoxColumn : System.Windows.Forms.DataGridViewTextBoxColumn
{
        private string m_SortPropertyName;

        public string SortPropertyName
        {
            get { return this.m_SortPropertyName; }
            set
            {
                if (this.m_SortPropertyName != value)
                {
                    this.m_SortPropertyName = value;
                }
            }
       }
}

en fait la solution est simple et viens du fait qu'il faut overrider la methode Clone() car elle est utilis�e par la mechanique du designer, voici donc la classe revue et corrig�e:

public class DataGridViewSortableTextBoxColumn : System.Windows.Forms.DataGridViewTextBoxColumn
{
        private string m_SortPropertyName;

        public string SortPropertyName
        {
            get { return this.m_SortPropertyName; }
            set
            {
                if (this.m_SortPropertyName != value)
                {
                    this.m_SortPropertyName = value;
                }
            }
        }
        
        public override object Clone()
        {
            DataGridViewSortableTextBoxColumn col = (DataGridViewSortableTextBoxColumn)base.Clone();
            col.SortPropertyName = m_SortPropertyName;
            return col;
        }

    }

r�f�rence: Post sur les forums MSDN

Serialcoder recrute

2007-04-24T05:20:00.001-07:00

J'ai le bonheur d'annoncer que ma société recrute, donc si vous souhaitez rejoindre notre equipe et devenir vous meme un Serialcoder, il faut déjà un bon niveau avec le framework .Net 2.0, que le c# soit votre language natal, que les designs patterns n'aient plus de secret pour vous et que vous soyez a l'aise aussi bien en winforms qu'en asp.net.

Si vous réunissez tous ces critères et que vous voulez participer à une grande aventure dans une startup inovante, envoyez moi votre CV à cv@serialcoder.net , veuillez y faire figurer vos réalisations, copie d'ecran ou link ainsi que vos pretentions salariales, reponse très rapide assurée.

Les postes sont à pourvoir dès maintenant dans la région Lyonnaise (Axe Lyon Grenoble).

String collection UITypeEditor

2007-02-07T06:11:00.001-08:00

[Category("Custom Attributes")]
[Description("List of possible values")]
[Editor(@"System.Windows.Forms.Design.StringCollectionEditor, System.Design, Version=2.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a", typeof(System.Drawing.Design.UITypeEditor))]
public List<string> Items
{
   get { return this.m_Items; }
   set { this.m_Items = value; }
}

MagicWords, a SlickRun clone

2007-02-05T01:21:00.001-08:00

MagicWords is an improved command line tool, that give you the ability to create "Magic Word" that can run any program (with parameters), launch any url or files.

The user interface consists of a simple textbox, that is hidden in the tray bar by default, and that can be activated by pressing the CTRL-F12 combinaison.

The textbox has auto-completion, so you actually just need to type 2 or 3 letters to launch your application; which is the far more easy and instictive than desktop shortcuts or menus.

This application is inspired by the awesome SlickRun, and intend to give users an OpenSource alternative.

A plugin support is on the way.

Go to the Download page

The project is hosted on Google Opensource project hosting. You can get the latest sources with a SVN client.

Use this command to anonymously check out the latest project source code:


svn checkout http://magicwords.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/ magicwords

How do I bind the values of an enum to a ComboBox?

2007-02-04T05:43:00.001-08:00

From the SyncFusion Windows Forms FAQ:

This entry was created using the feedback provided by Jay Harlow in the newsgroups.

The enum values can be bound to a combobox as follows:

[C#]

// Setup the binding as follows:

// MyValues is the enum type

comboBox1.DataSource = Enum.GetValues(typeof MyValues);

[VB]

comboBox1.DataSource = Enum.GetValues(Type.GetType(MyValues))

Then in the SelectedValueChanged event for the ComboBox.

[C#]

private void ComboBox1ValueChanged(object sender, EventArgs e)

{

MyValues v = (MyValues)this.comboBox1.SelectedValue;

}

[VB]

Private Sub ComboBox1ValueChanged(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As EventArgs)

Dim v As MyValues = CType(Me.comboBox1.SelectedValue, MyValues)

End Sub

Show a c# Windows Forms on dual monitor

2007-01-31T12:57:00.001-08:00

Actually this can be done very easily with the Screen class.
Here is a small sample that display a second form, fullscreen, on your second monitor if there is one.

Note: The code is to be put in your main Form class.

protected override void OnLoad(EventArgs e)
{
    base.OnLoad(e);

    if (Screen.AllScreens.Length > 1)
    {
        
        Form2 frm = new Form2();

        // Important !
        frm.StartPosition = FormStartPosition.Manual;

        // Get the second monitor screen
        Screen screen = GetSecondaryScreen();
        
        // set the location to the top left of the second screen
        frm.Location = screen.WorkingArea.Location;

        // set it fullscreen
        frm.Size = new Size(screen.WorkingArea.Width, screen.WorkingArea.Height);

        // Show the form
        frm.Show();

    }
}

public Screen GetSecondaryScreen()
{
    if (Screen.AllScreens.Length == 1)
    {
        return null;
    }

    foreach (Screen screen in Screen.AllScreens)
    {
        if (screen.Primary == false)
        {
            return screen;
        }
    }

    return null;
}

How to DataBind a ThreeState CheckBox

2007-01-31T09:16:00.001-08:00

Here is the way to do a DataBinding between a Property and a CheckBox that have a ThreeState mode enabled. To do this the property have to be a nullable bool (bool?), it's called NotCompleted in my case:

uxCheckBox.DataBindings.Add("CheckState", ProductFilter, "NotCompleted", true, DataSourceUpdateMode.OnPropertyChanged, null, "");

Then, NotCompleted will be equal to :

true if (uxCheckBox.CheckState == CheckState.Checked)
false if (uxCheckBox.CheckState == CheckState.UnChecked)
null if (uxCheckBox.CheckState == CheckState.Undeterminate)

Trying to bind to a Property of type System.Windows.Forms.CheckState just not work....

Connections to SQL Server files (*.mdf) require SQL Server Express 2005 to function properly. Please verify the installation of the component ...

2007-01-25T12:28:00.001-08:00

I've got this error message while trying to add a Database file into a c# website project :-s .
After a bit googling it appears that Visual studio 2005 is trying to connect to a SQLSERVEREXPRESS instance name, and yes this can be change easily, if like me, you have change this name during SQL server express 2005 installation. here we go:

In visual studio 2005, open the Tools menu

click on the "Options" item

Select the "Database Tools" node

Select the "Data Connections" child node

then you have a text box with the following label:

"SQL server Instance Name (blank for default):
"SQLSERVEREXPRESS"

for me it was just a matter of leaving it blank, and then adding a mdf file to the project is just working fine :-D

I've not found the solution anywhere else, I must be stupid... anyway, hope it helps someone.

Visual Studio 2005 - SP1 - Application failed to initialize 0xc015004

2007-01-25T06:03:00.001-08:00

I was just installing a new laptop (Windows XP SP 2), then installing Visual Studio 2005, no problem until there.
Then I decide to install the Visual Studio 2005 Service Pack 1, but I got an error during the process: insufisant space on the C: drive ... :-s
I fix this by increasing the partition, but then i got an stopping error when installing the SP1 (err 280 ?) and even an error while uninstalling / reinstalling Visual Studio !

I finnally succeed to re-install everything correcly by uninstally everything with the help of the dotnetfx_cleanup_tool.zip

Technorati tags: Visual Studio, DotNet

.netTiers and SmartCodeGenerator

2007-01-16T08:32:00.001-08:00

If you are a lover of code generation, you must check the new OpenSource project called SmartCodeGenerator, it's a very new ASP.NET based template engine (close in that way to codesmith), with some powerfull Database Schema Explorer API, that run against SQL Server, MySql and Oracle for now !

As .netTiers are openSource templates, it is very naturally that both teams will work together to bring .netTiers on that new generation plateform.

Technorati tags: code generation, nettiers, smartcodegenerator

HttpWebRequest NetworkCredential with NTLM authentication

2007-01-12T02:16:00.001-08:00

Here is a usefull snippet if you want to programmatically acces to an url protected with a windows authentication. My first problem was the authentication type. here is the code:

HttpWebRequest request = (HttpWebRequest)WebRequest.Create(url);
request.Method = "GET";
request.KeepAlive = true;
request.Accept = @"*/*";

if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(user) == false && string.IsNullOrEmpty(password) == false)
{
    NetworkCredential credential = new NetworkCredential(user, password);
    CredentialCache credentialCache = new CredentialCache();
    credentialCache.Add(new Uri(url), "NTLM", credential);
    request.Credentials = credentialCache;
}            

HttpWebResponse response = null;
try
{
    response = (HttpWebResponse)request.GetResponse();
}

Make an HTML Table looks like an Excel Worksheet

2007-01-10T00:58:00.001-08:00

a very simple tip, but I found it very useful. here is the html/CSS code:

<style>
    table { 
    border: AppWorkspace solid 1px; 
    font-size: 0.8em; 
    text-align: center; 
    border-collapse:collapse; 
    style: 600px;
} 

tr.header{
    font-weight: bold;
    background-color: #ffffef
}

td { 
    border: 1px solid AppWorkspace; 
    margin: 0; 
    padding: 3px; 
} 

</style>
<table>
    <tr class="header">
        <td>test</td>
        <td>test</td>
        <td>test</td>
        <td>test</td>
        <td>test</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
        <td>test2</td>
        <td>test2</td>
        <td>test2</td>
        <td>test2</td>
        <td>test2</td>
    </tr>
    
</table>

it will render like this :

WebDesign and Colors

2007-01-09T04:27:00.001-08:00

Source: http://www.pepfx.com/articles/web_design/webdesign_colors.php

Brief summary of some of the emotions/feelings associated with color:

strength, boldness, excitement, determination, desire, courage
enthusiasm, cheerfulness, affordability, stimulation, creativity
attention-grabbing, comfort, liveliness, intellect, happiness, energy
durability, reliability, safety, honesty, optimism, harmony, freshness
depth, stability, professionalism, loyalty, reliability, honor, trust
power,nobility, luxury, mystery, royalty, elegance, magic
conservatism, traditionalism, intelligence, seriousness
endurance, relaxing, confident, casual, reassuring, earthy
elegance, sophistication, formality, strength, mystery
cleanliness, purity, newness, virginity, peace, innocence, simplicity

The above associations are not universal. Our personal associations, but also cultural backgrounds influence how we experience colors.
"Colors are seen as warm or cool mainly because of long-held (and often universal) associations. Yellow, orange and red are associated with the heat of sun and fire; blue, green and violet with the coolness of leaves, sea and the sky. Warm colors seem closer to the viewer than cool colors, but vivid cool colors can overwhelm light and subtle warm colors. Using warm colors for foreground and cool colors for background enhances the perception of depth."

Source: Pantone,Inc.

Color is a very powerful element in web design.

Colors make us feel a certain way, so they can and should be used to support the purpose of a website.
Red is a good accent color as it stimulates people to make quick decisions. Blue has a rather calming effect, however when combined with warm colors (yellow, red), it can result in vibrant and high-impact designs. Blue also makes time pass more quickly. Yellow stimulates mental activity and is very effective as an attention grabber. Green - as a predominant color on a website - has been known to drive people away, so in most cases, unless the website is associated with nature, it is better to use it only for website accents. Orange is highly accepted among young people.

Colors & Shopping behavior

Psychologists have suggested that color impression can account for 60% of the acceptance or rejection of a product or service. Market researchers have also determined that color affects shopping habits:

Impulse shoppers respond best to red-orange, black and royal blue.
Shoppers who plan and stick to budgets respond best to pink, teal, light blue and navy.
Traditional people respond to pastel colors - pink, rose, sky blue.

Wait cursor on a C# Console Application

2007-01-09T00:24:00.001-08:00

A small tip to draw a kind of wait cursor in a C# Console Application with the help of the BackSpace character ("\b").

Here is the code:

string data = "|/-\\";
for (int i=0; i<1000; i++)
{
    Console.Write("{0}{1}", i>0 ? "\b" : string.Empty, tmp[i % tmp.Length]);
    Thread.Sleep(200);
    i++;
}
Console.Write("\b");

TList / List tips and tricks

2007-01-08T08:08:00.001-08:00

This is the re-post of an old article I wrote with Robert.
it apply to the .netTiers generated TList<T> or to the standard List<T>.

Utilizing many new features from the .Net 2 framework (Generics, Delegate and Anonymous Methods) we were able to greatly improve some core functionalities of the templates including Searching, Filtering and Sorting.

1. Find Methods

Old Implementation
When using the Find method in .netTeirs 1, the entity search was done with this kind of method call:

Method Signature: Find (EntityColumn column, object searchCriteria);

Example A:
ProductCollection productCollection = products.Find(ProductColumn.ProductId, 1);

this looks very clean but actually it's mostly inefficient (try it in a 100x loop, with a 1000 item list ;-) the reason is that it use internally reflection to get the right property and its value, and then do the comparison.

New Implementation
In .netTiers2, the Find method has a new overload that take a generic delegate as parameter.

Method Signature: Find(Predicate<T> match);

Example B:
TList<Product> products = DataRepository.ProductProvider.GetAll();

void UpdateProductQuantity(int productId, int newQuantity)
{
Product product = products.Find(delegate (Product p) {return p.ProductId == productId;});
product.Quantity = newQuantity;
}

See how the use of an anonymous method for the predicate allow us to use the current context (here the productId parameter of the UpdateProductQuantity method).
To search for several items that match the predicate, just use the FindAll method.

You can find more information about the Predicate Generic Delegate on msdn2.

2. Filtering

The Filtering is used to filter a given list of entities, this is very usefull when the list is binded to a visual control like the DataGridView for example. Filtering is done by providing a set of filter criteria, which is then applied to the list. The items that DO NOT match the criteria are removed temporarly from the collection's innerList and put in the FilteredItems property. The filter can finally be removed by calling the RemoveFilter() method.

Old Implementation
In netTiers1, filtering was done like so:

Example C:
products.Filter = "ProductName = 'Sugar' AND CategoryId = 5";

While it tried to emulate a familiar SQL syntax for where clauses, a special parser was evaluating the filter expression, and then use reflection to check property value; the result was a very slow and very limited filtering (due to the filter parser limitations and the heavy use of reflection).

New Implementation
With the use of the new Predicate<T> overload, you can do:

Example D:
product.ApplyFilter(delegate(Product p) {return p.ProductName == "Sugar" && p.CategoryId ==5;}));

3. Sorting

Following a familiar pattern now, with the help of the comparison generic delegate.

Method Signature: Sort(Comparison<T> match);

We can create more efficent and complex sorting, for example, say that we want to sort the northwind category list based on the child ProductCollection property Count.

Example E:
We could do something like the following:

category.Sort(MyCustomSort); //uses the MyCustomSort delegate
...
public int MyCustomSort(Category c1, Category c2)
{
return c1.ProductCollection.Count.CompareTo(c2.ProductCollection.Count);
}

Similarly, like in the previous examples of Find and Filter, we could've also used an anonymous delegate.
category.Sort(
MyCustomSort(Category c1, Category c2){
return c1.ProductCollection.Count.CompareTo(c2.ProductCollection.Count);
});
You can find more information about the Comparing and Generic delegates on MSDN2.

4. Action

This last point is dedicated to a small tip i really like :-)
The Action generic delegate that is used on the ForEach method of the TList collections.

Example F:
category.ProductCollection.ForEach(delegate(Product p) {Console.WriteLine(p.ProductName);});

Example G:
int total = 0;
order.OrderDetailCollection.ForEach(delegate(OrderDetail od) {total += od.Quantity * od.UnitPrice ;});

You can find more information about the Action Generic Delegate on MSDN2.

That's all! Good Luck!
Cheers!

John Roland / Robert Hinojosa - NetTiers.com

Simulating the ItemDrag event on a DataGridView

2006-12-30T07:05:00.001-08:00

In my Windows Forms application I want my users to do things very easily and the Drag&Drop feature is one of those. For example when they create an Order, I wish that they can just drop a product onto the order form to add the correponding OrderDetail.

Sadly the new of Windows Forms 2.0 DataGridView do not exposes theItemDrag event like the one available in the ListView :-S .
Hopefully, this can be fixed very easily by using the MouseDown event of the DataGridView, like this:

private void OnDataGridViewMouseDown(object sender, MouseEventArgs e)
{
    DataGridView.HitTestInfo hit = m_DataGridView.HitTest(e.X, e.Y);
    m_DataGridView.DoDragDrop(m_DataGridView.Rows[hit.RowIndex].DataBoundItem as Product, DragDropEffects.Move);
}

this example suppose that your DataGridView is binded to a IBindingList of Product entities, then on the mouse down the DragDrop of the Product entity itself is starting.

Then i can use this on a second DataGridView or on any Windows Forms control:

private void OnQuoteItemsDataGridViewDragEnter(object sender, DragEventArgs e)
{
    e.Effect = DragDropEffects.Move;
}

private void OnQuoteItemsDataGridViewDragDrop(object sender, DragEventArgs e)
{
    if (e.Data.GetDataPresent("Serialcoder.Product", false))
    {
        // Do what you want with the product, for example add an OrderDetail to an order with the help of the product.Id
        Product product = (Serialcoder.Product)e.Data.GetData("Serialcoder.Product");
				
    }
}

Hope it helps.

Show all tasks in Visual Studio 2005 / C#

2006-12-21T05:36:00.001-08:00

Visual studio has an awesome feature that let you add some special comments in your code, like:

// TODO Optimize the following lines

and then display thoses as tasks in the Visual studio Task List window (you can display it with the menu: Views, Tasks list).

Sadly, with c# at least, it's only showing the task that are contained in currently opened files, not very handy if like me you work on a solution with more that 10 projects, and that you put many TODO on the way.

In order to get my full list of tasks, I've just made a very simple command line tool that you can add as an external tool in visual studio. This tool is writing the list of task in the output window, in the right format, so you just have to click on a task to go to the right file and position.

Configuration

To add it as an external tool in visual studio:

go to menu Tools/External tools...

click on the Add button

Fill the form as:
- title: Show all tasks
- Command: c:\yourpath\ShowAllTasks.exe
- arguments: $(SolutionDir)
- Initial directory: $(SolutionDir)

then check the "Use output window" box, and OK.

(note: you can also add a "show project tasks", by replacing the arguments by $(ProjectDir)

Known issues

This is a very quick & dirty app that just fit my needs, in order to make it more robust here is a the list of possible improvements:

need to check also the word TASK
the search is done in all files under the solution folder, this must be replaced by the list of files of the solution + files of the projects that are in solution
transform this into a VS macro, and add items in the Task List window (i've try a bit first but failed)

Download executable

Download Source code - Please Share your mods :-D

Conventions de code

2006-12-20T11:48:00.001-08:00

Directives et bonnes pratiques
Version 2.1

Auteur: Juval Lowy
www.idesign.net
Traducteurs: John Roland, Marc Chouteau

Définitions:

Casse Pascal:
La première lettre de l'identificateur et la première lettre de chaque mot concaténé suivant sont en majuscules. Vous pouvez utiliser la casse Pascal pour les identificateurs comportant trois caractères ou plus.

Casse Camel:
La première lettre de l'identificateur est en minuscules et la première lettre de chaque mot concaténé suivant est en majuscules.

Références:
http://blogs.codes-sources.com/coq/archive/2006/07/17/22446.aspx

Utilisez l'anglais pour votre code, que ce soit pour les classes, pour les methodes, les variables, les constantes, etc.

Conventions de nommage et style du code

Utilisez la casse "Pascal" (la première lettre est une majuscule) pour les types, les noms de methodes et les constantes.
```
public class SomeClass
{
    const int DefaultSize = 100;
    public void SomeMethod()
    { }
} 
```
Utilisez la casse "Camel" pour les variables locales et les paramètres des methodes
```
int number;
void MyMethod(int aNumber)
{}
```
Préfixez les interfaces avec I
```
interface IMyInterface
{...}
```
Préfixez les membres privées avec m_. Utilisez la casse Pascal pour le reste du nom de la variable, qui suit le préfix m_.
```
public class SomeClasse
{
    private int m_Number;
}
```
Suffixez vos attributs personnlisés par Attribute.
Suffixez vos exceptions personnalisés par Exception.
Nommez vos méthodes en utilsant une paire Nom-Object, comme dans ShowDialog().
Les méthodes qui retournent des valeurs doivent portées un nom qui décrit la valeur retournée, tel que: GetObjectState().
Utilisez des noms de variables qui décrivent leur role:
1. Evitez les variables d'une seule lettre comme i ou t, utilisez de préférence: index ou temp.
2. Evitez la notation hongroise pour les membres public ou protected.
3. N'utilisez pas d'abbreviations. (par exemple num à la place de number)
Utilisez toujours les types prédéfinis de C# plutôt que leurs alias dans l'éspace de nom System.
Par exemple:
```
object , et non: Object
string, et non: String
int , et non: Int32
```
Avec les génériques, utilisez des majuscules pour les types. Par ailleurs, réservez l'utilisation du suffixe Type quand vous travaillez avec le type .Net Type.
```
// Correcte:
public class LinkedList<K,T>
{...}

// A éviter:
public class LinkedList<KeyType, DataType>
{...}
```
Utilisez des éspaces de nom significatifs, tel que le nom de l'entreprise et le nom du produit.
Evitez les types pleinement qualifiés et utilisez l'instruction using à la place.
Evitez de mettre une instruction using dans un éspace de nom.

Regroupez tous les éspaces de nom du framework ensemble et mettez les éspaces de nom personnalisés et/ou tierces en dessous.

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.ComponentModel;
using System.Data;
using MyCompany;
using MyControls;

Utilisez l'inférence de delegate à la place des instantiations explicites.

delegate void SomeDelegate();
public void SomeMethod()
{...}
SomeDelegate someDelegate = SomeMethod;

Maintenez une identation stricte. N'utilisez pas de tabulation ni d'identation non standard tel qu'un seul éspace. Les valeurs recommandés sont trois ou quatre éspaces.
L'identation des commentaires doit être au même niveau que le code qui est commenté.
Les commentaires ne doivent pas contenir de fautes d'orthographes.

Toutes les variables membres doivent être déclarées en haut, avec une ligne de séparation entre elles et les propriétés ou les méthodes.

public class MyClass
{
    int m_Number;
    string m_Name;
    
    public void SomeMethod1()
    {}
    public void SomeMethod2()
    {}
}

Déclarez une variable locale aussi près que possible de sa première utilisation.
Un nom de fichier doit correspondre à la class qu'il contient.
Quand vous utilisez les types partiels, et que vous allouez une partie par fichier, nommez chaque fichier d'après le rôle joué par la partie contenue. Par exemple:
```
// Cans le fichier MyClass.cs :
public partial class MyClass
{...}

// Dans le fichier MyClass.Designer.cs
public partial class MyClass
{...}
```
Placez toujours les accolades ouvrantes sur une nouvelle ligne.

Avec les méthodes anonymes, imitez la disposition du méthode habituelle, en l'alignant avec la déclaration du delegate anonyme. (Donc respecte la règle 24 sur les accolades)

delegate void SomeDelegate(string someString);

// Correcte
public void InvokeMethod()
{
    SomeDelegate someDelegate = delegate(string name)
                                {
                                    MessageBox.Show(name);
                                };
    someDelegate("Juval");
}

// A éviter
public void InvokeMethod()
{
    SomeDelegate someDelegate = delegate(string name){MessageBox.Show(name);};
    someDelegate("Juval");
}

Open Shopping Cart

2006-10-25T23:44:00.001-07:00

Our Serialcoder team as decided to release our .net Shopping Cart as an Open source project, on CodePlex.

The project is called: OpenShoppingCart, ans is used in the .netTiers petshop demo application.

Here is the project homepage, and download.

Guitar tuner

2006-10-22T10:05:00.001-07:00

If you're in search for a good guitar tuner, i can only recommend you to download and use AP Tuner, which is on my opinion one of the best and free tuner around.

about the features, it support default Presets for several guitar tuning, but also for Bass, Violin, Viola and Cello, you can even change the stretch table to use.

but for me it principal quality is its tuning system, it's just awesome because its display is very precise and yet so stable (by removing parasite i think) so you can just tune your guitar in few sec without wondering why you're always below or above.

here is a screenshot:

final word: just use it.

you can download it here.

Screenshot of Visual Log Parser GUI

2006-10-21T13:48:00.000-07:00

Here is a screenshot of Visual logparser, a free tool we have just release with serialCoder.

you can download it here.

.netTiers windows forms templates

2006-10-13T01:00:00.001-07:00

I'm currently working on Windows Forms dedicated templates for .netTiers. as far as I am I've added 2 templates (still in developpement though):

first, an entity datagridview, with the following features:

- take a tlist<entity> as input
- display textbox column for string and numbers
- display checkbox column for boolean
- display combobox column for FK
- column are readonly depending of the table column
- TList<entity> properties are generated for FK Combo DataSource
- an event is thrown when the focus change to a new entity (aka a new row)
- embedded error provider for automatic validation, based upon the (customizable) validation rules.

The second template is a form to edit a single entity, and apart from display, contains the same features.

Download:
please use tortoiseSVN to get the files from the sourceforge repository

Technorati tags: .net2, windows forms, CAB, netTtiers

Visual LogParser

2006-10-12T08:13:00.001-07:00

Here i will present you a small GUI for logParser we have developped.

SQL queries against a variety of log files and other system data sources

As an application developper you often need to write some logs for your application, and hopefully
there is actually many framework to ease your pain: Log4net, Entlib Logging Application Block, etc.
But when it come to read those logs, extract statistics or to do some alert or action on them, things become harder.
Actually a free command line tool from Microsoft named LogParser exists and it is quite awesome:
you can query any log and data sources (database, event log, iis logs, file system, registry, etc.) with a complexe SQL query (I mean with functions, group by, etc.). More here about LogParser

On the down side, using it from the command line become quickly boring, mostly because you need to type your sql query in a DOS prompt.
As we failed to find any intuitive GUI for logParser, we just start to build our own, by assembling the following pieces:
the logparser engine, a "visual studio" like MDI dockable interface, syntax highlighting...

a composite application

The applicaton is a true composite one. First it is based upon the .net 2 framework, and on the Composite UI application block (which is en extension of Enterprise Library). We also use the TextEditor control from the guies at SharpDevelop, so we have a strong editor, with syntax hightlighting, line numbers, etc. Finnally we also use an older version of the SandDock control (the freeware version) from DivElements to have the VS2005 dock panels look and feel.

Serialcoder

This software is part of my activity in my future company Serialcoder, which I'm co-founder, and can acts a small case study about agile developpement, and "mashuping" in windows forms.

Download Visual LogParser

Creating strongly typed repeater

2006-10-04T06:48:00.000-07:00

When you develop ASP.Net application, you quickly discover that the basic ASP:Repeater is a killer control, although it looks quite dumb at first look, compared to DataList or the powerfull GridView, but actually its simplicity, and it's lightness offer the flexibility required to do all those funcky stuff you only find in enterprise developpement ...

Ok, in this perfect world there is yet a dark side: the repeater is a late binding control and use a lot of reflection, which make things a lot more slower. So my idea was to generate some strongly typed Repeater, as part of the .netTiers framework. A repeater will be generated for each Table and View, and will work in conjunction with the actual strongly typed DataSource.

Tempalted control

To create these repeaters, we actually create a ASP.NET templated control, with the following ITemplate ( to match standard repeater), i mean HeaderTemplate, ItemTemplate, AlternatingItemTemplate and FooterTemplate.
Here is the code of my repeater for a simple "Product" entity:

ParseChildren(true)]
[ToolboxData("<{0}:ProductRepeater runat=\"server\"></{0}:ProductRepeater>")]
public class ProductRepeater : Control, System.Web.UI.INamingContainer
{
public ProductRepeater()
{
}

public override ControlCollection Controls
{
get
{
this.EnsureChildControls();
return base.Controls;
}
}

private ITemplate m_headerTemplate;
[Browsable(false)]
[TemplateContainer(typeof(ProductItem))]
[PersistenceMode(PersistenceMode.InnerDefaultProperty)]
public ITemplate HeaderTemplate
{
get { return m_headerTemplate; }
set { m_headerTemplate = value; }
}

private ITemplate m_itemTemplate;
[Browsable(false)]
[TemplateContainer(typeof(ProductItem))]
[PersistenceMode(PersistenceMode.InnerDefaultProperty)]
public ITemplate ItemTemplate
{
get { return m_itemTemplate; }
set { m_itemTemplate = value; }
}


private ITemplate m_altenateItemTemplate;
[Browsable(false)]
[TemplateContainer(typeof(ProductItem))]
[PersistenceMode(PersistenceMode.InnerDefaultProperty)]
public ITemplate AlternatingItemTemplate
{
get { return m_altenateItemTemplate; }
set { m_altenateItemTemplate = value; }
}

private ITemplate m_footerTemplate;
[Browsable(false)]
[TemplateContainer(typeof(ProductItem))]
[PersistenceMode(PersistenceMode.InnerDefaultProperty)]
public ITemplate FooterTemplate
{
get { return m_footerTemplate; }
set { m_footerTemplate = value; }
}

[Category("Data")]
public virtual string DataSourceID
{
get
{
if (ViewState["DataSourceID"] == null)
{
return string.Empty;
}
return (string)ViewState["DataSourceID"];
}
set
{
ViewState["DataSourceID"] = value;
}
}

System.Collections.IEnumerable m_currentView;

private System.Collections.IEnumerable ConnectToDataSourceView()
{
if (m_currentView == null)
{
NetTiers.SQLiteDemo.Web.Data.ProductDataSource datasource = null;
Control ctl = this.Page.FindControl(DataSourceID);
if (ctl == null)
{
throw new System.Web.HttpException("Datasource does not exists");
}
datasource = ctl as NetTiers.SQLiteDemo.Web.Data.ProductDataSource;
if (datasource == null)
{
throw new System.Web.HttpException("Datasource must be data control");
}

System.Collections.IEnumerable dsv = datasource.GetEntityList(); //this.DataMember);
if (dsv == null)
{
throw new System.Web.HttpException("View not found");
}
m_currentView = dsv;
}
return m_currentView;
}


protected override void CreateChildControls()
{
if (ChildControlsCreated)
{
return;
}
Controls.Clear();

System.Collections.IEnumerable datas = (System.Collections.IEnumerable)ConnectToDataSourceView();

if (datas != null)
{
if (m_headerTemplate != null)
{
Control headerItem = new Control();
m_headerTemplate.InstantiateIn(headerItem);
Controls.Add(headerItem);
}

int pos = 0;
foreach (object o in datas)
{
NetTiers.SQLiteDemo.Entities.Product entity = o as NetTiers.SQLiteDemo.Entities.Product;
ProductItem container = new ProductItem(entity);

if (m_itemTemplate != null && (pos % 2) == 0)
{
m_itemTemplate.InstantiateIn(container);
}
else
{
if (m_altenateItemTemplate != null)
{
m_altenateItemTemplate.InstantiateIn(container);
}
else if (m_itemTemplate != null)
{
m_itemTemplate.InstantiateIn(container);
}
else
{
// no template !!!
}
}
Controls.Add(container);
pos++;
}

if (m_footerTemplate != null)
{
Control footerItem = new Control();
m_footerTemplate.InstantiateIn(footerItem);
Controls.Add(footerItem);
}
ChildControlsCreated = true;
}
}

protected override void OnPreRender(EventArgs e)
{
base.DataBind();
}

#region Design time

internal string RenderAtDesignTime()
{
return "TODO create a designer";
}

#endregion
}

The code is a bit long but it's mostly due to the templates properties.
The main logic is in the two methods "ConnectToDataSourceView" and "CreateChildControls". The first take the given datasourceId and search for the control in the page, then it get the entity list from it.
The second a bit more tricky, it creates the children controls depending of the differents templates.
Please note that for the ItemTemplate and AlternatingItemTemplate we loop on each entity, we create a container for this entity and send it to the current ITemplate to render it.

Strongly typed TemplateContainer

It's probably not obvious here, but one of the most intersting stuff is the TemplateContainer attribute on the ITemplate properties: we use them to indicate the use of strongly typed template container.
Here is the code of the Product Template container:

<">

[System.ComponentModel.ToolboxItem(false)]
public class ProductItem : System.Web.UI.Control, System.Web.UI.INamingContainer
{
private NetTiers.SQLiteDemo.Entities.Product _entity;

public ProductItem()
: base()
{ }

public ProductItem(NetTiers.SQLiteDemo.Entities.Product entity)
: base()
{
_entity = entity;
}

[System.ComponentModel.Bindable(true)]
public System.Int64 Id
{
get { return _entity.Id; }
}
[System.ComponentModel.Bindable(true)]
public System.String Name
{
get { return _entity.Name; }
}
[System.ComponentModel.Bindable(true)]
public System.String Description
{
get { return _entity.Description; }
}
[System.ComponentModel.Bindable(true)]
public System.Int64 CategoryId
{
get { return _entity.CategoryId; }
}

}

The template container acts as a decorator, it takes our entity in the constructor, and exposes the entity properties as container properties: that the "magic" part, now we have a strongly typed Container in our web page, no more ~~Container.Eval("Name"),~~ but <%# Container.Name %>, with full intellisense !!! and of course, no more reflection.

Use the repeater

as we've said the control is very friendly and offer intelisense on the child templates, and on the container properties, here is a sample of use:

<data:ProductRepeater
ID="productRepeater1"
runat="server"
DataSourceID="productDataSource1" >
<HeaderTemplate>
<h1>List of product</h1>
</HeaderTemplate>
<ItemTemplate>
<b><%# Container.Name %></b><br />
<%# Container.Description %>
<hr />
</ItemTemplate>
</data:ProductRepeater>
<data:ProductDataSource
ID="productDataSource1"
runat="server"
SelectMethod="GetAll">
</data:ProductDataSource>

Conclusion

Hopefully this article will help you to write some templated control.
note: adding a typed designer would be a great improvement.

Abortable BackgroundWorker

2006-10-01T06:58:00.000-07:00

I've just found a cool Backgroundworker extension that is able to abort a "one long process", as opposite to the framework one that suppose you have a succession of small piece of work that can be canceled between them.

the class is by Roy Osherove, here is the link:
http://weblogs.asp.net/rosherove/pages/BackgroundWorkerEx.aspx

Apocryph SQLiteSchemaProvider fixed

2006-09-29T04:03:00.000-07:00

Here is an alternative schema provider for sqlite3 databases. Actually it is a corrected and enhanced version of the Apocryph one (http://apocryph.org/a_sqlite_schema_provider_for_codesmith), which use the very good sqlite ADO.net wrapper of http://sqlite.phxsoftware.com/.
What I've modified is :

Support of correct Native Types
Addition of the "CS_Identity" extended property.

>> Download it here <<

ps: I use this provider along with .netTiers to generate a fully fonctionnal entities/dal layers. more on that on the .netTiers forums and on this blog in few days.

"MTV Double Cheese" like bring to my iPod

2006-09-27T13:53:00.000-07:00

I like very much the MTV "Double Cheese" concept.
For those who do not know what I'm taking about, it's simply a period of time (30 min. maybe) while they play songs from two artists alternatively, usually the biggest hits.
I was wondering for a long time how to bring this to my iPod, for example by extending iTunes, until the day i found an article on codeproject that describe how to access to iTunes/iPod from .net with a COM wrapper...
I've spend a few hours to build a small (proof of concept) app, that is able to generate some "double cheese playlist:

to use it:
- requires .net 2
- requires iTunes
- ensure your iPod is connected, there is actually no error management at all
- start the app
- wait for you library to be loaded
- double click on the artist, or the album, node you want to add
- press Save to create a playlist on your iPod. the playlist name will be the list of artist name

download it here

any comment welcome :-) I will post a stronger version very soon

.netTiers and SQLite

2006-09-25T15:48:00.000-07:00

Lastly, I'm working on making netTiers compliant with other database that only SQL server.
My primary interest is to be able to use .netTiers when i need to develop an application that required an embedded database.
I've decided, as a start , to focus on SQLite, as it is a light and powerfull database engine with a good ADO.NET 2 provider (you can find it at: http://sqlite.phxsoftware.com/).

To acheive this goal, i've created a new NetTiersProvider, that rely upon DbProviderFactory architecture, which allow us to write some generic Data code. Then, in order to support the different type of database, i generate an xml file that contains all the queries for a dedicated InvariantProviderName.
The hardest part was to refactor some of the data methods and queries so that DbProviderFactory that do not support Output parameter can work (.netTiers use to use Ouput parameter to get back computed columns from Insert and Update queries)

As far as I am, the unit tests are now workings, and I'm working on modifying the main netTiers templates files so it generate the right Data provider depending of the selected SourceDatabase.

here is a screenshot of the nunit tests results :