July 2003 - Posts
I had already seen an article about annotations and Typed DataSets some time ago, but I lost the link.
I haven't used this yet, but it surely helps to handle null values and schema changes.
Since Mads talks about it, probably this is a good occasion to tell people it exists, and at the same time add a link here on my weblog so I can find the link back later ;-)
Reference on MSDN
BTW, if you save DataSets as XML, maybe you'd like to have some fields as attributes rather than elements? This one is easy: define the "fields" as attributes (default is element) in the schema editor. Easy, but doesn't always come to mind (to mine at least!) if you're not aware of it.
I started collecting tools on my weblog in March this year.
With more than 130 tools as soons as April, I started buildind the SharpToolbox web site in May.
After three months of development and testing on free hosting solutions, the SharpToolbox now has its own domain, and so I can declare the site officially open.
The site now lists 260 tools (including 35 libraries) in 42 categories, and I have more tools in my todo list waiting to be added.
Check it out now: http://SharpToolbox.com
Of course, RSS feeds are available!
The site now comes with forums, so feel free to discuss about the site or about tools there.
The next step on my list of improvements is to setup a Submission Process to let people report new tools or update the information on the site.
PS: The site is hosted by WebHost4Life.com. They have a referral program so clicking on the link would specify me as the referrer if you decide to sign up for a hosting solution there. My sponsor ID is madgeek.
Update: The site is now hosted by Arvixe.
I just started to publish some ideas that I'd like to share.
Feedback on these ideas is welcome, let me know what you think.
Let us know what you have in mind on similar subjects.
Have look inside the ThinkTank!
The ThinkTank will remain accessible on the main page of my weblog.
Keep in mind that this is work in progress, I'll keep adding new ideas (some are in the pipe).
I've been using an open-source tool called FreeMind for the past couple of days. This is hands-down the most incredible brainstorming / thought organization tool that I've ever seen.
FreeMind is essentially a fancy XML editor. It lets you create single-rooted recursive hierarchies of information. But the presentation and editing is so powerful and intuitive that it pretty much eliminates any friction involved in restructuring your XML document. You also have the ability to link to external URL's and external files.
The way I use FreeMind is to initially capture a mind-dump of ideas relating to a single topic. Then I start noticing clusters of ideas that relate to one another and I use FreeMind to reorganize those ideas into their natural order.
See for yourself. Surf over to the FreeMind homepage on SourceForge. Make sure that you check out the screenshots of the program. It was worth reinstalling the Java runtime on my computer just to run this application.
[John Lam]
Definitely something I should give a try.
Kevin says...
Microsoft posted some great info about upcoming releases of the .NET Framework and VS.NET. Some of the questions that the article raises for me:Kevin Dente
I'm surprised no one has made mention of the Master Pages item from the roadmap? Check it:
Second, Whidbey will include features that ensure consistency and code reuse across pages within a Web site. The introduction of Master Pages will enable developers to quickly share layout across multiple pages by designing templates that specify the location of controls, menu bars, headers, and footers. Similar to visual inheritance in Windows Forms, Master Pages allow other pages on a Web site to inherit from a Master Page, automatically acquiring its look and feel. When a developer wishes to change the layout of all the pages, they need only make updates to the Master Page.
This is going to be a great addition to every ASP.Net developers arsenal. Couple that with the new theming and skins that will be in Whidbey and I'm drooling over my keyboard.
[Jason Tucker]
I've been using Paul Wilson's version of Master Pages for two sites (including SharpToolbox.com) with success. Why wait for .NET 1.2?
Note: the original version of Master Pages is here.
Update: As Frans Bouma points out in a comment, the Whidbey package is more likely to include .NET 1.2, not 2.0.
If you integrate or plan to integrate within Visual Studio, you should definitlty check this site.
"Register to become a Visual Studio Industry partner and get FREE access to the VSIP SDK. As a VSIP you will have access to the technology, private newsgroups and secured technical content to assist you in seamlessly integrating your tools, components, and languages into the Visual Studio .NET IDE."
Everything you always wanted to do to integrate seamlessly into VS.NET used to cost money. As of todays, it's free! Wahoo!
[Chris Sells]
As Harry Pierson says, you could start with a look at the technical info.
Are you single or dual processor?
What are you up to for a workstation? What CPU and motherboards are you using?
I'm considering bying a dual-processor motherboard based on AMD CPUs. Any related experience, guys?
PS: No, no, I'm not trying to start a contest similar to this one ;-)
Similar to everyone's favorite CSS tip to have scrolling areas in html pages, here is what I'd call a CSS frame.
This quick and easy tip let's you, for example, have a fixed menu on a page without frames.
The secret sauce is in the source. Extract:
<STYLE>
#menu
{
float: left;
margin-right: 10px;
margin-top: 10px;
}
#content
{
overflow: auto;
height: 95%;
border-style: solid;
border-width: 1px;
border-color: black;
padding-left: 10px;
line-height : 1;
}
</STYLE>
Sweet...Sweet...Sweet :) [
ScottW's Weblog]
Jamie Cansdale has created an Add-In for hosting .NET Reflector inside Visual Studio. Read the companion article here. Recent updates can be found here. [Lutz Roeder's Weblog] [Fabrice: also check Jamie's Weblog out]
I just finished a fun little side project: creating an add-in for Reflector that generates code files.Note that this is a VS .NET 2003 solution (so it's 1.1-based) and I'm targeting the 3.2.5.0 version of Reflector. Basically, once you get the add-in up and running into Reflector, you can select a module or a type in the main tree view window, and press Ctrl + G (or go to "Tools | Generate File(s)..." - whatever you prefer). You'll be asked to provide a directory where all the files will go. Once you pick a directory and press "Generate Files", the add-in will create a file for every type in the module (or just the type that you selected). Enjoy! [Jason Bock's Weblog]
Update: Andy Hopper also has as an add-in similar to Jason's.
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