Archives
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Today's documentationless experiment: Writing a ProfileProvider
Writing a Membership provider sure was easy, but wow is the documentation a bit thin for writing a Profile provider. I've started with the GetPropertyValues() method. So far I've got this bit working in a class called PopForumsProfileProvider, which inherits the abstract base class ProfileProvider:
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Themes and CSS in ASP.NET v2
I've been playing a little with the themes in v2 and I've changed my opinion on them. When I first learned about the basic capabilities of themes I kind of shrugged it off as a, "That's neat, I guess."
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SQL Express and ASP.NET v2: wow!
Scott Guthrie pointed me in the right direction in my last post regarding the use of SQL Express databases in ASP.NET v2. What I thought most incredible was that in e-mail he said that a box with SQL Express on it will create a database file in your /data folder, ready to go, for Membership, Profile and such, just as it did with the Access provider (which is going away for beta 2)! How cool is that?
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Need help on SQL Express using file in /data
It's my understanding that since the Access providers are going away in .NET v2 that the SQL providers will be the default. However, and correct me if I'm wrong, they won't generate a database file for Membership, Profile, etc., the way that the Access provider did in the /data folder, right?
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Gmail must be ready to ramp up
In the last week, I think I've had at least ten invites to give away from Gmail. I get the distinct impression that they're either pushing another level of traffic for testing purposes or they're considering going live soon. There are so many accounts out there now that it's not nearly as cool or "in" as it used to be to use Gmail!
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Slipping schedules aren't good for anyone
It appears that Longhorn is going to be less than we had hoped for. According to News.com, some features will be left out just so they can finally get it out the door. Personally, I don't care that much, but I know the Windows developers that have been working with the alphas are disappointed.
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An introduction to posting in forums
If you run a forum, you know how annoying new users can be. Here's the single best "instructional video" I've ever seen on the subject. Watch it... you'll laugh your ass off.
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ParameterizedThreadStart: Good call!
I just noticed that a new overload of the Thread constructor was added to .NET v2, accepting a ParameterizedThreadStart object. Cleverly enough, it allows you to call the thread's Start() method with a parameter to pass in to the method you're firing in its own thread. I don't understand why that wasn't there from the start, but good call!
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Search for "http" on Google
I was trying to remember if the second "T" in HTTP stood for "transfer" or "transport," because let's face it, even code monkey geeks don't think about it every day. To find out, I typed it into Google because of their convenient link to the definition.
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Access vs. SQL Express providers in ASP.NET v2
I noticed that the Access providers for Membership and such won't be there, or am I reading that they just won't be the default providers?
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SQL paging advice needed
OK, so saying that SQL Server isn't really my thing is kind of lame, but I'm not one to pretend I know everything. Generally I use a procedure like this to get paged data (parameters replaced with actual values for simplicity).
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Jeers for LoginView control
Awhile back I was crying about how LoginView is designed wrong. Apparently Microsoft doesn't agree with me. At issue is the fact that controls inside of a LoginView are created late in the page lifecycle so they can't be accessed directly from PageLoad or postback events. The stated purpose of the control, according to the documentation, says: "Displays the appropriate content template for a given user, based on the user's authentication status and role membership."
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Why electronic banking is better
Last month I went inside of my bank to make a deposit and get some cash, somehing I almost never do because I use the ATM. That particular day, the ATM was broken, so I had little choice.
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.NET seems to make everything easier
Back when I used Overture, I always thought it was kind of a cool security feature where you had to type in letters in a graphic that is, theoretically, not machine readable. This deters automated attacks. It occurred to me that'd be a nice feature for the forum registration.
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More adventures in Web app threading
Responses in my last post about this were either, "Threading in a Web app isn't a good idea," or a lengthy example that works, but wasn't really what I was after. After looking a little harder, I realized the error of my ways. The goal was to launch a Timer from an HttpModule. This is where I started:
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Why is threading so much work in a Web app?
Doing stuff in seperate threads in a Web app is a pain when you need a reference to general application state. Why does it have to be so hard?
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XP SP2 issues
I'm sure that 90% of people running SP2 will not have any problems, but we've already had a lot of issues.
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Nested grid woes
I've done nested grids before, something like this:
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NBCOlympics.com sucks
[Note: If you check the date on this post, it's from 2004. The 2008 site is much, much better. -J]
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Not every website is Match.com
In my post yesterday there were some interesting comments about the code sample I posted regarding the use of StringBuilder vs. straight concatenation. Yes, I created a ridiculous scenario that would probably not ever occur in real life, but the intention was to illustrate a point.
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Check my code: StringBuilder vs. concatenation
I think I did this right, but give it a look. I'm trying to demonstrate the benefit of using StringBuilder over straight string concatenation. The two loops are functionally equivalent, right?
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IE revisited and tabbed browsing
I responded to a News.com article about why I don't think IE is in dire need of upgrade, and naturally people get hysterical about it.
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Dinner at The Bill's house
Yeah, I'm late to the party, and everyone else has already linked to it, but here's a good story from a Microsoft intern that got to have dinner at Bill Gates' house. Interesting read. In the last moments of the story, I think you'd be surprised to see just how normal one portion of his life actually is.
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A new version of IE? Why bother?
I was reading this article on News.com about the updates to Internet Explorer included with SP2. One “freelance Web developer” is quoted as saying, “Internet Explorer hasn't been updated in three years, whereas every other browser has been updated in the last six months... A company like Microsoft shouldn't have the least-capable browser.”
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XP SP2 thoughts
I got XP Service Pack 2 today. So far so good, I've only noticed one compatibility issue so far. The pop-up blocker in IE is nice, though the default option with that warning bar is annoying. Not sure what they were thinking there.
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Need SQL help
I'm embarrassed to admit it, but I need a little SQL help. The truth is, I suck when it comes to SQL. I guess I'm not disciplined enough to really become a guru.
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A "pact" week on G4TechTV
What the heck, I love picking this network. From their e-mail newsletter:
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Sunday afternoon ad serving
I spent the afternoon today working on the ad server that I mentioned the other day under nearly cloudless skies and cool temperatures (~70°) for August in Cleveland. Code monkeys need a little sun now and then, you know? Of course, I still should be working on the book.
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Specifying the right parameter in SqlDataSource control
I don't recall seeing this before, but after searching a bit in the forums I found that you need to specify the parameters in your WHERE clause of update and delete commands differently for the SqlDataSource control. The following is functional code:
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Object-oriented data abstraction and caching strategies
I'm not sure if anyone reads blogs on the weekends, but what the heck. :)
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Getting back to writing code again
Finishing my book is sucking the life out of me, because I just can't seem to stay focused enough to bang out the last few chapters. They aren't even chapters that require research, it's stuff I feel I know well enough to just go at it.
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Got a Cisco 1720 router with a T-1 card to sell
I thought that it would be easy to unload, but I can't even get a nibble.
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What piracy is not
Frans says I'm “handling the discussion wrong” from my last entry. I wasn't aware that I was bound to any one person's discussion guidelines. If you don't like how I handle it, don't respond.
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Shocked by our community's response to piracy
I'm really, really shocked at some of the responses I got to my blog entry about the piracy of Doom 3. I guess I'd go as far as to say that I'm disappointed.
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Any good examples of a custom ProfileProvider?
I was looking at the underlying data the Access and SQL ProfileProviders create when saving profile data. Yikes! Not pretty at all.
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What replaces the Register...Script() methods in the Page class?
I noticed in the docs today that the Register...Script() methods of the Page class are marked obsolete. What replaces them? If they aren't outright replaced, what should be used to solve the same problem?
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G4 game awards a joke
There's a short story on GameSpot about G4-TechTV's “G-phoria” game awards, and it sure sounds lame. Yes, I'm one of the many that hated the network merger (along with the functionally illiterate kids that keep posting in my blog), but it sounds like the Comcast folks don't even understand the audience they thought they had, let alone the one they acquired.
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Doom 3 piracy out of control
I'm still astounded that so many people have such little regard for intellectual property. I saw on GameSpot that Doom 3 piracy has easily spiraled into the millions of dollars of damage and the game doesn't even come out until tomorrow.