Archives
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Memory leaks with Infragistics NetAdvantage Windows Forms edition
When I finalized my article about memory leaks, I removed a part about Infragistics NetAdvantage. Here it is. It may be useful to some of you. Warning: It's based on NetAdvantage 7.3, and may or may not apply to recent versions.
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MVVM frameworks galore
The MVVM pattern (Model-View-ViewModel, also known as M-V-VM, the PresentationModel pattern, or the ViewModel pattern) appeared a long time ago now, but it took some time before it became more documented and well known. Over the last few months, MVVM boomed, especially with an explosion of dedicated frameworks. It's difficult to know what each framework proposes and which one to choose. Fortunately, Jeremy Alles has compiled pointers to all the MVVM frameworks available today. He even lists the main features of each framework.
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The core WPF classes
Jeremy Alles proposes a nice tour of the core WPF classes. It comes with a class diagram and quick descriptions.
I'll keep a link to it here for reference. It's the kind of document I'll refer to several times. -
New article: How to detect and avoid memory and resources leaks in .NET applications
My new article, which I've been preparing over the last few months, is now available. It's about memory and resources leaks in .NET.
You'll find it in English on MSDN and in French on my site. It's also available in PDF in English and in French. -
fivesecondtest, quick usability testing
fivesecondtest.com, "A simple online usability test that helps you identify the most prominent elements of your user interfaces."
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New LINQ tools category on SharpToolbox.com
I've just moved the LINQ tools referenced on SharpToolbox.com to a new dedicated LINQ category.
20 tools and providers are listed for the moment. I'll add more shortly. -
XMLAuto version 2010
Ten years ago, I played with OLE Automation so we can write things such as the following, where Document represents an XML document:
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Forcing event unsubscription
Given my own experience, I'd say that events are the main source of leaks in .NET. They deserve double- and even triple-checks. Each time you add a subscription to an event in your code, most likely with +=, you should worry about the consequences and ask yourself whether you need to add a -= somewhere to unsubscribe from the event. If you have to, do it immediately before you forget about it. Often, you'll do that in a Dispose method.
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The "Error creating window handle" exception and the Desktop Heap
When a big Windows Forms application I'm working on for a client is used actively, users often get "Error creating window handle" exceptions.
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LINQ in Action is now available in Chinese (LINQ实战) and in English in India
After English, German, Spanish, and Portuguese, LINQ in Action is now available in Chinese (中文).
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Who deserves a free MSDN subscription?
I have a free one-year MSDN subscription to offer. I believe that it has to be activated before June 30, so, I don't have time to organize a contest or something...
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LINQ in Action XML samples now in LINQPad too
After we published the code samples for LINQ in Action's first chapters in LINQPad a few weeks ago, the samples of three more chapters have just been added. These chapters cover LINQ to XML. Thanks Jim for doing the additional conversion.
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LINQ in Action samples in LINQPad
Do you know LINQPad? It's a really simple but great tool for testing LINQ queries. Not only that, but it can be used to test all kinds of C# and VB code snippets.
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Modern censorship you shouldn't ignore
Should I need a reason to hate Apple, it would be censorship.
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New York Times abandons WPF and Silverlight in favor of AIR
The first version of the New York Times Reader was showcased in 2006 as one of the first and major WPF applications. Then, the Times Reader was ported to Silverlight, so it can work on non-Windows platforms such as Mac OS and Linux. The fact that WPF runs only on Windows was indeed a major concern for such a product.
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ForEach debate continued
Eric Lippert, whose blog you shouldn't miss, adds his own arguments to the debate about whether using a ForEach extension method instead of foreach is a good idea or a bad one.
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LINQ em Ação, LINQ in Action in Portuguese
After English, German and Spanish, LINQ in Action is now available em Português.
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Localization in WPF
Several techniques exist for localizing WPF applications. I have yet to study them before making a choice.
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Fix for Visual Studio 2008 crash with XAML files
Does your Visual Studio 2008 SP1 crash when you open some XAML files? It started to happen to me, for some unknown reason.
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LINQ in Action in Spanish (LINQ en español)
Today I had the pleasure to receive a copy of LINQ in Action translated in Spanish. This came a bit unexpected, but it's great!
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LINQ Deep Dive: great LINQ tips
Zeeshan Hirani who already offered us a 500-page Entity Framework learning guide, now publishes great LINQ tips in the first part of his LINQ Deep Dive articles. These tips are not the usual introductions to LINQ features you can find elsewhere. You can tell that they come from someone who lives in the trenches. I learnt very interesting features and best practices I didn't know about.
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MVP in 2009
Microsoft just named me an MVP for the sixth year in a row!
What to expect from me this year? Well, I'll continue to improve my existing projects but I also have new projects in the pipe. The best way to know what I'm up to is to follow this blog :-) -
Your favorite .NET and Java tools in RSS
I've just updated SharpToolbox.com and JavaToolbox.com again to improve the features I announced last week. You can now use RSS to follow your favorite .NET and Java tools.
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Your favorite .NET and Java tools
Whatever you're doing with .NET or Java, you have to deal with a lot of tools and libraries. If you need to find new ones, you can consult SharpToolbox.com and JavaToolbox.com. You'll find there more than 2000 tools, libraries and add-ins! The main goal of these sites has always been to help you to quickly identify the tools you need.
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ForEach or not ForEach, that is the question
In LINQ in Action, we discuss about the missing ForEach query operator. This is in Chapter 5 "Beyond basic in-memory queries", more precisely in section 5.2.2. There, we indicate that Eric White suggested this operator in his functional programming tutorial, although I'm not able to find the exact reference at the moment in this tutorial.
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UI design and prototyping tools
As my previous post shows, I have a growing interest in user experience and UI design patterns. I'm also interested in mockups and prototyping tools, which are of course directly related to UI design and user experience.
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UI design patterns libraries
Over the time, I've collected a set of UI design patterns libraries. Some of them present patterns with descriptions and advices, others collect screenshots of UI designs. With all the available sites, you have a lot of patterns to tap into for your sites and applications!
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Null Object design pattern instead of returning null
This is just a quick post to make a plug for the Null Object design pattern. I don't think that it's used a lot, but it's useful to avoid a lot of issues.
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Converting LINQ queries from query syntax to method/operator syntax
Yesterday a reader of the LINQ in Action book posted an interesting challenge on the book's forum. It's interesting enough to be reposted it here.
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Life changing XAML tip for Visual Studio
If you've worked with XAML in Visual Studio 2008 (SP1), either for WPF or Silverlight work, you know how painful it is.
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Silverlight 2 training in Paris and DevTeach offer
RunAtServer Consulting and Octo Technology are organizing a 3-day Silverlight 2 training in Paris and in French. Highly recommended.