Programming Gems

USB devices attached to this computer has malfunctioned

2011-02-21T22:11:00.000-08:00

This problem drove my IT support nuts, but there is a simple way 5 steps process to resolve the problem:

1. Disconnect all USB devices from the computer.
2. Go to BIOS and set USB as the 1st to load. This will make sure the device driver is loaded before Windows start.
3. Go to Windows in Safe mode - this will load all the device drivers again.
4. Switch off your computer for 30 mins so that the last faulty USB error memory that is stored in BIOS is cleared.
5. Restart your computer.

This works for all the cases of this problem I have found so far.

Saving Changes is not Permitted. The changes you made requires the table to be dropped and recreated...

2010-08-26T02:39:00.000-07:00

One of the new things that happens in SQL Server 2008 is that it prevents saving table structure changes that require the table to be dropped and re-created. While this is a great feature to prevent accidents from occurring, on a developer machine it can be quite frustrating. This is the dialog you get when trying to make changes in a table design.

Unfortunately, this dialog doesn’t tell you where to turn this feature off! Clicking on the small “?” on the title bar does get you to a help page that tells you how to do it.

Anyway, the place to do it is Tools > Options > Designers > Table and Database Designers > Prevent saving changes that require table re-creation. Turn this option off and you will be able to save the tables again.

SQL Server 2005: Importing from Excel error 0xc020901c

2009-05-28T18:37:00.000-07:00

Error 0xc020901c: Data Flow Task: There was an error with output column "Agenda 2" (63) on output "Excel Source Output" (9). The column status returned was: "Text was truncated or one or more characters had no match in the target code page.".

To fix the problem

To change the value of TypeGuessRows, use these steps:
On the Start menu, click Run. In the Run dialog box, type Regedt32, and then click OK.
Open the following key in the Registry editor:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Jet\4.0\Engines\Excel
Double-click TypeGuessRows.
In the DWORD editor dialog box, click Decimal under Base. Type a value between 0
Click OK, and then exit the Registry Editor.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/281517/EN-US/

How to Close Web Browsers

2009-05-13T20:05:00.000-07:00

btn.Attributes.Add("OnClick", "self.close()");
will do the trick.
Another alternative is
Response.Write (" < script > self.close() ; < /script >
");

DataBase could not be exclusively Locked when renaming a database

2009-04-22T18:58:00.001-07:00

The problem is due to other users using the database. To resolve the problem, you set the database to be used only by yourself. After the rename operation, you need to reset it back to be usable by other users. It is a common courtesy to inform all users prior to doing this operation.

ALTER DATABASE DBNAME SET SINGLE_USER WITH ROLLBACK IMMEDIATE
GO
SP_RENAMEDB @dbname = 'old_name' ,
@newname = 'new_name'
Go
ALTER DATABASE NEWDBNAME SET MULTI_USER -- set back to multi user
GO

How to Sort or handle Paging in GridView Manually without databinding

2009-03-16T19:53:00.000-07:00

The GridView 'GridViewID' fired event PageIndexChanging which wasn't handled.
The GridView 'GridViewID' fired event Sorting which wasn't handled.

private string ConvertSortDirectionToSql(SortDirection sortDirection)
{
string newSortDirection = String.Empty;

switch (sortDirection)
{
case SortDirection.Ascending:
newSortDirection = "ASC";
break;

case SortDirection.Descending:
newSortDirection = "DESC";
break;
}

return newSortDirection;
}

protected void GridView1_Sorting(object sender, GridViewSortEventArgs e)
{
GridViewSortExpression = e.SortExpression;
int pageIndex = this.GridView1.PageIndex;
this.GridView1.DataSource = SortDataTable(GridView1.DataSource as DataTable, false);
this.GridView1.DataBind();
this.GridView1.PageIndex = pageIndex;

}

private string GridViewSortDirection
{
get
{
return ViewState["SortDirection"] as string ?? "ASC";
}

set
{
ViewState["SortDirection"] = value;
}
}

private string GridViewSortExpression
{
get
{
return ViewState["SortExpression"] as string ?? string.Empty;
}
set
{
ViewState["SortExpression"] = value;
}
}

private string GetSortDirection()
{
switch (GridViewSortDirection)
{
case "ASC":
GridViewSortDirection = "DESC";
break;
case "DESC":
GridViewSortDirection = "ASC";
break;
}
return GridViewSortDirection;
}

protected void GridView1_PageIndexChanging(object sender, GridViewPageEventArgs e)
{
this.GridView1.DataSource = SortDataTable(this.GridView1.DataSource as DataTable, true);
this.GridView1.PageIndex = e.NewPageIndex;
this.GridView1.DataBind();
}

protected DataView SortDataTable(DataTable dataTable, bool isPageIndexChanging)
{
if (dataTable != null)
{
DataView dataView = new DataView(dataTable);
if (GridViewSortExpression != string.Empty)
{
if (isPageIndexChanging)
{
dataView.Sort = string.Format("{0} {1}", GridViewSortExpression, GridViewSortDirection);
}
else
{
dataView.Sort = string.Format("{0} {1}", GridViewSortExpression, GetSortDirection());
}
}
return dataView;
}

else
{
return new DataView();
}
}

How to have Display Number in GridView

2009-03-16T19:28:00.000-07:00

< asp:TemplateField >
< ItemTemplate >
< %# Container.DataItemIndex + 1 % >
< /ItemTemplate >
< /asp:TemplateField >

Unable to make the session state request to the session state server. Please ensure that the ASP.NET State service is started..

2009-03-10T18:41:00.000-07:00

The error that you are getting is because your StateServer is not enabled. You have to go to AdministrativeTools > Computer Management > Services and Applications >Services and start the ASP.NET State Service

The SQL Server Service Broker for the current database is not enabled, and as a result query notifications are not supported...

2009-03-10T18:36:00.000-07:00

This problem frequently occurs when you just restored a database, but service brokers are broken or lost.

To resolve this problem.

alter database xxxx set NEW_BROKER

Alternatively,

1. Go to Programs -> Microsoft Sql Server 2005 -> Configuration Tools -> Sql Server Surface Area Configuration -> Surface Area Configuration for Features.
2. Locate "Service Broker" under the database engine and enable it.

Could not load file or assembly 'System.Web.Abstractions, Version=3.5.0.0, Culture=neutral,

2009-03-08T21:06:00.000-07:00

To resolve this problem

1. Download and Install .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 at
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/thankyou.aspx?familyId=ab99342f-5d1a-413d-8319-81da479ab0d7&displayLang=en

2. Download and install ASP.NET MVC Release Candidate 2
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=ee4b2e97-8a72-449a-82d2-2f720d421031&displaylang=en#filelist

3. Check that the 3 dlls are in the bin folder. Your application should work ;)
System.Web.Abstractions
System.Web.Routing
System.Web.Mvc

How to get rid of "Warning as an Error" message

2008-11-26T23:49:00.001-08:00

In the web config file, added the following add in Red under the compilers section for each compiler you have.

The type or namespace name 'Script' does not exist in the namespace 'System.Web' (are you missing an assembly reference?)

2008-11-26T23:45:00.001-08:00

To resolve this problem, please ensure that you have the system.web.extension dll added as a reference in your project.

Alternatively, copying the system.web.extension.dll to the bin directory for a deployment project should resolve the problem.

How to Show File Dialog

2008-11-05T19:40:00.000-08:00

Here is some code to allow users to select Folder.

public class FolderBrowser : FolderNameEditor
{
private FolderNameEditor.FolderBrowser m_obBrowser = null;
private string m_strDescription;
public FolderBrowser()
{
m_strDescription = "Select folder";
m_obBrowser = new FolderNameEditor.FolderBrowser();
}

public string DirectoryPath
{
get{return this.m_obBrowser.DirectoryPath;}
}

public DialogResult ShowDialog()
{
m_obBrowser.Description = m_strDescription;
return m_obBrowser.ShowDialog();
}
}

How to Restore a MSSQL backup (.bak)

2008-07-16T18:19:00.000-07:00

Run the command in MSSQL to restore a .bak file

RESTORE DATABASE [abc]
FROM DISK = 'C:\backup_200807102327.bak'
with move 'abc' to 'C:\Database\abc.mdf',
move 'abc_LOG' to 'C:\Database\abc.LOG',
Replace
GO

How to sort and allow paging manually using Gridview

2008-06-30T19:49:00.000-07:00

private string ConvertSortDirectionToSql(SortDirection sortDirection)
{
string newSortDirection = String.Empty;

switch (sortDirection)
{
case SortDirection.Ascending:
newSortDirection = "ASC";
break;

case SortDirection.Descending:
newSortDirection = "DESC";
break;
}

return newSortDirection;
}

protected void gridView_PageIndexChanging(object sender, GridViewPageEventArgs e)
{
gridView.PageIndex = e.NewPageIndex;
gridView.DataBind();
}

protected void gridView_Sorting(object sender, GridViewSortEventArgs e)
{
DataTable dataTable = gridView.DataSource as DataTable;

if (dataTable != null)
{
DataView dataView = new DataView(dataTable);
dataView.Sort = e.SortExpression + " " + ConvertSortDirectionToSql(e.SortDirection);

gridView.DataSource = dataView;
gridView.DataBind();
}
}

How to have a pop out dialog box in ASP.NET

2008-06-26T03:13:00.000-07:00

JHaIn all good web applications, the user is asked to confirm whether he/she wants to delete something in case the delete button was pressed accidentally.

Although it seems like a pain to do, it is actually really easy if you find it acceptable to use javascript's “confirm” statement, which will popup a dialog box with a particular question with “ok” and “cancel” buttons. You have no control of the title of the popup, but in IE it says “Microsoft Internet Explorer“ and I believe it says “[Javascript Application]“ or similar in Firebird.

The javascript code for it is simple:

function confirm_delete()
{
if (confirm("Are you sure you want to delete the custom search?")==true)
return true;
else
return false;
}

Using code-behind, you can attach the javascript popup dialog to the button:

_myButton.Attributes.Add("onclick", "return confirm_delete();");

When you click on the delete button, the javascript popup dialog asks if you want to delete the search. If you choose “cancel“, your “DeleteSearch_Click” event is never fired. If you choose “ok”, the event is fired and you can delete the item.

How to Select a Row in GridView without using select button

2008-06-26T01:48:00.000-07:00

....
....
....

protected void MyGridView_RowDataBound(object sender, GridViewRowEventArgs
e)
{
if (e.Row.RowType == DataControlRowType.DataRow)
{
e.Row.Attributes.Add("onclick",
ClientScript.GetPostBackEventReference(MyGridView, "Select$" +
e.Row.RowIndex.ToString()));
e.Row.Style.Add("cursor", "pointer");
}
}

protected void MyGridView_SelectedIndexChanged(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
string strSelectedID = MyGridView.SelectedValue.ToString();
}

How to Authenticate User using a customed Database

2008-06-18T01:16:00.000-07:00

If you want to authenticate a user against your own custom database then you can use the Authenticate event of the Login control. Here is a small example that shows how to achieve it.

// Use Authenticate event if you want to do custom authentication

protected void Login1_Authenticate(object sender, AuthenticateEventArgs e)

{

string userName = Login1.UserName;

string password = Login1.Password;

bool result = UserLogin(userName, password);

if (result)

e.Authenticated = true;

else

e.Authenticated = false;

}

private bool UserLogin(string userName, string password)

{

string query = @"SELECT UserName FROM Users WHERE

UserName = @UserName AND Password = @Password";

string connectionString = (string)ConfigurationManager.ConnectionStrings["ConnectionString"].ConnectionString;

SqlConnection myConnection = new SqlConnection(connectionString);

SqlCommand myCommand = new SqlCommand(query, myConnection);

myCommand.Parameters.AddWithValue("@UserName", userName);

myCommand.Parameters.AddWithValue("@Password", password);

myConnection.Open();

string userId = (string) myCommand.ExecuteScalar();

myConnection.Close();

if (userId != null && userId.Length > 0)

return true;

else return false;

}

As you can see that I am simply sending the values from the Login control to UserLogin method and returns true or false based on the authentication status.

When using custom authentication always remember to set the Authenticated property of the Login control to true or false based on the result of authentication. Also when authenticating a user against a custom database you don't need to provide the membership settings in the web.config file.

How to use CheckBox in GridView.

2008-06-18T00:03:00.000-07:00

Introduction

In the preceding tutorial we examined how to add a column of radio buttons to the GridView for the purpose of selecting a particular record. A column of radio buttons is a suitable user interface when the user is limited to choosing at most one item from the grid. At times, however, we may want to allow the user to pick an arbitrary number of items from the grid. Web-based email clients, for example, typically display the list of messages with a column of checkboxes. The user can select an arbitrary number of messages and then perform some action, such as moving the emails to another folder or deleting them.

In this tutorial we will see how to add a column of checkboxes and how to determine what checkboxes were checked on postback. In particular, we’ll build an example that closely mimics the web-based email client user interface. Our example will include a paged GridView listing the products in the Products database table with a checkbox in each row (see Figure 1). A “Delete Selected Products” button, when clicked, will delete those products selected.

Figure 1: Each Product Row Includes a Checkbox (Click to view full-size image)

Step 1: Adding a Paged GridView that Lists Product Information

Before we worry about adding a column of checkboxes, let’s first focus on listing the products in a GridView that supports paging. Start by opening the CheckBoxField.aspx page in the EnhancedGridView folder and drag a GridView from the Toolbox onto the Designer, setting its ID to Products. Next, choose to bind the GridView to a new ObjectDataSource named ProductsDataSource. Configure the ObjectDataSource to use the ProductsBLL class, calling the GetProducts() method to return the data. Since this GridView will be read-only, set the drop-down lists in the UPDATE, INSERT, and DELETE tabs to “(None)”.

Figure 2: Create a New ObjectDataSource Named ProductsDataSource (Click to view full-size image)

Figure 3: Configure the ObjectDataSource to Retrieve Data Using the GetProducts() Method (Click to view full-size image)

Figure 4: Set the Drop-Down Lists in the UPDATE, INSERT, and DELETE Tabs to “(None)” (Click to view full-size image)

After completing the Configure Data Source wizard, Visual Studio will automatically create BoundColumns and a CheckBoxColumn for the product-related data fields. Like we did in the previous tutorial, remove all but the ProductName, CategoryName, and UnitPrice BoundFields, and change the HeaderText properties to “Product”, “Category”, and “Price”. Configure the UnitPrice BoundField so that its value is formatted as a currency. Also configure the GridView to support paging by checking the “Enable Paging” checkbox from the smart tag.

Let’s also add the user interface for deleting the selected products. Add a Button Web control beneath the GridView, setting its ID to DeleteSelectedProducts and its Text property to “Delete Selected Products”. Rather than actually deleting products from the database, for this example we’ll just display a message stating the products that would have been deleted. To accommodate this, add a Label Web control beneath the Button. Set its ID to DeleteResults, clear out its Text property, and set its Visible and EnableViewState properties to False.

g="{0:c}" HeaderText="Price" HtmlEncode="False" SortExpression="UnitP

Take a moment to view the page in a browser (see Figure 5). At this point you should see the name, category, and price of the first ten products.

Figure 5: The Name, Category, and Price of the First Ten Products are Listed (Click to view full-size image)

Step 2: Adding a Column of Checkboxes

Since ASP.NET 2.0 includes a CheckBoxField, one might think that it could be used to add a column of checkboxes to a GridView. Unfortunately, that is not the case, as the CheckBoxField is designed to work with a Boolean data field. That is, in order to use the CheckBoxField we must specify the underlying data field whose value is consulted to determine whether the rendered checkbox is checked. We cannot use the CheckBoxField to just include a column of unchecked checkboxes.

Instead, we must add a TemplateField and add a CheckBox Web control to its ItemTemplate. Go ahead and add a TemplateField to the Products GridView and make it the first (far-left) field. From the GridView’s smart tag, click on the “Edit Templates” link and then drag a CheckBox Web control from the Toolbox into the ItemTemplate. Set this CheckBox’s ID property to ProductSelector.

Figure 6: Add a CheckBox Web Control Named ProductSelector to the TemplateField’s ItemTemplate (Click to view full-size image)

With the TemplateField and CheckBox Web control added, each row now includes a checkbox. Figure 7 shows this page, when viewed through a browser, after the TemplateField and CheckBox have been added.

Figure 7: Each Product Row Now Includes a Checkbox (Click to view full-size image)

Step 3: Determining What Checkboxes Were Checked On Postback

At this point we have a column of checkboxes but no way to determine what checkboxes were checked on postback. When the “Delete Selected Products” button is clicked, though, we need to know what checkboxes were checked in order to delete those products.

The GridView’s Rows property provides access to the data rows in the GridView. We can iterate through these rows, programmatically access the CheckBox control, and then consult its Checked property to determine whether the CheckBox has been selected.

Create an event handler for the DeleteSelectedProducts Button Web control’s Click event and add the following code:

Protected Sub DeleteSelectedProducts_Click(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) _ Handles DeleteSelectedProducts.Click

Dim atLeastOneRowDeleted As Boolean = False
' Iterate through the Products.Rows property For Each row As GridViewRow In Products.Rows
' Access the CheckBox Dim cb As CheckBox = row.FindControl("ProductSelector")
If cb IsNot Nothing AndAlso cb.Checked Then
' Delete row! (Well, not really...)
atLeastOneRowDeleted = True
' First, get the ProductID for the selected row
Dim productID As Integer = _ Convert.ToInt32(Products.DataKeys(row.RowIndex).Value)
' "Delete" the row DeleteResults.Text &= String.Format( _ "This would have deleted ProductID {0}
", productID)

The Rows property returns a collection of GridViewRow instances that makeup the GridView’s data rows. The For Each loop here enumerates this collection. For each GridViewRow object, the row’s CheckBox is programmatically accessed using row.FindControl("controlID"). If the CheckBox is checked, the row’s corresponding ProductID value is retrieved from the DataKeys collection. In this exercise, we simply display an informative message in the DeleteResults Label, although in a working application we’d instead make a call to the ProductsBLL class’s DeleteProduct(productID) method.

With the addition of this event handler, clicking the “Delete Selected Products” button now displays the ProductIDs of the selected products.

Figure 8: When the “Delete Selected Products” Button is Clicked the Selected Products’ ProductIDs are Listed (Click to view full-size image)

Step 4: Adding “Check All” and “Uncheck All” Buttons

If a user wants to delete all products on the current page, they must check each of the ten checkboxes. We can help expedite this process by adding a “Check All” button that, when clicked, selects all of the checkboxes in the grid. An “Uncheck All” button would be equally helpful.

Add two Button Web controls to the page, placing them above the GridView. Set the first one’s ID to CheckAll and its Text property to “Check All”; set the second one’s ID to UncheckAll and its Text property to “Uncheck All”.

Next, create a method in the code-behind class named ToggleCheckState(checkState) that, when invoked, enumerates the Products GridView’s Rows collection and sets each CheckBox’s Checked property to the value of the passed in checkState parameter.

Private Sub ToggleCheckState(ByVal checkState As Boolean) ' Iterate through the Products.Rows property For Each row As GridViewRow In Products.Rows ' Access the CheckBox Dim cb As CheckBox = row.FindControl("ProductSelector") If cb IsNot Nothing Then cb.Checked = checkState End If Next End Sub

Next, create Click event handlers for the CheckAll and UncheckAll buttons. In CheckAll’s event handler, simply call ToggleCheckState(True); in UncheckAll, call ToggleCheckState(False).

Protected Sub CheckAll_Click(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) _ Handles CheckAll.Click ToggleCheckState(True) End Sub Protected Sub UncheckAll_Click(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) _ Handles UncheckAll.Click ToggleCheckState(False) End Sub

With this code, clicking the “Check All” button causes a postback and checks all of the checkboxes in the GridView. Likewise, clicking “Uncheck All” unselects all checkboxes. Figure 9 shows the screen after the “Check All” button has been checked.

Figure 9: Clicking the “Check All” Button Selects All Checkboxes (Click to view full-size image)

Note: When displaying a column of checkboxes, one approach for selecting or unselecting all of the checkboxes is through a checkbox in the header row. Moreover, the current “Check All” / “Uncheck All” implementation requires a postback. The checkboxes can be checked or unchecked, however, entirely through client-side script, thereby providing a snappier user experience. To explore using a header row checkbox for “Check All” and “Uncheck All” in detail, along with a discussion on using client-side techniques, check out Checking All CheckBoxes in a GridView Using Client-Side Script and a Check All CheckBox.

Summary

In cases where you need to let users choose an arbitrary number of rows from a GridView before proceeding, adding a column of checkboxes is one option. As we saw in this tutorial, including a column of checkboxes in the GridView entails adding a TemplateField with a CheckBox Web control. By using a Web control (versus injecting markup directly into the template, as we did in the previous tutorial) ASP.NET automatically remembers what CheckBoxes were and were not checked across postback. We can also programmatically access the CheckBoxes in code to determine whether a given CheckBox is checked, or to chnage the checked state.

This tutorial and the last one looked at adding a row selector column to the GridView. In our next tutorial we’ll examine how, with a bit of work, we can add inserting capabilities to the GridView.

Method Error 500

2008-06-11T01:43:00.000-07:00

I've been assigned a bug concerning an AJAX cascading drop down combo box. When the Ajax cascading drop down combo box's value is changed by the user, a secondary combo box has its values reloaded. This is done by calling a web service. The bug is that "Method Error 500" is displayed as the only item on occasion.

After some rooting around, it turns out that this is caused by too much data being returned in the SQL query behind the web service call, so the web service returns an error. A simple change to the web.config file can increase the size limit of data returned:

<system.web.extensions>
<scripting>
<webservices>
<jsonserialization maxjsonlength="5000000">
</jsonserialization>
</webservices>
</scripting>
<system.web.extensions>
<scripting>
<webservices>
<jsonserialization maxjsonlength="5000000">
</jsonserialization>
</webservices>
</scripting>
</system.web.extensions></system.web.extensions>

How Do I Make an Out of Office AutoResponder If I Use Outlook Without Exchange Server?

2008-06-08T20:39:00.000-07:00

This is a question I get asked a lot. If you have Outlook at work Exchange Server), you are used to the Out of Office Assistant which is easy to use to set up a reply to all of your mail when you are away from the office. But, without Exchange Server, this option is not available to you in your Tools menu, so you have to create a rule that will reply to all using a template.

NOTE: In order for this to work correctly, DO NOT use Word as your email editor and use PLAIN TEXT as your mail format.

First: How To Make the Template

Open a new blank email and write your message with any info you want included. For example:

Hi. I'm out of town for three days. If you want to reach me, you can email me at joeblow@duhhh.com. Otherwise, I will reply to you when I return on Dec. 15, 2002.

Sincerely,
Eugene

Once you are done setting up the message, click on the File menu within the email and choose "Save As". When the Save As box comes up, use the menu at the bottom that says "Save as type" and choose Outlook Template (*.oft).

Notice when you choose to save it as a template, at the top of the Save As box, where it says "Save In", it now shows that it is saving it in your Templates folder. DO NOT CHANGE THIS LOCATION. It needs to be there so you can select it from your Templates library.

Give the template a name and click the Save button. Now you can just close this mail by clicking on the X in its upper right corner. (Say No when Outlook asks if you want to save the mail. Since we have already saved the Template, there is no need to save the actual email.)

Second: How To Make the Rule So It AutoReplies To Everyone

Go to your Tools menu in Outlook and select Rules Wizard. Click on "New" to start the Wizard. In the first step where it asks what conditions you want to set for this rule, just leave everything unchecked and click on Next and Outlook will give you a message that tells you this rule will be applied to all mail you receive. Click Yes. The first step of the Rules Wizard asks if you want to base this rule on an existing rule or start with a new rule. Tell it to start with a new blank rule.)

The next step asks what you want to do with the mail. Look through the list of choices and check the one that says "Reply with a specific template". Now you will see the words "a specific template" in the bottom pane. Click on the underlined words and use the dropdown box at the top of the box you now see to select "User Templates in File System" and you will see your template. Select it and click on Open. Now you will see that your rule is setup to reply to everyone with this template.

If you want to setup any exceptions for this rule, you can click Next. Otherwise, just click on Finish and your rule is made and turned on.

Now, if you don't want the rule to run now, but instead, want it to start running tomorrow or some other time, just go back to Tools>Rules Wizard and find your rule and uncheck the box beside it. Then, you can just return here before you go away to turn the rule on by checking it again. When you return home, remember to go back here and uncheck it again to turn it off, or click on it to select it and click on the button that says Delete to remove it completely.

Microsoft Heroes Happen here event

2008-06-05T01:14:00.000-07:00

Microsoft has launch the new windows server 2008, Visual Studio 2008 and SQL server 2008. And as a developer, I am impacted by the changes in these technologies.

Unfortunately, Microsoft learning is way behind in the times, and the new string of certifications does not come out until August 2008. This means that I need to learn everything quickly on my own again. time to sign up with either Comat or New Horizons to upgrade my skills and certifications. The CITREP offered by IDA offers a 50% subsidy for courses capped at $3000 making upgrading my certifications very attractive.

New Horizons seems to get my vote, as they offer PMP, Oracle, Lotus, Security and JAVA as well in addition to .NET.

Comat is a close competitor, with PMP and N+ and .NET.

The problem is these courses are crazy and insanely expensive. :P This is the only thing stopping me from training and upgrading my certifications.

Awesome AJAX controls for .NET

2008-02-21T01:53:00.000-08:00

http://ajax.asp.net/ajaxtoolkit/
http://www.componentArt.com

The application-specific permission settings do not grant Local Activation permission for the COM Server application with CLSID

2007-02-08T00:18:00.000-08:00

You may see this error - more than once - when working with your Microsoft Office SharePoint Server (MOSS) 2007 deployment. This animal / error generally shows itself after you have applied an upgrade to an existing deployment. For example, when upgrading from B2 MOSS to B2TR MOSS - or when applying a special service pack from MSFT - you may begin to see a lot of these errors pop up in the SYSTEM event log.

The error CLSID is followed by a class ID for the DCOM+ application that the service account trying to activate that application - does NOT have permission to activate.

For example, let's say I installed MOSS on a server, and used the account mossService as the service account (a least privileged, user account you created to run the MOSS service(s))., when I get this error, I could very well see an error like the following:

The application-specific permission settings do not grant Local Activation permission for the COM Server application with CLSID
{61738644-F196-11D0-9953-00C04FD919C1}
to the user \mossService SID (S-1-5-21-). This security permission can be modified using the Component Services administrative tool.

Copy the GUID following the CLSID above, and Start-->Run-->regedit
With the registry editor open, ensure that your cursor is on the computer at the beginning of the tree (make sure you are not in the middle of some previous edit session in the registry editor).
Edit-->Find and paste in the GUID. It'll stop at the application entry - and you will want to note the application name on the right side pane. In this example, it was the IIS WAMREG admin service that popped up.
Now, open Component Services (typically, from the server - Start-->Administrative Tools-->Component Services), expand Component Services, Computers, My Computer, DCOM Config. Scroll down and find the application (IIS WAMREG in this case).
Right-Click-->Properties and select the Security tab. You'll have some options here - the first block Launch and Activation Permissions - ensure that the Customize radio button is selected, and click Edit. Now, add your service account - giving it launch and activate - and in some requirements - remote launch / activate permission.
Restart IIS and continue on.

Jython Quick References

2006-12-06T00:50:00.000-08:00

Table 1. Summary of Jython data types

Type Comment Example

Null An undefined value (like null in the Java language). None

Integer

A normal (int in the Java language) or long (BigInteger in the Java language) integer number.

-1  0  100
-1L  1000000000000000000000000000000000000000000001L

Float

A fractional or exponential (like double in the Java language) number.

1.0
-1e6  0.000001e-10  1E11

Complex

A pair of floats supporting complex arithmetic.

1j  -10J
2-3j  1e6j

String

An immutable sequence of characters. There is no character type (use one character strings instead).

"a string"
'a string'
"""a long (possibly multi-line) string"""
'''another (possibly multi-line) long string'''
r'''^xxx(.*?)\.yyy(.*?)\.zzz(.*?)\.$'''
'x'  "y" '\n' "\\"

Range

An immutable sequence of integers.

range(10)
range(10,0,-1)
xrange(1,100000,10)

Tuple

An immutable sequence of any type (like java.util.Collections.unmodifiableCollection(someList)).

()  (1,)  (1,2,3)
(1, "mixed", 2, "tuple")
((1,2),(3,4))

List

A mutable sequence of any type (like java.util.ArrayList).

[]  [1]  [1,2,3]
[1, 'mixed', 2, 'list']
[[1,2],[3,4]]

Map

A mutable collection of items (name/value pairs) (like java.util.Map). Names must be immutable and unique; values may be None.

{}
{1:'one',2:'two',3:'three'}
{"one";1, "two":2, "three":3}
{"x":1, "ints":(1,2,3),
"name":{"first":"Barry", last":"Feigenbaum"}}

Boolean

A true/false value based on other types.

false - 0 or empty:

None
0  0.0
()  []

true - non-0, not empty:

1  -1  0.0001
[1]  [1,2,3]  {"greeting":"Hello!"}

Function

Any function. Functions do not need to be members of classes.

lambda x: x > 0

def isPositive(x): return x > 0

def addem(x,y,z):
   return x + y + z

Class

Any class. Classes are namespaces for class attributes and functions (called methods).

class MyClass:
   x = 1
   y = 2

class subclass(superClass):
   def method1(self): ...

   def method2(self, arg1, arg2): ...

Module A source file (and namespace) that contains variable, function and/or class definitions. Any .py file that defines importable variables, functions and/or classes. If it does not define any of these then it is just called a script.

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Statement types

Jython provides the statement types summarized in Table 2.

Table 2. Summary of Jython statement types

Statement Comment Examples

Expression

Any expression. The results are discarded. Often used for their side effects.

(1 * 2) ** 3 / 4

"string"[2:] == "ring"

someFunction(1, 2, 3)

Assignment

Assigns an expression to a target.

x = 3
x = f(1,32,3) * 10 + x

list[1:3] = [7, 8, 9 , 10]

Augmented Assignment

Updates a target with an expression.

x *= 100

s += "…"

Unpacking Assignment

Assigns elements of a sequence to multiple targets; very convenient for access to tuple and list members. Note that the expression 1,2,3 is a short form of (1,2,3).

x,y,z = 1,2,3

Multiple Assignment

Assigns the same expression to multiple targets.

z = y = z = 10

Pass

No operation.

pass

If
If/Else
If/Elif/Else

Conditional processing.

if x < 0: x = -x

if x == 3:
   print "It's three!"

if   x == 1: ...
elif x == 2: ...
elif x == 3: ...
else: print "Bad value " + x

While

Looping over a condition.

x = 10
while x > 0:
   print x   
   x -= 1

For

Iterates over a sequence. Use range to iterate over a numeric sequence.

for i in range(10): print i

for c in "A string":
   print c

for i in (10, "Hello", 1e6):
   print func(i)

Continue

Advances to the next loop (while/for) iteration.

for i in range(10):
   if not testOk(i):
       continue
   :

Break

Exits a loop (while/for)

for i in range(10):
   if testBad(i):
       break
   :

Delete

Removes a variable or sequence element(s) or class attribute.

del x

del list[3:5]

del x.attr1

Global

Declares a reference to a global value; used in functions.

x,y,z = 0,1,2
def f(a,b,c):
   global x,y,z
   :

Prints expression(s) to a stream.

print "Hello World!"
print "Hello","World!"
print "Hello" + ' ' + "World!"

msg = "Name: %(last)s, (first)s"
data = {'last':"Feigenbaum", 'first':"Barry"}
print >>out, msg % data

Assert

Asserts a condition is true.

def process(v):
   assert v > 0, "Illegal value %i" % v
   :

Import

Imports all or part of a module.

import sys
from sys import argv
from javax import swing
from java.util import Map

Execute

Executes a string/file as a subprogram. There is also a related function, exec, that executes a constructed string and returns its result. This support allows you to dynamically create programs.

globals = {'x':1, 'y':2, 'z':3}
locals = {'list':(1,2,3)}
code = "print x, y, z, list"
exec code in globals, locals

Try/Except

Executes code within an exception handler.

try:
   x = int(string)
except ValueError, e:
   x = 0

Try/Finally

Executes code with a cleanup routine.

f = open("test.dat")
try:
   lines = f.readlines()
finally:
   f.close()

Raise

Creates and throws an exception.

def factorial(x):
   raise ValueError, "x must be > 0"
   :

Define

Defines a function; arguments may be optional and/or keywords; Functions are generic which allows for very flexible programming.

def f(x,y=2,z=10): return x+y+z

q = f(1,2) + f(3) + f(4,5,6)
s = f("a","b","c")

Return

Returns from a function with an optional value.

return 10

Class

Defines a class (a container for attributes and methods) .

class X: pass

class MyClass(SomeClass):  
   pass

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Reading and Editing Registry Keys

2006-11-28T18:03:00.000-08:00

First, you need to import Microsoft.win32.

Sample code for edit the registry

Public Shared Sub UpdateiPhysicalFlagTo0()
Dim regConnectionKey As RegistryKey
regConnectionKey = Registry.LocalMachine.OpenSubKey("key here", True)
If (regConnectionKey Is Nothing) Then
regConnectionKey.Close()
Else
Try
regConnectionKey.SetValue("FirstTimeTrain", "0")
regConnectionKey.Close()
Catch er As Exception
Throw New Exception(er.Message)
End Try
End If
End Sub

Sample code for reading registry

Public Shared Function GetRegistryFirstTimeTraining() As Boolean
Dim bool As Boolean = False
Dim regConnectionKey As RegistryKey
regConnectionKey = Registry.LocalMachine.OpenSubKey("SOFTWARE\\SQLView\\DMSConnection")
If (regConnectionKey Is Nothing) Then
Throw New Exception("GetRegistryFirstTimeTraining() : The registry key is not found")
Else
Try
Dim vr As String
vr = regConnectionKey.GetValue("FirstTimeTrain")
regConnectionKey.Close()
If (vr.ToString() = "1") Then
bool = True
End If
Return bool
Catch er As Exception
Throw New Exception(er.Message)
End Try
End If
End Function

IDIOTIC Me Missing Dlls

2006-11-23T01:40:00.000-08:00

When an application I was developing failed to work in the deployment area, I struggled hard to find the bug, and the clause of the problem.

Like most novice programmers, I concentrated on the code, twinking here and there, trying to get it working. But tried as I might, I could not find the clause of the problem. Finally I could not bear it any longer, approached my supervisor for help to trace the problem.

My supervisor, Sindy, is a smart lady, who immediately look at the dll.. And discovered that one dll is missing from the deployment package. When she inserted the missing dll, the whole thing work well.

Lesson Learnt and Humble pie eaten: Always check the dll when you are deploying to a the deployment area to make sure no missing dll. This save you a lot of time in the long run. Missing dlls are very hard to trace and problematic.

Oracle and Autonumber

2006-11-19T22:06:00.000-08:00

Oracle does not have an autonumber like SQLServer has. Oracle's way to for autonumbers is using sequences and triggers. The sequence makes sure that unique numbers are generated while the trigger fills the these numbers into the column for which an autonumber is desired. This is demonstrated in the following.

I need a table with a autonumber column. In this case, it will be column id.

create table tbl_autonumber(
id     number        primary key,
txt    varchar2(20)
);

Then, the sequence:

create sequence seq_autonumber;

And the trigger. It fires whenever a new record is inserted and assigns the sequence's next value (using nextval) to :new.id.

create trigger trg_autonumber
before insert on tbl_autonumber
for each row
begin
select seq_autonumber.nextval into :new.id from dual;
end;
/

Now, three records are inserted:

insert into tbl_autonumber (txt) values('bar');
insert into tbl_autonumber (txt) values('baz');
insert into tbl_autonumber (txt) values('qqq');

select * from tbl_autonumber;

The trigger did its job and filled id with unique values:

        ID TXT
       1 bar
       2 baz
       3 qqq

Now, trying to circumvent the 'autonumber' and specify an aribtrary id:

insert into tbl_autonumber (id, txt) values(100, '###');
insert into tbl_autonumber (id, txt) values(200, '???');
insert into tbl_autonumber (id, txt) values(300, '!!!');

Doesn't work, is overwritten by trigger!

select * from tbl_autonumber;

        ID TXT
---------- -------------------------
       1 bar
       2 baz
       3 qqq
       4 ###
       5 ???
       6 !!!

Changing the trigger and ...

create or replace trigger trg_autonumber
before insert on tbl_autonumber
for each row
begin
if :new.id is null then
  select seq_autonumber.nextval into :new.id from dual;
end if;
end;
/

.... trying again to overrule the trigger:

insert into tbl_autonumber (id, txt) values(111, 'This');
insert into tbl_autonumber (id, txt) values(222, 'should');
insert into tbl_autonumber (id, txt) values(333, 'work');

And indeed, it worked. However....

select * from tbl_autonumber;

        ID TXT
---------- --------------------------------------
       1 bar
       2 baz
       3 qqq
       4 ###
       5 ???
       6 !!!
     111 This
     222 should
     333 work

.... it should be clear that it is a bad idea to supply primary keys if there is a sequence.

How to custom define ApplicationExit Event

2006-10-19T21:19:00.000-07:00

In the main() method, before calling the application.Start.Run() or Application.Run() methods,
include the following line of code

AddHandler Application.ApplicationExit, AddressOf OnApplicationExit

Include another method in the application as follows

VB:

Private Sub OnApplicationExit(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As EventArgs)
    'your code here.
End Sub

C#:

private void OnApplicationExit(object sender, EventArgs e) {
  // Your code here.  
}

Could not load file or assembly 'CrystalDecisions.CrystalReports'

2006-09-19T23:44:00.000-07:00

I managed to get hold of Visual Studio 2005, and like any new programmers, I was rubbing my hands in glee at getting the latest toolkit for development.

When I tried to open an existing file in Visual Studio 2005, it prompted me to upgrade to the .NET framework and create a new webconfig file. Then my nightmare with debugging begins, especially with Crystal Reports. In particular, this error got me stumped

Could not load file or assembly 'CrystalDecisions.CrystalReports.Engine visual studio 2005 .

The error occurs in the web.config file.

add assembly="CrystalDecisions.CrystalReports.Engine, Version=10.2.3000.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken="

I tried everything I knew, googling it, getting deployment packages from BusinessObjects etc. But none of them work as all I want is to compile my code without the darn error and make sure the migration to .NET 2.0 is successful.

So after sitting in the dark without a clue to what the error may be for an hour and fed up with reading tons of articles that don't work, I decided I have enough of googling and time to do something. As a first step, I open the bin folder, and check the Crystall report dll. Oops! There is the darn error! The version number for the old dll is 9.1.9800.9 and the assembly version is 10.2.3000.0! So I delete all the dll, and add the new CrystalReport dll.

To my surprise, Visual Studio version number is higher than what the assembly version is 10.2.5150.0. Thinking myself smart, I did what I think is right and changed the assembly in the web.config file to

add assembly="CrystalDecisions.CrystalReports.Engine, Version=10.2.5150.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken="

Then I found out that there is no such assembly in the .NET 2.0. Only the Version 10.2.3000.0 is there in the assembly. All attempts to add the new version into the assembly failed. Since I cannot edit the assembly, I tried changing it back the original version:

add assembly="CrystalDecisions.CrystalReports.Engine, Version=10.2.3000.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken="

And hey pesto, everything suddenly can compile!

Morale of story: Make sure your dlls in the bin directory in your new .NET 2.0 application is updated to the latest version and leave the assembly code in the web.config file alone. It saves you a lot of pain in migrating to .NET 2.0.

How to send Email using C#

2006-09-03T05:39:00.000-07:00

In order to send email in C# in ASP.NET 1.1., do the following:

using System.Web.Mail;

// create mail message object
MailMessage mail = new MailMessage();
mail.From = "";           // put the from address here
mail.To = "";             // put to address here
mail.Subject = "";        // put subject here
mail.Body = "";           // put body of email here
SmtpMail.SmtpServer = ""; // put smtp server you will use here
// and then send the mail
SmtpMail.Send(mail);

In ASP.NET 2.0, the MailMessage class and Smtp.Mail is obsoleted. Instead, you have to use the following code:

public static void CreateTestMessage4(string server)
{
MailAddress from = new MailAddress("ben@contoso.com");
MailAddress to = new MailAddress("Jane@contoso.com");
MailMessage message = new MailMessage(from, to);
message.Subject = "Using the SmtpClient class.";
message.Body = @"Using this feature, you can send an e-mail message from an application very easily.";
SmtpClient client = new SmtpClient(server);
Console.WriteLine("Sending an e-mail message to {0} by using SMTP host {1} port {2}.",
to.ToString(), client.Host, client.Port);
client.Send(message);
}

How to store the database connection in webconfig file in ASP.NET

2006-07-24T19:55:00.000-07:00

ASP.NET provides a configuration system we can use to keep our applications flexible at runtime. In this article we will examine some tips and best practices for using the configuration system for the best results.

The element of a web.config file is a place to store connection strings, server names, file paths, and other miscellaneous settings needed by an application to perform work. The items inside appSettings are items that need to be configurable depending upon the environment, for instance, any database connection strings will change as you move your application from a testing and staging server into production.

As an example, let’s examine this appSetting entry in the web.config file to hold our connection string:

<appsettings>
<add key="ConnectionInfo" value="Data Source=Annapurna;Initial Catalog=ISClass;User Id=isclass;Password=isclass">
<appsettings>

To read the key we use the ConfigurationSettings class from the System.Configuration namespace, as shown below.

private void Page_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
string connectionInfo = ConfigurationSettings.AppSettings["ConnectionInfo"];
using(SqlConnection connection = new SqlConnection(connectionInfo))
{
connection.Open();

// perform work with connection

} 
}

Some applications will duplicate these lines of code in many places. If we think about how the above code will evolve over time, we might see a handful of weaknesses. First, we have a hard coded string in place to fetch connection information from the web.config. Hard coded strings can be easy to mistype and difficult to track down if the key ever changes. Secondly, the code will tie us forever to the appSettings section of the web.config file. Although web.config is designed for just such a setting, we might find in the future that we need to pull configuration settings from a database, or change a setting from being application-wide to being a per-user configuration item kept in the Session or in a cookie.

Encapsulation

Let’s abstract away the source of the connection string using a class with a static property.

using System.Configuration;

namespace aspnet.config
{
public class Configuration
{
public static string ConnectionInfo
{
get
{
return ConfigurationSettings.AppSettings["ConnectionInfo"];
}

}
}
}

Now our Page_Load method looks like the following.

private void Page_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
using(SqlConnection connection = new SqlConnection(Configuration.ConnectionInfo))
{
connection.Open();

// perform work with connection

} 
}

The changes we made to the above code were relatively small - but powerful. Now the Page_Load function doesn’t know where the connection string comes from. We could easily change the ConnectionInfo property to retrieve the string from a different source without modifying any other code in the application. We also no longer have to remember the key string and hard code the string at various points in the application. Instead, we can utilize Visual Studio Intellisense when accessing the Configuration class to find the setting we need. The key value only appears once – inside the ConnectionInfo property – so we could again change the key name in the web.config and have only one line of code to update.

Of course this approach only works if all of the code in the application goes to the Configuration class instead of directly to web.config to retrieve settings. For each appSetting entry added to web.config we would add a corresponding property to the Configuration class.

Another advantage to this approach becomes apparent if we have an application setting that is not a string, but a date, integer, or other primitive type. In this case we could have the corresponding Configuration property parse the string from the web.config file and return the appropriate type.

You’ll notice we provided a read-only property for ConnectionInfo. The web.config file is not designed for constant updates. When an ASP.NET application launches a watch is put on the web.config file. ASP.NET will detect if the web.config changes while the application is running. When ASP.NET detects a change it will spin up a new version of the application with the new settings in effect. Any in process information, such as data kept in Session, Application, and Cache will be lost (assuming session state is InProc and not using a state server or database).

How to Enter Symbols into Window Forms or ASP.NET web pages

2006-07-14T00:52:00.000-07:00

Letters with Accents

This list is organized by Accent type. To determine the appropriate numeric code, match the accent with the vowel.

Accent	A	E	I	O	U	Y
Grave (Cap)	À 0192	È 0200	Ì 0204	Ò 0210	Ù 0217
Grave (Lower)	à 0224	è 0232	ì 0236	ò 0242	ù 0249
Acute (Cap)	Á 0193	É 0201	Í 0205	Ó 0211	Ú 0218	Ý 0221
Acute (Lower)	á 0225	é 0233	í 0237	ó 0243	ú 0250	ý 0253
Circumflex (Cap)	Â 0194	Ê 0202	Î 0206	Ô 0212	Û 0219
Circumflex (Lower)	â 0226	ê 0234	î 0238	ô 0244	û 0251
Tilde (Cap)	Ã 0195	--	Ñ 0209	Õ 0213	--
Tilde (Lower)	ã 0227	--	ñ 0241	õ 0245	--
Umlaut (Cap)	Ä 0196	Ë 0203	Ï 0207	Ö 0214	Ü 0220	Ÿ 0159
Umlaut (Lower)	ä 0228	ë 0235	ï 0239	ö 0246	ü 0252	ÿ 0255

Example: To input the acute a á (0225), hold down the ALT key, type 0225 on the numeric keypad, then release the ALT key.

If you are having problems inputting these codes, please review the instructions for using the codes at the bottom of this Web page.

Other Foreign Characters

These include special punctuation and unique consonant and vowel symbols.

SYMBOL	NAME	CODE NUMBER
¡	Upside-down exclamation mark	0161
¿	Upside-down question mark	0191
Ç, ç	French C cedille (caps/lowecase)	0199 0231
Œ,œ	O-E ligature (caps/lowecase)	0140 0156
ß	German Sharp/Double S	0223
Ø,ø	Nordic O slash (caps/lowecase)	0216 0248
Å,å	Nordic A ring (caps/lowecase), Angstrom sign	0197 0229
Æ, æ	A-E ligature (caps/lowecase)	0198 0230
Þ, þ	Icelandic/Old English Thorn (caps/lowecase)	0222 0254
Ð, ð	Icelandic/Old English Eth (caps/lowecase)	0208 0240
« »	Spanish/French quotation marks	0187 0171

Currency Symbols

SYMBOL	NAME	CODE NUMBER
¢	Cent sign	0162
£	British Pound	0163
€	Euro currency	0128
¥	Japanese Yen	0165
ƒ	Dutch Florin	0131
¤	Generic currency symbol	0164

Math Symbols

SYMBOL	NAME	CODE NUMBER
÷	Division sign	0247
°	Degree symbol	0176
¬	Not symbol	0172
±	Plus/minus	0177
µ	Micro	0181

Other Punctuation

These incude copyright symbols and special section marks.

SYMBOL	NAME	CODE NUMBER
©	Copyright symbol	0169
®	Registered symbol	0174
™	Trademark	0153
•	List Dot	0149
§	Section Symbol	0167
–	en-dash	0150
—	em-dash	0151
¶	Paragraph Symbol	0182

Using the Codes

Windows assigns a numeric code to different accented letters, other foreign characters and special mathematical symbols. For instance the code for lower case á is 0225, and the code for capital Á is 0193. The ALT key input is used to manually insert these letters and symbols by calling the numeric code assigned to them.

To use the codes:

Place your cursor in the location where you wish to insert a special character.
Activate the numeric key pad on the right of the keyboard by pressing Num Lock (upper right of keyboard). The Num Lock light on the keyboard will indicate that the numeric key pad is on.

NOTE: You must use the numeric key pad; if you use the number keys on the top of the keyboard, the characters will not appear. If you are on a laptop or computer without a separate numeric keypad, other methods are recommended.
While pressing down the ALT key, type the four-digit code on the numeric key pad at the right edge of the keyboard. The codes are "case sensitive." For instance, the code for lower-case á is ALT+0225, but capital Á is ALT+0193.

NOTE: If you have the International keyboard activated, you will only be able to input codes with the ALT key on the left side of the keyboard.
Release the ALT key. The character will appear when the ALT key is released.

NOTE: You must include the initial zero in the code. For example to insert á (0225) you must type ALT+0225, NOT ALT+225.

How do I enter a null date into the database?

2006-07-12T23:45:00.000-07:00

Make sure that the System.Data.Namespace is included.

include System.Data.SqlType;

In the command parameters to be parsed into database, use SqlDateTime.Null:

public void InsertDateOfBirth(string Date1){
SqlConnection cn = new SqlConnection();
string sqlstring = "Insert into Database1 values (@birthday)";
SqlCommand cmd = new SqlCommand(sqlstring, cn);
cmd.Parameters.Add("@birthday", SqlDbType.DateTime);
try
{
cmd.Parameters["@birthday"].Value = DateTime.Parse(Date1);
}
catch (Exception er)
{
cmd.Parmeters["@birthday"].Value = SqlDateTime.null;
}
try
{
cn.Open();
cmd.ExecuteNonQuery();
cn.Close();
}
catch (SqlException sqlerror)
{
Console.WriteLine(sqlerror.Message);
}
catch (Exception er1)
{
Console.WriteLine(er1.Message);
}
}

Common Project Management Pitfalls part 1

2006-07-04T09:07:00.000-07:00

This is a multi-part article about common project management pitfalls.

Why is it that for most IT Projects, it is often difficult to meet the projected datelines, and deliver the system within time, budget and specification constraits? Indeed, as any project manager who is worth their weight in salt can testify, IT projects seldom, if ever meets the dateline, budge and specification. In fact, a study by the Standish Group Report (1995) shows that some 83.8% of projects are either challenged (the project is completed, but over-budgeted, over time-estimated or offers fewer features and functions than originally specified) or impaired (the project is canceled at some point during the development cycle). This has lead many project managers to dispair when things failed to go their way. What are the common causes of this problem?

Project objectives not fully specified / Poor Communications

Surprisingly, a study by Pete Marwick (1998) found that 51% of projects planning fails because the project objectives is not fully specified and poor communication between the client and the system analyst. There are many reasons why the project objectives are not fully specified or well-detailed. Below list some of the common pitfalls that lead to project failure under this catergory.

Lack of Project Methodology to plan the deliverables
Project Methodology refers to the way in which the project is done. Most software development projects follow a project life cycle - the collection of project phases. A Software Development Life Cycle is a framework for describing the phases involved in developing and maintaining information systems. It provides a consistent and effective approach for undertaking projects. Without a clear Project Methodology or Software Development Life Cycle, it is difficult to impossible to plan for a job.

A clear framework or Software Development Life Cycle model to follow makes it easy for programmers and IT consultants to understand the job scope, and what the deliverables are at each stage. For instance, at the Requirements Specification phases in the waterfall model, the deliverables are all the requirements of the system, sample user interfaces, and the flow of events (sequence diagrams, event diagrams or flowcharts). With a clearly defined project objectives signed by both parties, it makes it easier to agree on the project objectives. Without doubt, one of the first objective of any solid project management plan is to plan for and agree on the project requirements.
Analyst failed to understand client's requirements and understand client's needs.
It is my opinion that the planning and agreeing on the project requirements phases is the most important part of the project life cycle. Finding out why the client wants a system, what type of system he is looking for, what type of software/hardware he needs is one of the most critical stages in the software development phases. By understanding the needs of your clients and putting it in writing, you can constantly review if the design of the UI meets their needs. Gathering information such as samples of previous work, documentations, interviews, surveys and other information prior to starting the work is essential to confirm what you will be doing, and scope of the project. Many project manager failed to see this as the most important part of the project, and allocated too little time to this phase. How are you going to plan and propose an effective system for your clients if you do not understand what is required?

Do allow at least 1 week to ensure that you understand all the documentations and process involved in the system, and the job scope. Only and only then can you begin to plan how long the project will take.

One good way of ensuring that you understand your client's business process is to draft a flowchart of the sequence of diagrams for each process. By doing so, you are confirming what you think is the way the process work against what the process actually work. Most clients happily point out your mistakes, so present your findings and ask them to clarify any doubtful points. Once there are no more obstacles, get your client to sign the documentation confirming that is the actual flow of events.
User Design is not what the clients wants...

Once the scope of project is confirmed, the next most important item is to draft the user interface. Those who just jump straight into programming without a drafting the user interface is in for a lot of re-coding work - especially when your user interface is flatly rejected by the client later on. Your user interface speaks volume of what you think what the clients want and need against what he actually needs. By providing a good user interface, both of you are agreeing on the scope of the work, and how the data should be presented. The client should sign off the user interfaces to show that he accepted the UI design.
Failure to check with client the actual data stored

The next most essential phase of the project is the design phases. Before you go on to conduct class diagrams, sequence diagrams etc, the first thing you need to do is to design the database first. The database should take in account all fields in the UI design. The primary key, a description of key flags (e.g. status: p = pending, c = completed, a = approved, r= rejected), and any foreign keys should be identified. Each table should have a short description of what information it stores. Finally relationship diagram should be drawn for easy referencing. By confirming with your client what type data are actually stored and can be retrieved, it helps to prevent problems later on, especially when they need some more data that is not stored (believe me, this is darn common).
Planning the Project Timeline.

Once all documentations above has been signed off, only and only then can the project datelines, deliverables and budget be planned and controlled with any good chance of completing the project on time and on budget, with all features and functions as initially specified. A common mistake many new project manager makes is to break down the work structure accordingly to phases in the Software Development Lifecycle. While this provides a good overview of what is to be done, it is at best, fairly inaccurate. The project manager should instead further breakdown the work into sections, and allow some time for each sections. For instance, the work involved requires some 30 User Interfaces screen. Planning 1-2 days for each UI for a 3 tier development for each staff assigned helps to paint a more accurate picture of the time required for documentation and programming.

The client should be informed of the project plan and sign off the agreement on datelines of the project. Also, it is a good communication practice to inform and update the client on project progress status on a weekly basis.
Documentation and Designing the Sequences Diagram, Class Diagram, Event Diagrams

At this point, the next key step is to draft all the documentation. The sequence diagram, class diagram and event diagrams should be planned and documented prior to coding. By documenting how each class is related to one another, and planning for a 3 tier architecture, you are ensuring reusibility of class, and saving time on programming. Also, by doing this, you are insuring yourself against changes in business logic or database structure. When such change are required, they can be implemented with minimum effort by identifying which classes are affected by the changes.

Many programmers hate this step and in some companies, this step is often left until all the programming has been done.
Frequent changes to the project specification

Let's face it, the client is human too, and human has a tendency to change their mind. The worse clients are those who have no clue to what they want and frequently change their mind - because once the system is coded and development is under way, the system is often inflexible and the changes to the coding or database are often tedious and time-consuming. This is especially so when a small change in code or database can lead to all sorts of bugs can pop out elsewhere in the program, and tons of re-editing the documentations is required. By getting the work flow, user interface and database signed off, you are protecting yourself against any changes to project specifications.

Should your client insist on the changes after all the specifications have been signed off - it is best to evaluate if the change can be implemented with minimum inconvenience. This is where all the documentations come in handy - review the documentation to see if the changes will affect several classes or isolated to one or two classes. If the changes can be implemented with minimum effort, it should be incorporated into the system - building a good relationship with a client is important. However, if the changes required is medium to heavy in effort, it is often required to politely but firmly inform the client that these changes are not in the requirements, as per the signed off UI, database and project plan, but you can implement them for an added fee - it is not good business to engage in a losing preposition. Also, there will be a delay in schedule to accommodate the changes required. Often the increase in budget and delay in delivering the system will make the client think twice if the changes to be implemented are essential or just a whim on his side. Even if the changes is to be incorporated into the system, there is some benefit for your organization in terms of increased timeline and profits.

In the next part of this series, I will cover the common pitfalls of bad planning and estimating.

Sun Java IDE

2006-07-03T21:59:00.000-07:00

Sun Java developers new IDE (Integrated Developer Environment) is available for FREE at http://developers.sun.com/prodtech/javatools/jsenterprise/index.jsp :)

It automatically creates class diagrams, UML, sequence diagrams, with intellisense (Java Version) + UI design and best of all, it is free! It comes with a neat, easy to use UI for developing JSP, EJB code quickly and effectively.

Connection Strings

2006-07-01T04:24:00.000-07:00

These connection strings are for .NET programming environment which can be connected to a wide variety of database. Below are some of most common connection strings

MSSQL Server

SQLServer
"Data Source=MSSQLServerName;Initial Catalog=Northwind;User Id=id;Password=password;"
OleDbServer
"Provider=sqloledb;Data Source=MSSQLServerName;Initial Catalog=Northwind;User Id=id;Password=password;"

MS Access

Standard
"Provider=Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0;Data Source=\somepath\mydb.mdb;User Id=admin;Password=;"
With Password
"Provider=Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0;Data Source=\somepath\mydb.mdb;Jet OLEDB:Database Password=MyDbPassword;

Oracle

ODBC
"Driver={Microsoft ODBC for Oracle}; Server=OracleServer.world; Uid=Username;Pwd=password;"
OLE DB
"Data Source=MyOracleDB;User Id=username;Password=passwd;Integrated Security=no;"

MySQL

OLE DB
"Provider=MySQLProv;Data Source=mydb;User Id=UserName;Password=asdasd;"

ASP .NET 1.1 Upload Files

2006-06-29T21:42:00.000-07:00

In ASP.NET framework 1.1, the html control can be represented by the tags < id="uploadfile" type= "file" runat="server">.

Sample Code
//Check that the file is not null
if (uploadfile.PostedFile != null)
{
// process the post file logic here.

//Example of saving the file as another file
this.uploadfile.PostedFile.SaveAs("C:\filename");

//Example of getting the name of the file
string filename = System.IO.Path.GetFileName(this.uploadfile.PostedFile.FileName);
}

But the catch of this method is that the file size is limited to 4 MB. In .NET framework 2.0, this file size can be adjusted easily. However, .NET 1.1 framework users have to add this line in the web.config file

< httpRuntime ="10000" executionTimeout="54000" >

This will increase the lenght of the file to 10 MB (recommended not more than 20 MB) and increase the time allowed to process the bigger file accordingly.

Downloading Files

2006-06-27T00:01:00.000-07:00

The following block of code allows you to download files automatically to the user desktop

//Open the file
FileStream fs = File.Open(@"C:\filename.txt", FileMode.Open);
//Create a btye array
byte[] bytBytes = new byte[fs.Length];
try
{
//find the length of the file and read the file
string longint = fs.Length.ToString();
int temp = int.Parse(longint);
fs.Read(bytBytes, 0, temp);
fs.Close();

//Parse the file so that it will be download to user's desktop
Response.AddHeader("Content-disposition", "attachment; filename=C:\filename.txt")
Response.ContentType = "application/octet-stream";
Response.BinaryWrite(bytBytes);
Response.End();
}
catch (Exception er)
{
//In event of error
fs.Close();
Console.WriteLine(er.Message);
}

Regular Expression Testing Tools

2006-06-26T19:21:00.000-07:00

These tools allow you to test your regular expression syntax before you summit them, eliminating a lot of guesswork. If you are a newbie regular expression coder, these tools are a godsent. Since I often use regular expression, these tools are awesome for me. Perhaps I should try and develope a regular expression tester myself... :P, it is not too difficult.

Dot Net Coders

It is free and it works well with .NET syntax
http://www.dotnetcoders.com/web/Learning/Regex/RegexTester.aspx

Regular Expression Syntax Reference

2006-06-26T06:50:00.000-07:00

Characters
Character	Description	Example
Any character except `[\^$.\|?*+()`	All characters except the listed special characters match a single instance of themselves.	`a` matches `a`
`\` (backslash) followed by any of `[\^$.\|?*+()`	A backslash escapes special characters to suppress their special meaning.	`\+` matches `+`
`\xFF` where FF are 2 hexadecimal digits	Matches the character with the specified ASCII/ANSI value, which depends on the code page used. Can be used in character classes.	`\xA9` matches `©` when using the Latin-1 code page.
`\n`, `\r` and `\t`	Match an LF character, CR character and a tab character respectively. Can be used in character classes.	`\r\n` matches a DOS/Windows CRLF line break.
Character Classes or Character Sets [abc]
Character	Description	Example
`[` (opening square bracket)	Starts a character class. A character class matches a single character out of all the possibilities offered by the character class. Inside a character class, different rules apply. The rules in this section are only valid inside character classes. The rules outside this section are not valid in character classes, except `\n`, `\r`, `\t` and `\xFF`
Any character except `^-]\` add that character to the possible matches for the character class.	All characters except the listed special characters.	`[abc]` matches `a`, `bc` or
`\` (backslash) followed by any of `^-]\`	A backslash escapes special characters to suppress their special meaning.	`[\^\]]` matches `^` or `]`
`-` (hyphen) except immediately after the opening `[`	Specifies a range of characters. (Specifies a hyphen if placed immediately after the opening `[`)	`[a-zA-Z0-9]` matches any letter or digit
`^` (caret) immediately after the opening `[`	Negates the character class, causing it to match a single character not listed in the character class. (Specifies a caret if placed anywhere except after the opening `[`)	`[^a-d]` matches `x` (any character except a, b, c or d)
`\d`, `\w` and `\s`	Shorthand character classes matching digits 0-9, word characters (letters and digits) and whitespace respectively. Can be used inside and outside character classes	`[\d\s]` matches a character that is a digit or whitespace
`\D`, `\W` and `\S`	Negated versions of the above. Should be used only outside character classes. (Can be used inside, but that is confusing).)	`\D` matches a character that is not a digit
Dot
Character	Description	Example
`.` (dot)	Matches any single character except line break characters \r and \n. Most regex flavors have an option to make the dot match line break characters too.	`.` matches `x` or (almost) any other character
Anchors
Character	Description	Example
`^` (caret)	Matches at the start of the string the regex pattern is applied to. Matches a position rather than a character. Most regex flavors have an option to make the caret match after line breaks (i.e. at the start of a line in a file) as well.	`^.` matches `a` in `abc\ndef`. Also matches `d` in "multi-line" mode.
`$` (dollar)	Matches at the end of the string the regex pattern is applied to. Matches a position rather than a character. Most regex flavors have an option to make the dollar match before line breaks (i.e. at the end of a line in a file) as well. Also matches before the very last line break if the string ends with a line break.	`.$` matches `f` in `abc\ndef`. Also matches `c` in "multi-line" mode.
`\A`	Matches at the start of the string the regex pattern is applied to. Matches a position rather than a character. Never matches after line breaks.	`\A.` matches `a` in `abc`
`\Z`	Matches at the end of the string the regex pattern is applied to. Matches a position rather than a character. Never matches before line breaks, except for the very last line break if the string ends with a line break.	`.\Z` matches `f` in `abc\ndef`
`\z`	Matches at the end of the string the regex pattern is applied to. Matches a position rather than a character. Never matches before line breaks.	`.\z` matches `f` in `abc\ndef`
Word Boundaries
Character	Description	Example
`\b`	Matches at the position between a word character (anything matched by `\w`) and a non-word character (anything matched by `[^\w]\W`) as well as at the start and/or end of the string if the first and/or last characters in the string are word characters. or	`.\b` matches `c` in `abc`
`\B`	Matches at the position between two word characters (i.e the position between `\w\w`) as well as at the position between two non-word characters (i.e. `\W\W`).	`\B.\B` matches `b` in `abc`
Alternation
Character	Description	Example
`\|` (pipe)	Causes the regex engine to match either the part on the left side, or the part on the right side. Can be strung together into a series of options.	`abc\|def\|xyzabc`, `def` or `xyz` matches
`\|` (pipe)	The pipe has the lowest precedence of all operators. Use grouping to alternate only part of the regular expression.	`abc(def\|xyz)abcdef` or `abcxyz` matches
Quantifiers
Character	Description	Example
`?` (question mark)	Makes the preceding item optional. Greedy, so the optional item is included in the match if possible.	`abc?` matches `ab` or `abc`
`??`	Makes the preceding item optional. Lazy, so the optional item is excluded in the match if possible. This construct is often excluded from documentation because of its limited use.	`abc??` matches `ab` or `abc`
`*` (star)	Repeats the previous item zero or more times. Greedy, so as many items as possible will be matched before trying permutations with less matches of the preceding item, up to the point where the preceding item is not matched at all.	`".*"` matches `"def" "ghi"` in `abc "def" "ghi" jkl`
`*?` (lazy star)	Repeats the previous item zero or more times. Lazy, so the engine first attempts to skip the previous item, before trying permutations with ever increasing matches of the preceding item.	`".*?"` matches `"def"` in `abc "def" "ghi" jkl`
`+` (plus)	Repeats the previous item once or more. Greedy, so as many items as possible will be matched before trying permutations with less matches of the preceding item, up to the point where the preceding item is matched only once.	`".+"` matches `"def" "ghi"` in `abc "def" "ghi" jkl`
`+?` (lazy plus)	Repeats the previous item once or more. Lazy, so the engine first matches the previous item only once, before trying permutations with ever increasing matches of the preceding item.	`".+?"` matches `"def"` in `abc "def" "ghi" jkl`
`{n}` where n is an integer >= 1	Repeats the previous item exactly n times.	`a{3}` matches `aaa`
`{n,m}` where n >= 1 and m >= n	Repeats the previous item between n and m times. Greedy, so repeating m times is tried before reducing the repetition to n times.	`a{2,4}` matches `aa`, `aaa` or `aaaa`
`{n,m}?` where n >= 1 and m >= n	Repeats the previous item between n and m times. Lazy, so repeating n times is tried before increasing the repetition to m times.	`a{2,4}?` matches `aaaa`, `aaa` or `aa`
`{n,}` where n >= 1	Repeats the previous item at least n times. Greedy, so as many items as possible will be matched before trying permutations with less matches of the preceding item, up to the point where the preceding item is matched only n times.	`a{2,}` matches `aaaaa` in `aaaaa`
`{n,}?` where n >= 1	Repeats the previous item between n and m times. Lazy, so the engine first matches the previous item n times, before trying permutations with ever increasing matches of the preceding item.	`a{2,}?` matches `aaaaaaa` in

Reproduced from http://www.regular-expressions.info/reference.html

2006-06-26T06:41:00.000-07:00

This blog contains some of the most useful programming reference I ever use in my work as a software engineer. I will be posting more of these quick references in the near future.

Project Management

Project Management Pitfalls Part 1: Project Objectives not fully specified / Communication errors

C# Rich Client

ASP.NET

DataBase

EJB/JSP

Sun Java IDE for EJB / JSP