Jeremy Knight

Git Repo Updates Made Simple

2026-02-16T00:00:00Z

As developers, we’re always looking to optimize our workflows. This PowerShell script, Update-GitRepos, automates the process of keeping your Git repositories up-to-date. It’s a little helper that takes care of the grunt work for you.

How `Update-GitRepos` Works

The Update-GitRepos function recursively scans a directory for Git repositories and performs the
following actions for each one:

Parameters: Accepts an optional $RootDirectory parameter, which defaults to the current directory if not specified.
Directory Detection: Uses Get-ChildItem to find all directories within the specified root.
.git Verification: Confirms the presence of a .git folder, providing a clear warning if a repository isn't found.
Branch Detection: Intelligently determines the target branch – prioritizing main and master. The script handles the most common branch naming conventions.
Branch Switching: If your local branch isn't tracking the correct branch, the script automatically switches to it using git switch.
Fetch and Pull: Executes git fetch to download the latest changes and git pull to merge them into your local branch.

The PowerShell Script

function Update-GitRepos {
    param(
        [string]$RootDirectory = (Get-Location)
    )

    $originalLocation = Get-Location

    # Get all directories in the root directory
    Get-ChildItem -Path $RootDirectory -Directory | ForEach-Object {
        $folderPath = $_.FullName
        $gitFolder = Join-Path $folderPath ".git"
        if (!(Test-Path $gitFolder)) {
            Write-Host "No git repository found in: $folderPath" -ForegroundColor Yellow
            return
        }

        Write-Host "Updating git repo in: $folderPath" -ForegroundColor Cyan
        Set-Location $folderPath

        # Get list of branches
        $branches = git branch --list | ForEach-Object { $_.Trim().TrimStart('*').Trim() }

        $targetBranch = $null
        if ($branches -contains "main") {
            $targetBranch = "main"
        } elseif ($branches -contains "master") {
            $targetBranch = "master"
        }

        if ($null -eq $targetBranch) {
            Write-Host "Neither 'main' nor 'master' branch found in: $folderPath" -ForegroundColor Yellow
            return
        }

        $currentBranch = (git branch --show-current).Trim()
        if ($currentBranch -ne $targetBranch) {
            Write-Host "Switching to branch: $targetBranch"
            git switch $targetBranch
        }

        git fetch
        git pull
    }

    # Restore the original location
    Set-Location $originalLocation
}

How to Use It

The simplest way to use Update-GitRepos is add it directly to your PowerShell profile. This allows it to be executed in any directory. You can find an example of my PowerShell profile here: https://github.com/jeremyknight-me/scripts/blob/master/powershell/profile.ps1

Profile Run

Navigate to the root folder of your repositories.
Run the command Update-GitRepos

Manual Run

Save the Script: Save the script as Update-GitRepos.ps1.
Run It: Navigate to the script’s location in PowerShell and execute the following but replace "C:\Path\To\Your\Repositories" with your repository folder’s path.
```
.\Update-GitRepos.ps1 -RootDirectory "C:\Path\To\Your\Repositories"
```

FileSystemWatcher and .NET Workers

2026-01-17T00:00:00Z

I hadn’t touched a file watcher since the .NET Framework days. When I recently needed to integrate one into a .NET 10 background worker, I expected to find a clean example online. Instead, every search result showed the same pattern: a BackgroundService with an infinite loop and a Task.Delay.

I kept looking because my first thought was: "This can't be how a file watcher should be used". I never did find an example of the solution described below so I wrote this post to document my approach.

Why Not Use BackgroundService + Infinite Loop?

Many examples online show something like:

// code to configure / start watcher here
while (!stoppingToken.IsCancellationRequested)
{
    await Task.Delay(1000);
}

This loop works, but it’s wasteful (polling every second), unnecessary (FileSystemWatcher already raises events), and adds unnecessary code to maintain.

My Solution: IHostedService

BackgroundService is built on top of IHostedService and is great when you need a long‑running loop inside ExecuteAsync. But FileSystemWatcher is event‑driven so implementing IHostedService directly is a better fit. It lets you initialize the watcher in StartAsync and dispose it cleanly in StopAsync without any polling.

Here’s a minimal example showing the recommended pattern.

internal sealed class FileWatcherWorker : IHostedService, IDisposable
{
    private readonly ILogger<Worker> _logger;
    private FileSystemWatcher _fileWatcher;

    public FileWatcherWorker(ILogger<Worker> logger)
    {
        _logger = logger;
    }

    public void Dispose()
    {
        _fileWatcher?.Dispose();
    }

    public Task StartAsync(CancellationToken cancellationToken)
    {
        _logger.LogInformation("FileWatcherWorker is starting: {time}", DateTimeOffset.Now);
        _fileWatcher = new()
        {
            Path = "/some/path", // typically retrieved from configuration
            Filter = "*.*" // ex: "*.json", "*.csv"
        };

        _fileWatcher.Created += new FileSystemEventHandler(OnFileCreated);
        _fileWatcher.EnableRaisingEvents = true;

        _logger.LogInformation("FileWatcherWorker started: {time}", DateTimeOffset.Now);
        return Task.CompletedTask;
    }

    public Task StopAsync(CancellationToken cancellationToken)
    {
        if (_fileWatcher is not null)
        {
            _fileWatcher.EnableRaisingEvents = false;
            _fileWatcher.Dispose();
        }

        _logger.LogInformation("FileWatcherWorker stopped: {time}", DateTimeOffset.Now);
        return Task.CompletedTask;
    }

    private void OnFileCreated(object source, FileSystemEventArgs e)
    {
        _logger.LogInformation("File Created: {path}", e.FullPath);
        // Add logic to process the file here
    }
}

This solution reinforced my original thoughts when searching online: you don’t need an infinite loop. By pairing FileServiceWatcher with IHostedService, you get:

clean lifecycle management
efficient event handling
predictable startup and shutdown behavior

If you're interested in FileSystemWatcher, I suggest reviewing the links below to discover the different events, performance and architectural considerations, etc. For example, one page discusses using NotifyFilters to help reduce the number of events your system processes.

Links:

Hosting AI at Home with Ollama

2025-06-27T00:00:00Z

As AI becomes more ubiquitous, I wanted to explore what it meant to bring it closer to home literally. My locally hosted AI environment is built on three pillars: privacy, learning, and family empowerment. Here’s a look at why I created this setup, the tools I use, and how it’s helping me (and even my kids) explore AI in a secure, controlled environment.

Why Host AI Locally

1. Learning by Building

There’s no better way to learn how something works than to build and run it yourself. Hosting AI locally gave me hands-on experience with model tuning, prompt engineering, and container orchestration.

2. Privacy and Control

Public cloud models are convenient, but they raise questions about data usage and privacy. Running AI at home means no traffic leaves my network unless I say so.

3. Safe Access for My Kids

By hosting models locally, I can provide my children with supervised access to AI tools. It’s a chance for them to explore, ask questions, and experiment within boundaries I can control.

Models Running in Ollama

My local setup runs on Ollama, a fantastic tool for managing and running LLMs on local hardware. I’m currently using: llama, deepseek-r1, and gemma3.

You can peek at my Docker Compose configuration here:
ollama/compose.yaml

The Magic of OpenWebUI

One of the most important pieces of this setup is OpenWebUI. It provides a customizable, user-friendly interface to interact with local models via Ollama. What makes it truly powerful is the ability to tailor prompts, behaviors, and personas for specific users—especially useful when giving my kids access to AI in a controlled, age-appropriate way.

This flexibility has made OpenWebUI essential for turning raw models into personalized, interactive tools for both learning and development.

Private Search with searxng

To enhance offline or privacy-first capabilities, I also integrate searxng, a self-hosted meta-search engine that pulls results from multiple sources without logging or profiling. This allows for safe research and exploration, especially when guiding young learners through topics without exposing them to unnecessary tracking or ads.

Developer Use Cases

When I'm not using more advanced “agent-like” or "agentic" workflows, I use my setup for targeted development queries. For instance, debugging, exploring architectural decisions, writing unit tests, etc.

Here’s a sample prompt I’ve used in OpenWebUI: dotnet-developer.md

Having this kind of interaction offline and instantly accessible has been a game-changer for iterative development and learning.

Credit Where It’s Due

This idea was inspired by NetworkChuck fantastic video on hosting your own AI. His walkthrough helped me get started, and I highly recommend watching it if you want a visual step-by-step guide:

Self-Hosted AI in 2024: How To Run Private, Local AI Chatbots on Your Own Hardware

Closing Thoughts

Whether you're a developer, parent, or tech tinkerer, a locally hosted AI setup offers a rare combination of performance, privacy, and flexibility. I’ve learned a lot through this process, and it’s opened a lot of curiosity and capability for my family too.

If you’re considering doing something similar, I’d love to connect or answer questions. Feel free to explore my code and prompts on GitHub!

The Developer Testing Toolbox

2025-06-23T00:00:00Z

I will be presenting "The Developer Testing Toolbox" at SQL Saturday Baton Rouge 2025 on July 26, 2025. Below is the topic information.

The Developer Testing Toolbox

This will be an intermediate topic and I'll be assuming developers already understand the basics of unit testing. All code examples will be in C#. Here's the session's description:

Software testing is a vital skill for any developer who wants to deliver high-quality, reliable software. This session will explore unit testing and more advanced topics, such as mocking, integration tests, and mutation testing. It will also show tools and packages that can help you automate your testing process and make it more productive. Now includes .NET Aspire examples!

Presentation code can be found at https://github.com/jeremyknight-me/presentations

Tooling Links

Unit Test Framework (https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/core/testing/)
xUnit (https://xunit.net)
FakeItEasy (https://fakeiteasy.github.io) or NSubstitute (https://nsubstitute.github.io)
WebApplicationFactory (https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/aspnet/core/test/integration-tests)
TestContainers (https://dotnet.testcontainers.org)
Stryker (https://stryker-mutator.io)
Playwright (https://playwright.dev)
BenchmarkDotNet (https://benchmarkdotnet.org)
k6 (https://k6.io)
Verify (https://github.com/VerifyTests/Verify)
Bogus (https://github.com/bchavez/Bogus)

Testing In-Depth

2024-07-27T00:00:00Z

I presented "Testing In-Depth" at SQL Saturday Baton Rouge 2024 on July 27, 2024. Below is the topic information.

Testing In-Depth

This will be an intermediate topic and I'll be assuming developers already understand the basics of unit testing. All code examples will be in C#. Here's the session's description:

Software testing is a vital skill for any developer who wants to deliver high-quality, reliable software. This session will explore unit testing and more advanced topics, such as mocking, integration tests, and mutation testing. It will also show tools and packages that can help you automate your testing process and make it more productive.

Presentation code can be found at https://github.com/jeremyknight-me/presentations

Tooling Links

Unit Test Framework (https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/core/testing/)
xUnit (https://xunit.net)
FakeItEasy (https://fakeiteasy.github.io) or NSubstitute (https://nsubstitute.github.io)
WebApplicationFactory (https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/aspnet/core/test/integration-tests)
TestContainers (https://dotnet.testcontainers.org)
Stryker (https://stryker-mutator.io)
Playwright (https://playwright.dev)
BenchmarkDotNet (https://benchmarkdotnet.org)
k6 (https://k6.io)
Verify (https://github.com/VerifyTests/Verify)
Bogus (https://github.com/bchavez/Bogus)

C# Syntax Lowering

2024-05-24T00:00:00Z

I was catching up on my ever-growing backlog of YouTube videos when I came across Nick Cosentino's video "UNEXPECTED 87% Performance Boost! - C# Collection Initializers". The video piqued my interest and I came away knowing a little more about C#.

I also went straight into Visual Studio to replicate his benchmarks and found a few interesting things due to lowering. The original benchmarks focused on List<T> so I started playing with different return types.

[MemoryDiagnoser]
public class CollectionInitializerBenchmarks
{
    [Benchmark(Baseline = true)]
    public IReadOnlyCollection<string> Classic_NoCapacity()
        => new List<string>() { "Apple", "Banana", "Orange" };

    [Benchmark]
    public IReadOnlyCollection<string> Classic_SetCapacity()
        => new List<string>(capacity: 3) { "Apple", "Banana", "Orange" };

    [Benchmark]
    public IReadOnlyCollection<string> CollectionExpression_ReadOnlyCollection()
        => ["Apple", "Banana", "Orange"];

    [Benchmark]
    public List<string> CollectionExpression_List()
        => ["Apple", "Banana", "Orange"];

    [Benchmark]
    public IReadOnlyCollection<string> ManuallyAdd_NoCapacitySet()
    {
        List<string> list = [];
        list.Add("Apple");
        list.Add("Banana");
        list.Add("Orange");
        return list;
    }

    [Benchmark]
    public IReadOnlyCollection<string> ManuallyAdd_CapacitySet()
    {
        List<string> list = new(3);
        list.Add("Apple");
        list.Add("Banana");
        list.Add("Orange");
        return list;
    }
}

After a few runs, I was curious to know what was going on behind the scenes with the collection initialization syntax List<int> numbers = [];. Enter SharpLab.

A large portion of changes to C# in recent years have been syntactical sugar that gets lowered. In a nutshell, lowering is rewriting a high-level syntax or language feature into lower-level equivalents. In C#, auto-properties are a great example as the auto-property syntax gets lowered into the full property with a backing field.

// auto-property
public string Test { get; set; }

// lowered backing field and full property
private string <Test>k__BackingField;
public string Test
{
    [CompilerGenerated]
    get { return <Test>k__BackingField; }
    [CompilerGenerated]
    set { <Test>k__BackingField = value; }
}

SharpLab is my tool of choice for seeing lowered code and things got interesting when I started looking thru the lowered code for the different return types (I've sorted the methods to make comparison easier).

public class CollectionInitializerBenchmarks
{
    public IReadOnlyCollection<string> Classic_NoCapacity()
    {
        List<string> list = new List<string>();
        list.Add("Apple");
        list.Add("Banana");
        list.Add("Orange");
        return list;
    }

    public IReadOnlyCollection<string> ManuallyAdd_NoCapacitySet()
    {
        List<string> list = new List<string>();
        list.Add("Apple");
        list.Add("Banana");
        list.Add("Orange");
        return list;
    }

    public IReadOnlyCollection<string> Classic_SetCapacity()
    {
        List<string> list = new List<string>(3);
        list.Add("Apple");
        list.Add("Banana");
        list.Add("Orange");
        return list;
    }

    public IReadOnlyCollection<string> ManuallyAdd_CapacitySet()
    {
        List<string> list = new List<string>(3);
        list.Add("Apple");
        list.Add("Banana");
        list.Add("Orange");
        return list;
    }

    public IReadOnlyCollection<string> CollectionExpression_ReadOnlyCollection()
    {
        string[] array = new string[3];
        array[0] = "Apple";
        array[1] = "Banana";
        array[2] = "Orange";
        return new <>z__ReadOnlyArray<string>(array);
    }

    public List<string> CollectionExpression_List()
    {
        List<string> list = new List<string>();
        CollectionsMarshal.SetCount(list, 3);
        Span<string> span = CollectionsMarshal.AsSpan(list);
        int num = 0;
        span[num] = "Apple";
        num++;
        span[num] = "Banana";
        num++;
        span[num] = "Orange";
        num++;
        return list;
    }
}

The Classic and ManuallyAdd methods were pretty much as expected but the CollectionExpression were VERY different. Not only can the collection initializer set the capacity to the given number of items but it lowers differently based on the return type. If C# updates further optimize the lowered code, we'll be able to take advantage of those optimizations with no code changes!

For reference, here are the benchmark from one of my final runs:

Method	Mean	Ratio	Allocated	Alloc Ratio
Classic_NoCapacity	13.204 ns	1.00	88 B	1.00
Classic_SetCapacity	7.896 ns	0.60	80 B	0.91
CollectionExpression_ReadOnlyCollection	5.812 ns	0.44	72 B	0.82
CollectionExpression_List	9.031 ns	0.68	80 B	0.91
ManuallyAdd_NoCapacitySet	12.276 ns	0.93	88 B	1.00
ManuallyAdd_CapacitySet	8.265 ns	0.63	80 B	0.91

Relavent Links:

Nick Cosentino's Post

SQL Saturday '23 Presentations

2023-06-27T00:00:00Z

I will be presenting at SQL Saturday Baton Rouge 2023 on July 29, 2023.

Back to Basics: ADO.NET

This will be a beginner topic and I'll be assuming only basic understanding of Entity Framework. All code examples will be in C#. Here's the session's description:

Microsoft says Entity Framework (EF) is "an object-relational mapper (or ORM) that eliminates the need for most of the data-access code that developers usually need to write". This session will show the basics of data access that ORMs like EF tend to obscure. It will also show how to use ADO.NET to integrate with and complement EF when it falls short.

Presentation code can be found at https://github.com/jeremyknight-me/presentations

SQL Saturday Baton Rouge 2023

2023-06-26T00:00:00Z

SQL Saturday Baton Rouge 2023 is opened registration and the agenda has been published!

This free conference is open to the public and is perfect for students, CIO's, database administrators, developers, IT managers, server admins and job-seekers.

If you're interested in development at all this is a must attend event. The sessions span multiple areas with tracks including: .NET, Business Intelligence, Career Development, PowerShell, SQL, Web/Mobile, etc. Please visit the website and sign up if you're interested.

SQL If Exists Then Drop (Updated)

2022-12-12T00:00:00Z

In my original post back in 2013, I described some ways to add "if exists then drop" statements to multiple SQL script types. I'm well overdue for an update on that post as SQL Server 2016 added most of the below syntax. As with my last post, enjoy the quick reference!

Drop Statement 'IF EXISTS'


DROP FUNCTION IF EXISTS [dbo].[enterFunctionNameHere];
GO

DROP PROCEDURE IF EXISTS [dbo].[enterStoredProcedureNameHere];
GO

DROP TABLE IF EXISTS [dbo].[enterTableNameHere];
GO

DROP VIEW IF EXISTS [dbo].[enterViewNameHere];
GO

Create or Alter Procedures

In addition to the above, you can now use CREATE OR ALTER directly within your stored procedure script.

CREATE OR ALTER PROCEDURE [dbo].[enterStoredProcedureNameHere]
(
	-- params here
)
AS
BEGIN 
    -- sproc here
END

Back to Basics: Unit Testing

2022-08-05T00:00:00Z

I will be presenting "Back to Basics: Unit Testing" at SQL Saturday Baton Rouge 2022 on Aug 5, 2022. This will be a beginner topic and I'll be assuming no unit testing experience. All code examples will be in C#. Here's the description I sent in:

In this session, we'll discuss the advantages, disadvantages, and best practices of unit tests. We'll then talk about the different unit testing tools and get into demos.

Presentation code can be found at https://github.com/jeremyknight-me/presentations

SQL Saturday Baton Rouge 2022

2022-05-10T00:00:00Z

It's back! SQL Saturday Baton Rouge 2022 has opened registration and a call for speakers!

This free conference is open to the public and is perfect for students, CIO's, database administrators, developers, IT managers, server admins and job-seekers.

Bootstrap 5 CDN Fallback

2021-01-08T00:00:00Z

Bootstrap 5 has a lot of changes and one of them is the fallback method in case the CDN link doesn't load.

Vanilla HTML/JS

<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/bootstrap@5.0.1/dist/js/bootstrap.bundle.min.js"></script>
<script>
    if (!window.bootstrap) { // the bootstrap object is not present
        var newScript = document.createElement("script");
        newScript.setAttribute("src", "js/bootstrap.bundle.min.js");
        document.getElementsByTagName("head")[0].appendChild(newScript);
    }
</script>

<link rel="stylesheet"
  href="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/bootstrap@5.0.1/dist/css/bootstrap.min.css" 
  onerror="this.onerror=null;this.href='css/bootstrap.min.css';this.removeAttribute('integrity');this.removeAttribute('crossorigin');"
  integrity="..." 
  crossorigin="..." />

ASP.NET Razor

Here is the Razor syntax for Bootstrap 5 fallback:

<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/bootstrap@5.0.1/dist/js/bootstrap.bundle.min.js"
  asp-fallback-src="js/bootstrap.bundle.min.js"
  asp-fallback-test="window.bootstrap">
</script>

<link rel="stylesheet"
  href="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/bootstrap@5.0.1/dist/css/bootstrap.min.css"
  asp-fallback-href="css/bootstrap.min.css"
  asp-fallback-test-class="visually-hidden" 
  asp-fallback-test-property="position" 
  asp-fallback-test-value="absolute"
  integrity="..." 
  crossorigin="..." />

These samples still use Bootstrap 4 but there are still a lot of good information on the following pages:

Link Tag Helper -
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/aspnet/core/mvc/views/tag-helpers/built-in/link-tag-helper
Script Tag Helper - https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/aspnet/core/mvc/views/tag-helpers/built-in/script-tag-helper

Back to Basics: ADO.NET

2021-01-05T00:00:00Z

I will be presenting "Back to Basics: ADO.NET" on Jan 13th to the Baton Rouge .NET User Group. This will be a beginner topic and I'll be assuming no ADO.NET experience. All code examples will be in C#. Here's the description I sent in:

Microsoft says Entity Framework (EF) is "an object-relational mapper (or ORM) that eliminates the need for most of the data-access code that developers usually need to write". This session will show the basics of data access that ORMs like EF tend to obscure. It will also show how to use ADO.NET to integrate with and augment EF when it falls short.

What Tools Do I Use? June 2020 Edition

2020-06-30T00:00:00Z

Having not done one of these since 2013, I thought it was time for an update! The following tools fit into two categories. I either use it daily or it's invaluable in specific situations (for example, taking screenshots or giving presentations).

The Data I Need When I Need It

I use a combination of four pieces of software to ensure that I always have all of the information I need at my fingertips. They are: OneDrive, OneNote, Bitwarden, and Raindrop.io.

Onedrive is the Microsoft competitor to DropBox. The main reason that I use it is storage per dollar for my family (1 TB per user for up to 6 users for less than $100 a year).

OneNote is Microsoft's note taking software. Evernote is a popular competitor and one that I have tried before. When OneNote was released for mobile, I immediately switched back. I do miss tags sometime but not the device limitations on their free tier.

Bitwarden is a password manager tool. We have passwords for everything now and they should all be unique and varied. How does it work? You create one password for your encrypted account and you place all of your other passwords into the software. There are multiple tools like LastPass, KeyPass, etc. but Bitwarden is open source and it allows me to easily share specified password securely with my wife.

Last but definitely not least is Raindrop.io. It's a bookmark manager with full tagging support including drill down tag searching. As a developer, I tend to collect a lot of links to research, articles, etc. and this is an invaluable tool to keep it all organized. It also doubles as my recipe book!

Collaboration

I currently work on a hybrid team (some days in office and some days WFH) so having effective tools in place for collaboration and communication is a must.

For task and backlog tracking, I use Azure DevOps at work and GitHub for other development projects.

For voice, I use a combination of Microsoft Teams (work) and Discord (personal). They both have screen sharing features that come in extremely handy when working through code with another developer.

Let's Develop Something Already!

As a Microsoft developer with a heavy focus on web technologies, I currently have Visual Studio and Visual Studio Code installed. I run Visual Studio 2019 pretty lean now and install relatively few plugins compared to my 2013 edition. For Visual Studio Code, I install at least the following:

Azure Repos
C#
EditorConfig for VS Code
Live Share
PowerShell
SQL Server (mssql)
vscode-icons

Everyone has their own favorite text editor and mine is Notepad++. It's always the first thing that I install on a new machine and I immediately set it as my default text viewer.

A great tool for testing .NET code snippets, LINQ statements, etc. is LINQPad. This little application is extremely feature packed and you'll find more ways to use it every time you open it.

Presentation Must Haves

If you're giving presentations or sharing screens often, I have a couple of recommendations.

The first suggestion is Carnac. Presenters tend to forget that the viewers don't know when you press Alt, Ctrl, etc. This is a little application displays those special combination keystrokes so that your audience doesn't get lost when you're flying around Visual Studio using only the keyboard.

The second is ZoomIt. This application allows you to Zoom in and out of any application running in Windows. It also has some markup features which are quite nice once you get used to the keyboard shortcuts.

SQL Last Day of Month

2018-04-27T00:00:00Z

How do I get the last day of the month in a SQL query? Someone recently asked me this question and as with so many questions in development the answer is: it depends.

Prior to SQL Server 2012, this is what typical T-SQL to compute last day of the month would look like:

DECLARE @date DATE = '2017-12-15'; 
DECLARE @firstOfMonth DATE = DATEFROMPARTS(YEAR(@date), MONTH(@date), 1); 
SELECT DATEADD(DAY,-1, DATEADD(MONTH, 1, @firstOfMonth));

With SQL Server 2012 or later, the EOMONTH() gives you a much more concise option which looks like:

DECLARE @date DATE = '2017-12-15'; 
SELECT EOMONTH(@date);

How I Cut the Cord

2017-02-04T00:00:00Z

About a year ago, we decided to "cut the cord" and get rid of cable. We've been extremely happy with our setup and multiple friends have asked which products and services we're using. As an answer to all the questions, here is a write up explaining our setup.

We already had Netflix, Amazon, etc. for streaming content but local channels were a huge concern for us when we initially cut the cord. These usually include channels like your local CBS, ABC, NBC, etc. These cover most of the TV we watched on cable so it was extremely important that we kept access to them. And since we were spoiled by our DVR from the cable company, we weren't going to cut the cord until we had a system in place to allow us to watch on our own time. That meant we needed 2 things: an antenna and a DVR system that worked with HD antennas.

The Antenna

The strip of wood pictured has been replaced by 1 inch PVC so that the entire antenna can be pointed in the right direction.

The first thing you will want to check is a site like TV Fool (www.tvfool.com) to ensure you have over the air near you. Visit the site and input your address and it will output a list of the channels near you color coded by the type of antenna you'll need. For TV Fool, green means an indoor or set top antenna will work. Yellow means you'll probably need at least an attic mounted antenna. Red means you'll need a roof mounted antenna and grey means you're probably out of luck.

For some channels, we fall in the attic mount range so we went with the following antenna: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CXQO00K/. We've had little to no problems with the antenna and I'd highly recommend it for anyone within the yellow or green ranges on TV Fool.

Now that you've got the antenna, head back to TV Fool and write down the direction that your antenna should be pointed. This makes a huge difference. We went from 11 channels on initial mounting to 30+ once the antenna was pointed in the right direction. You can user your phone's compass application for this.

If you don't want a DVR, you'll need a coax splitter and coax cable runs to each TV that you'll be viewing live over the air TV. Most TVs today have built in capabilities for over the air HD TV.

The DVR System

For the DVR, we decided on a 4-tuner Tablo TV DVR (https://www.tablotv.com/) which allows recording up to 4 shows at a time. The Tablo requires a single coax run from the antenna to the Tablo and an external hard drive. To help you select a hard drive, their website has both a suggestions page and a community driven thread to ensure you buy a hard drive that will work with the system. If you want to grab the drive that we purchased, it's a 3TB Seagate (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00TKFEEJ4/). I doubt we'll ever fill the drive but it gives us the ability to save movies and TV shows for as long as we want.

The Tablo connects directly to the antenna then connects to your router and uses your home network to deliver content to the different devices in your home. That does means you'll need a device to watch the content at each location. We already had a Roku device on each TV for Netflix, Amazon, etc. so we simply had to download the Tablo app from the Roku channel store. They have apps for most devices out there though and you can check to see if yours is supported here: https://www.tablotv.com/tablo-products/. I've also installed their Windows app on all of our computers.

Product and Service Links

Antenna: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CXQO00K/
DVR: https://www.tablotv.com/
DVR Hard Drive: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00TKFEEJ4/
Roku: https://www.roku.com/
Tablo's App List: https://www.tablotv.com/tablo-products/

Update on ASP.NET Forms Bootstrap Menu Control

2017-01-24T00:00:00Z

I finally took the time to move my ASP.NET Forms Bootstrap Menu Control code over to a GitHub repository. Because of the move, I've closed the comments on the original post in hopes of moving all discussion regarding the control to its repository.

I've also built out 2 separate example projects. The first shows how to use the control with just the class file. The second shows how to use the control by referencing the project from a separate class library.

Using a Recursive CTE to Build Paths

2015-09-25T00:00:00Z

Here's the scenario. You have a hierarchical data set like categories, folders, etc. and you need to output the entire path for each.

Let's say we take the category example and we have a table that looks like:

CREATE TABLE [dbo].[Category]( 
  [Id] [int] IDENTITY(1,1) NOT NULL, 
  [Name] [nvarchar](max) NOT NULL, 
  [ParentCategoryId] [int] NULL, 
  -- normal PK script removed to keep this short 
)

To get the full path for each category, the SQL would look like:

WITH CTE_CategoriesWithPaths AS 
( 
  SELECT 
    c.Id, 
    c.Name, 
    c.ParentCategoryId, 
    c.Name AS [Path] 
  FROM Category c 
  WHERE c.ParentCategoryId IS NULL 
  UNION ALL 
  SELECT 
    c.Id, 
    c.Name, 
    c.ParentCategoryId, 
    cte.[Path] + '/' + c.Name AS [Path] 
  FROM 
    Category c 
    INNER JOIN CTE_CategoriesWithPaths cte ON c.ParentCategoryId = cte.Id 
  WHERE c.ParentCategoryId IS NOT NULL 
) 
SELECT * 
FROM CTE_CategoriesWithPaths

ASP.NET Forms Disabled CSS for BootStrap

2015-02-19T00:00:00Z

The following CSS is to handle Enabled set to true in any WebControl.

/* -- Bootstrap Additions - ASP.NET Disabled ----------------- */

input[type="radio"].aspNetDisabled,
input[type="checkbox"].aspNetDisabled,
.radio-inline.aspNetDisabled,
.checkbox-inline.aspNetDisabled,
.radio.aspNetDisabled label,
.checkbox.aspNetDisabled label
{
    cursor: not-allowed;
}
 
.btn.aspNetDisabled
{
    pointer-events: none;
    cursor: not-allowed;
    filter: alpha(opacity=65);
    -webkit-box-shadow: none;
    box-shadow: none;
    opacity: .65;
}
 
.btn-default.aspNetDisabled,
.btn-default.aspNetDisabled:hover,
.btn-default.aspNetDisabled:focus,
.btn-default.aspNetDisabled:active,
.btn-default.aspNetDisabled.active
{
    background-color: #fff;
    border-color: #ccc;
}
 
.btn-primary.aspNetDisabled,
.btn-primary.aspNetDisabled:hover,
.btn-primary.aspNetDisabled:focus,
.btn-primary.aspNetDisabled:active,
.btn-primary.aspNetDisabled.active
{
    background-color: #428bca;
    border-color: #357ebd;
}
 
.btn-success.aspNetDisabled,
.btn-success.aspNetDisabled:hover,
.btn-success.aspNetDisabled:focus,
.btn-success.aspNetDisabled:active,
.btn-success.aspNetDisabled.active
{
    background-color: #5cb85c;
    border-color: #4cae4c;
}
 
.btn-info.aspNetDisabled,
.btn-info.aspNetDisabled:hover,
.btn-info.aspNetDisabled:focus,
.btn-info.aspNetDisabled:active,
.btn-info.aspNetDisabled.active
{
    background-color: #5bc0de;
    border-color: #46b8da;
}
 
.btn-warning.aspNetDisabled,
.btn-warning.aspNetDisabled:hover,
.btn-warning.aspNetDisabled:focus,
.btn-warning.aspNetDisabled:active,
.btn-warning.aspNetDisabled.active
{
    background-color: #f0ad4e;
    border-color: #eea236;
}
 
.btn-danger.aspNetDisabled,
.btn-danger.aspNetDisabled:hover,
.btn-danger.aspNetDisabled:focus,
.btn-danger.aspNetDisabled:active,
.btn-danger.aspNetDisabled.active
{
    background-color: #d9534f;
    border-color: #d43f3a;
}
 
.dropdown-menu > .aspNetDisabled > a,
.dropdown-menu > .aspNetDisabled > a:hover,
.dropdown-menu > .aspNetDisabled > a:focus,
.dropdown-menu > li > a.aspNetDisabled,
.dropdown-menu > li > a.aspNetDisabled:hover,
.dropdown-menu > li > a.aspNetDisabled:focus
{
    color: #777;
}
 
.dropdown-menu > .aspNetDisabled > a:hover,
.dropdown-menu > .aspNetDisabled > a:focus,
.dropdown-menu > li > a.aspNetDisabled:hover,
.dropdown-menu > li > a.aspNetDisabled:focus
{
    text-decoration: none;
    cursor: not-allowed;
    background-color: transparent;
    background-image: none;
    filter: progid:DXImageTransform.Microsoft.gradient(enabled = false);
}

ASP.NET Membership Log Out

2015-01-30T00:00:00Z

My boss likes to say "never use the words 'simple' or 'easy' in our line of work" and today was one of those days that demonstrates exactly why he loves this saying.

We were asked to setup an auto logout feature that redirects to the login screen. I've done so much Windows Authentication work that I've never actually had to build this functionality. I went straight to my favorite search engine and I found the following code.

FormsAuthentication.SignOut(); 
Session.Abandon(); 
FormsAuthentication.RedirectToLoginPage();

Everyone was commenting about how this worked great and lo and behold it wasn't working. More research and I found an article that explained that the above neglected to clear cookies sometimes and that to 100% ensure a sign out you should clear the forms authentication and session cookies.

The following code is what I ended up using in our application. It only expires the cookies that are forms authentication and session related.

FormsAuthentication.SignOut();
Session.Abandon();
 
var cookies = new List<string>
{
    "ASP.NET_SessionId", 
    FormsAuthentication.FormsCookieName, 
    ".ASPXROLES"
};
 
foreach (var cookie in cookies)
{
    if (Request.Cookies.AllKeys.Contains(cookie))
    {
        Request.Cookies[cookie].Expires = DateTime.Now.AddYears(-1);
    }
}
 
FormsAuthentication.RedirectToLoginPage();

Testable WebForms with MVP

2014-08-02T00:00:00Z

Presentation materials for my "Testable WebForms with MVP" are available at the links below:

SQL Saturday Baton Rouge 2014

2014-07-07T00:00:00Z

First, SQL Saturday Baton Rouge 2014 has opened registration and placed the session list online. If you're interested in development at all this is a must attend event. The sessions span all areas of development. The tracks include: .NET, Business Intelligence, Career Development, CIO/IT Manager, DBA, IT Pro, PowerShell, SharePoint, SQL Dev, and Web/Mobile dev. Please visit the website and sign up if you're interested.

Secondly, I will be presenting "Testable WebForms with MVP". This will be an intermediate topic and I'll be assuming experience using ASP.NET WebForms and a basic understanding of unit testing. All code examples will be in C#. Here's the description I sent in:

MVC is all the rage but what about all the code you already have written in ASP.NET WebForms? How can you make it maintainable and testable? In this session, I'll show how you can make WebForms applications testable using Model-View-Presenter.

ASP.NET Forms Bootstrap Menu Control

2014-02-25T00:00:00Z

UPDATE: I have closed the comments for this post. If you'd like to discuss the ASP.NET Forms Bootstrap Menu Control, please visit the GitHub repository located at: https://github.com/jeremyknight-me/aspnet-forms-bootstrap-menu

When I couldn't find an ASP.NET Form menu control that was compatible with Bootstrap 3.1, I did what every other developer would do: I created one. Enjoy!

Here's the HTML markup view:

<div class="navbar navbar-inverse navbar-static-top" role="navigation">
    <div class="container" style="padding: 0; margin: 0;">
        <div class="navbar-header">
            <button type="button" class="navbar-toggle" data-toggle="collapse" data-target=".navbar-collapse">
                <span class="sr-only">Toggle navigation</span>
                <span class="icon-bar"></span>
                <span class="icon-bar"></span>
                <span class="icon-bar"></span>
            </button>
        </div>
        <div class="navbar-collapse collapse">
            <jk:BootstrapMenu ID="BootstrapMenu1" runat="server" HighlightActive="True">
                <Items>
                    <asp:MenuItem Text="Link" NavigateUrl="#" />
                    <asp:MenuItem Text="Link" NavigateUrl="#" />
                    <asp:MenuItem Text="Drop Down">
                        <asp:MenuItem Text="Link" NavigateUrl="#" />
                        <asp:MenuItem Text="Link" NavigateUrl="#" />
                        <asp:MenuItem Text="Link" NavigateUrl="#" />
                    </asp:MenuItem>
                    <asp:MenuItem Text="Link" NavigateUrl="#" />
                    <asp:MenuItem Text="Nothing" />
                </Items>
            </jk:BootstrapMenu>
        </div><!--/.nav-collapse -->
    </div>
</div>

Here's the HTML markup view for using with a SiteMapDataSource:

<div class="navbar navbar-inverse navbar-static-top" role="navigation">
    <div class="container" style="padding: 0; margin: 0;">
        <div class="navbar-header">
            <button type="button" class="navbar-toggle" data-toggle="collapse" data-target=".navbar-collapse">
                <span class="sr-only">Toggle navigation</span>
                <span class="icon-bar"></span>
                <span class="icon-bar"></span>
                <span class="icon-bar"></span>
            </button>
        </div>
        <div class="navbar-collapse collapse">
            <jk:BootstrapMenu ID="BootstrapMenu2" runat="server" DataSourceId="SiteMapDataSource1" />
            <asp:SiteMapDataSource ID="SiteMapDataSource1" runat="server" ShowStartingNode="False" />
        </div><!--/.nav-collapse -->
    </div>
</div>

In either case you'll need a page directive

<%@ Register TagPrefix="jk" Namespace="JK.BootstrapControls" Assembly="JK.BootstrapControls" %>

Updates:

2017 January 23: Closed comments to push conversation to GitHub repository.
2015 January 19: Added zip file sample project for download to OneDrive.
2014 August 15: Added page directive needed to use control in page markup
2014 April 11: Updated to work with SiteMapDataSource

Uncle Bob on Professional Software Development

2014-02-10T00:00:00Z

This is a video that I think every software developer should watch. It's a great talk about professionalism and craftsmanship within the industry.

Robert C. Martin - Professional Software Development from NDC Conferences on Vimeo.

Link: https://vimeo.com/43536488

The video is from the 2012 Norwegian Developers Conference.

What Tools Do I Use? Oct 2013 Edition

2013-10-10T00:00:00Z

At Houston TechFest 2013, Claudio Lassala presented "Want to Build Software? Get Your Act Together First!". It got me thinking about how I work and what software I would recommend. The following tools fit into two categories. I either use it daily or it's invaluable in specific situations (for example, taking screenshots or giving presentations).

The Data I Need When I Need It

I use a combination of three pieces of software to ensure that I always have all of the information I need at my fingertips. The three are: SkyDrive, OneNote, and KeePass.

SkyDrive is the Microsoft DropBox competitor. I use it for a 2 reasons. The first reason is it that it offers more storage for free. SkyDrive gives 7 GB while DropBox gives 2 GB. I actually have 25 GB due to an old SkyDrive promotion. The second reason is that I can view and edit all of my files directly through a browser. This has become extremely important to me. For example, I was recently in a meeting and a presentation that I was working on came up. I didn't have my laptop but the meeting room had a computer connected to the screen. I was able to log into my SkyDrive and review the presentation directly from my SkyDrive.

OneNote is Microsoft's note taking software. Evernote is a popular competitor and one that I have tried before. When OneNote was released for my mobile platform, I immediately switched back. Now I have access to my notes anywhere I have my phone or have access to an internet browser (I can view and edit my OneNote notebooks through SkyDrive).

KeePass is a password manager tool. We have passwords for everything now and they should all be unique and varied. How does it work? You create one password for your encrypted KeePass file and you place all of your other passwords into the file.

Collaboration

I currently work on a distributed team so having effective tools in place for collaboration and communication is a must.

For task and backlog tracking, we use Team Foundation Server. If TFS wouldn't be available, I would be using Trello or a tool with similar features.

For voice, we use Skype. It's simple, effective, and proven. Its screen sharing feature comes in handy if it's just a quick discussion. For more complex screen sharing, we use TeamViewer. TeamViewer allows users to pass control around. This comes in extremely handy when working through code with another developer. Another plus is that TeamViewer has official apps for Android, Windows 8, Windows Phone 8, and iOS.

Let's Develop Something Already!

I have already mentioned that I work in a Microsoft development team so Visual Studio is a must. I currently have 2010 and 2012 installed on my machine but we will be moving everything to 2013 on its release. If you'd like to know which plugins I'm using for Visual Studio, see my post "Visual Studio Add-ons".

Everyone has their own favorite text editor and mine is Notepad++. It's always the first thing that I install on a new machine and I immediately set it as my default text viewer. I've recommended it to every developer friend that I know. It has lots of goodies throughout the program including plugins. For example, the Compare plugin has taken the place of WinMerge on my machines and ToolBucket let's me easily generate GUIDs and lorem ipsum, encode/decode to base 64, and more.

A great tool for testing .NET code snippets, LINQ statements, etc. is LINQPad. This little application is extremely feature packed and you'll find more ways to use it every time you open it. One of my favorites is the ability to generate the SQL for a LINQ statement.

IETester by DebugBar is a must have for web developers wanting to test their website's rendering in multiple IE versions.

Greenshot is my go to application for screenshots. It has multiple capture modes and a built in image editor which allows you to edit an image before saving the final version.

Presentation Must Haves

If you're giving presentations or sharing screens often, I have a couple of recommendations.

The first suggestion is Key Jedi. Presenters tend to forget that the viewers don't know when you press Alt, Ctrl, etc. This is a little application displays those special combination keystrokes so that your audience doesn't get lost when you're flying around Visual Studio using only the keyboard.

Lazy Strategy Pattern

2013-05-02T00:00:00Z

The following are some code samples that show how to use Lazy to clean up how your objects are initialized when using the Strategy pattern in .NET. The following code is taken from the DimeCast.Net Strategy pattern video. It uses an enum to select the correct logging strategy and logs the given message. The original code from the video before Lazy is applied looks like (by the way, I'm only posting the sections relevant to strategy and lazy):

public class LoggingService : ILoggingService
{
    private readonly Dictionary<LoggingStrategy, Logger> strategies;
 
    public LoggingService()
    {
        this.strategies = new Dictionary<LoggingStrategy, Logger>();
        this.DefineStrategies();
    }
 
    private void DefineStrategies()
    {
        this.strategies.Add(LoggingStrategy.Event, new EventLogger());
        this.strategies.Add(LoggingStrategy.Repository, new RepositoryLogger());
        this.strategies.Add(LoggingStrategy.Trace, new TraceLogger());
    }
}

Here is the same code using the Lazy<T> class in the System namespace.

public class LazyLoggingService : ILoggingService
{
    private readonly Dictionary<LoggingStrategy, Lazy<Logger>> strategies;
 
    public LazyLoggingService()
    {
        this.strategies = new Dictionary<LoggingStrategy, Lazy<Logger>>();
        this.DefineStrategies();
    }
 
    private void DefineStrategies()
    {
        this.strategies.Add(LoggingStrategy.Event, new Lazy<Logger>(() => new EventLogger()));
        this.strategies.Add(LoggingStrategy.Repository, new Lazy<Logger>(() => new RepositoryLogger()));
        this.strategies.Add(LoggingStrategy.Trace, new Lazy<Logger>(() => new TraceLogger()));
    }
}

And one final time just in case you don't have access to Lazy. This uses delegates to accomplish the same thing as the Lazy class. I'll be using the Func<TResult> delegate.

public class DelegateLoggingService : ILoggingService
{
    private readonly Dictionary<LoggingStrategy, Func<Logger>> strategies;
 
    public DelegateLoggingService()
    {
        this.strategies = new Dictionary<LoggingStrategy, Func<Logger>>();
        this.DefineStrategies();
    }
 
    private void DefineStrategies()
    {
        this.strategies.Add(LoggingStrategy.Event, () => new EventLogger());
        this.strategies.Add(LoggingStrategy.Repository, () => new RepositoryLogger());
        this.strategies.Add(LoggingStrategy.Trace, () => new TraceLogger());
    }
}

Now that all the code is out of the way, let's talk a little about why you would want to use this. Let's look at the original code sample. The DefineStrategies function initializes a Logger object and adds it to the Dictionary. Every single Dictionary.Add call in the original code is initializing an object. That's additional memory and processing time for every object. By using Lazy(or the delegate method shown above), you postpone the initialization of the object until you actually ask for it.

Lazy initialization may not work well for everything but I've found that it makes strategy implementations much more lean and efficient in terms of machine resources.

SQL If Exists Then Drop

2013-04-15T00:00:00Z

This is one topic that I continually find myself refering to my notes and bookmarks on and I've finally decided to add this piece of very good reference information to my own blog.

Tables

Option 1:

IF OBJECT_ID('enterTableNameHere', 'U') IS NOT NULL
BEGIN
    DROP TABLE [dbo].[enterTableNameHere]
END
GO

Option 2:

IF EXISTS
(
    SELECT * FROM dbo.sysobjects
    WHERE id = object_id(N'[dbo].[enterTableNameHere]')
         AND OBJECTPROPERTY(id, N'IsUserTable') = 1
)
BEGIN
    DROP TABLE [dbo].[enterTableNameHere]
END
GO

Views

IF EXISTS
(
    SELECT * FROM INFORMATION_SCHEMA.VIEWS
    WHERE TABLE_SCHEMA = 'enterSchemaNameHere' AND TABLE_NAME = 'enterViewNameHere'
)
BEGIN
    DROP VIEW [dbo].[enterViewNameHere]
END
GO

Stored Procedures

IF EXISTS
(
    SELECT * FROM dbo.sysobjects
    WHERE id = object_id(N'[dbo].[enterStoredProcedureNameHere]')
        AND OBJECTPROPERTY(id, N'IsProcedure') = 1
)
BEGIN
    DROP PROCEDURE [dbo].[enterStoredProcedureNameHere]
END
GO

User-Defined Functions

IF EXISTS
(
    SELECT * FROM INFORMATION_SCHEMA.ROUTINES
    WHERE   ROUTINE_NAME = 'enterFunctionNameHere'
    AND ROUTINE_SCHEMA = 'dbo'
    AND ROUTINE_TYPE = 'FUNCTION'
)
BEGIN
    DROP FUNCTION [dbo].[enterFunctionNameHere]
END
GO

Visual Studio Tips and Tricks: Debugging

2013-04-01T00:00:00Z

Visual Studio Tips and Tricks was a topic in our local user group a while back. I decided why not do a series of videos instead of trying to publish all of the tips in a PowerPoint or some write up. Everything shown here can be done in at least Visual Studio 2010 and Visual Studio 2012.

The debugging video below is part 2 of this video series:

March 2013 Nicholls Presentation

2013-03-27T00:00:00Z

This post will contain the information from my presentation at Nicholls State University on March 26, 2013.

Code: https://github.com/knight0323/presentations/tree/master/nsu-2013-03 Slides: https://docs.com/knight0323/2320/nicholls-dev-presentation-march-2013

Presentation Information

The general Visual Studio Tips and Tricks information can be found in my video linked below. I will be creating a Debugging Tips and Tricks video soon. http://jeremyknight.wordpress.com/2013/03/18/visual-studio-tips-and-tricks/

Additional Reading Resources

Here is a list of resources for anyone that would like to do additional reading and/or research:

ASP.NET

Official Site: http://www.asp.net/
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ASP.NET

LINQ

Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Language_Integrated_Query
MSDN: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb308959.aspx
101 Examples: http://code.msdn.microsoft.com/101-LINQ-Samples-3fb9811b

Entity Framework

Official Site: http://www.asp.net/entity-framework
MSDN: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/data/ef.aspx
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ADO.NET_Entity_Framework

ASP.NET AJAX Control Toolkit

CodePlex Project: http://ajaxcontroltoolkit.codeplex.com/
Sample Site: http://www.asp.net/ajaxlibrary/AjaxControlToolkitSampleSite/

Visual Studio Tips and Tricks

2013-03-18T00:00:00Z

Visual Studio Tips and Tricks was a topic in our local user group a while back. I decided why not do a video instead of trying to publish all of the tips in a PowerPoint or some write up. Everything shown here can be done in at least Visual Studio 2010 and Visual Studio 2012.

A Simple CSV Export?

2013-02-14T00:00:00Z

The following programming anecdote was posted by a former colleague on his Facebook page today:

A couple of years ago a fellow developer was asked to take some data and export it to CSV format. He took some time and researched a library. After, the manager/architect/lead developer (all the same person), questioned why he took that time, and why he didn't just string.Join() them together and move on. He rattled off a few special cases, escaping characters etc. and stood by his decision though the person questioning still thought it a poor one. About once a month since then I hear a new story about home-grown, handmade CSV functionality breaking because it didn't account for a case, character or something previously unexpected.

It's a reminder to me that no matter how simple the task appears to be, a thought should be given to it's longevity, future usage, and potential expectations long after the initial case for creation has been forgotten. A small investment now can go a long way.

"The only way to go fast is to go well" For those curious, the chosen library at the time: http://kbcsv.codeplex.com/

Well said.

Wireless Security Tip: Don't Connect Automatically

2013-02-12T00:00:00Z

I have a quick tip that will exponentially increase your laptop, tablet, or even phone security. When you're setting up your wireless connections, there are 2 options that you should never turn on: 1) "connect automatically when this network is in range" or "start this connection automatically" and 2) "connect even if the network is not broadcasting".

You can blame hidden wireless networks for this gaping security hole. The How-To Geek has a really good article explaining why you shouldn't use hidden wireless networks.

Why should I turn off these convenience features?

When you use the auto connect features of WiFi, your device will seek out the wireless connection. In the process of seeking out the connection, it also broadcasts the connection information. Devices such as WiFi Pineapples can be built to scan for the broadcasts coming from your devices. Once it has found a device, it automatically configures a matching connection and allows you to connect. Once you're connected, your internet traffic can be monitored.

The following comes directly from the product information of Hak5's WiFi Pineapple:

You see most laptops have network software that automatically connects to access points they remember. This convenient feature is what gets you online without effort when you turn on your computer at home, the office, coffee shops or airports you frequent.

Simply put, when your computer turns on the wireless radio send out out beacons. These beacons say “Is such-and-such wireless network around?” Jasager, German for “The Yes Man”, replies to these beacons and says “Sure, I’m such-and-such wireless access point – let’s get you online!”

Of course all of the Internet traffic flowing through the pineapple such as e-mail, instant messages and browser sessions are easily viewed or even modified by the pineapple holder.

.NET String Concatenation

2012-05-04T00:00:00Z

String concatenation is a tool on every developer’s tool belt but in .NET there are multiple ways to accomplish it. There are also a lot of conflicting articles, posts, etc. on the subject. When should you use StringBuilder? When should you use string formatting? This article will hopefully shine some light on when to use each method.

Which Methods Were Tested?

The concatenation operator. In C#, it is the + operator. In VB.NET, it is the & operator.
The String.Concat() method.
The System.Text.StringBuilder class.
The String.Format() method.

How Were They Tested?

A console application was prepared to test operation scenarios. The scenarios were timed using the System.Diagnostics.Stopwatch class. The full Visual Studio solution can be found in my CodePlex project.

What Were the Results?

Scenario 1: Loop Concatenation

The Loop Concatenation scenario was built to test string concatenation within a loop. This data set had the most straight-forward results. The StringBuilder class gives the best performance when using concatenation in this scenaraio.

Loop Concatenation Results (in milliseconds)

Code sample using StringBuilder in this scenario:

var builder = new StringBuilder();
 
for (int i = 0; i < this.iterations; i++)
{
    builder.Append("x");
}
 
var testString = builder.ToString();

Scenario 2: Full Name Concatenation

The Full Name Concatenation scenario was built to test simple string concatenation in which few concatenations occur. It concatenates first name, a space, and last name. This is commonly used to build display names for a UI. These results point to the String.Concat method as the most efficient way to concatenate small numbers of strings.

Full Name Concatenation Results (in ticks)

Code sample using String.Concat in this scenario:

string first = "John";
string last = "Deaux";
string fullName = string.Concat(first, " ", last);

Scenario 3: Long Text Concatenation

The Long Text Concatenation scenario was built to test long concatenations in which many concatenations occur. It simulates building the body of an email message. These results also point to the String.Concat method as the most efficient. Comparing the prior scenario with this scenario you can begin to see pattern. As you add concatenations, the efficiency of String.Format and StringBuilder (when out of a looping scenario) declines.

Long Text Concatenation Results (in ticks)

Code sample using String.Concat in this scenario:

string newLine = System.Environment.NewLine;
string name = "John Deaux";
string email = "john.deaux@123.me";
string subject = "The Subject of the Message";
string product = "ABC";
string feature = "XYZ";
string body = "The comment(s) made about product/feature.";
 
string[] values = new[]
    {
        "Name: ", name, newLine,
        "Email: ", email, newLine,
        "Subject: ", subject, newLine,
        "Product: ", product, newLine,
        "Feature: ", feature, newLine,
        "Message: ", newLine, body
    };
 
var emailBody = string.Concat(values);

Scenario 4: Date Concatenation

The Date Concatenation scenario was built to test the formatting of dates. It formats a date into the sortable format of 2011-12-31T15:30:15. Of the people I've talked to about this little experiment, this one has surprised the most. Why? Because it is highly touted by articles, books, and even Microsoft as the way to format data and it's extremely inefficient. The String.Format method is slower and less efficient than every other method tested, including the StringBuilder class, for formatting DateTime objects as strings.

Date Concatentation Results (in ticks)

Code sample using String.Concat in this scenario:

DateTime date = DateTime.Now;
 
var values = new[]
    {
        date.Year.ToString("0000"),
        "-",
        date.Month.ToString("00"),
        "-",
        date.Day.ToString("00"),
        "T",
        date.Hour.ToString("00"),
        ":",
        date.Minute.ToString("00"),
        ":",
        date.Second.ToString("00")
    };
 
var sortable = string.Concat(values);

Yes, you did read that correctly. The above code is a lot faster and more efficient than:

var sortable = string.Format("{0:u}", DateTime.Now);
// or
var sortable = string.Format("{0:yyyy-MM-ddTHH:mm:ss}", DateTime.Now);

My Visual Studio Theme

2012-04-18T00:00:00Z

So I've finally published my Visual Studio theme on the Studio Styles website. It's a customized version of the Ragnarok Grey theme created by Tomas Restrepro. I darkened the background then had to make a few other subtle changes for readability due to the darker background.

Ragnarok Dark as I've chosen to call it can be found here: http://studiostyl.es/schemes/ragnarok-dark-grey-customized

And remember to rate it if you like it!

Now a bonus for those of you that use ReSharper. The following line pasted into the bottom of the items section in the XML downloaded from the site before you import will make those To Do Comments and Not Implemented Exceptions stand out.

<Item Name="ReSharper Todo Item" Foreground="0x0000FFFF" Background="0x02000000" BoldFont="Yes"/>

2012 Baton Rouge SQL Saturday & Tech Day

2012-04-18T00:00:00Z

The information for this year's Baton Rouge SQL Saturday & Tech Day came online this past week. It's scheduled for August 4, 2012.

Free SQL Server, SharePoint and .NET training! Chance to win great prizes! What more could an IT Professional ask for? If this sounds good to you, then don’t miss your opportunity to attend SQL Saturday #150 and TECH Day, the largest FREE training event in Louisiana dedicated exclusively to SQL Server, .NET, Development, SharePoint and Business Intelligence. This is a COMMUNITY driven event!

For more information visit the official website at: http://sqlsaturday.com/150/eventhome.aspx

Back to Basics: System.String

2011-10-28T00:00:00Z

For such a simple concept, the string class is, in my opinion, one of the most complex classes in the System namespace. The MSDN page for String Class is 53 printed pages excluding the 2 additional pages of comments.

What is System.String?

In the .NET framework, the string type is a reference type. It is not a value type as is often the belief. It is an object that consists of a collection of System.Char values in sequential order. Characters within the string can be referenced as follows:

string foo = "bar"; 
char r = foo[2];

Immutable

The string type is also immutable. You cannot change the contents of a string without reflection or unsafe code. The methods, operators, etc. that appear to modify a string actually return a new string with the modified contents. The Replace function of the string object is a great example of this. You cannot simply call the Replace method. You have to return the results of the method to a string variable.

string foo = "abc";
foo = foo.Replace("abc", "xyz");

Concatenation and the Compiler

The compiler does some interesting things when working with strings. For example, when concatenating with variables in a single statement:

string foobar = foo + " " + bar;
 
// compiler sees the above as:
string foobar = string.Concat(foo, " ", bar);

When you use constants such as literals and const string members, the compiler knows that all the parts are constant and it does all the concatenation at compile time, storing the full string in the compiled code.

string foobar = "foo" + " " + "bar";
 
// compiler sees the above as:
string foobar = "foo bar";

const string foo = "foo";
string foobar = foo + " " + "bar";
 
// compiler sees the above as:
string foobar = "foo bar";

String.Empty versus ""

And finally, there is a difference between string.Empty and “”. When you use “”, .NET creates an object but when you use string.Empty it does not. The difference may be small, but its a difference that can make a performance impact.

string foo = ""; // creates an object
string bar = string.Empty; // doesn't create an object

Null Coalescing Operator

2011-10-27T00:00:00Z

In C# 2.0, Microsoft introduced the null coalescing operator (??). The ?? operator is a shorthand notation for returning a default value if a reference or Nullable type is null.

The examples below show how the null coalescing operator achieves the same result as traditional conditional statements but with less lines of code. Both sets of examples use property getter methods with assumed fields.

Reference Examples with Conditional Statements

public MyObject MyObjectProperty
{
    get
    {
        if (this.myObject == null)
        {
            return new MyObject();
        }
 
        return this.myObject;
    }
}

Reference Examples with Null Coalescing Operator

public MyObject MyObjectProperty
{
    get
    {
        return this.myObject ?? new MyObject();
    }
}

Nullable Example with Conditional Statements

public int Number
{
    get
    {
        if (this.nullableNumber.HasValue)
        {
            return this.nullableNumber.Value;
        }
 
        return 0;
    }
}

Nullable Example with Null Coalescing Operator

public int Number
{
    get { return this.nullableNumber ?? 0; }
}

The main argument against the ?? operator is that developers don't understand it so it makes the code less readable and maintainable. This is a poor argument in my opinion. As developers, we should never stop trying to improve both ourselves and our teams. This is something that can be taught over lunch one day.

More reading: ?? Operator (C# Reference) - MSDN

HTML5 and target="_blank"

2011-09-24T00:00:00Z

I posted a jQuery solution to the XHTML Strict Target="_blank" problem a while back. Well I finally had some free time to start delving deep into HTML5. Low and behold the W3C has removed the deprecated status from the "_blank" value for the target attribute. What does that mean?

That means that target="_blank" is 100% valid in HTML5!

Get a String from a MemoryStream

2011-09-09T00:00:00Z

The MSDN article for MemoryStream has this example of outputting a string to the console.

private static void Main(string[] args)
{
    int count;
    byte[] byteArray;
    char[] charArray;
    UnicodeEncoding uniEncoding = new UnicodeEncoding();
 
    // Create the data to write to the stream.
    byte[] firstString = uniEncoding.GetBytes("Invalid file path characters are: ");
    byte[] secondString = uniEncoding.GetBytes(Path.GetInvalidPathChars());
 
    using(MemoryStream memStream = new MemoryStream(100))
    {
        // Write the first string to the stream.
        memStream.Write(firstString, 0 , firstString.Length);
 
        // Write the second string to the stream, byte by byte.
        count = 0;
        while(count < secondString.Length)
        {
            memStream.WriteByte(secondString[count++]);
        }
 
        // Write the stream properties to the console.
        Console.WriteLine(
            "Capacity = {0}, Length = {1}, Position = {2}\n",
            memStream.Capacity.ToString(),
            memStream.Length.ToString(),
            memStream.Position.ToString());
 
        // Set the position to the beginning of the stream.
        memStream.Seek(0, SeekOrigin.Begin);
 
        // Read the first 20 bytes from the stream.
        byteArray = new byte[memStream.Length];
        count = memStream.Read(byteArray, 0, 20);
 
        // Read the remaining bytes, byte by byte.
        while(count < memStream.Length)
        {
            byteArray[count++] = Convert.ToByte(memStream.ReadByte());
        }
 
        // Decode the byte array into a char array
        // and write it to the console.
        charArray = new char[uniEncoding.GetCharCount(byteArray, 0, count)];
        uniEncoding.GetDecoder().GetChars(byteArray, 0, count, charArray, 0);
        Console.WriteLine(charArray);
    }
}

I have a problem with code examples that try and do too much. Here is a much less complex example of writing a string to the console from a MemoryStream.

private static void Main(string[] args)
{
    using (var memoryStream = new MemoryStream(100))
    using (var streamWriter = new StreamWriter(memoryStream))
    using (var streamReader = new StreamReader(memoryStream))
    {
        var invalidPath = new string(Path.GetInvalidPathChars());
        streamWriter.WriteLine("Invalid file path characters are:");
        streamWriter.WriteLine(invalidPath);
 
        streamWriter.Flush();
        memoryStream.Position = 0;
 
        var stringToOutput = streamReader.ReadToEnd();
        Console.WriteLine(stringToOutput);
    }
}

Visual Studio Add-ons

2011-08-26T00:00:00Z

I've been getting the same question a lot lately. What plugins, enhancements, extensions, etc. do you use in Visual Studio? So here's the surprisingly short list:

ReSharper

The ReSharper website says:

ReSharper is a renowned productivity tool that makes Microsoft Visual Studio a much better IDE. Thousands of .NET developers worldwide wonder how they've ever lived without ReSharper's code inspections, automated refactorings, blazing fast navigation, and coding assistance.

I can tell you the ".NET developers worldwide wonder how they've ever lived without ReSharper" is completely true. Once you learn to use it, you'll never want to code without it. I remember the first week I used it I was angry at myself for waiting so long to get my hands on it.

Links:

StyleCop

The official product description reads:

StyleCop analyzes C# source code to enforce a set of style and consistency rules. It can be run from inside of Visual Studio or integrated into an MSBuild project. StyleCop has also been integrated into many third-party development tools.

The ability to run a tool and have it tell you where to fix your styling is invaluable. Create a custom configuration file (agreed upon by the team of course) and then share it with your team or even better integrate it into you build server. This will ensure that a field is formatted like a field should be consistently in every file. No more style switches per file.

Oh and by the way, the latest release works with ReSharper to allow for quick cleanup of any errors found.

Links:

Official Site

Search References

(Note: This is built into VS 2012 and beyond) How and why the functionality of this gallery extension isn't built into Visual Studio completely baffles me. This simple extension adds a search box to the top of the .Net tab on the Add References dialog.

Links:

MSDN VS Gallery: Search References

Snippet Designer

If you write code that is structurally the same over and over again, you should learn to build snippets. If you want to build snippets, you want to take a look at this extension. Snippet Designer allows you to highlight code and export as snippet. It has a great GUI for adding in replacement sections, setting the properties of your snippet, etc.

Here is a screenshot of Snippet Designer being used to edit my null coalescing operator snippet.

Links:

Calculate Elapsed Time in .NET

2011-06-23T00:00:00Z

I came across this while preparing an upcoming blog entry and felt the need to share. I was looking for a way to calculate the time of an operation. I searched over and over again only to find the following pattern:

DateTime startTime = DateTime.Now;
// do operation
DateTime endTime = DateTime.Now;
TimeSpan runTime = endTime - startTime;

Unfortunately, this pattern isn't very accurate and rarely outputs anything other than zero on simple operations. I needed to output elapsed time for even these simple operation so I kept searching until finally I came across the System.Diagnostics.Stopwatch class. The code is more readable and (after a bit of testing) is capable of tracking the elapsed time of simple operations.

Stopwatch stopwatch = new Stopwatch();
stopwatch.Start();
// do operations
stopwatch.Stop();
TimeSpan runTime = stopwatch.Elapsed;
long runTimeMilliseconds = stopwatch.ElapsedMilliseconds;
long runTimeTicks = stopwatch.ElapsedTicks;

Hopefully, putting this out there will help people find this method much quicker than I did. And as my mother used to tell me: just because everyone else does it, it doesn't make it right.

SP 2010 Site Collection PowerShell Script

2011-06-10T00:00:00Z

The following script is what we've been using to create site collections with their own database in SharePoint 2010.

Add-PSSnapin Microsoft.SharePoint.PowerShell –ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
 
## Configure the script
$databaseName = "SP_Content_Database_Name"
$webApplicationUrl = "http://localhost"
$siteCollectionUrl = "http://localhost/sites/siteName"
$siteCollectionName = "Site Collection Name"
$siteCollectionOwner1 = "DOMAIN\user1"
$siteCollectionOwner2 = "DOMAIN\user2"
$siteCollectionTemplate = "STS#1"
 
## Create the database
New-SPContentDatabase -Name $databaseName -WebApplication $webApplicationUrl
 
## Create the site collection
New-SPSite -URL $siteCollectionUrl -OwnerAlias $siteCollectionOwner1 -SecondaryOwnerAlias $siteCollectionOwner2 -ContentDatabase $databaseName -Name $siteCollectionName -Template $siteCollectionTemplate

Download the above code at: https://gist.github.com/4488619

If you need a list of site templates available on the machine you can run:

Get-SPWebTemplate | Sort-Object "Title"

Developing Custom SharePoint Web Parts

2011-02-27T00:00:00Z

I presented "Developing Custom Web Parts" at the recent SharePoint Saturday New Orleans 2011. Here's the description was:

Web parts are a logical starting point for ASP.NET developers to begin their journey into SharePoint. This session focuses on the ins and outs of web part development as well as web part and SharePoint development best practices. Code examples will use C#.

The materials (code and PowerPoint deck) from my presentation can be downloaded using the following links:

MCPD Web Developer 4

2011-02-17T00:00:00Z

Right on the heels of the upgrade to Web Developer 3.5, I took the test for an upgrade to .NET 4. I've finally caught up to the latest release. I have to say this was the longest Microsoft certification test that I've taken. It was over 80 questions long and split into 4 sections. For a second I thought my test would be lost. When I clicked to finish the exam the testing software crashed. Fortunately, everything was there just like I left it when they rebooted the computer.

SharePoint Saturday New Orleans 2011

2011-01-18T00:00:00Z

First, SharePoint Saturday New Orleans 2011 has opened registration and placed the session list online. If you're interested in SharePoint at all this is a must attend event. The sessions span all areas of SharePoint including project management, end users/power users tools, administration, architecture, development and more.

Secondly, I will be presenting "Developing Custom Web Parts". No SharePoint experience required but I am recommending ASP.NET experience if you attend. Here's the description I sent in:

Web parts are a logical starting point for ASP.NET developers to begin their journey into SharePoint. This session focuses on the ins and outs of web part development as well as web part and SharePoint development best practices. Code examples will use C#.

MCPD Web Developer Upgraded to 3.5

2011-01-04T00:00:00Z

Over the holidays, I upgraded my MCPD to .NET 3.5. Now only one more to go to catch up to latest release. This was my first upgrade so I didn't know what was going on until after I was done. They split the upgrade up into 2 banks of questions representing the 2 tests for that MCPD. Just a heads up for those wondering why you get told you'll get 40-something questions and end up with 1 of 20-something on the first screen.

jQuery XHTML Strict Target="_blank" Solution

2010-11-27T00:00:00Z

As many of you know, XHTML Strict does not allow the target attribute within tags. I have been using a JavaScript solution which I found online a few years back. The code was a bit verbose so I decided to update it using jQuery.

$(document).ready(function () {
    $('a[rel="external"]').each(function(i) {
        $(this).attr('target', '_blank');
    });
});

With the above code in place, simply put rel="external" on any anchor tags that need to open in a new window.

SharePoint Web Part XML Properties

2010-11-24T00:00:00Z

When building a web part for SharePoint, you can use the .webpart file to set default values for almost all of the properties of that web part. But many people don't know what those properties are or what they pertain to. Below is a listing of all the properties of an empty web part:

<webParts>
    <webPart xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WebPart/v3">
        <metaData>
            <type name="yourTypeHere" />
            <importErrorMessage>Cannot import this Web Part.</importErrorMessage>
        </metaData>
        <data>
            <properties>
                <property name="AllowClose" type="bool">True</property>
                <property name="AllowConnect" type="bool">True</property>
                <property name="AllowEdit" type="bool">True</property>
                <property name="AllowHide" type="bool">True</property>
                <property name="AllowMinimize" type="bool">True</property>
                <property name="AllowZoneChange" type="bool">True</property>
                <property name="CatalogIconImageUrl" type="string" />
                <property name="ChromeState" type="chromestate">Normal</property>
                <property name="ChromeType" type="chrometype">Default</property>
                <property name="Description" type="string">My WebPart</property>
                <property name="Direction" type="direction">NotSet</property>
                <property name="ExportMode" type="exportmode">All</property>
                <property name="Height" type="unit" />
                <property name="HelpMode" type="helpmode">Navigate</property>
                <property name="HelpUrl" type="string" />
                <property name="Hidden" type="bool">False</property>
                <property name="Title" type="string">Web Part Title</property>
                <property name="TitleIconImageUrl" type="string" />
                <property name="TitleUrl" type="string" />
                <property name="Width" type="unit" />
            </properties>
        </data>
    </webPart>
</webParts>

For a definition and list of possible values for each of these properties, you can visit the MSDN pages for:

What about custom properties?

You can use SharePoint to create a reference for the properties of your web part. Install your web part, setup the web part the way you would like it by default, and then use the Verbs menu to Export the web part. Locate the exported file, open it in your favorite editor, and your XML is there! Simple right?

Programmatically Update Web Part Properties

2010-11-13T00:00:00Z

Have you ever wanted to give your users access to the personalized properties of a web part through a custom interface built into a web part? In ASP.NET, updating these properties and more importantly persisting the changes was a pretty straight forward process. Unfortunately, the same straight forward techniques can not be used when developing a SharePoint web part.

The code below is a very simple web part inheriting from System.Web.UI.WebControls.WebParts.WebPart. It consists of a TextBox and a Button but it illustrates a complete solution for persisting personalization changes to the SharePoint database programmatically.

using System;
using System.ComponentModel;
using System.Web;
using System.Web.UI;
using System.Web.UI.WebControls;
using System.Web.UI.WebControls.WebParts;
using Microsoft.SharePoint;
using Microsoft.SharePoint.WebControls;
using Microsoft.SharePoint.WebPartPages;
 
namespace UpdatePropertiesWithCode.UpdateMeWebPart
{
    public class UpdateMeWebPart : System.Web.UI.WebControls.WebParts.WebPart
    {
        protected TextBox MessageTextBox;
        protected Button SaveButton;
 
        [Category("My Configuration")]
        [WebBrowsable(false)]
        [WebDescription("Message to display.")]
        [WebDisplayName("Message")]
        [Personalizable(PersonalizationScope.User)]
        public string Message { get; set; }
 
        protected override void CreateChildControls()
        {
            MessageTextBox = new TextBox();
            MessageTextBox.Text = this.Message;
 
            SaveButton = new Button();
            SaveButton.Text = "Save";
            SaveButton.Click += new EventHandler(SaveButtonClick);
 
            Controls.Add(MessageTextBox);
            Controls.Add(SaveButton);
        }
 
        protected void SaveButtonClick(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {
            this.Message = MessageTextBox.Text;
 
            SPWeb web = SPContext.Current.Web;
            SPFile file = web.GetFile(HttpContext.Current.Request.Url.ToString());
            SPLimitedWebPartManager manager = file.GetLimitedWebPartManager(PersonalizationScope.User);
            System.Web.UI.WebControls.WebParts.WebPart webPart = manager.WebParts[this.ID];
            ((UpdateMeWebPart)webPart).Message = this.Message;
 
            try
            {
                web.AllowUnsafeUpdates = true;
                manager.SaveChanges(webPart);
            }
            finally
            {
                web.AllowUnsafeUpdates = false;
            }
        }
    }
}

Web Parts Presentation Materials

2010-11-12T00:00:00Z

The materials (code and PowerPoint deck) from my presentation last night can be downloaded using the following link:

Web Part Presentation Material (.zip)

I will also be posting the code to my CodePlex repository for online viewing.

Setup a 'Get Public Key' Tool

2010-11-08T00:00:00Z

If you're a SharePoint developer, you've run into public key tokens but what you might not know is that Visual Studio comes with an executable that can make retrieving them a much easier process.

The following steps will add a "Get Public Key' option to your Tools menu in Visual Studio:

Click 'Tools > External Tools'
Click 'Add' and a new entry will appear
In the 'Title' field type: Get Public Key
Click the '...' button and navigate to the appropriate sn.exe
If VS 2008: C:\Program Files\Microsoft SDKs\Windows\v6.0A\Bin\sn.exe
If VS 2010*: C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft SDKs\Windows\v7.0A\Bin\sn.exe
In the 'Arguments' field type: -Tp "$(TargetPath)"
Select 'Use Output window' checkbox
Click 'OK'

This will save you a ton of time if you are still using tools like Reflector to get the public key.

* This path is from a 64-bit version of Windows.

Prompt Users to Save Changes

2010-11-03T00:00:00Z

Want to be able to prompt users if they have unsaved data and they close out the browser? Unfortunately, I've yet to find a cross browser solution but in Internet Explorer and Firefox the onbeforeunload event gives you just that ability. The event will fire when a user closes the browser or when a user navigates to a different URL. Simply have the function assigned to the event return the string you wish to display to the users.

window.onbeforeunload = function() {
    if(window.event.clientX < 0 || window.event.clientY < 0)
        return "You have unsaved changes. Are you sure you wish to leave this page?";
}

The above code is setup to only work on the browser or tab close button. Remove the if statement if you want it to work when a user navigates away from the page.

November 11th Speaking Engagement

2010-10-25T00:00:00Z

I will be presenting at the November 11th meeting of the Greater New Orleans SharePoint User Group. The topic will be SharePoint Web Parts and Best Practices. The presentation will focus on the 2010 product family and all code will be released after the presentation.

SQL Server Foreign Keys and Indexes

2010-10-23T00:00:00Z

This is another one of those cases that just beats it into your head to stop making assumptions.

My first delve into RDBMS's was MySQL. When you create a Foreign Key in MySQL, it will create an Index for you. Unfortunately, I assumed that SQL Server would do the same. Then about a year ago, I was researching ways to speed up some of the queries in a customer's application when I came across a thread on StackOverflow. What did I find? I was making the wrong assumption and you have to create both the Foreign Key and Index in SQL Server.

Article: 10 Steps to Better SharePoint Development

2010-10-21T00:00:00Z

Save it. Print it. Do whatever you normally do to catalog your favorite articles but this article by David Mann isn't just a must read for SharePoint developers everywhere. This article can be used as a checklist or roadmap in any of your future SharePoint development.

http://www.sharepointproconnections.com/article/sharepoint-development/10-Steps-to-Better-SharePoint-Development.aspx

I will clarify his point on unit testing though. We all know it can be done with expensive products but they aren't needed to get worthwhile coverage ratios. Steps 3 and 6 (Patterns and Refactoring) go a long way in making your SharePoint code more unit test friendly. The Patterns and Practice group he mentions have examples of SharePoint code using Repository, MVP, and Service Locator patterns. As you add each one of these to your code, you'll see it become more flexible and unit test friendly.

Also, his point on throwing exceptions doesn't mean run out and drop unnecessary try/catch blocks all over your code. If you're building a library and you find yourself with an empty catch block, you need to assess whether that try/catch is actually necessary or if you can just allow the error to bubble up.

SQL Saturday #28: Baton Rouge

2010-08-11T00:00:00Z

This Saturday (August 14th) LSU will be hosting SQL Saturday #28. The all day event will feature a number of great sessions and speakers. If you're a technology professional in the Baton Rouge area, this event is a must. Along with the speakers and sessions, there will be plenty of local technology professionals attending (close to 600 registered attendees) which should make it a great event for networking.

The local user groups will also have a table setup to help spread the word. If you're interested in getting involved with the .NET, SQL, or SharePoint user groups, please stop in and say hello. I'll probably spend most of the day at the table talking up the New Orleans SharePoint User Group.

SharePoint Web Part Maintenance Page

2010-07-28T00:00:00Z

On any web part page in SharePoint, you can append ?contents=1 to your query string to show the Web Part Maintenance page. For example: http://www.yourdomain.com/default.aspx?contents=1

This works in both SharePoint 2007 and SharePoint 2010.

VirtualBox UUID Change Script

2010-07-10T00:00:00Z

UPDATE: Oracle has decided to change the command from setvdiuuid to sethduuid for version 4 of VirtualBox. Please make this correction if you are using version 4.

How many times do you simply copy a virtual hard drive when you want to stand up a development environment? In VirtualBox, it isn't as simple as a simple copy, paste, and rename. Each virtual hard drive in the VirtualBox world (.vdi files) gets its own universally unique identifier, or UUID. When you copy a vdi file with your file explorer it also brings over the UUID. Fortunately, VirtualBox has a command to generate a new UUID for a copied vdi file.

%ProgramFiles%\Oracle\VirtualBox\VBoxManage.exe internalcommands setvdiuuid

Being in the SharePoint development world, I create new virtual machines all the time so I created a script to take care of the UUID change. I have a batch file named changeUUID.bat that this script is contained.

@ECHO OFF
IF "%1"=="" GOTO Error
"c:\Program Files\Oracle\VirtualBox\VBoxManage.exe" internalcommands setvdiuuid %1
GOTO Exit
:Error
ECHO No file path given!
:Exit
PAUSE

Gist Link: https://gist.github.com/knight0323/4488526

NOTE: VirtualBox does offer a command called clonevdi which will copy the vdi and ensure a new UUID is assigned to the clone. The setvdiuuid command is just a personal preference.

InfoPath Data into SharePoint List and SQL

2010-07-02T00:00:00Z

A client wished to push data into their SQL databases from an InfoPath form. Usually quite a simple task but the form was published to a SharePoint library and had fields published so they could be displayed in the library. We looked into a few different mechanisms but ultimately decided on a workflow set to start on creation or update of a list item. The workflow consisted only of a code block that produced the contents of the XML file stored in the SharePoint library and passed it into a stored procedure. The following code block was used produced the entire contents of the XML file as well as the file name.

/*
The variable workflowProperties is an instance of SPWorkflowActivationProperties:
SPWorkflowActivationProperties workflowProperties = new SPWorkflowActivationProperties();
*/
if (workflowProperties.Item.File.Exists)
{
    // get file contents
    string contents;
    using (StreamReader reader = new StreamReader(workflowProperties.Item.File.OpenBinaryStream()))
    {
        contents = reader.ReadToEnd();
    }
    string fileName = Path.GetFileNameWithoutExtension(workflowProperties.Item.File.Name);
}

At this point, you can use code to get specific values or pass the entire XML string to SQL depending on your requirements. I would recommend using SharePoint's unique ID for the list item to identify the record in SQL. This will allow you to synchronize any CRUD operation on the SharePoint record to the SQL record.

Browser List Form Editing

2010-06-24T00:00:00Z

Want the ability to add web parts and edit a List's Form pages in the browser? SharePoint comes with a built in feature that in my opinion isn't advertised enough to developers. At the end of you List Form URL, simply add the query string toolpaneview=2. It will look like:

http://yourSharePointUrl/Lists/ListName/ListFormView.aspx?toolpaneview=2

Where ListFormView.aspx is either AllItems.aspx, NewForm.aspx, DispForm.aspx, or EditForm.aspx using the default names.

Having Datasheet View Issues?

2010-06-17T00:00:00Z

If you're using Office 64-bit and you're having issues with SharePoint's datasheet view, this post is for you.

Our team recently upgraded the software on our equipment and Office 2010 64-bit was our chosen Office version. Soon after, people started asking why the datasheet view was no longer working. It just so happens that SharePoint's datasheet view doesn't play nice with 64-bit client software.

Why? The datasheet view uses a 32-bit ActiveX control. Internet Explorer 64-bit disables the datasheet view and without a 32-bit Office install IE 32-bit will give the following error:

Don't fret though. There will be no need to downgrade to a 32-bit version of Office. This problem can be fixed by installing the 2007 Office System Driver: Data Connectivity Components. Once the downloaded AccessDatabaseEngine.exe is installed, the datasheet functionality should work in both SharePoint 2007 and SharePoint 2010.

MCTS: MOSS 2007 Application Development

2010-04-26T00:00:00Z

It's long overdue but I finally decided to take the MCTS Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 Application Development certification test this past Friday. I now have both development certifications for SharePoint 2007 and just in time with SharePoint 2010 right around the corner.

MCTS 70-561 ADO.NET

2009-09-01T00:00:00Z

I took the "MCTS: Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5, ADO.NET Application Development" test yesterday. I passed but there were a few curve balls. For the most part though, it seemed like if you study at all the process of elimination can get you through this test. Most questions had at least 2 answers that could easily be eliminated.

Computer Induced Headache

2009-07-22T00:00:00Z

My mother-in-law to be was having some computer troubles and she asked me to look at it. (It was freezing at the Windows XP screen with the blue progress bar.) I picked it up about a week ago and I finally got around it looking at it last night. The first step of getting her data off was simple enough. I threw in the Ubuntu live CD and moved her files onto my 160GB portable drive.

Then I sat down to reinstall her copy of Windows. Here is where the fun began boys and girls. It froze up on the "Setup is Starting Windows" screen. I did some research online and found this [thread](http://www.hardwareanalysis.com/content/topic/13533/ "Windows XP PRO freezes on "Setup is starting Windows" text screen ") which matches my problem perfectly. I must have exhausted every possible solution listed in the entire thread to no avail... And then, by complete chance, I look off to the side and see a gutted tower with only a motherboard and cpu left in it. About four hours into this at this point, I figure why not...

I rip everything out of her computer, throw it together this old case, and start her XP install again. It runs on the first try. It must have been a cpu/motherboard issue considering the only things that changed were the motherboard and cpu, and the computer had just run a Ubuntu live without any issue.

And people wonder why I stopped fixing computers on the side when I got a job after college...

T-SQL String Padding Functions

2009-06-10T00:00:00Z

Some time ago I found myself needing to format the data within a dataset. I thought about writing the code for it but then realized that a SQL implementation would probably be more efficient. I wrote two functions fPadLeft and fPadRight to allow a varchar(MAX) to be padded with any character (in my case it was zeros).

Here's the fPadRight function:

CREATE FUNCTION fPadRight 
(
    @OrigString VARCHAR(MAX) = NULL,
    @PadLength INT = 0,
    @PadChar CHAR(1) = ''
)
RETURNS VARCHAR(MAX)
AS
BEGIN
    DECLARE @Result VARCHAR(MAX); 
    DECLARE @OrigLength INT;
 
    SET @OrigLength = LEN(@OrigString);
     
    IF (@OrigLength >= @PadLength)
    BEGIN
        SET @Result = @OrigString
    END
    ELSE
    BEGIN
        SET @Result =  @OrigString + REPLICATE(@PadChar, @PadLength - @OrigLength);
    END
 
    RETURN @Result
END
GO

The entire scripts, including if exists logic, are included in the following links:

Pad Right: https://gist.github.com/4488425

Pad Left: https://gist.github.com/4488465

MCTS WSS 3.0 App Dev

2009-04-01T00:00:00Z

I took my third MS certification test Monday. The test was MCTS Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 Application Developmetn. After working almost solely on SharePoint for the past year and cramming for the pass two weeks, I would have been extremely embarrassed had I not passed.

MCTS Web Apps

2008-08-04T00:00:00Z

I took my second MS certification test earlier today and am now a MCTS in .NET Framework 2.0 Web Applications. (MCTS = Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist) Now I can get back to my friends who have seen me become a phantom for the last week or so due to my cram sessions. 🙂

Let the adventures begin!

2008-07-25T00:00:00Z

I spent last week in a hotel room so that I could attend more SharePoint training. The class was extremely useful and I learned a lot of new and interesting things. Unfortunately, it seems like the more that I delve into SharePoint the faster I find out how much left there is to learn.

First MS Cert

2008-01-27T00:00:00Z

It's official. I took my first Microsoft certification (Exam 70-528 .Net 2.0 Web-Based Client Development) and passed with flying colors. I was a bit nervous going into the exam as the test prep book had some really hard questions. Fortunately, the test ended up being really easy after all the prep I put myself through because of those questions.

I plan on finishing up this semester (final toward Masters degree) and then I'm going to try to get at least one certification test done every 3-4 months. I may even get another one done during the semester since I'm being sent to two SharePoint development classes.

Know thy Google!

2007-03-10T00:00:00Z

A friend of mine just posted an excellent piece of information entitled "Search Google like a Pro". He covers a lot of advanced searching syntax that will help anyone who has ever been lost on the internet superhighway. It is a great read for all and those that liked my previous "Advanced Google Features" will love this post.

Programmer Personality Test

2007-03-01T00:00:00Z

I found this and thought that it was pretty interesting. I've just went through all the personality tests I can think of in my Organizational Behavior class but this one was right up my ally.

The Programmer Personality Test

Here's what mine ended up looking like:

Your programmer personality type is: PHTB

You're a Planner. You may be slow, but you'll usually find the best solution. If something's worth doing, it's worth doing right.

You like coding at a High level. The world is made up of objects and components, you should create your programs in the same way.

You work best in a Team. A good group is better than the sum of it's parts. The only thing better than a genius programmer is a cohesive group of genius programmers.

You are a liBeral programmer. Programming is a complex task and you should use white space and comments as freely as possible to help simplify the task. We're not writing on paper anymore so we can take up as much room as we need.

Is your favorite application portable?

2007-01-23T00:00:00Z

I just have to mention one of my new favorites. The website www.portableapps.com has a great program suite for portable applications. Their suite works with most portable hardware (USB flash drive, iPod, portable hard drive, etc.) and for those that do not wish to use the entire suite they also have a pretty nice library of portable applications. Best of all - its completely free.

I personally use their Lite Suite. OpenOffice was a bit much for me to put on a thumbdrive and between the Lite's AbiWord and the fact that most pc's have office software I decided against it.. I've customized it a bit so with the suite I always have Firefox, Filezilla, Notepad++, Foxit Reader, and 7-Zip just a few clicks away on any computer.

Thanks PortableApps!

Secure Computing: Up-To-Date Anti-Virus

2007-01-16T00:00:00Z

What is the number one reason why most people with virus prevention programs installed on their computer become infected? The answer is quite simple. The virus prevention software isn’t kept up-to-date.

Anti-virus software is only as good as its virus definition database and its detection software. Commercial anti-virus vendors only provide adequate updates to the virus definition and the detection software as long as the customer has paid for the updates. Today, most vendors provide 1 year of updates with the purchase of their products and many consumers choose not to renew update subscriptions after the initial period. Unfortunately, by not extending subscriptions consumers leave their computers at risk of infection.

Fortunately, free anti-virus vendors have been getting better and better reviews giving consumers another solution. There are three free anti-virus solutions that I would recommend: AntiVir Personal, Avast Home Edition, and AVG Free. These all have comparable features, free updates, and you can checkout http://www.av-comparatives.org/ for comparisons of their effectiveness against malicious code.

iPod Battery Not Holding a Charge?

2006-08-27T00:00:00Z

Next time you think your battery is going bad in your iPod because it doesn't hold a charge anymore just try draining the battery completely.

If you've read through the blog, you know that I own a 30GB iPod video (Post). I bought it so that I could have something to listen to while I'm at work and I found that it can easily go the entire work day on a single charge. But, one day recently, I went to work, turned on my iPod, and about 3-4 hours later my iPod showed low battery. I couldn't figure out what was going on and immediately I thought that my battery was going bad. Then I calmed down and started thinking about it. Never in the time that I had owned my iPod, had I ever let the battery discharge. It was worth a shot since I thought I'd be buying a new battery or even iPod. I just let my iPod play until the battery was completely dead and when I got home from work that night I plugged it in to charge overnight. The next morning when I got to work I turned it on and let it play. I left work that day and it was still going strong, EQ and all.

Advanced Google Features

2006-07-20T00:00:00Z

Unbeknown to most, the seemingly simple Google Search box is really very powerful. The following examples are just some of the ways that Google Search can be used.

Google Calculator

Google allows you to do calculations right in the search box. You can do basic arithmetic (+, -, /, *) but it also allows for a few other calculations.

Examples: Percentage of: 45% of 39 Raise to a power: 2^5 or 2**5 Convert Units: 300 Euros in USD

Google Safe Search

Every now and then you want to search for a topic that you know may return some adult results. For those of us that don't want to be bothered with adult content, Google has provided a way to prevent adult content from displaying in results. The following example shows what you would type if you wanted to search Google for "sex education" and not have adult sites in your search results.

Example safesearch: sex education

Generic safesearch:

Special Searches with Google

You can easily find the definition of words, movie information and showtimes, phone numbers, and even your local weather using Google.

Generic define: phonebook: bphonebook: rphonebook: movie: weather

Examples define:words phonebook: New Orleans, LA bphonebook: New Orleans, LA rphonebook: New Orleans, LA movie: Superman Returns weather New Orleans, LA

For the phonebook information, "bphonebook" searches business numbers only while "rphonebook" searches residential numbers only.

Site Specific Searches with Google

Google provides users with ways to search only within one website and to find all pages linked to a specific webpage.

To search within a website:

Generic site:

Example contact information site:www.jeremyknight.me

To find all linked pages:

Generic link:

Example link:www.jeremyknight.me

If you would like to learn more about Google's "hidden" features, please visit: Google Advanced Operators (Cheat Sheet)

Handling New Windows in Strict DTDs

2006-06-06T00:00:00Z

Kevin Yank on SitePoint has an article named "New-Window Links in a Standards-Compliant World" which explains a great javascript alternative to help with the Strict DTDs' lack of the anchor's target attribute.

http://www.sitepoint.com/article/standards-compliant-world

Phishing and Pharming, Awareness and Prevention

2006-05-05T00:00:00Z

Argueably one of the main security topics in recent years has been the onset and prevalence of phishing and pharming scams. Unfortunately, while many end users have heard of these threats, they remain unaware of the severity of these very dangerous scams. Users should educate themselves not only on prevention techniques but also on the scams’ processes. This article is meant to provide users with a non-technical explanation of phishing and pharming, as well as prevention techniques

Phishing

Phishing is a form of identity theft in which phishers, people that use phishing, create websites that appear to belong to legitimate companies. Phishers usually draw users to these fraudulent sites by sending websites links in authentic-looking emails, which could even include the real company’s logo. If a user is drawn to the phisher’s website and submits his or her personal information, the information is submitted to the phisher.

For example, a user receives a fake email supposedly from Bank XYZ with a link back to the site asking you to click on the link. That user then clicks the link and is sent to a page which looks like the XYZ login page but the address in the address bar at the top of the browser is not correct. When the user types in his or her user information, they aren’t logged into XYZ but instead the phisher now has his or her user information and can log into their XYZ account.

Pharming (aka Domain Spoofing)

Pharming occurs when a hacker “poisons” the domain name, or web address (www.google.com, www.yahoo.com, etc), of a website and redirects users from the “poisoned” website to another website usually owned by the hacker. Once at the hacker’s site, the pharming process is identical to phishing. Users submit information to the hacker’s site but are truly submitting their information directly to the hacker.

Unfortunately, this technique can cause large groups of users to be driven to fraudulent sites even if they type in the correct URL, or web address. The larger the website address “poisoned” the larger the pharming scam. For example, if www.google.com has been “poisoned,” when you type in www.xyz.com you would not be taken to the real XYZ page but one of the hacker’s choosing. If the page is created to look the same as the real site then it may be hard to tell that pharming has occurred since the address bar will still say www.xyz.com.

Phishing and Pharming Prevention

** As a general rule NEVER click a web address inside of an email. Even though the email seems to be from someone you know or an organization you know to be safe simply open your browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox, etc.) and navigate to the website without using the link in the email.

Phishing

Watch the address bar! Phishing does not disguise the URL in the address bar so you will be able to see the difference in the address bar at the top of your browser. If phishing is occurring the URL, or web address, will be incorrect.
If you think that you may have fallen victim to this, the best advice is to login to the real website and change your password. This will negate the information that the phisher obtained but I must stress that this be done immediately so as not to give the phisher time to change your password or collect your information.

Pharming

You CANNOT rely on the address bar. The address bar will look correct but you will not be on the website that it says.
Check names on authentication certificates. If the name doesn’t match the site you want to go to, leave the site and contact a tech to verify the authenticity of a site.

What is RSS?

2006-03-05T00:00:00Z

RSS, or Really Simple Syndication, is a format for sharing website content. RSS allows you to subscribe to websites that offer RSS feeds. Today you can find RSS feeds on news sites such as CNN and Wired, blog sites, and many more. The list of uses for RSS, as well as the list of sites using it, is growing daily.

Software is needed to read RSS feeds, and, to the delight of many users, it can be found for your computer as well being offered as a service by some websites. Sites like Google Reader and Protopage allow users to keep there RSS feeds online so that they may read them from any computer, while programs like Mozilla's Firefox, Feedreader, and SharpReader allow users to view feeds from the comfort of their own home. For those that wish to read their feeds from home but don't want additional programs, email programs are starting to integrate RSS reading functionality. Mozilla's Thunderbird email program already has this capability while Microsoft has said the next version of Outlook will have it included.

If you have further questions about RSS, please feel free to ask them in this topic.

Jeremy Knight

Git Repo Updates Made Simple

How Update-GitRepos Works

The PowerShell Script

How to Use It

Profile Run

Manual Run

FileSystemWatcher and .NET Workers

Why Not Use BackgroundService + Infinite Loop?

My Solution: IHostedService

Hosting AI at Home with Ollama

Why Host AI Locally

Models Running in Ollama

The Magic of OpenWebUI

Private Search with searxng

Developer Use Cases

Credit Where It’s Due

Closing Thoughts

The Developer Testing Toolbox

The Developer Testing Toolbox

Testing In-Depth

Testing In-Depth

C# Syntax Lowering

SQL Saturday '23 Presentations

Back to Basics: ADO.NET

SQL Saturday Baton Rouge 2023

SQL If Exists Then Drop (Updated)

Drop Statement 'IF EXISTS'

Create or Alter Procedures

Back to Basics: Unit Testing

SQL Saturday Baton Rouge 2022

Bootstrap 5 CDN Fallback

Vanilla HTML/JS

ASP.NET Razor

Back to Basics: ADO.NET

What Tools Do I Use? June 2020 Edition

The Data I Need When I Need It

Collaboration

Let's Develop Something Already!

Presentation Must Haves

SQL Last Day of Month

How I Cut the Cord

The Antenna

The DVR System

Product and Service Links

Update on ASP.NET Forms Bootstrap Menu Control

Using a Recursive CTE to Build Paths

ASP.NET Forms Disabled CSS for BootStrap

ASP.NET Membership Log Out

Testable WebForms with MVP

SQL Saturday Baton Rouge 2014

ASP.NET Forms Bootstrap Menu Control

Uncle Bob on Professional Software Development

What Tools Do I Use? Oct 2013 Edition

The Data I Need When I Need It

Collaboration

Let's Develop Something Already!

Presentation Must Haves

Lazy Strategy Pattern

SQL If Exists Then Drop

Tables

Views

Stored Procedures

User-Defined Functions

Visual Studio Tips and Tricks: Debugging

March 2013 Nicholls Presentation

Presentation Information

Additional Reading Resources

Visual Studio Tips and Tricks

A Simple CSV Export?

Wireless Security Tip: Don't Connect Automatically

Why should I turn off these convenience features?

.NET String Concatenation

Which Methods Were Tested?

How Were They Tested?

What Were the Results?

Scenario 1: Loop Concatenation

Scenario 2: Full Name Concatenation

Scenario 3: Long Text Concatenation

Scenario 4: Date Concatenation

How `Update-GitRepos` Works