DotNetKicks.com : Stories kicked by Obishawn

Practical .NET Unit Testing - Free paper released

Fri, 01 May 2009 07:46:02 GMT

A free unit testing paper that covers why you should write unit tests, the mechanics of unit testing, common testing strategies, designing for testability, and advanced testing techniques. It's an ongoing project, but it's complete enough to hopefully start getting early feedback and suggestions!

"int" inherits from object? An investigation into how & why.

Sat, 18 Apr 2009 03:16:29 GMT

Value types like Int32 ultimately derive from "object". If that's the case, why do they need to be boxed? Whey do they not have the same performance overhead? This post investigates these questions and more.

Maintaining Consistent Line Lengths

Tue, 07 Apr 2009 09:20:41 GMT

A quick Visual Studio tip on maintaining a consistent code line length.

Content Stealing Jerks

Sun, 29 Mar 2009 22:01:02 GMT

I've grown somewhat accustomed to seeing my articles regurgitated on some random blogger's site and passed off as their own. Usually I just send content stealing jerk (CSJ for future reference) an e-mail asking that they provide some sort of link back to my original article and leave it at that. Sometimes they comply, oftentimes they don't. In the end, life goes on. After all, it's not like I'm going to press charges over it.

Slick inline trace logging in ASP.NET using log4net

Wed, 04 Mar 2009 01:04:20 GMT

Easily configure log4net and ASP.NET to display inline tracing information on your pages for debugging and performance monitoring.

Azure - Performance, IoC, and Instances

Fri, 20 Feb 2009 19:01:04 GMT

My experience so far working with Azure. Some performance testing, IoC container incompatibilities, and frustration with instances.

WebForms or MVC? What about the third option?

Fri, 13 Feb 2009 04:01:19 GMT

I've read a lot of posts and articles about why and when you should choose WebForms or the MVC framework to build your ASP.NET websites. They are all pretty good, but for some reason they forget or ignore the obvious third option - standard ASP.NET without the WebForm.

Using C# "Yield" for Readability and Performance

Wed, 04 Feb 2009 22:46:30 GMT

I must have read about "yield" a dozen times. Only recently have I began to understand what it does, and the real power that comes along with it. I'm going to show you some examples of where it can make your code more readable, and potentially more efficient.

Extension Methods

Tue, 27 Jan 2009 01:01:03 GMT

The single responsibility principle (SRP) is a strategy for structuring our code to make it more maintainable and testable. In this post, I'm going to discuss how we can use extension methods to make our code easier to read and satisfy the idea behind SRP.

Don't use Delete Links because they create Security Holes

Thu, 22 Jan 2009 07:46:02 GMT

Reasons why you shouldn't use a Delete link in your web application

Entity framework designer "entityset" naming bug

Tue, 13 Jan 2009 03:21:51 GMT

SuperJason describes what appears to be a bug in the Entity Framework designer around naming of entity sets so that you won't be caught off-guard by it.

Don't lose your code - 3 methods that can help

Mon, 05 Jan 2009 21:22:34 GMT

Inevitably, you'll lose power to your computer, have a hard drive crash, have lightening strike, accidentally delete code that hasn't been checked in, or encounter some other crazy scenario that I can't even imagine. What is your plan? Read on if you want some solutions that may just save your code.

Generic Method Overloading Selection Pitfall

Sat, 03 Jan 2009 01:01:02 GMT

Recently I ran into a very unexpected behavior when working with an overloaded generic method. Basically, the selection process for overloaded versions of generic methods is different than their non-generic counterparts. Please be aware of this issue!

Advantages of a 3rd party diff/compare tool

Fri, 26 Dec 2008 22:25:34 GMT

I recently spent nearly an hour trying to figure out why all of my unit tests stopped working in a particular class. It turns out that I had accidentally deleted a single character in one of my strings, but the built in diff tool that comes with Team Foundation Server is very simplistic. Learn how and why you can replace your stock compare tool with something a little more powerful.

How I've put my wife into SVN

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 17:31:14 GMT

SVN and TortoiseSVN are really great tools. It is a shame that these tools are used only by developers. I believe that every home should use SVN to keep track of it's files. The problem is that these tools are planned for developers. Using the file-system in windows is not a trivial task for everyone. In fact, sometimes people tend to be afraid of it. Not only using the file-system, but also using some client application that does not even have a window? And where do I get an SVN server anyway?!? Keep reading. you might find it useful.

Continuous Integration Display Wall

Thu, 27 Nov 2008 06:16:16 GMT

Awesome 4 monitor display wall for visualizing a CruiseControl.NET build process.

Cloud Computing (and Azure) - Right for your site?

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 09:16:02 GMT

A quick overview of cloud computing options and benefits from a web hosting standpoint.

Software Tools You Should Be Using and Blogs You Should Be Reading

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 19:01:02 GMT

Advice on how to become a great developer and not just a monkey programmer.

C# 4.0 New Features Part 1 - dynamic keyword

Tue, 28 Oct 2008 22:01:14 GMT

A quick look at the new "dynamic" keyword in C# 4.0 and its implications for application development.

The Excitement that is C# 4.0

Tue, 28 Oct 2008 19:01:02 GMT

I just got back from the "Future of C#" talk at PDC by Anders Hejlsberg. This was a truly inspiring talk for a geek like me. C# is evolving into a much more dynamic language. I have always been a believer of strong typing. except when I'm not. and I have been wishing for something more dynamic (such as Duck Typing). In C# 4.0, we will be seeing some significant dynamic features.

jQuery IntelliSense documentation file available

Tue, 28 Oct 2008 17:31:12 GMT

IntelliSense documentation files for jQuery just got published on jquery.com. This enables great IntelliSense at design-time for jQuery in Visual Studio 2008.

Essential Visual Studio Tips & Tricks that Every Developer Should Know

Wed, 22 Oct 2008 07:01:02 GMT

In this blog entry, Stephen Walther lists the essential tips and tricks that every developer who uses Visual Studio 2008 should know. The list is kept brief. The list focuses on only those tips and tricks that can be used on a daily basis. Almost all of these tips and tricks are just as useful regardless of whether you are building an ASP.NET Web Forms or ASP.NET MVC application.

ASP.NET MVC Pro's and Con's

Fri, 24 Oct 2008 00:16:06 GMT

Some of the main pro's and con's of the new style for building web applications (ASP.NET MVC).

Response.Redirect and Output Caching Trouble

Mon, 13 Oct 2008 23:14:04 GMT

Be careful when conditionally redirecting pages when using output caching. This post describes a potential issue you could run into, and provides some analysis and workarounds.

10 Programming Proverbs Every Developer Should Know

Wed, 08 Oct 2008 07:01:02 GMT

Proverbs are used to express universal truths or life lessons in a short and memorable fashion. I find that they are a great way to keep things in perspective, both in life and in work. Because of this, I have assembled 10 programming proverbs that every developer needs in their arsenal.