DotNetKicks.com : Stories kicked by Pagem

Fixing Actionscript XML newline problem

Thu, 02 Aug 2007 14:57:31 GMT

I was having a nightmare with a newline \n coming through from an XML document literally as \n when I passed the text into a DynamicText object in ActionScript 2, Flash CS3. Mark Page found this solution...

IsGuid() method (Regular Expression Based Guid Validation)

Tue, 24 Jul 2007 16:46:02 GMT

Here is a function I try to keep handy which tests a string for a Guid and returns True or False.

Launching an Ajax ModalPopupExtender from JavaScript

Tue, 10 Jul 2007 15:16:01 GMT

This article is based on the popular "Launching a ModalPopupExtender from JavaScript" article. The original was written for Atlas, this is the updated version for Ajax.

Centering a DIV using the negative margin method

Thu, 21 Jun 2007 16:46:02 GMT

An oldie but a goodie.. This method is very clean and works in all browsers.

Fixing broken users after Database Restore

Fri, 22 Jun 2007 03:16:02 GMT

Ever restored a Database which was created on a different server then not been able to use the same logon you had previously set up?

DTS, Excel and mixed format columns

Wed, 20 Jun 2007 19:25:03 GMT

I recently had a problem DTS importing an Excel spreadsheet which contained columns with mixed text and data values. After a bit of hunting around, I found an extended property IMEX=1. The IMEX=1 property forces everything to text when reading from a source.

Web 2 Ajax Style Animated Gif's and Generator MORE NEEDED!!

Thu, 21 Jun 2007 09:16:01 GMT

When searching high and low for a ajax style wait icon I came across the following handy sites. Please send me links to more.

Sorting an XML document in C# using XSL

Wed, 20 Jun 2007 15:16:02 GMT

I needed to sort some XML in C# before itterating through the document. In the end I used the XslCompiledTransform to apply an XSL stylesheet to the XML document. Works very quickly. For reference, this is how I did it.

Credit Card Validation with Regex

Thu, 21 Jun 2007 12:16:02 GMT

First stage of Visa and Mastercard validation with regex.

DateTime.ToString() Patterns

Mon, 18 Jun 2007 15:16:01 GMT

Handy list of DateTime.ToString() patterns. Bookmark it ;-)

class.Serialize()

Mon, 18 Jun 2007 16:46:01 GMT

Handly little function which I include in most classes. This function returns the object serialized as XML, perfect for logging etc.

Highlighting keywords in text using Regex.Replace (Perfect for SEO)

Mon, 18 Jun 2007 22:01:01 GMT

I needed to take some text and bold certain keywords before returning the data to the web browser (this was to enhance Search Engine Optimization). The following example shows how I achieved it.

Select a row in an asp:GridView without using a Select Command

Thu, 21 Jun 2007 20:31:01 GMT

This article has caused a lot of discussion. Does what it says on the tin.

Programmatically resolving ~ URL's to the Virtual Root

Tue, 19 Jun 2007 08:31:02 GMT

The base WebControl class exposes a method named ResolveURL(). This method accepts a url such as "~/Customers/Profile.aspx" and returns the real url, starting from your site's virtual root.

Null Coalescing (Or how to make Default values sound frightening)

Mon, 18 Jun 2007 13:46:02 GMT

C# 2.0 introduced a little known, and somewhat useful new operator called the Null Coalescing Operator.

Terrible Spelling in VS2005 becomes a thing of the past

Wed, 20 Jun 2007 10:01:01 GMT

If you haven't found this excellent spell check plugin already, the geekzilla team are on standby to help. Also, I hear they are recruiting for authors. Register for your account today.

Increase your Virtual machine's disk capacity

Wed, 06 Jun 2007 12:16:02 GMT

So you've virtualised your development environment, and you've only gone and ran out of space on your system disk. This handy little guide takes you through extending your system volume. Also the geekzilla team are recruiting new content authors. Sign up now for your free account..

uTorrent Server Vista Gadget

Mon, 04 Jun 2007 23:31:01 GMT

The geekzilla team continues to enhance the accessibility of your torrent server with this great find on Microsoft's Web site!!! Now you can monitor your torrents from anywhere, using your Vista Sidebar!!

Adding a transparent background to a Vista Gadget

Tue, 05 Jun 2007 19:46:01 GMT

Adding a transparent background to a gadget is easy! Simply create a transparent .png file and reference it from your Gadget HTML.

A simple guide to creating your first Vista Gadget

Wed, 30 May 2007 08:26:31 GMT

Gadgets are simply HTML and JavaScript. The SideBar exposes a bunch of API's which are accessible from JavaScript and extends the HTML schema. In this short guide we will greate a simple "Hello World" gadget.

Using a .Net 2.0 anonymous delegate when generating a thumbnail

Thu, 24 May 2007 14:01:08 GMT

Rather than using a mehod which does nothing except return false. Use a .Net 2.0 anonymous delegate for the GetThumbnailImageAbort parameter.

GeekZilla, By Invitation Only

Tue, 22 May 2007 14:45:31 GMT

GeekZilla opens it's doors for the first time. Invitation only though.

XMLHTTPRequest in Stored Procedure

Wed, 23 May 2007 13:01:01 GMT

How to make a HTTP request from a SQL stored proc

Migrating to Microsoft Ajax RTM - missing Json Converters

Sun, 06 May 2007 11:52:53 GMT

I recently migrated a large project from an old ATLAS CTP to the MS AJAX RTM were I was using web service calls to get data via typed datasets. The lack of JSON converters for DataSet, DataTable and DataRow was a real problem. Lots of 'System.InvalidOperationException: A circular reference was detected...' errors. Here is how I got around it with minimal fuss.

Programmatically send emails using Google mail server and System.Net.M

Mon, 09 Apr 2007 10:46:01 GMT

Did you know you can use Google's gmail mail server to send and receive emails programmatically? It's true, Google folks allow you to use their mail servers to send emails programmatically from your applications.