DotNetKicks.com : Stories kicked by Tr3v

Code Contract framework

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 07:31:27 GMT

When we write code we often have to validate the parameters passed into our methods to make sure that they are appropriate, this usually leaves us with repettitive and ugly code at the start of each method. How nice would it be if we could replace that with a more readable & more concice structure so that we can simply write: Require.That(fileInfo, IsNot.Null, Is.ExistingFileSystemObject)

LINQ to SQL is NOT dead!

Sun, 07 Jun 2009 19:00:03 GMT

Ever since Microsoft announced that the Entity Framework was their ORM of choice, people everywhere have been saying, "LINQ to SQL is dead!" A lot of people feel like they're not allowed to use LINQ to SQL anymore and that they have to use Entity Framework instead. In fact, LINQ to SQL is not only alive and well, Microsoft has even announced LINQ to SQL improvements in .NET 4.0, including finally adding using ITable<T> for tables instead of Table<T>, which makes it much easier to test. Combine that with this open source tool that will create an IDataContext interface for you and you're on your way to testable LINQ to SQL. So no, LINQ to SQL is not dead!!

Should We Return Null From Our Methods?

Sat, 06 Jun 2009 18:15:06 GMT

I read a interesting article recently about the potential perils of Null Check Hell. The author's suggestion? Stop allowing any of your methods to return nulls, ever . No nulls returned, no null checks necessary. Problem solved, right?

The Greatest Exception Handling WTF?!? of All Time

Thu, 28 May 2009 10:00:00 GMT

The Exception object has ONE purpose and ONE purpose only - to represent a runtime error, nothing more. Exceptions should never be used for purposes for which they were not intended -- or you could end up with this monstrosity...

Why testing for exceptions with NUnit 2.5 is better

Wed, 27 May 2009 17:30:00 GMT

The popular unit testing framework NUnit 2.5 is out. Among lots of changes, one of the most significant ones is the replacement of the [ExpectedException] attribute by the new syntax Assert.Throws. This post discusses some of the benefits of this change.

No bandwidth MSDN: Reflector

Sun, 26 Apr 2009 01:01:17 GMT

How you can use Reflector to browse the insides of the .NET framework classes and why choosing Reflector over MSDN will make you a better developer.

Using complex types to make calling services less... complex

Tue, 07 Apr 2009 22:46:03 GMT

A detailed examination of how jQuery can call ASP.NET AJAX web services (or page methods) with complex types as parameters, to simplify the process of serializing and sending several fields of data at a time.

Ten C# Keywords That You Shouldn't Be Using

Thu, 02 Apr 2009 20:31:03 GMT

Overview of some not-so-common keywords and reasons to avoid them...or understand what the implications are if we use them.

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.

SELECT TOP N Rows Per Group/Category in SQL Server

Wed, 01 Apr 2009 22:01:03 GMT

I call this a query with the 3S - Short, Sweet and Simple - Check this cool example by SuprotimAgarwal to select top 'n' rows for each group or category..

Easy Way To Understand LINQ

Mon, 23 Mar 2009 21:52:16 GMT

very limited but simple way to understand the linq query. Once you get this, you can understand more complex queries easily.

If you have a shiny new hammer

Fri, 20 Mar 2009 16:41:00 GMT

Extension methods are cool and tempting. But try not to overdo it - sometimes less is more. Contains a review of the Generic Extension Method Project.

Exploring C# Boxing

Sun, 22 Mar 2009 03:16:05 GMT

Boxing in C# has little to do with Saturday night television and quite a bit more however with that part-time job at the warehouse you had as a student. It is an important concept in C# that is related to how the compiler handles different kinds of variables in memory. Knowing how the compiler handles the various types allows you to avoid unexpected side effects in your code. This article explains what boxing is, how it works and how it can negatively effect your code if you don't pay attention to it.

10 C# Shorthands that improve productivity

Tue, 17 Mar 2009 22:46:02 GMT

One of the best things about C# is that as the language and libraries expand thought is put into keeping things readable. Below I have listed 10 shorthands that you can use to make your code tighter and less wordy. No doubt you know one or more already - but do you currently use all ten of them ?

Creating SOLID Code: Liskov Substitution Principle

Fri, 13 Mar 2009 22:46:25 GMT

Taking a look at how to create SOLID Code: Creating SOLID Code: Liskov Substitution Principle (LSP). This is a Third in a series where we will take a look at each of the parts the SOLID Principle

6 SEO Tips For ASP.NET URL's

Tue, 10 Mar 2009 23:31:55 GMT

If you are building a new ASP.NET application, SEO has become a big factor in how you plan the structure / code of the site. But quite an important part of the site which are often overlooked are the URL's, and a lot of people do the basics which I'll show below but there are a few common things people tend to miss or never thought could be a problem...

What's the difference between CONST and READONLY in .Net?

Tue, 10 Mar 2009 19:01:16 GMT

Ever sit around talking to your co-workers about random things, when all of a sudden you ask "What's the difference between const and readonly in .Net?". If so, you are not alone. If not, well, you're just weird.

C# Design Patterns - The Facade Pattern

Tue, 10 Mar 2009 18:16:10 GMT

In our city dog registration application lets assume there are a few things that need to be done when a new dog is registered. First the new dog and it's owners must be entered into the system. Next the registration fee must be processed. Finally, we want the system to send the owners the welcome email. This is a very simple example but this action requires 3 separate systems to do something in order to complete this one task of registering a new dog.

Creating RSS Feeds Using ASP.NET 3.5

Thu, 19 Feb 2009 22:01:05 GMT

"We wanted to have an RSS feed so customers could keep up to date with new or recently updated Dovetail Knowledge Base articles. My personal mental gate was that I really didn't want to try to figure out how to properly create an RSS or Atom feed and I didn't want to bother with complex heavy handed frameworks like Argotic. Then one day Josh introduced me to the System.ServiceModel.Syndication namespace (introduced in .Net 3.5) and my life was never the same. "

Today I've Realized How Far We Have To Go

Thu, 12 Feb 2009 07:01:02 GMT

A call to climb on the shoulders of giants within the software develeopment industry.

BackgroundWorker complete example

Fri, 13 Feb 2009 00:16:03 GMT

Cancellation support, progress report and error handling. Example project in C#

8 ways to be a better programmer in 6 minutes.

Tue, 10 Feb 2009 17:31:06 GMT

It's always nice to read a post where you already follow some of the suggestions but find the odd useful nugget, I dislike seeing literals in my source code and the hint about making them stand out with nasty color coding is something I'll be giving a go!

EventHandler Extension Method

Tue, 10 Feb 2009 04:41:11 GMT

Useful extension method for raising events

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.

Static typed propety names

Wed, 04 Feb 2009 16:46:04 GMT

This blog post describes how to avoid using literals with property names (like "FirstName") and protecting from mistyping those names in your code. Examples based on Nhibernate queries, notifying on property changes and displaying error messages...