DotNetKicks.com : Stories kicked by ryanoc

jQuery and Microsoft

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 04:01:02 GMT

ScottGu announce that Microsoft will be shipping jQuery with Visual Studio going forward. We will distribute the jQuery JavaScript library as-is, and will not be forking or changing the source from the main jQuery branch. The files will continue to use and ship under the existing jQuery MIT license.

Important questions a developer should ask a prospective employer

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 07:01:08 GMT

A list of questions that software developers should ask a prospective employer during their interview process. Similar to the Joel test, but more in-depth.

Three Rules That ASP.NET Developers Should Know About SEO

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 04:01:05 GMT

Focuses on three important rules (with code snippets) that ASP.NET developers should follow to do their part of the SEO process.

How to easily enhance your existing tables with simple CSS

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 22:01:02 GMT

A detailed example of how to use CSS to style an HTML table. The example is specifically focused on styling a table generated on the client-side via AJAX, but is applicable to any HTML table.

Free Visual Studio File Explorer Add-in

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 17:31:03 GMT

The Visual Studio File Explorer Add-in (sexy name we know, but hey, it's self documenting) is a free Tool Window add-in for VS 2008 that provides a Windows Explorer style file system view. It's particularly useful for performing routine file system tasks without the need to "context switch" away from Visual Studio, which can be time-consuming over the course of days and weeks. It is shell-enabled so extensions like TortoiseSVN work too.

SQL Server 2008 Management Studio tip: Status bar Custom Colors

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 12:16:02 GMT

"Here is a handy tip for those of you who work often with multiple SQL Server instances: Custom Colors for the connection status bar."

SQL Server 2008 Express is now live!

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 06:16:09 GMT

I promised an update on SQL Express availability in my last post about the release of SQL Server 2008 so here it is. SQL Server 2008 Express is now available along with the release of the .NET Framework 3.5 SP1, which is a prerequisite and Visual Studio Express SP1. As I mentioned, there are two more editions of SQL Express on the way. There are a number of prerequisites for SQL Server 2008 that you will have to install on your own before installing SQL Express. Here is the list and basic instructions:

How to run a software development company (INTO THE GROUND)

Sun, 17 Aug 2008 02:31:02 GMT

The series will cover the things you *shouldn't* do if you hold some sort of managerial stake in a software project. Sadly these tales will be from my own personal experience working for companies that have drifted into disarray. These examples will be embellished somewhat to drive the points home, but by and large, everything you will read in these posts will be true.

Add grunge effect to text using simple CSS

Sun, 10 Aug 2008 01:01:02 GMT

Excellent, as usual, demonstration on how to do something pretty cool-looking using css by janko. Excellent style and idea inside...

Wild Nature - Wild, wild BlogEngine.NET theme

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 00:16:02 GMT

If you have wild spirit and you like nature then this might be a right theme for your blog. Wild Nature reflects pure, untouched nature washed in rain. Shades of green dominate the theme, but a touch of yellow and light brown make it looks more live. Take a look at the screenshots and download it for your blog.

Are You A Good Developer?

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 00:16:02 GMT

'Good' means having qualities that are desirable and distinguishing. From a developer's perspective, these qualities are both technical as well as non-technical. Here are some qualities that a developer should possess if he/she aims at becoming a 'good' developer.

SQL SERVER - 2005 - Difference Between INTERSECT and INNER JOIN

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 22:46:03 GMT

INTERSECT operator in SQL Server 2005 is used to retrieve the common records from both the left and the right query of the Intersect Operator. INTERSECT operator returns almost same results as INNER JOIN clause many times. When using INTERSECT operator the number and the order of the columns must be the same in all queries as well data type must be compatible. Let us see understand how INTERSECT and INNER JOIN are related.We will be using AdventureWorks database to demonstrate our example.

13 reasons for UML's descent into darkness

Mon, 04 Aug 2008 01:01:03 GMT

UML lost the programmers. There is no doubt about it. in my mind. And when a software design technology loses the programmers it fades away no matter what the academia thinks. This happened because UML was pushed in a direction that most code writers don't like: it started to look a lot like bureaucratic paper work.

Software I can't work without

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 22:46:10 GMT

I'm about to configure a new development machine this week. It's going to be my 3rd install from scratch in the last 12 months, which I know is not all that much, but certainly more than I wish I had to.

jQuery Content Slider Tutorial

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 04:46:02 GMT

This tutorial shows how to make an horizontal content slider with jQuery and a plugin called jFlow.

Dynamically create ASP.NET user control using Ajax and Web Service

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 23:31:09 GMT

To make web UI dynamic and more responsive to the various situations and modes, several techniques are used by the developers like making irrelevant controls invisible, disabling unused controls. This technique makes you page complex and heavy in size. Dynamic user control is another story. With dynamic control creation you will get the unmatched flexibility and innovation with robustness. Using this technique you can add any usercontrol to any page as per demand without postback or update panel.

Continuous scrolling pattern using JavaScript and ASP.NET

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 01:46:12 GMT

Continuous scrolling is very interesting pattern. If I would have to describe it in short I would say that new items are being loaded while you scroll down the content. It is a completely opposite pattern to a pagination. In this article, you will learn about this pattern and see how it can be implemented using JavaScript and ASP.NET.

My version of the MessageBox control

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 16:01:09 GMT

Last month Janko posted an excellent article about creating standard website message boxes. Here is my take on it. I kept the idea the same but implemented it as a custom web control instead of a user control.

Danger in Design: Why bother with Architecture?

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 22:01:12 GMT

Creativity is a wonderful thing. It's also something different for each of us, which is why sometimes our perspectives on the world can produce conflicting ideas on what is the right way and the wrong way to do things. This is a very common facet of the IT world, in particular making computer software, solutions and services.

10 reasons why SQL Server 2008 is going to rock

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 22:01:12 GMT

Just like its predecessor, SQL Server 2008 is taking its sweet time to actually ship. However, unlike its predecessor, it won't just be a "worthwhile upgrade". It will kick ass. Here are the top 10 reasons why.

Unofficial google shell... awsome

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 00:16:04 GMT

Web base command shell for google. What else can I say?...

UFRAME: goodness of UpdatePanel and IFRAME combined

Tue, 27 May 2008 00:16:03 GMT

UFrame simulates the behavior of IFRAME on a DIV. Any page can be loaded inside a DIV and hyperlink navigation and form posts happen within the DIV. As a result, a regular page can start providing AJAX features without ever writing any AJAX code. ASP.NET MVC websites can now use UFrame instead of UpdatePanel.

CSS Message Boxes for different message types

Fri, 23 May 2008 01:01:04 GMT

Can you believe this: Few days ago I went to my bank to check my credit score with the Credit Bureau. The bank official typed in my personal data and sent a request. Web application responded by displaying a yellow message box with an exclamation icon saying that data processing is still in progress. He checked several more times, but he didn't notice that at one moment the message changed to "Account available". But the message box hasn't changed. He continued to check a few more times and eventually he realized that the request was successful. I don't know what was in the minds of developers and designers who created this application, but it certainly wasn't the user. This poor bank official was really frustrated. I can't imagine what the rest of the application looks like.

Get Motivated - Motivational Poster Generator + Source

Thu, 08 May 2008 04:01:02 GMT

"I chose to focus on the typography and the color selection for the slogan. All of this is put together through one remote invoke to the aspx application on the server. On the server, there is a method called ReworkPage that takes an URL to an image, a slogan, and subtext. This method does all the work of building the image."

How To Impress At Your Next Interview

Mon, 07 Apr 2008 22:01:03 GMT

Over the years, I have had the opportunity to interview a lot of prospective developers. In that time I have come to understand more clearly what it is that impresses me most. And it might not be what you expect.