Owner: Software Development Topics URL:http://www.devtopics.com Join Date: Wed, 13 Jun 2007 10:56:58 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: DevTopics.com is a blog about software development topics, with a focus on C# and the Microsoft .NET framework. DevTopics also discusses the creation and management of software companies, the software development process, and improving the computer experi Site statistics:Click here
Count Items in a C# Enum 2007-07-23 15:23:30 You can count the number of constants defined in a C# enumeration with the static Enum.GetNames method. This returns an Array containing the names of the constants defined in the enumeration. You can then check the Array's Length property.
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Padding: Like a Rectangle, but Not 2007-07-26 17:20:13 The .NET 2.0 upgrade included many minor improvements that are easily overlooked. One such improvement is Padding
, a handy structure in the System.Windows.Forms namespace that you may find useful for representing offsets, margins or padding in the user interface.
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Simplify Delegates with Inferences 2007-07-25 08:21:47 Delegates can be tricky to understand. Think of a delegate as a reference to a method.
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Programmer's Nightmare: Cubital Tunnel Syndrome 2007-08-02 18:14:28 No programmers were harmed during development of this article.
(Not true… my cubital hurts like mad today!)
A programming career is supposed to offer advantages such as longevity and limited physical risk. Unlike an athlete or blue-collar worker whose livelihood depends on physical ability and can be cut short by injury or aging, most programmers should expect to work right up until retirement, as long as they can raise donut to mouth. But a nasty secret in the software industry is how repetitive stress injuries including carpal tunnel and cubital tunnel syndrome can make programming a literal pain and threaten your career.
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, Nightmare
, Syndrome
SecureString: Safe from Forensics, but not Surveillance 2007-08-08 07:51:14 The SecureString class is new in the System.Security namespace with the .NET v2.0 upgrade. SecureString keeps sensitive data encrypted in memory so that it cannot be easily stolen. SecureString plugs a specific security hole but does not guard against all threats while securing information in applications.
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Convert Between Generic IEnumerable<T> 2007-09-20 16:43:49 Generics in .NET 2.0 provides the ability to create strongly-typed collections in C#. Unfortunately, C# currently does not support generics variance, which would allow inheritance of generic types.
For example, consider a list of strings and a list of objects:
List<string> strings = new List<string>();
strings.Add( "hello" );
strings.Add( "goodbye" );
List<object> objects = new List<object>();
objects.AddRange( strings );
The final line in the code above generates a compiler error. But why? Since the 'string' class derives from the 'object' class, one would expect List<string> to also implicitly derive from List<object>. This capability is called generics variance, but C# currently does not support it.
Fortunately, you can brute force your way to a solution by creating a generic Convert
IEnumerable method:
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Property Delegates with Anonymous Methods 2007-09-28 10:39:58 No programming language is perfect. In spite of the many strengths of C#, there are still a few gaping holes, including generics variance and property delegates.
A delegate is a reference to a method. Unfortunately, C# currently does not support property delegates, in other words, a reference to a property. But there are a few workarounds, one of which involves anonymous methods.
An anonymous method is a new feature in C# 2.0 that enables you to define an anonymous (nameless) method called by a delegate. Anonymous methods are perfect when there is no need for multiple targets, and the code is relatively short and simple. They also come in handy when you need a delegate to a property.
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Microsoft to Share .NET Framework Code 2007-10-08 09:15:55 Microsoft has announced that it will release the source code for the .NET Framework
with .NET version 3.5 later this year. Microsoft will release the code under its Reference License. This is essentially "read-only mode," meaning that you can view the source code for reference and debugging, but you cannot modify or distribute the code. This is Microsoft's most restrictive shared-code license and should not be confused with "open source" code such as Linux and the projects on SourceForge.Net. (more…) Read more:Microsoft
, Share
The Rise and Fall of Visual Basic 2007-10-04 10:03:18 Great empires often fall from within.
The death knell for VisualBasic
is premature, but it's true that VB has deviated from its original vision as an "Application Construction Kit" for the masses and has lost significant market share as a result.
Tim Anderson summed it up best:
It sounds like perfection. Microsoft had perhaps the largest number of developers in the world hooked on a language which in turn was hooked to Windows. Yet Microsoft took this asset of incalculable value and apparently tossed it aside. Back in 2002, Microsoft announced that the language was to be replaced by something new, different and incompatible. That caused rumblings that continue today. Developers expressed emotions ranging from frustration to anger. They felt betrayed.
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Print-on-Demand: Exciting but Bumpy New Road 2007-10-31 09:18:33 Though by profession I am a software developer, like most developers I am also a voracious software consumer. My job requires me to use many different software tools, and I also use software to automate and manage many aspects of my personal life.
So naturally when it came time to produce a photo book for my parents' joint 75th birthdays, I jumped on the new wave of "Print
-On-Demand" (POD) book publishing. With POD, you create your own book in a word processor or desktop publishing program, and then you can publish one or many professionally-bound copies of your new hardcover masterpiece for a very reasonable fee.
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C# Stable Sort 2007-11-05 09:56:16 A sort is stable if the original order of equal elements is preserved. An unstable sort does not guarantee that equal elements will appear in their original order after sorting.
The Sort methods used by the .NET collections are unstable. These sort methods, which include System.Array.Sort and System.Collections.Generic.List<T>.Sort, use the QuickSort algorithm, which is relatively fast but in this case, unstable. However, there may be instances where you require a stable sort, so a custom solution is required.
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Convert Between Synchronous and Asynchronous 2007-11-19 12:25:53 When a program calls a synchronous function, the program halts and waits for the function to finish executing. When a program calls an asynchronous function, the program does not wait and continues to execute while the asynchronous function executes in the background.
By default, C# methods are synchronous. External functions that can take a long time to execute–such as interprocess communications (IPC) and database queries–are typically asynchronous. However, there may be instances where you need to make a synchronous function asynchronous and vice-versa.
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Free Developer Tools 2007-11-29 07:34:31 Following are some simple but useful FREE tools for software developers. Each tool is freely distributable and includes the original C# source code so you can modify the tool to your needs. These tools are not supported. Enjoy!
Color Gadget
Select a .NET KnownColor or other color, copy RGB and hex values to the clipboard.
Free Download
Guid Generator
Generate a new globally-unique ID and copy it to the clipboard.
Free Download
Hex Converter
Quickly convert between hex and decimal numbers.
Free Download
Shortcut Replace
Search/replace the path and working directory in a collection of shortcut (.lnk) files.
Free Download
Visual Studio Toolbox Installer
Console program that installs/removes tabs and custom controls and components in the Visual Studio .NET Toolbox.
Free Download
Window Watcher
Shows the form and clie Read more:Developer
, Tools
C# ?? Operator 2007-11-28 12:24:33 C# 2.0 introduced the ?? or null coalescing operator. The ?? operator has two operands and can be used in an expression as follows:
x = y ?? z;
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PC's and the Disabled: 20 Molehills that Become Mountains 2007-11-27 08:52:53 For the disabled PC user, every mouse click and keystroke can be a major effort or literal pain. So disabled users will often go to great lengths to automate repetitive tasks and minimize the steps required to perform each task. This includes the use of macros, voice recognition, mouse and keyboard utilities, and special hardware such as head-controlled mice and programmable button boards.
But in spite of these efforts, disabled PC users are often confounded by all-too-common problems found in today's Windows and Web applications.
Following are 20 problems with PC software that may be minor nits for many users but can be a huge problem for the disabled. These are presented in no particular order, as each problem's severity depends on the situation and individual.
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, Become
Visual Studio 2008 and .NET 3.5 Released 2007-11-26 10:23:27 Microsoft has released Visual
Studio 2008 and .NET Framework v3.5. These upgrades enable .NET software developers to rapidly create more secure, manageable, and reliable applications and take advantage of new features found in Windows Vista and Microsoft Office 2007.
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Best C# Blogs 2007-12-11 07:55:18 What makes a C# blog good? Pretty much the same thing that makes any blog good, but with a focus on C#, of course. Good C# blogs have:
Useful news, information, tips and code samples
Regular updates
Original content, not a splog or news feed
Good organization, including categories and tags
Healthy discussion and user comments
Personal insight and humor, but not too much personal drivel
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C# Object Initialization 2007-12-08 10:55:04 When constructing a C# Object
, it’s important to understand the order in which the object’s fields and constructors are initialized:
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What's a Developer to Do Over the Holidays? 2007-12-21 16:04:07 Oh the weather outside is frightful, But the snacks are so delightful,And since we’ve no place to go,Let me code, let me code, let me code!
What should a software developer do over the holidays? Many take off to be with family and friends during the last two weeks of December. Others (including me) have spouses who must work or have used up vacation, so they find themselves working in half-empty companies.
There are indeed some benefits to working over the holidays:
Fewer interruptions
More relaxed pace
Good time to catch up on things
Arrive later, leave earlier
Usually lots of good food
But of course there are downsides:
Miss your family and friends
Co-workers can be grumpy
Can be tough to motivate yourself
Many software companies recognize the holiday weeks will have diminished production, so the management accommodates this reality by encouraging developers to spend the time “sharpening their swords.”
There are many things a developer can do Read more:Holidays
, Developer
Funding a Software Startup 2007-12-19 14:12:16 Launching a startup software company is like legal gambling: The stakes are high, the odds are against you, but with persistence and good luck, you could strike it rich. But as the saying goes, you have to spend money to make money, and software startups can burn through cash like a brush fire through Silicon Valley. So the trick is to find enough capital to fund your startup until it can sustain itself with customer revenue, without giving up too much ownership and control to your investors.
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, Software
, Funding
Venture Capital Spreads Beyond Silicon Valley 2008-03-12 08:28:37 If you have a software startup and are looking to raise big money from venture capitalists, SiliconValley
in California is the place to be. But new data from PricewaterhouseCoopers, National Venture
Capital Association (NVCA) and Thomson Financial shows that several cities outside Silicon Valley
have the highest growth rates for startups and venture capital [...]
Programmer or Serial Killer? 2008-03-10 22:12:34 Take a short, fun quiz to see if you can tell the difference between a serial killer and programming language inventor. I scored 8/10, which the site says is "Pretty good; it seems you know your JavaBeans from your fava beans, your slashers from your slash dotters."
Take the Quiz Read more:Programmer
, Serial
, Killer
A New Type of "Virtual Machine" 2008-03-06 08:57:36 What's wrong with this picture? Could it be the super-sized laptop? Or that the laptop is translucent and you can see the sidewalk behind it? Maybe it's the fact that the laptop isn't really there…
Julian Beever is an English artist famous for his elaborate 3-D chalk drawings in England, France, Germany and the USA. [...] Read more:Machine
, Virtual Machine
Coalition Seeks to End Software Patents 2008-03-05 08:54:38 Several patent reform organizations have joined forces to abolish software patents. The End SoftwarePatents
(ESP) coalition aims to eliminate patents that do not specify a physically innovative step, which would likely include many of the software patents granted today. The coalition was founded by the Free Software Foundation, Public Patent Foundation, and Software Freedom [...]
Hello, I'm a Mac 2008-03-03 08:49:54 Apple's share of the U.S. PC market jumped to 8.1% in the third quarter of 2007, a 37% increase from the previous year. One reason for Apple's surging success is its catchy "Hello
, I'm a Mac" commercials starring Justin Long as "Mac" and John Hodgman as "PC":
As you might expect, these successful Mac vs. [...]
Software Senryu (Haiku) 2008-02-29 10:37:58 Senryu (literally 'river willow') is a Japanese form of short poetry similar to haiku, with three lines of 5-7-5 syllables. Senryu tends to be about human foibles, while haiku tends to be about nature; senryu is often cynical or darkly humorous, while haiku is serious.
Assembled from the Internet is a collection of senryu about [...] Read more:Software
, Haiku
One Million Objects 2008-02-28 11:03:59 Quick: How long does it take to construct one million C# objects?
C# 411 Launched! 2008-02-24 10:10:53 Please check out C# 411, a new blog from the author of DevTopics that focuses on the C# programming language and .NET Framework and is full of C# information, news, tips and code. Read more:Launched
20 Famous Software Disasters 2008-02-12 11:34:20 "To err is human, but to really foul things up you need a computer." –Paul Ehrlich
Software
errors cost the U.S. economy $60 billion annually in rework, lost productivity and actual damages. We all know software bugs can be annoying, but faulty software can also be expensive, embarrassing, destructive and deadly. Following are 20 famous software [...] Read more:Famous
, Disasters
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