We’ll I’ve not started with Windows 7 yet, but I’d thought I’d kick off with a cartoon
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Development software for small startups
Microsoft has released BizSpark, produced for the new start up development businesses that need to get going with all the latests technology. Providing the software, support and visibility required for a small business.
http://www.microsoft.com/bizspark/Default/
What are you waiting for?
Another method for aquiring the latest technology is through the Microsoft Partner Programme, which provides all the software you need to start selling Microsoft products for just £199, it does not however include any development tools.
Tracking Server Logins
It’s nice to know who and when people are logging on to your servers, here is a very simple way of recording someone logging on and logging off the server
Create a file called:
logon.cmd
echo logon %username% %computername% %date% %time% >> “C:\logon.log”
logoff.cmd
echo logoff %username% %computername% %date% %time% >> “C:\logon.log”
Update ther Group Policy, via gpedit.msc
User Configuration-> Windows Settings-> Scripts (Logon/Logoff)-> Logon
User Configuration-> Windows Settings-> Scripts (Logon/Logoff)-> Logoff
When the users log on and off a log file will be updated
Googles hidden gems
Chrome
In the Google Chrome’s address bar type:
about:internets (XP only)
about:stats
about:memory
about:network
about:histograms
about:dns
about:cache
about:plugins
about:version
Google Earth
Click [CTRL] + [ALT] + [A] in Google Earth to launch a Flight Simulator
How to create a Carousel in a webpage
The latest fad is to create Carousels to display images, and allow for easy navigation. I have not been able to find any .NET controls to enable you to create a Carousel on a web page.
[usercontrol:~/User controls/carousel.ascx]
So I set myself the task of generating a web page control to allow for easy, managed code, configuration of a Carousel Control in .NET
First I went on the hunt for a simple javaScript Carousel that I could use, I found a lovely Carousel by Doug Greenall, the information on his blog goes in to great detail of how the Carousel works, but this was not intention to go in to detail about the inner working of a Carousel.
So I downloaded Doug Greenall's Carousel and then went to adapt the javaScript code to create a single DLL Control that could be reused.
The end product is a small DLL that can be dragged and dropped in to your ASP.NET application or Website
The project solution was generated using Visual Studio 2008 Pro,with a Target Framework of ".NET Framework 2.0"
How to use the Carousel
Okay, so now I've built the Carousel Control, you now want to to know how to use it?
-
First create a new WebSite
-
Add the Carousel.dll or a project reference to your website
-
On the web page register the control (or add it to your web.config)
-
Then add the control to the page, as seen below
- Next in the code behind you need to add to the CarouselDetail collection, which will add the images, links to the Carousel
And that is it, the more you add to the CarouselDetail collection the more items will appear on the Carousel.
Embedding javascript in an assembly
I've always been able to create a standalone DLL control that can be reused in other web applications. I've never really found out how to embed other resources, or more to the point JavaScript files.
Until now
Here's how to embed the file:
- Create a js file such as carousel.js
- In Visual Studio, select the file in Solution Explorer and change the Build Action property to "Embedded Resource"
- Build the project and the carousel.js file is now part of the assembly (you don't need to distibute the js file now it's part of the assembly)
Now to get the resource out using code:
So if we have a resource named Control.carousel.js we can use the following to include it in our page:
System.IO.Stream script = Assembly.GetExecutingAssembly().GetManifestResourceStream("Control.carousel.js");
System.IO.StreamReader sr = new System.IO.StreamReader(script);
Page.ClientScript.RegisterClientScriptBlock(GetType(), "carousel", sr.ReadToEnd().ToString(), true);
sr.Close();
The above code injects the embedded file in to the page, how easy could it be?
Generating an Audit for LINQ
One of the tasks Jon was given was to create an Audit module for LINQ, and came across this link which seems to provide a solution. I’ve not had time to go over the solution, but it appears to do a very good job at first glance.
Small free and replacement for Notepad
Do you still use Notepad that ships with Windows?
I did, until I found NotePad2, it’s fast, it’s easy to use, and more to the point it works.
I’ve been using it for the past 2 months, and I have not got any clue to the features, but what I like about it is it just works and is a very good replacement for the standard Windows Notepad.
Here are the features, cribbed from the NotePad2 Website:
Customizable syntax highlighting:
- HTML, XML, CSS, JavaScript, VBScript, ASP, PHP, CSS, Perl/CGI
- C/C++, C#, Java, VB, Pascal, Assembler, SQL, Python, NSIS
- INI, REG, INF, BAT, DIFF
- Drag & drop text editing inside and outside Notepad2
- Basic regular expression search and replace
- Useful word, line and block editing shortcuts
- Rectangular selection (Alt+Mouse)
- Brace matching, auto indent, long line marker, zoom functions
- Support for Unicode, UTF-8, Unix and Mac text files
- Open shell links
- Mostly adjustable
- Auto indentation
- Bracket matching
- Encoding conversion between ASCII, UTF-8 and UTF-16 formats
- Multiple undo/redo; rectangular block selection
- Newline conversion, between DOS (CR/LF), Unix (LF) and Mac (CR) formats
How to Replace notepad with notepad2 in Vista?
- First you need to download notepad2 from here
- First you need to Rename Notepad2.exe to notepad.exe.
- Find c:\windows\notepad.exe and c:\windows\system32\notepad.exe and set the owner to ‘Administrators’, and grant Administrators full control.
- Using Windows Explorer, drag and drop the renamed notepad2.exe to c:\windows and c:\windows\system32.
- Optional replace the permissions on the new notepad.exe to Read & Execute and Read.
Another one to look at is Notepad++, it has a lovely set of plugins such as XML have a look at Tim Almonds post on the XML plugin
Getting Started with Silverlight
Microsoft® Silverlight™ Tools for Visual Studio 2008 SP1
If you going to do anything with Silverlight you’re going to have to get Blend to:
Microsoft Expression Blend™ 2 Trial
Microsoft Expression Blend™ 2 Service Pack 1
Videos
Which game for Christmas?
I have a a wobble board for my Wii and I am looking for a game to play at Xmas, but which one?