Visual Studio 2008
JavaScript Features
JavaScript support in Visual Studio 2008 has been greatly increase and now has intellisense similar to C# coding. It also allows us to debug our JavaScript by the user of breakpoints and stepping through code. This will be a huge benefit to the team as we can leverage our existing debugging skill set at the web presentation layer of our applications.
LINQ (VS 2008)
LINQ in Visual Studio 2008 provides standard development syntax for accessing data, regardless of where the data resides. For example, the same syntax can access either SQL Server or XML data. LINQ is used rather than TSQL inside the application language, such as C# or VB.
Entity Data Services
ADO.NET Data services in the 3.5 version of the .Net framework now allows for high level business objects to be created, such as Customers or Parts. These entities can be used rather than the standard method of returning individual rows and tables. If you’re using E-R (entity relationship) modelling, your objects in SQL will now match your modelling. There are several new ADO.NET frameworks that can access these entities such as the Line-of-Business (LOB) framework and the Entity Query Language (eSQL).
Image Library
Visual Studio now contains standardised images from Windows, Office and other Microsoft software to keep your software consistent with Microsoft. This will give our application a familiar look other Microsoft products and look very professional in a commercial environment.
Plug-ins
Visual Studio 2008 extends the ability to create plug in tools for the IDE. Plug-ins are not something that we as a department will develop, however there are a greater number of plug-ins to increase our productivity available on the web. For instance the Class Builder wizard plug-in reduced the amount of code for new classes. There are a number of these that are available for free.
Unit testing
Visual Studio 2008 ships with a built in unit testing that allow use to build on our existing testing skills. Currently we use an added tool, NUnit, to perform automated testing. With 2008 we will have another tool at our disposal to increase the options we have when it comes to the testing of our applications.
Visual SourceSafe
We currently use the 2005 version of this software. Visual Studio 2008 requires an update to be compatible with VS2008. This currently available for download from the Microsoft web site and will not require a license upgrade for Visual SourceSafe
Link:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=8a1a68d8-db11-417c-91ad-02aab484776b&displaylang=en
Improved HTML and CSS features
The latest version of Visual Studio provides a split view when developing the HTML presentation layer page. We can now view the HTML alongside the design view, removing the time spent swapping between views to see how our changes have affected the look of the page.
There is also a CSS Style manger that increases the support for CSS in Visual Studio and also provides intellisense. There are also a few very useful tools to help the developer use CSS. This is a relatively new area for the team and these new supporting tools will be great help in an area where we are currently lacking.
Code editing enhancements
Visual Studio 2008 provides many enhancements to the code edit in C# files. It provide the developer with a hot key(CTRL) to make the intelisense transparent to avoid hiding the code we are currently working, this was a really frustrating problem in the older versions.
There is also improved refactoring tools and one of the interesting ones checks what “Using” statements are need in a class file removing any unnecessary ones. This will reduce the file size if we have links to code libraries we don’t require.
Migration Options
Visual Studio 2008 provides Multi-Targeting Support. This means that a developer can develop applications in versions 2.0, 3.0 and 3.5. This allows us to deploy applications to machines without the latest framework installs.
As with previous version of Visual Studio, 2008 provides us with a Project upgrade tool to import older projects.
As Visual Studio is only development tool and not installed on a server there are no issues in regards to older applications. It will simply allow us to take advantage of the latest tools in the IDE to improve our productivity and ultimately the quality and security of our final products.
Wednesday, 17 September 2008
SQL Server 2008 Interesting features
SQL Server 2008
Reporting Services
Memory management in SQL Server 2008 Reporting Service is improved. So running large reports will not consume all available memory. In addition, report rendering has more consistency than before.
Encryption
Transparent Data Encryption: the SQL engine encrypts the entire database e.g. all data, log files, Indexes and Tables. Changes to programming applications are not required.
Backup Encryption: Enables encryption of backups to prevent data disclosure or tampering. It can place limitations on the users who are able to restore backups.
External Key Management: Used for involvement with credit card processing or payment card industry compliance. It supports third party Hardware Security Modules used to store keys in a location separate from the data they protect.
Auditing
In addition to the standard auditing of logon/logoffs and permission changes SQL 2008 allows for monitoring of data changes or access. It is configured in TSQL Statements - AUDIT UPDATE(Salary) ON Employee TO MyAuditFolder WHERE Salary>200000
Data Compression
Usually, data compression is associated with general hard disk savings, and with smaller physical files, backup times are reduced. While this holds true for SQL Server Data Compression, the main goal is Fact Table size reduction. The stated advantages for Data Compression include the following:
* Improves query performance by reducing I/O and increasing buffer-hit rates
* Provides compression ratios of 2X to 7X for real DW fact data
* Is available for both data and indexes
According to Microsoft, while using compression will slightly increase CPU usage, overall system performance will be improved because of less IO.
Resource Governor
New in SQL Server 2008 is the Resource Governor. The Governor is used to restrict users or groups of users from consuming high levels of resources. Items that can be monitored include CPU bandwidth, timeout waits, execution times, blocking times, and idle times. If a Resource Governor Threshold level is reached, the system can trigger an event or stop the process.
Performance Data
New in SQL Server 2008 is the Performance Studio. The Studio is a collection of performance tools. Together they can be used for monitoring, troubleshooting, tuning and reporting. The Data Collector component of the studio is configurable and low overhead. It supports several colleting methods including TSQL queries, SQL Trace, and Performance Counters. Data can also be collected programmatically. Once data is collected, there are drill-down and aggregate reporting options. Microsoft lists these six client side features of the Performance Studio:
* SQL Server dashboard
* Performance monitoring
* Current and historical data analysis
* Data collection sets-based reports
Entity Data Services
SQL Server 2008 and ADO.NET now allow for high level business objects to be created, such as Customers or Parts. These entities can be used rather than the standard method of returning individual rows and tables. If you’re using E-R (entity relationship) modeling, your objects in SQL will now match your modeling. There are several new ADO.NET frameworks that can access these entities such as the Line-of-Business (LOB) framework and the Entity Query Language (eSQL).
Data Synchronizing Features
The combination of SQL 2008, Visual Studio, and ADO.NET bring together new methods of creating synchronizing or frequently disconnected applications, making it easier to create client applications that synchronize with a central database. SQL 2005 started by providing support for change tracking by using triggers. SQL 2008 synchronizing is better integrated and optimized.
Large UDT
Previously, in SQL 2005, User Defined Types (UDT) could not be larger than 8,000 bytes. In SQL 2008 there is no longer any size restriction, allowing storage of very large UDTs.
Dates and Times
There are new Date and Time data types in SQL 2008.
* Date. This is a data type with a date only, no time.
* Time. A Time data type without a date component. Precision can be up to 100 nanoseconds.
* Date Time Offset. This data type will store a Universal Coordinated Time (UTC) time-zone aware value.
File Stream
The new data type VarBinary(Max) FileStream allows for a way to manipulate binary data using TSQL Select, Insert, Update, and Delete statements. In the past, to store binary data a BLOB, accessed by a Dot.Net application was typically used. Now, SQL functions such as triggers, Full Text Search, and backup restore can be applied to binary data.
Spatial Data
The new Spatial Data type allows Latitude, Longitude, and GPS-based data entries to be natively stored inside SQL Server. The data type conforms to several industry standards such as Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) Simple Features for SQL and ISO 19125 Simple Feature Access.
Table Value Parameters
In previous versions of SQL Server, there wasn’t a native way to pass a table to a stored procedure. The usual workaround was to pass a large varchar or XML type and parse through it. Now, in SQL Server 2008, Table Parameters are available.
Migration Options
SQL Server 2008 provides migration tools to move databases created in previous versions of SQL Server into the new platform. This will allow us to easily upgrade our current databases. It also supports a side-by-side installation with older versions, allowing us to keep legacy databases running without the need to upgrade. However, this will not be an issue for us as our server architecture will include two new standalone SQL Server 2008 machines.
Reporting Services
Memory management in SQL Server 2008 Reporting Service is improved. So running large reports will not consume all available memory. In addition, report rendering has more consistency than before.
Encryption
Transparent Data Encryption: the SQL engine encrypts the entire database e.g. all data, log files, Indexes and Tables. Changes to programming applications are not required.
Backup Encryption: Enables encryption of backups to prevent data disclosure or tampering. It can place limitations on the users who are able to restore backups.
External Key Management: Used for involvement with credit card processing or payment card industry compliance. It supports third party Hardware Security Modules used to store keys in a location separate from the data they protect.
Auditing
In addition to the standard auditing of logon/logoffs and permission changes SQL 2008 allows for monitoring of data changes or access. It is configured in TSQL Statements - AUDIT UPDATE(Salary) ON Employee TO MyAuditFolder WHERE Salary>200000
Data Compression
Usually, data compression is associated with general hard disk savings, and with smaller physical files, backup times are reduced. While this holds true for SQL Server Data Compression, the main goal is Fact Table size reduction. The stated advantages for Data Compression include the following:
* Improves query performance by reducing I/O and increasing buffer-hit rates
* Provides compression ratios of 2X to 7X for real DW fact data
* Is available for both data and indexes
According to Microsoft, while using compression will slightly increase CPU usage, overall system performance will be improved because of less IO.
Resource Governor
New in SQL Server 2008 is the Resource Governor. The Governor is used to restrict users or groups of users from consuming high levels of resources. Items that can be monitored include CPU bandwidth, timeout waits, execution times, blocking times, and idle times. If a Resource Governor Threshold level is reached, the system can trigger an event or stop the process.
Performance Data
New in SQL Server 2008 is the Performance Studio. The Studio is a collection of performance tools. Together they can be used for monitoring, troubleshooting, tuning and reporting. The Data Collector component of the studio is configurable and low overhead. It supports several colleting methods including TSQL queries, SQL Trace, and Performance Counters. Data can also be collected programmatically. Once data is collected, there are drill-down and aggregate reporting options. Microsoft lists these six client side features of the Performance Studio:
* SQL Server dashboard
* Performance monitoring
* Current and historical data analysis
* Data collection sets-based reports
Entity Data Services
SQL Server 2008 and ADO.NET now allow for high level business objects to be created, such as Customers or Parts. These entities can be used rather than the standard method of returning individual rows and tables. If you’re using E-R (entity relationship) modeling, your objects in SQL will now match your modeling. There are several new ADO.NET frameworks that can access these entities such as the Line-of-Business (LOB) framework and the Entity Query Language (eSQL).
Data Synchronizing Features
The combination of SQL 2008, Visual Studio, and ADO.NET bring together new methods of creating synchronizing or frequently disconnected applications, making it easier to create client applications that synchronize with a central database. SQL 2005 started by providing support for change tracking by using triggers. SQL 2008 synchronizing is better integrated and optimized.
Large UDT
Previously, in SQL 2005, User Defined Types (UDT) could not be larger than 8,000 bytes. In SQL 2008 there is no longer any size restriction, allowing storage of very large UDTs.
Dates and Times
There are new Date and Time data types in SQL 2008.
* Date. This is a data type with a date only, no time.
* Time. A Time data type without a date component. Precision can be up to 100 nanoseconds.
* Date Time Offset. This data type will store a Universal Coordinated Time (UTC) time-zone aware value.
File Stream
The new data type VarBinary(Max) FileStream allows for a way to manipulate binary data using TSQL Select, Insert, Update, and Delete statements. In the past, to store binary data a BLOB, accessed by a Dot.Net application was typically used. Now, SQL functions such as triggers, Full Text Search, and backup restore can be applied to binary data.
Spatial Data
The new Spatial Data type allows Latitude, Longitude, and GPS-based data entries to be natively stored inside SQL Server. The data type conforms to several industry standards such as Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) Simple Features for SQL and ISO 19125 Simple Feature Access.
Table Value Parameters
In previous versions of SQL Server, there wasn’t a native way to pass a table to a stored procedure. The usual workaround was to pass a large varchar or XML type and parse through it. Now, in SQL Server 2008, Table Parameters are available.
Migration Options
SQL Server 2008 provides migration tools to move databases created in previous versions of SQL Server into the new platform. This will allow us to easily upgrade our current databases. It also supports a side-by-side installation with older versions, allowing us to keep legacy databases running without the need to upgrade. However, this will not be an issue for us as our server architecture will include two new standalone SQL Server 2008 machines.
Tuesday, 2 September 2008
Nullable Types
When using the System.Nullable syntax you can substitute it for T?
For example,
System.Nullable<int> intNullable; is the same as
int? intNullable;
If you have declared a non-nullable variable and are assigning it a value that could be null you can use the ?? syntax to give it a default value. For example:
int? intNullable = null;
int intNotNullable = intNullable ?? 99;
For example,
System.Nullable<int> intNullable; is the same as
int? intNullable;
int? intNullable = null;
int intNotNullable = intNullable ?? 99;
Tuesday, 26 August 2008
Creating custom item/project templates in Visual Studio
I found this post explaining how to create custom templates in visual studio 2005.
The process is quite simple.
Once you have a form, class or whatever you want to create a template for select 'Export Template' from the file menu.
There are various steps to follow and the option of creating a Project or Item template.
The process is quite simple.
Once you have a form, class or whatever you want to create a template for select 'Export Template' from the file menu.
There are various steps to follow and the option of creating a Project or Item template.
Wednesday, 20 August 2008
Missing Visual Studio Project Templates
Works for both 2005 and 2008.
To rebuild visual studio project templates:
Open the Visual Studio Command Prompt and run the following:
devenv /installvstemplates
To rebuild visual studio project templates:
Open the Visual Studio Command Prompt and run the following:
devenv /installvstemplates
Thursday, 14 August 2008
Backpack - Project organization
Backpack
Organize your business and share information with your team.
To-dos, Announcements, Ideas, Files
Easily centralize & share information across your organization
Keep a Group Calendar Online
Keep everyone's schedule online with a color-coded calendar
Have a look at the homepage, it would be good when were in a project because you can share files, notes and a calander and see what everyone else is up to!!
Organize your business and share information with your team.
To-dos, Announcements, Ideas, Files
Easily centralize & share information across your organization
Keep a Group Calendar Online
Keep everyone's schedule online with a color-coded calendar
Have a look at the homepage, it would be good when were in a project because you can share files, notes and a calander and see what everyone else is up to!!
Thursday, 7 August 2008
Set a DateTimePicker to Blank
If you have ever had problems setting the text of a datetimepicker to blank (rather than the default value) then the following code example is the way to do it:
if (csMahService._EndDate.HasValue)
{
dtpEndDate.Value = csMahService._EndDate.Value;
}
else
{
dtpEndDate.CustomFormat = " ";
}
Note you have to set the Format property to Custom.
if (csMahService._EndDate.HasValue)
{
dtpEndDate.Value = csMahService._EndDate.Value;
}
else
{
dtpEndDate.CustomFormat = " ";
}
Note you have to set the Format property to Custom.
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