Today I am stuck while I use Visual Studio 2005 to create a web application. I don’t know why;when I create or open an aspx file (not the code behind .cs), view markup or view designer, the visual studio 2005 show an error “I have to choose to close the Visual Studio 2005 and send the error report to the microsoft”.
It has happened many times since I work today. I try many time like reinstalling Visual Studio 2005 SP1, Deleting Schema in the Schema directory, Reinstalling .NET Framework 2.0 and .net Framework 2.0 with SP1 but it is not worked.
I try to repair and reinstalled from the image cd (from network) but it doesn’t work it. It needs the .msi of Visual Studio 2005 but I don’t find it.
The last thing I try to uninstall the product using Add-Remove program but It doesn’t work.
The VERY last thing is to removing Visual Studio 2005 manually. Hard work. But now it is worked.
Today, Visual Studio 2008 has launched to market. There are many feature added to the IDE like WPF, WCF, WF (3 pillars can be used in VS 2005), LinQ, Javascript debugger, and many others. It needs more hardware power to develop it.
Real hardware requirement (in my case):
- minimum Intel Pentium D 3 Ghz or Dual Core 3.0 or Core 2 Duo 2 Ghz
- minimum RAM 2 GB ( I already try VS 2008 Beta2 on 1 GB runs slower)
- minimum harddisk 160 GB (It is difficult to get 80 GB in my city now)
- minimum VGA NVIDIA 7300 with 256 MB (I use NVIDIA 7300 GT 512 MB with Vista graphics index of 4.7)
- minimum resolution is 1280 x 1024. Working areas are smaller in 1024 x 768. (I use 1600 x 1200 with High DPI 120 dpi)
Real software requirement (in my case)
- minimum windows vista business
- minimum office 2003 (Excel 2007 still error on calculation)
- I use subversion as source control
- latest windows SDK (until today I only have SDK version 6.0.xxx; still wait the SDK latest version)
- free Paint.NET to draw or manipulate picture
- Sql Server 2005 Express Edition with SP2 (download)
- Supported MySQL to Vista with OleDB/ODBC driver installed, Administrator and Query browser required
- IBM DB2 Express C, free version of DB2 that support on Visual Studio 2005 (hope they launch for Visual Studio 2008 soon)
- Oracle DB 11g
- Antivirus software either is paid like symantec or free like AVG
So I installed the computer clean with Vista. After that I ghost the partition as a backup and then install the application. When installation all application has finished, I ghost again the installation.
Most of the database designer, programmers or system analyst knows the importance of primary key. It gives the row unique identify so there is no 2 or more rows in the table has the same value in those column.
Some programmers make the primary key only a sequence of number like 1 to maximum number in the PK column using auto increment from the database itself or auto increment from the code. It is good since the database will handle the uniqueness; but it will loose the meaning of the data.
The other reason data will grow fast so the auto increment will loose its functionality.
for example:
PK using integer datatype and auto increment. If the data will grow more than 4 billion records, The programmer or database developer will change to higher datatype like long integer. It is not easy to convert lowest datatype to higher datatype since some RDBMS need recreate the tables and refill again.
PK using string datatype with specific format and length. We can easily predict the data and its growth. With the format of the PK I can easily read the meaning; like 20070112Axx; the record was built on 12 January 2007. It is easy to convert since it is just a string.
I want to build a an application that can connect everything on the web
It can be real application like business or community 
. So I need to register some of them
Some library or applications are tightly coupled by design. They are dependent on each other component so it is not easy to use in the other projects. Sometimes the library needs specific control like Component One or others, and cannot using native control . Phew.
It makes me sad since I have to buy the control and the library just to make sure the project done and quickly deployed to the customer.
Just now I still develop controls and library so I can make it on every project; and then I can using native control or downloadable control.
In the System.Drawing, Image can only get from the file and don’t have methods to download the images from the internet. The code below is getting from the url. First define the url. and download the data using stream.
private Image LoadFromURL(string url)
{
Image image = null;
MemoryStream ms = null;
byte[] data = null;
Uri uri = new Uri(url,UriKind.RelativeOrAbsolute);
WebClient webClient = new WebClient();
data = webClient.DownloadData(uri);
ms = new MemoryStream(data);
if (ms != null)
{
image = Image.FromStream(ms);
}
return image;
}
Some forums said that I should use 3rd party controls to accelerate development process because of the reusable. It can be problems since I don’t know the controls works. I just know the features of the controls and using it. Some of them don’t have clear documentation and manuals.
Most of them claims the product best and complaint with some technology or other vendor controls. In fact they cannot claim 100% works. For examples the controls has feature of persistence and ajax / microsoft ajax technology. When they assemble into the HTML pages, There are many errors because of the javascript or callback.
To decrease the problem, use 3rd party controls wise.
Some controls is very expensive to buy although they have “sounds good” license like developer license, seat license. Some controls will open their source, but who has a time to analyze the source and add functionality their ? Wait for major or minor release ? Forget it. I have the job to finish quickly and deliver it to customer.
Using from the framework or base control is nice idea. We can do what we want like encapsulate or extending the functionality. It will come the price for time to develop the control to provide the features I want.
Using open source or free 3rd control is not bad. Since sometimes it is not really free. Some features is not complete and maybe bugs. But we still can extending the functionality or repair bugs step by step.
I need to know what kind of control that are available on my form when I design complex control. First make the property and give attribute TypeConverter with type of ConverterID and IDReferenceProperty to WebControl
For example:
[TypeConverter(typeof(ControlIDConverter)), IDReferenceProperty(typeof(WebControl))]
public string TargetControlID
{
get { return this.targetControlID; }
set { this.targetControlID= value; }
}
private string targetControlID;
After build, drag the control from the toolbox to web form and the property will show up with the list of control ID on the form.
I start to think how to develop a solution faster than before. Most of the time I usually work on making classes to handle database, UI, relations between data and UI, security (like who can use this function) and generate report.
Usually I develop using pure library or framework like pure .NET or Java base class especially when I make software for small company. The way I do programming is OK when I have few jobs and much time, otherwise not OK.
While developing on .NET I use:
ORM or Library:
UI:
I don’t use third party control since it is expensive for me.
While developing on Java I use:
ORM or Library:
Until today I don’t use it.
UI:
Native java or Eclipse UI
While developing on PHP I use:
ORM or Library:
I don’t use third party, build myself. Since most of the customer use PHP 4.3.x or 4.4.x and a few customer using PHP 5.x
UI:
By hand. Until now I don’t know what UI controls.
Software and tools that is needed to install on the computer:
OS
———-
I use Windows XP SP2 or Windows Vista as my operating system. I need Windows XP to develop using old system and Vista for new system.
IDE / Software Development tools / SDK
—————————————–
- I use Visual Studio 2005 to develop on .NET.
- I install Windows SDK 6.x.xx to develop on Vista. Until now it is compatible on Visual Studio 2005. I use WPF, WCF and WF . Windows Cardspace is not needed now, maybe in the future.
- I install extension for Visual Studio 2005
- I install MSDN for documentation (complete)
- I use netbeans 5.5 and Eclipse 3.2 to develop Java
- I install JDK 6.0 and its documentation
- I install PHP 5 on IIS to develop PHP
- I use subversion as my SCM and tortoise as subversion client.
Database
———–
- MS SQL Server 2005 Express Edition,
- Oracle 10g Express (only needed), it is very heavy
- My SQL 5
- IBM DB2 8.1.6 (support .NET)
- Connector to .NET and drivers for Java
Tools
—————–
Ms Office
for boring time
———————–
Games
