Issue: 2004 - November/December

Rod Paddock Editorial Article November December 04 Issue

In his interview with Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, Markus Egger explores key topics relevant to the software development industry, including offshore development, global talent acquisition challenges, and Microsoft's strategies to compete with open-source platforms. Ballmer highlights Microsoft's commitment to innovation through integrated solutions, emphasizing the importance of adaptability for developers in a global economy. He discusses the company's efforts to suppo...rt software development methodologies, the potential of emerging technologies like Tablet PCs and SmartPhones, and initiatives to engage students and educators in the Microsoft ecosystem. The conversation underscores Microsoft's long-term vision to enhance productivity, security, and accessibility across its platforms while addressing industry challenges.See More

Utilize unit testing in your Visual Studio .NET development. Automated unit testing enables a team to exercise its entire code base against a battery of tests. This facilitates a quick, reactive environment by providing instant feedback during development. Changes to the code will be tested for validity and any errors will become apparent. Your code will become simpler and you will have great example documentation for using your code.

Free. Marketing professionals have known for years the positive results that this word produces. They use the word free to lure you in so that they can sell you something else. Luckily for you, that will not be the case in this article. All of the goodies, resources, tools, and utilities I mention are all free. They won't cost you a dime.In this article, I will share with you the results of my search for zero-cost resources for the ASP.NET developer. Space restrictions l...imit the depth to which I can discuss each item that I've found, but my descriptions should be enough for you decide if you would like to research the material further.See More

You have been given the task of creating some business objects for a new .NET project.The UI has not been created (or designed) yet, so you start coding right away. After creating the first few objects, you decide that maybe you should do some unit testing. How?

ADO.NET SQL Data access made simple and efficient.Microsoft has created a set of libraries known as Application Blocks. These libraries will help developers reduce the amount of code they must write while using the current best practices. One of the components, Data Access Application Block for .NET, addresses Microsoft SQL Server data access by wrapping up data access into a helper class.

Visual Studio 2005 will ship some great new controls, but suppose you want your own control to play in the Data Sources Window?In this article, I'll explain how the Data Sources Window in Visual Studio 2005 will enable you to extend the list of controls supported for Drag Once Databinding. I'll show you how to create a PhoneBox control and an AddressBlock UserControl.

New developers often struggle with the .NET DataGrid when trying to replicate grid functionality from other platforms.More experienced developers lament the deficiencies of the .NET DataGrid to address end user requirements. Consequently, many developers seek sophisticated third-party alternatives. In this article, I'll present a set of classes for the DataGrid to help address some of the more common struggles. Although third-party tools always offer more capabilities th...an a native control, this article also demonstrates how it's possible for you to implement some of the functions found in these third-party tools.See More

You can create your own Windows Forms, Web Forms, or class templates to reuse code and maximize your productivity in Visual Studio 2003.

I am the host of a weekly Internet audio talk show for .NET developers called .NET Rocks!Each week my co-host, Rory Blyth, and I interview the movers and shakers in the .NET community. It's a free download, and there are about 80 shows in the archives as of this writing. We've interviewed the likes of Alan Cooper, Scott Guthrie, Don Box, Kimberly Tripp, Chris Sells, and many other well-known persons in the community. Our show is not boring! We have fun! We give away priz...es, look at strange Web sites, talk about what went on in .NET land during the week, and otherwise have a good time. Heard on .NET Rocks! is a regular feature of CoDe Magazine in which I highlight some of the conversations we've had recently.See More

Doc Detective addresses common challenges faced by developers navigating the extensive Microsoft Visual Studio .NET documentation. Through a Q&A format, the article provides practical solutions, alternative resources, and troubleshooting tips for diverse scenarios, including querying Excel data in web applications, automating Windows Forms testing, deploying applications with COM components, and resolving web project errors. Doc Detective emphasizes leveraging external a...rticles, Knowledge Base resources, and MSDN Library content when official documentation falls short, while also offering tips for optimizing the Help system within Visual Studio. The column promotes a proactive approach to finding documentation and solving development problems.See More

Ken Getz' .Finalize() column.