Issue: 2002 - July/August

Rod Paddock argues that despite recurring claims about miracle tools and methodologies—CASE, Java, the Unified Process/UML, Extreme Programming—none are a true "silver bullet" for software development; instead, he contends that practical common sense, a problem-solving mindset, and judicious use of tools (and even a simple notebook and pen) are what consistently produce successful software.

In this article, Dan Jurden introduces Crystal Reports .NET as an integrated reporting tool within Visual Studio .NET, emphasizing its powerful features for creating, customizing, and viewing interactive reports in both Windows and Web applications. He demonstrates how to design reports using various data sources including ADO.NET datasets, how to add grouping, filtering, and conditional formatting, and how to publish and consume reports as Web services. Dan highlights t...he flexibility offered by the Crystal Reports .NET object model and viewer components, providing developers with efficient ways to deliver scalable, presentation-quality reports.See More

HTML-based Web development has dominated application development for the last six years or so and there are no signs of that changing.However, things are changing as the .NET initiative takes hold. Although Microsoft has put a lot of effort into its Web-based interfaces, which include the powerful new ASP.NET Web Forms framework, I am guessing that there will actually be a push back to desktop-driven, forms-based applications once .NET takes hold.

In this article, Alex Feldstein explores the development of custom database applications for Pocket PC devices using Microsoft’s eMbedded Visual Basic (eVB) and the eMbedded Visual Tools Development Kit. He guides readers through setting up the development environment, connecting to the device, and building a sample supermarket inventory application with Pocket Access and ADOCE. Feldstein highlights key differences between ADOCE and standard ADO, discusses data type conv...ersions, and covers practical coding examples for creating, adding, viewing, and deleting records. The article emphasizes the potential of Pocket PC programming for mobile, data-driven solutions.See More

Visual Basic has featured extensibility for quite some time. Unfortunately, extending the Visual Basic IDE has been anything but intuitive. In comparison, you have been able to extend the Microsoft Office IDE through macros since Office 97. Not only could you use Visual Basic to do so but, best of all, you had the benefit of a macro recorder to jumpstart the process. One question always loomed, "Why can't Visual Basic have macro capabilities like Office?" Thankfully, Mic...rosoft has delivered robust macro capabilities in Visual Studio .NET that are easy to learn and implement. This article introduces the new macro capabilities in Visual Studio .NET.See More

By now, you have been exposed to a lot of information about Visual Studio .NET.Of all the new technologies associated with .NET, perhaps no other technology is more mysterious than ADO.NET. The purpose of this article, the first in a series, is to give you a brief overview of ADO.NET and how it is implemented in Visual Studio .NET. Future articles will expand on the material presented here. After reading this article, you will be able to understand how the various ADO.N...ET objects and generated code work to provide data for your applications.See More

Component-oriented programming must allow for clients and components to evolve separately.Component developers should be able to deploy new versions (or just defect fixes) of existing components without affecting existing client applications. Client developers should be able to deploy new versions of the client application and expect it to work with older component versions. As a component technology, .NET must enforce version control, allowing for separate evolution pat...hs and for side-by-side deployment of different versions of the same component. .NET should also detect incompatibility as soon as possible and alert the client.See More

In this article, Ron Talmage explains the importance of properly configuring SQL Server 2000 databases for optimal application performance and reliability. He details various methods to detect and set database options—highlighting the evolution from legacy tools like sp_dboption to the more comprehensive DATABASEPROPERTYEX() function and ALTER DATABASE command. Talmage emphasizes testing for deviations from default or recommended settings, including critical options such... as compatibility level, and provides a stored procedure to automate this validation process, helping developers ensure databases are correctly configured in production environments.See More

Lauren Clarke and Steven Black explore how wikis serve as dynamic, web-based collaborative tools that enhance software development teams by providing a shared, easily editable knowledge repository. The authors highlight wikis’ topic-centric nature, accessibility, and simple text-based editing, which foster continuous peer contribution and project continuity across distributed teams. They discuss the technical underpinnings of wikis, their benefits for managing diverse pr...oject artifacts, and the potential for extending wiki capabilities through structured content and parsing. Ultimately, Clarke and Black argue that wikis offer a practical, low-cost solution for effective team knowledge management and communication.See More

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Doc Detective, the approachable guide to the Visual Studio .NET documentation, helps readers cut through the noise of more than 45,000 topics by offering practical, example-driven advice on where to find information and how to use it. In this column, Doc Detective addresses common questions—from file I/O and cookies to optimizing search results and persisting controls via serialization—pointing to whitepapers, sample applications, and specific topics to consult. The aim ...is to demystify the docs, reveal relevant resources, and empower developers to locate and apply the right information efficiently.See More

In "A developer's life," David Stevenson explores the non-technical dimensions of developers' lives, highlighting the balance between personal experiences and professional roles. Through travel stories, including his family’s scenic trips in the Pacific Northwest and Barbara Peisch’s musical tour of Europe, Stevenson emphasizes the importance of life beyond coding. The article invites developers to reflect on their diverse backgrounds and interests, fostering a holistic ...view of their identities beyond software development.See More