There are cats on my blog!
The new spring heat seems to have brought not only flies out of hibernation, but also some cats! Their behaviour is strangely similar to that of the flies, though, hmm :)
Saturday, 14 March 2009
Monday, 9 March 2009
How to make a Visual Studio 2008 Sharepoint project
Recently I have been working on this Sharepoint project. I took it more out of curiosity as I didn't know anything about this piece of software. Now I know a lot more, like how hellish it is to code against it :) But it is also not a bad idea.
In case you don't know (as I didn't) Sharepoint is something like an ASP.Net site designed to work within a company, as an internal tool, allowing a lot of customizations and security from the web interface, with no code required. The desired end result is something looking like the IGoogle or Yahoo home pages, with web parts that can be configured, moved around, minimized, closed, made to interact one with another. Sharepoint Services is in itself a free software, but it only works on a Windows 2003 server or higher, so it sucks that way. Also, there is no real Sharepoint support for Visual Studio and most of the tutorials you find online are either too specific (blogs and such) or too vague (Microsoft style).
Also, there is a lot of confusion regarding the use of the interfaces in the Sharepoint dll, most of which have been obsoleted when the web part engine from .Net 2.0 was introduced.
Ok, short list of steps on how to start making a Sharepoint project in Visual Studio, assuming you code in Windows XP:
Now for the long list.
In order to install Sharepoint Services 3.0 SP1 you need to also install .Net 3.5 SP1. Actually it is a good idea to install this as well as the Visual Studio 2008 SP1 before you do anything (Sharepointy or not). Here is a link.
The Sharepoint SmartTemplates actually create a folder structure that is then used by the WSPBuilder utility to create the WSP file that installs a web part in Sharepoint. You can either import it in the site (upload) or use the setup that is provided with the templates. The problems I met when using it are linked primarily with the version of WSPBuilder that is included in the templates I've downloaded (version 0.2).
So first locate the installed template files: you can usually find them in My Documents/Visual Studio 2008/Templates/Project Templates/ as two zip files. First step is to download the latest WSPBuilder and replace it in the archives. The next step is to change the WSP/createwsp.bat file like this:
The bold parts you must add to the file. The delete because otherwise you might be able to compile the project using the old WSP file if the WSPBuilder run fails. The others is in order to be able to compile the WSP using the sharepoint library and see any errors that might occur.
Alternatively, you can change the WSPBuilder/WSPBuilder.exe.config file with the DLLReferencePath and TraceLevel options.
Ok, now repack the folders into the archives and copy them back.
Now, after you build the project, you will have a Setup folder in the bin folder. That you must copy to the Windows 2003 computer and run. It will install the web part(s) in the project. In order to add more webparts to the project and make them compile in the setup project you need to alter the WSP\12\TEMPLATE\FEATURES\SmartPartTemplate\manifest.xml file and describe the files you add to the project.
After you run the setup project, you have to open the Sharepoint site and go to Site Settings -> Site collection features and activate the web part. Only then you can actually add it to a page.
Sounds complicated? Well, read more :)
Make sure that when you have finished with a web part you DO NOT DELETE THE SETUP PROJECT, but run it to remove the web part first! In order to remove an install web part from a Sharepoint site you must delve into the hell of command line utilities! Well, it's natural to me, but I am an old guy! ;)
Just supposing that you have done the undoable and you managed to delete a setup project with the part still installed, you must use the stsadm tool.
First find it on the Windows 2003 computer (with Find Files) then add the containing folder to the path. Then run cmd in the Start/Run menu and use the following commands:
Sometimes you manage to change the GUID of the project and you get an error like A solution with the same name "SomeName.wsp" or id "Some GUID" already exists in the solution store.. You delete it, but you still have this error. Try to install the solution with the setup project. Wait for the error, exit the setup project. Use stsadm -enumsolutions to see what the GUID of the project is, copy it, replace the SolutionId GUID in the setup.exe.config file with this one. The setup should then work.
This is about it. I've wasted a few hours to learn all of this. I know it's not terribly organized, but writing something is better than sharing nothing.
In case you don't know (as I didn't) Sharepoint is something like an ASP.Net site designed to work within a company, as an internal tool, allowing a lot of customizations and security from the web interface, with no code required. The desired end result is something looking like the IGoogle or Yahoo home pages, with web parts that can be configured, moved around, minimized, closed, made to interact one with another. Sharepoint Services is in itself a free software, but it only works on a Windows 2003 server or higher, so it sucks that way. Also, there is no real Sharepoint support for Visual Studio and most of the tutorials you find online are either too specific (blogs and such) or too vague (Microsoft style).
Also, there is a lot of confusion regarding the use of the interfaces in the Sharepoint dll, most of which have been obsoleted when the web part engine from .Net 2.0 was introduced.
Ok, short list of steps on how to start making a Sharepoint project in Visual Studio, assuming you code in Windows XP:
- Install Windows Server 2003 on another machine (virtual or not)
- Download and install Sharepoint Services 3.0 SP1 on it
- Get the Microsoft.Sharepoint.dll file and copy it on your XP machine somewhere
- Download and install the Sharepoint SmartTemplates for Visual Studio
- Update the WSPBuilder application and some batch files in the template files
- Start Visual Studio and create new project from installed templates
- Add a reference to the Microsoft.Sharepoint.dll library
- Code!
Now for the long list.
In order to install Sharepoint Services 3.0 SP1 you need to also install .Net 3.5 SP1. Actually it is a good idea to install this as well as the Visual Studio 2008 SP1 before you do anything (Sharepointy or not). Here is a link.
The Sharepoint SmartTemplates actually create a folder structure that is then used by the WSPBuilder utility to create the WSP file that installs a web part in Sharepoint. You can either import it in the site (upload) or use the setup that is provided with the templates. The problems I met when using it are linked primarily with the version of WSPBuilder that is included in the templates I've downloaded (version 0.2).
So first locate the installed template files: you can usually find them in My Documents/Visual Studio 2008/Templates/Project Templates/ as two zip files. First step is to download the latest WSPBuilder and replace it in the archives. The next step is to change the WSP/createwsp.bat file like this:
@ECHO OFF
DEL .\$safeprojectname$.wsp
ECHO Copying DLL ...
XCOPY /Y ..\BIN\$safeprojectname$.dll .\80\BIN\
ECHO Copying ASCX files ...
XCOPY /Y ..\*.ascx .\12\TEMPLATE\CONTROLTEMPLATES\$safeprojectname$\
ECHO Building WSP ...
..\WSPBuilder\WSPBuilder.exe -WSPName $safeprojectname$.wsp -BuildCAS false -SolutionID $guid2$ -DLLReferencePath "[the folder path where you copied Microsoft.Sharepoint.dll]" -TraceLevel Verbose
ECHO Copying WSP file ...
XCOPY /Y .\$safeprojectname$.wsp ..\SETUP\
The bold parts you must add to the file. The delete because otherwise you might be able to compile the project using the old WSP file if the WSPBuilder run fails. The others is in order to be able to compile the WSP using the sharepoint library and see any errors that might occur.
Alternatively, you can change the WSPBuilder/WSPBuilder.exe.config file with the DLLReferencePath and TraceLevel options.
Ok, now repack the folders into the archives and copy them back.
Now, after you build the project, you will have a Setup folder in the bin folder. That you must copy to the Windows 2003 computer and run. It will install the web part(s) in the project. In order to add more webparts to the project and make them compile in the setup project you need to alter the WSP\12\TEMPLATE\FEATURES\SmartPartTemplate\manifest.xml file and describe the files you add to the project.
After you run the setup project, you have to open the Sharepoint site and go to Site Settings -> Site collection features and activate the web part. Only then you can actually add it to a page.
Sounds complicated? Well, read more :)
Make sure that when you have finished with a web part you DO NOT DELETE THE SETUP PROJECT, but run it to remove the web part first! In order to remove an install web part from a Sharepoint site you must delve into the hell of command line utilities! Well, it's natural to me, but I am an old guy! ;)
Just supposing that you have done the undoable and you managed to delete a setup project with the part still installed, you must use the stsadm tool.
First find it on the Windows 2003 computer (with Find Files) then add the containing folder to the path. Then run cmd in the Start/Run menu and use the following commands:
stsadm -o enumsolutionswill enumerate the installed solutions. Remember the name of the solutions you want to remove.
stsadm -o retractsolution -name "[name of solution]" -immediatewill retract the web part project and allow you to delete it.
stsadm -o deletesolution -name "[name of solution]" -overrideretracting doesn't always work, so the override option will force a delete.
Sometimes you manage to change the GUID of the project and you get an error like A solution with the same name "SomeName.wsp" or id "Some GUID" already exists in the solution store.. You delete it, but you still have this error. Try to install the solution with the setup project. Wait for the error, exit the setup project. Use stsadm -enumsolutions to see what the GUID of the project is, copy it, replace the SolutionId GUID in the setup.exe.config file with this one. The setup should then work.
This is about it. I've wasted a few hours to learn all of this. I know it's not terribly organized, but writing something is better than sharing nothing.
Three little cool utilities!
I haven't been writing for a while, but that is because I was working! Amazingly so, as I am not known for my willingness to work. But that also has its boons, you know, as I will not only gain material wealth for my wife's shoes, but also material for the blog! :) You will have to wait a bit for that, though.
Instead, I will talk about three little gems I found while browsing ShellCity. In case you don't know, ShellCity is a blog dedicated to the tools, not the result. Every day four free utilities are being presented in this retro looking site. Anyway, without further due:
Fences. This allows you to organize your many desktop icons by grouping them into labeled transparent folder like structures. Not only does it make your desktop look better and feel better, but when you change your desktop resolution, it also remembers the location of these groups so that when you revert, you get them in the same position! Great thing to have and my favourite in this post.
MSVDM, or the Microsoft Virtual Desktop Manager. This is pretty old stuff, but I've only recently discovered it. It is NOT an exe file and it will not be installed in the Start menu! Instead it is a taskbar toolbar. It shows four buttons which allow you to switch between four different desktops. The desktop icons remain on all of the desktops, but you can define a different background for each and the opened windows are different from desktop to desktop. So, what you use it for is to open a group of utilities based on context. As an example, open a Visual Studio and some browser windows regarding a certain project, then open another Visual Studio and some other browser windows for another project that you work on simultaneously.
WizMouse. This one is not something you immediately go Wow! about. It sits in the traybar and does only one thing: it scrolls windows when you move the scrollwheel. But it doesn't scroll the active window, but the window directly under the mouse pointer! A lot of annoyance is saved by this.
Hope it helps you all. Till next time!
Instead, I will talk about three little gems I found while browsing ShellCity. In case you don't know, ShellCity is a blog dedicated to the tools, not the result. Every day four free utilities are being presented in this retro looking site. Anyway, without further due:
Fences. This allows you to organize your many desktop icons by grouping them into labeled transparent folder like structures. Not only does it make your desktop look better and feel better, but when you change your desktop resolution, it also remembers the location of these groups so that when you revert, you get them in the same position! Great thing to have and my favourite in this post.
MSVDM, or the Microsoft Virtual Desktop Manager. This is pretty old stuff, but I've only recently discovered it. It is NOT an exe file and it will not be installed in the Start menu! Instead it is a taskbar toolbar. It shows four buttons which allow you to switch between four different desktops. The desktop icons remain on all of the desktops, but you can define a different background for each and the opened windows are different from desktop to desktop. So, what you use it for is to open a group of utilities based on context. As an example, open a Visual Studio and some browser windows regarding a certain project, then open another Visual Studio and some other browser windows for another project that you work on simultaneously.
WizMouse. This one is not something you immediately go Wow! about. It sits in the traybar and does only one thing: it scrolls windows when you move the scrollwheel. But it doesn't scroll the active window, but the window directly under the mouse pointer! A lot of annoyance is saved by this.
Hope it helps you all. Till next time!
Sunday, 22 February 2009
UpdatePanel Shrinker on Github
This is a message I got from the UpdatePanel Shrinker in a site we built:
Shrinkage: from 70000 to 10 = 0.014%.
Almost a year ago I thought of a way of compressing the UpdatePanel asynchronous output based on the previously sent information and created the UpdatePanel Shrinker. I waited all this time to test it and also I've used it in some small projects.
From today, the project is on Github, with an MIT licence, that means do whatever you want with it, but I would appreciate some words from you.
As for the details: it uses a sort of fast and dirty home made diff algorithm to compare the previously sent output for an UpdatePanel with the current one. The problem is that the effect can only be seen from the second async postback on, but when used, it yields fantastic compression rates.
You can use it for sites that are accessed from Internet challenged locations, for sites that have complex Ajax interactions and for sites that you "Ajaxify". And before I get angry comments from purists, yes, I know it is more efficient to use Ajax in a smart way to solve each problem in the best possible way, but if you just want the quick and dirty solution, like a MasterPage with a ScriptManager, an UpdatePanel and the page content in it, the Shrinker is the thing for you.
Take care to look in the Debug Output window. The shrinker will output the compression rate and any warnings it might have.
Shrinkage: from 70000 to 10 = 0.014%.
Almost a year ago I thought of a way of compressing the UpdatePanel asynchronous output based on the previously sent information and created the UpdatePanel Shrinker. I waited all this time to test it and also I've used it in some small projects.
From today, the project is on Github, with an MIT licence, that means do whatever you want with it, but I would appreciate some words from you.
As for the details: it uses a sort of fast and dirty home made diff algorithm to compare the previously sent output for an UpdatePanel with the current one. The problem is that the effect can only be seen from the second async postback on, but when used, it yields fantastic compression rates.
You can use it for sites that are accessed from Internet challenged locations, for sites that have complex Ajax interactions and for sites that you "Ajaxify". And before I get angry comments from purists, yes, I know it is more efficient to use Ajax in a smart way to solve each problem in the best possible way, but if you just want the quick and dirty solution, like a MasterPage with a ScriptManager, an UpdatePanel and the page content in it, the Shrinker is the thing for you.
Take care to look in the Debug Output window. The shrinker will output the compression rate and any warnings it might have.
Friday, 20 February 2009
Programatically changing Web.Config
I have this cool thing I made that needs a HttpHandler to process some commands. Therefore, in the code, I am trying to change the web.config whenever possible. I do it in the usual way:
In other words, in order to write to the web.config you also need rights to add files to the web folder in order to create temporary files. Hmm, I thought the temporary files folder was used for that... :-|
WebConfigurationManager.OpenWebConfiguration("~");
... .Save();
. That should work fine, unless you don't have writing rights on the web.config file. But you don't need only that! I gave rights to the web.config file, but I got this silly error: "changing web.config An error occurred loading a configuration file: Access to the path 'bla...bla...bla...bla.tmp' is denied.".In other words, in order to write to the web.config you also need rights to add files to the web folder in order to create temporary files. Hmm, I thought the temporary files folder was used for that... :-|
Thursday, 19 February 2009
Leaving my job was the best thing I ever did
No, I didn't leave my current job. This is more or less a quote from some blog I read. Probably Jean Paul S. Boodhoo, but I couldn't find the reference when I looked for it.
Anyway, the gist of the article was that, even if he did enjoy his position, the guy chose to look further and expand his horizons and that, in the end, made him a better developer and a better person. Is that a general idea? Of course not. I am willing to bet that changing one's job more often leads to bad things than good, but in the end you try a few options and you get to some place you can live with.
And, well, I can't stop thinking about the beginning of my career when, even if I wasn't really doing a lot of programming, I was learning a lot by the simple fact of changing jobs. Usually, the first month is extraordinary as you learn new skills, you get to know new people and new methods of doing new things. After that you "get used" to the job, like a shoe on someone's foot. It can also get smelly pretty fast, as well.
Sure, having a new job every 8 months doesn't sound so good now, but the memory of that "living on the edge" feeling still lingers. And who knows? I may find something worthwhile just by looking over the fence. What do you guys think?
Anyway, the gist of the article was that, even if he did enjoy his position, the guy chose to look further and expand his horizons and that, in the end, made him a better developer and a better person. Is that a general idea? Of course not. I am willing to bet that changing one's job more often leads to bad things than good, but in the end you try a few options and you get to some place you can live with.
And, well, I can't stop thinking about the beginning of my career when, even if I wasn't really doing a lot of programming, I was learning a lot by the simple fact of changing jobs. Usually, the first month is extraordinary as you learn new skills, you get to know new people and new methods of doing new things. After that you "get used" to the job, like a shoe on someone's foot. It can also get smelly pretty fast, as well.
Sure, having a new job every 8 months doesn't sound so good now, but the memory of that "living on the edge" feeling still lingers. And who knows? I may find something worthwhile just by looking over the fence. What do you guys think?
Monday, 16 February 2009
Change of chat
As you have probably noticed, I've decided to replace Talkinator with Jabbify. Hopefully this will solve the problems with IE6 as well as the hour issues (never knowing when people left the last message). Also, this particular type of chat lets me know when people leave messages, so I can actually reply and join blog conversations.
Don't hesitate to leave me messages, although I would prefer them to be smarter than "fgfghhfgf". Thank you!
Don't hesitate to leave me messages, although I would prefer them to be smarter than "fgfghhfgf". Thank you!
