Since the source code to ASP.Net was made available, I’ve been using it extensively. Here’s a great example of why it’s so valuable. I’ve been trying to integrate the Enterprise Library 3.1 Exception Handling Block into my application. My application is split into a core and web UI specific components, so I’ve defined errors in [...]

.Net 3.5 had some nice tricks in it. LINQ-to-XML was one of them. With the new "X"-types, you can make working with XML really easy. VB.Net 9 takes it one step further, and lets you write XML in your code without strings. "Hey Rich, that’s old news," I hear you say. "And who’s interested in [...]

Visual Studio 2008 has lots of goodies in it, like LINQ syntax, CSS editing, and testing tools. There’s a lesser-known feature which I really appreciate though – the “Remove and Sort Usings” command in the C# editor. You activate the command by placing your cursor over the using statements and clicking on the right mouse-button.

Yesterday I thought I’d learn about the LinqDataSource in ASP.Net 3.5, and got an interesting surprise. The new LinqDataSource can also be used with a LINQ-to-SQL model to perform updates. You simply add the DataSource to your page, set the table name, and set EnableUpdate to true. Then, using a standard DataControl, you can make [...]

Until recently I thought this was a well-known feature. After demonstrating it a few times, I found out it wasn’t. A long time ago, in an cubicle far, far away, someone created the .Net Framework. To cut a long story short, they simultaneously produced guidelines for creating Exception classes, which you should always use or [...]

Scott Guthrie has just announced that the source code for the .Net framework has just been made available for reference use. It will be particularly useful to see how the controls in ASP.Net and Windows Forms have been done. Detailed instructions for how to set it up are here. One caveat: it’s not available for [...]

I was recently asked to do some research and give a presentation about using Visual Studio Team System 2008. I thought I’d experiment with Slideshare.net and post it here. The presentation was for a large corporation, and will possibly not come across as being very useful for an online presentation. I have been working on [...]