System.BadImageFormatException

Scenario:

• I've built a .NET 4.0 Windows Forms app...
• I've added it to a .NET 4.0 Setup project...
• My DEV PC has .NET 4.0 Framework installed...
• When I attempt to install the resultant .msi, I get an error message...

System.BadImageFormatException: Could not load file or assembly...This assembly is built by a runtime newer than the currently loaded runtime and cannot be loaded.

Setup:

• On a DEV VM
• 32 bit
• Windows 7
• Visual Studio 2010.

Resolution:

• The Setup project has a folder for Detected Dependencies...
• In there is listed Microsoft .NET Framework...
• When you double-click that, you get a Launch Conditions window...
• Under Launch Conditions, is listed the .NET Framework version...
• This was set incorrectly.

How to Import Spreadsheets in Dot Net in Memory

Steps:

1. Create an Import Page
2. Capture the Upload File
3. Process the Import

1. Create an Import Page

<%@ Page Language="vb" AutoEventWireup="false" Inherits="Admin.ProjectImport" CodeFile="ProjectImport.aspx.vb"
    MasterPageFile="~/Shared/template/AppMasterPage.master" Title="Import Projects" %>
<asp:Content ContentPlaceHolderID="ActionBarContentPlaceHolder" runat="server">
    <dc:ActionButton ID="ImportButton" Text="Import" runat="server" HasLeadingBullet="false" />
</asp:Content>
<asp:Content ContentPlaceHolderID="WorkSpaceContentPlaceHolder" runat="server">
    <asp:Label ID="Label1" runat="server">Enter location</asp:Label>
    <asp:FileUpload id="FileUpload1" runat="server" />
    <asp:ObjectDataSource ID="ImportProjectLogic" runat="server" 
        InsertMethod="Add" 
        TypeName="DC.Business.ImportProject" >
        <InsertParameters>
            <asp:Parameter Name="attachment" Type="Object" />
        </InsertParameters>
    </asp:ObjectDataSource>
    <asp:ObjectDataSource ID="ProgrammeLogic" runat="server"
        InsertMethod="Insert"
        TypeName="DC.Business.Programme">
    </asp:ObjectDataSource>
    <asp:ObjectDataSource ID="ProjectTypeLogic" runat="server"
        InsertMethod="Insert"
        TypeName="DC.Business.ProjectType">
    </asp:ObjectDataSource>
</asp:Content>
<asp:Content ContentPlaceHolderID="StatusBarContentPlaceHolder" runat="server">
    <asp:Label ID="ErrorMessageLabel" runat="server" ForeColor="Red"></asp:Label><br />
</asp:Content>

2. Capture the Upload File

Imports DC.Model

Namespace Admin

    Partial Class ProjectImport
        Inherits System.Web.UI.Page

        Private Sub Page_Load(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles MyBase.Load
            Select Case Request.QueryString("Err")
                Case 1
                    Dim sheetName As String = ConfigurationManager.AppSettings("SheetName")
                    ErrorMessageLabel.Text = "Could not find sheet named: " + sheetName
                    Exit Sub
                Case 2
                    Dim columnProjectIDName As String = ConfigurationManager.AppSettings("ProjectID")
                    ErrorMessageLabel.Text = "Could not find column named: " + columnProjectIDName
                    Exit Sub
            End Select

            Session("Requery") = "No"

        End Sub

        Protected Sub ImportButton_Click() Handles ImportButton.Click
            If FileUpload1.FileName = "" Then
                ErrorMessageLabel.Text = "Error: you must enter a file name"
                Return
            End If

            If UCase(Right(FileUpload1.FileName, 3)) <> "XLS" Then
                ErrorMessageLabel.Text = "Must be an Excel spreadsheet."
                Return
            End If

            If Not (FileUpload1.PostedFile Is Nothing) Then
                ErrorMessageLabel.Text = ""
                Try
                    ImportProjectLogic.Insert()
                    ProgrammeLogic.Insert()
                    ProjectTypeLogic.Insert()
                Catch ex As Exception
                    While ex IsNot Nothing
                        ErrorMessageLabel.Text &= ex.Message & " "
                        ex = ex.InnerException
                    End While
                    Exit Sub
                End Try
                Response.Redirect("ProjectProcess.aspx")
            End If
        End Sub

        Protected Sub ImportProjectLogic_Inserting(ByVal sender As Object, _
                                                   ByVal e As System.Web.UI.WebControls.ObjectDataSourceMethodEventArgs) _
                                               Handles ImportProjectLogic.Inserting
            Dim iod As IOrderedDictionary = e.InputParameters
            iod("attachment") = FileUpload1.PostedFile.InputStream
        End Sub
    End Class


End Namespace

3. Process the Import

Imports SubSonic
Imports DAL = DC.DataAccess
Imports Columns = DC.DataAccess.ImportProject.Columns
Imports System.IO
Imports System.Runtime.Serialization.Formatters.Binary
Imports System.Text
Imports Excel

<System.ComponentModel.DataObject()>
Public Class ImportProject

    Private _qry As New SqlQuery
    Private _ret As New DAL.ImportProjectCollection

    <System.ComponentModel.DataObjectMethod(
        ComponentModel.DataObjectMethodType.Select, True)>
    Public Function GetData(ByVal projectID As Integer) As DAL.ImportProjectCollection
        _qry.From(DAL.ImportProject.Schema)
        If projectID > 0 Then _qry.Where(Columns.ProjectID).IsEqualTo(projectID)
        _ret.LoadAndCloseReader(_qry.ExecuteReader)
        Return _ret
    End Function

    <System.ComponentModel.DataObjectMethod(
        ComponentModel.DataObjectMethodType.Insert, True)>
    Public Function Add(
        ByVal projectID As String,
        ByVal projectName As String,
        ByVal projectManagerName As String,
        ByVal status As String,
        ByVal programme As String,
        ByVal programmeManager As String,
        ByVal currentPhase As String,
        ByVal projectType As String,
        ByVal businessOwner As String) As Boolean

        Dim dr As DAL.ImportProject = DAL.ImportProject.FetchByID(projectID)
        If dr Is Nothing Then dr = New DAL.ImportProject

        Try
            dr.ProjectID = projectID
            dr.ProjectManagerName = projectManagerName
            dr.ProjectName = projectName
            dr.Status = status
            dr.Programme = programme
            dr.ProgrammeManager = programmeManager
            dr.CurrentPhase = currentPhase
            dr.ProjectType = projectType
            dr.BusinessOwner = businessOwner
            dr.Save()
            Return True
        Catch ex As Exception
            Throw New ApplicationException("Unable to add new record.", ex)
            Return False
        End Try
    End Function

    <System.ComponentModel.DataObjectMethodAttribute(
        System.ComponentModel.DataObjectMethodType.Insert, False)>
    Public Function Add(ByVal attachment As Stream) As Boolean

        Try
            '0. Delete all projects
            DeleteProjects(0)
            '2. Reading from a binary Excel file ('97-2003 format; *.xls)
            Dim excelReader As IExcelDataReader = ExcelReaderFactory.CreateBinaryReader(attachment)
            '3. DataSet - Create column names from first row
            excelReader.IsFirstRowAsColumnNames = True
            Dim result As DataSet = excelReader.AsDataSet()
            Dim dt As DataTable = result.Tables(0)

            Dim projectID As String
            Dim projectName As String
            Dim projectManager As String
            Dim projectStatus As String
            Dim programme As String
            Dim programmeManager As String
            Dim currentPhase As String
            Dim projectType As String
            Dim businessOwner As String

            For Each dr As DataRow In dt.Rows
                projectID = GetValueOrNull(dr("Project ID").ToString)
                projectName = StripIdFromName(dr("Project Name").ToString)
                projectManager = GetValueOrNull(dr("Project Manager").ToString)
                projectStatus = GetValueOrNull(dr("Telecom Status").ToString)
                programme = GetValueOrNull(dr("Programme").ToString)
                programmeManager = GetValueOrNull(dr("Programme Manager").ToString)
                currentPhase = GetValueOrNull(dr("Current Phase").ToString)
                projectType = GetValueOrNull(dr("Project Type").ToString)
                businessOwner = GetValueOrNull(dr("Business Owner").ToString)

                Add(projectID,
                    projectName,
                    projectManager,
                    projectStatus,
                    programme,
                    programmeManager,
                    currentPhase,
                    projectType,
                    businessOwner)

            Next
            Return True
        Catch ex As Exception
            Throw New ApplicationException("Unable to import Projects.", ex)
        End Try
    End Function

    Private Function GetValueOrNull(ByVal value As String) As String
        If value = "" Then
            Return vbNullString
        Else
            Return value
        End If
    End Function

    Private Function StripIdFromName(ByVal value As String) As String
        Dim retVal As String
        If IsDBNull(value) Then
            retVal = vbNullString
        Else
            Dim projectNameList = value.Split("-")
            If projectNameList.Length = 1 Then
                retVal = projectNameList(0)
            Else
                retVal = ""
                For i As Integer = 1 To projectNameList.Length - 1
                    retVal += projectNameList(i) & "-"
                Next
                retVal = Left(retVal, Len(retVal) - 1)
            End If
        End If
        Return retVal

    End Function

    <System.ComponentModel.DataObjectMethod(
        ComponentModel.DataObjectMethodType.Delete, True)>
    Public Function DeleteProjects(ByVal projectID As Integer) As Boolean
        Dim delQuery As New DeleteQuery(DAL.ImportProject.Schema)
        If projectID > 0 Then delQuery.AddWhere(Columns.ProjectID, projectID)
        Try
            delQuery.Execute()
            Return True
        Catch ex As Exception
            Throw New ApplicationException(ex.Message)
            Return False
        End Try
    End Function

End Class

Adding a dynamic “Contact Us” page to your website

I just added a dynamic Contact Us page to my charity websites:

• Grenada Village Residents Association
• Align Church Taita

This is where a signed on administrator can add a new contact person to the page, without having to edit the HTML page and save/overwrite it back.

The secret is to store everything in a database, then output the results of a database query.

Here’s how it’s done (an overview, followed by detailed instructions below):

1. Create database table “Contact”
2. Import Contact class using an Object Relational Mapper (such as SubSonic).
3. Wrap some ComponentModel tags around the ORM class in the business layer.
4. Output the results of the SELECT in a GridView.  (Code some input fields which are only visible to users with Admin role. )
5. Render the image using a Handler.
6. Capture the input fields and store them back into the database.

1. Create database table “Contact”

CREATE TABLE [dbo].[Contact](
    [ContactID] [int] IDENTITY(1,1) NOT NULL,
    [FullName] [nvarchar](100) NOT NULL,
    [ImageType] [nvarchar](50) NOT NULL,
    [JobTitle] [nvarchar](50) NOT NULL,
    [PhoneNumber] [nvarchar](20) NULL,
    [UpdatedBy] [nvarchar](20) NOT NULL,
    [UpdatedOn] [smalldatetime] NOT NULL,
    [Attachment] [image] NULL,
    [EmailAddress] [nvarchar](100) NULL,
    [FileName] [nvarchar](100) NULL,
 CONSTRAINT [PK_Contact] PRIMARY KEY CLUSTERED 
(
    [ContactID] ASC
)

2. Import Contact class using an ORM

3. Wrap some ComponentModel tags around the ORM class

Imports System
Imports System.Collections.Generic
Imports System.IO
Imports System.Text
Imports DAL = Align.DataAccess
Imports columns = Align.DataAccess.Contact.Columns
Imports SubSonic

<System.ComponentModel.DataObject()>
Public Class Contact

    Dim _qry As SqlQuery = New SqlQuery()
    Dim _ret As DAL.ContactCollection = New DAL.ContactCollection()


    <System.ComponentModel.DataObjectMethodAttribute(
        System.ComponentModel.DataObjectMethodType.Select, True)>
    Public Function GetData(ByVal ContactID As Integer) As DAL.ContactCollection
        _qry.From(DAL.Contact.Schema)
        If (ContactID > 0) Then _qry.Where(columns.ContactID).IsEqualTo(ContactID)
        _qry.OrderAsc(columns.ContactID)
        _ret.LoadAndCloseReader(_qry.ExecuteReader())
        Return _ret
    End Function

    <System.ComponentModel.DataObjectMethodAttribute(
        System.ComponentModel.DataObjectMethodType.Insert, True)>
    Public Function Insert(
        ByVal fullName As String,
        ByVal imageType As String,
        ByVal jobTitle As String,
        ByVal phoneNumber As String,
        ByVal emailAddress As String,
        ByVal attachment As Stream,
        ByVal userName As String,
        ByVal fileName As String) As Boolean

        Dim dr As DAL.Contact = New DAL.Contact()

        dr.FullName = fullName
        dr.ImageType = imageType
        dr.JobTitle = jobTitle
        dr.PhoneNumber = phoneNumber
        dr.EmailAddress = emailAddress
        dr.UpdatedBy = userName
        dr.UpdatedOn = DateTime.Now
        If (Not attachment Is Nothing) Then
            Dim docLength As Int32 = attachment.Length
            Dim docBuffer(docLength) As Byte
            attachment.Read(docBuffer, 0, docLength)
            dr.Attachment = docBuffer
            dr.FileName = fileName
        End If

        Try
            dr.Save(userName)
            Return True
        Catch ex As Exception
            Throw New ApplicationException("Unable to save new Contact", ex)
        End Try
    End Function

    <System.ComponentModel.DataObjectMethod(
System.ComponentModel.DataObjectMethodType.Delete, True)>
    Public Function Delete(ByVal contactID As Integer)
        Dim delQuery As DeleteQuery = New DeleteQuery(DAL.Contact.Schema)
        delQuery.WHERE(columns.ContactID, contactID)

        Try
            delQuery.Execute()
            Return True
        Catch ex As Exception
            Throw New ApplicationException("Unable to delete Contact", ex)
        End Try
    End Function

End Class

4. Output the results of the SELECT in a GridView

<%@ Page Title="Contact Us" MasterPageFile="~/site.master" CodeFile="~/Community/contact_us.aspx.vb"
    Inherits="Community.contact_us" %>

<asp:Content ContentPlaceHolderID="HeaderContentPlaceHolder" runat="server">
    Contact Us
</asp:Content>
<asp:Content ID="Content1" ContentPlaceHolderID="WorkSpaceContentPlaceHolder" runat="server">
    <p>
        For further information regarding Align Church, please contact us at the following
        numbers.</p>
    <asp:HiddenField ID="UserName_HiddenField" runat="server" />
    <asp:Label ID="Err_Label" runat="server" ForeColor="Red"></asp:Label>
    <asp:GridView ID="GridView1" BorderWidth="0px" CellPadding="0" Style="border-collapse: collapse;"
        Width="100%" runat="server" AutoGenerateColumns="False" DataSourceID="Contact_Logic"
        DataKeyNames="ContactID" ShowHeader="False" EnableModelValidation="True">
        <HeaderStyle CssClass="style1" />
        <RowStyle CssClass="style2" />
        <AlternatingRowStyle CssClass="style3" />
        <Columns>
            <asp:ImageField DataImageUrlField="ContactID" DataImageUrlFormatString="GetDbImage.ashx?Id={0}" ControlStyle-Width="100px" />
            <asp:TemplateField>
                <ItemTemplate>
                    <table>
                        <tr>
                            <td class="style1">
                                Name
                            </td>
                            <td>
                                <asp:Label ID="Label3" runat="server" Text='<%# Eval("FullName") %>' />
                            </td>
                        </tr>
                        <tr>
                            <td class="style1">
                                Title
                            </td>
                            <td>
                                <asp:Label ID="Label5" runat="server" Text='<%# Eval("JobTitle") %>' />
                            </td>
                        </tr>
                        <tr>
                            <td class="style1">
                                Phone
                            </td>
                            <td>
                                <asp:Label ID="Label7" runat="server" Text='<%# Eval("PhoneNumber") %>' />
                            </td>
                        </tr>
                        <tr>
                            <td class="style1">
                                Email
                            </td>
                            <td>
                                <asp:HyperLink ID="Label9" runat="server" Text='<%# Eval("EmailAddress") %>' NavigateUrl='<%#Eval("EmailAddress","mailto:{0}") %>' />
                            </td>
                        </tr>
                    </table>
                </ItemTemplate>                
            </asp:TemplateField>
            <asp:CommandField ShowDeleteButton="true" />
        </Columns>
    </asp:GridView>
    <asp:ObjectDataSource ID="Contact_Logic" runat="server" TypeName="Align.Business.Contact"
        SelectMethod="GetData" DeleteMethod="Delete" InsertMethod="Insert">
        <DeleteParameters>
            <asp:Parameter Name="contactID" Type="Int32" />
        </DeleteParameters>
        <InsertParameters>
            <asp:ControlParameter Name="fullName" Type="String" ControlID="FullName_TextBox"
                PropertyName="Text" />
            <asp:Parameter Name="attachment" Type="Object" />
            <asp:Parameter Name="imageType" Type="String" />
            <asp:Parameter Name="fileName" Type="String" />
            <asp:ControlParameter Name="jobTitle" Type="String" ControlID="JobTitle_TextBox"
                PropertyName="Text" />
            <asp:ControlParameter Name="phoneNumber" Type="String" ControlID="PhoneNumber_TextBox"
                PropertyName="Text" />
            <asp:ControlParameter Name="emailAddress" Type="String" ControlID="EmailAddress_TextBox"
                PropertyName="Text" />
            <asp:ControlParameter Name="userName" Type="String" ControlID="UserName_HiddenField"
                PropertyName="Value" />
        </InsertParameters>
        <SelectParameters>
            <asp:Parameter Name="ContactID" Type="Int32" DefaultValue="0" />
        </SelectParameters>
    </asp:ObjectDataSource>
    <br />
    <asp:Table ID="insert_table" runat="server" Width="100%">
        <asp:TableHeaderRow CssClass="style1">
            <asp:TableHeaderCell>Photo</asp:TableHeaderCell>
            <asp:TableHeaderCell>Full Name</asp:TableHeaderCell>
            <asp:TableHeaderCell>Job Title</asp:TableHeaderCell>
            <asp:TableHeaderCell>Phone Number</asp:TableHeaderCell>
            <asp:TableHeaderCell>Email Address</asp:TableHeaderCell>
        </asp:TableHeaderRow>
        <asp:TableRow CssClass="style2">
            <asp:TableCell>
                <asp:FileUpload ID="FileUpload1" runat="server" />
            </asp:TableCell>
            <asp:TableCell>
                <asp:TextBox ID="FullName_TextBox" runat="server" /></asp:TableCell><asp:TableCell>
                    <asp:TextBox ID="JobTitle_TextBox" runat="server" /></asp:TableCell><asp:TableCell>
                        <asp:TextBox ID="PhoneNumber_TextBox" runat="server" /></asp:TableCell><asp:TableCell>
                            <asp:TextBox ID="EmailAddress_TextBox" runat="server" /></asp:TableCell></asp:TableRow></asp:Table><asp:LinkButton ID="Insert_Button" Text="Insert" CommandName="Insert" runat="server">
    </asp:LinkButton><br />
    <table>
        <tr>
            <td valign="top">
                <b>Address</b> </td><td>
                <p>
                    Taita Community Hall<br />
                    22 Taine Street<br />
                    Taita<br />
                    Lower Hutt</p><hr />
            </td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
            <td valign="top">
                <b>Map</b> </td><td>
                <iframe width="425" height="350" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0"
                    marginwidth="0" src="http://maps.google.co.nz/maps?q=Taita+Community+Hall&amp;hl=en&amp;cd=1&amp;ei=yZG2S6_iCp2uiwPXyMGYBw&amp;sig2=ii97zdnzh-Ye38TgUgVLiw&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;view=map&amp;cid=10505385825416012616&amp;ved=0CBoQpQY&amp;hq=Taita+Community+Hall&amp;hnear=&amp;ll=-41.179429,174.958979&amp;spn=0.006295,0.006295&amp;iwloc=A&amp;layer=c&amp;cbll=-41.179591,174.958736&amp;panoid=cBJq7GpBqDsMcOoNOA7sfw&amp;cbp=12,31.86,,0,5.53&amp;source=embed&amp;output=svembed">
                </iframe>
                <br />
                <small><a href="http://maps.google.co.nz/maps?q=Taita+Community+Hall&amp;hl=en&amp;cd=1&amp;ei=yZG2S6_iCp2uiwPXyMGYBw&amp;sig2=ii97zdnzh-Ye38TgUgVLiw&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;view=map&amp;cid=10505385825416012616&amp;ved=0CBoQpQY&amp;hq=Taita+Community+Hall&amp;hnear=&amp;ll=-41.179429,174.958979&amp;spn=0.006295,0.006295&amp;iwloc=A&amp;layer=c&amp;cbll=-41.179591,174.958736&amp;panoid=cBJq7GpBqDsMcOoNOA7sfw&amp;cbp=12,31.86,,0,5.53&amp;source=embed"
                    style="color: #0000FF; text-align: left">View Larger Map</a></small> <hr />
            </td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
            <td valign="top">
                <b>Bank Account</b> </td><td>
                <p>
                    If you have prayefully considered and decide to make Align Church your spiritual
                    home, or if you earnestly desire to bless the ministry of Align Church to the Taita
                    community, then you might want to contribute an offering to this ministry.</p><p>
                    Align Church is a registered charity with the New Zealand Charities Commission.
                    Your donations are tax-deductible. </p><p>
                    Our bank account number (for Internet Banking and/or Direct Debits) is: </p><p>
                    ALIGN CHURCH TRUST 38-9010-0431534-00 </p><blockquote>
                    <strong>But just as you excel in everything - in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in
                        complete earnestness and in your love for us - see that you also excel in the grace
                        of giving.</strong></blockquote><blockquote>
                    <em>2 Corinthians 8:7 </em></blockquote><p>
                    Please clearly identify yourself, so we can send a tax receipt at year end.</p><hr />
            </td>
        </tr>
    </table>
</asp:Content>
<asp:Content ID="Content2" runat="server" ContentPlaceHolderID="head">
</asp:Content>

5. Render the image using a Handler

<%@ WebHandler Language="VB" Class="GetDbImage" %>

Imports System
Imports System.Web
Imports DAL = Align.DataAccess

Public Class GetDbImage : Implements IHttpHandler
    
    Public Sub ProcessRequest(ByVal context As HttpContext) Implements IHttpHandler.ProcessRequest
        context.Response.Clear()
        
        If Not context.Request.QueryString("ID") Is Nothing Then
            Dim theContact As DAL.Contact = DAL.Contact.FetchByID(context.Request.QueryString("ID"))

            context.Response.ContentType = theContact.ImageType
            context.Response.BinaryWrite(theContact.Attachment)
        Else
            context.Response.ContentType = "text/plain"
            context.Response.Write("No image")
        End If
    End Sub
 
    Public ReadOnly Property IsReusable() As Boolean Implements IHttpHandler.IsReusable
        Get
            Return False
        End Get
    End Property

End Class

6. Capture the input fields and store them back into the database

Imports Align.Business
Imports System.Security.Principal
Imports System.IO
Imports System.Data.SqlClient
Imports System.Xml.Linq

Namespace Community

    Public Class contact_us
        Inherits Page

        Private p As IPrincipal = HttpContext.Current.User

        Protected Sub Page_Load(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles Me.Load
            If Me.IsPostBack Then Exit Sub

            If p.Identity.IsAuthenticated Then UserName_HiddenField.Value = p.Identity.Name
            If p.IsInRole("Administrator") Then
                insert_table.Visible = True
                Insert_Button.Visible = True
            Else
                insert_table.Visible = False
                Insert_Button.Visible = False
            End If
        End Sub

        Protected Sub Contact_Logic_Inserted(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As System.Web.UI.WebControls.ObjectDataSourceStatusEventArgs) Handles Contact_Logic.Inserted
            If Not e.Exception Is Nothing Then
                Err_Label.Text = e.Exception.Message
            End If
        End Sub

        Protected Sub Insert_Button_Click(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles Insert_Button.Click
            Contact_Logic.Insert()
        End Sub

        Protected Sub GridView1_RowDataBound(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As System.Web.UI.WebControls.GridViewRowEventArgs) Handles GridView1.RowDataBound
            Dim theRow As GridViewRow = e.Row
            If theRow.RowType = DataControlRowType.Header Then Exit Sub

            Dim theCell As DataControlFieldCell = theRow.Cells(2)
            For Each ctl As Control In theCell.Controls
                If TypeOf ctl Is LinkButton Then
                    If p.IsInRole("Administrator") Then
                        ctl.Visible = True
                    Else
                        ctl.Visible = False
                    End If
                End If
            Next
        End Sub

        Protected Sub Contact_Logic_Inserting(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As System.Web.UI.WebControls.ObjectDataSourceMethodEventArgs) Handles Contact_Logic.Inserting
            Dim iod As IOrderedDictionary = e.InputParameters
            iod("attachment") = FileUpload1.PostedFile.InputStream
            iod("imageType") = FileUpload1.PostedFile.ContentType
            iod("fileName") = FileUpload1.FileName
        End Sub
    End Class
End Namespace

Business Ethics, Professionalism and the Workplace: Information Systems

I just read this really interesting (slightly dated) article (thanks Megha):

The paramount question every professional asks himself or herself is "am I worth what I make?" This is always important, even though today, as Year-2000 conversions are beta-tested and implemented the demand for certain professionals appears to have exploded. There will always be cycles of varying supply and demand. Different professions have varying cultures and expectations. This sidebar will focus on issue of particular importance to professionals in information systems.

Read More…

Day 30 – Where do you see technology advancing in the next 20 years – and where will you fit in?

My old lecturer, Mr David Mason, told me that Management Information Systems (MIS) is a better career decision than Computer Science, because (paraphrased):

The technology advances so quickly that Engineers quickly become out of date.  However Managers always need reports in order to improve performance.  So they will always need Developers who can translate human requirements into machine language.

Note, he was referring to 4GL as opposed to 3GL.  The promise of technology has always been that computers will one day be able to program themselves (third generation languages), thus making low-level software engineers redundant.  But you would always need a higher-level interface between computers and the business, else the purpose for having the computer is lost.

I have no idea what the technology will look like in 20 years time.  The hype has never matched the reality (Back to the Future part 2, anyone?  We’re only 4 years away from 2015 and don’t have nuclear-fission, flying cars and hover-boards.)

I do know that my days with computers are numbered.  They are a useful tool, bringing the world into my home via search.  But when I retire from office work, I won’t miss them.  They won’t miss me.  In 20 years, I’ll be a happy grandfather: teaching Christ to heathens; sending missionary updates to my kids & home church via web; cataloguing Unreached People Groups who have yet to hear the Word of God; coordinating church field force survey data; assisting in the Completion of the Great Commission in preaching the Gospel to all the World; thus fulfilling the mandate of the Church; thus preparing the way for the Lord’s return; thus ending all suffering on the planet for all time.

That’s what I’m looking forward to.

Day 29 – Looking back (at geek life), would you have done anything differently?

I don’t believe so.  Looking back over my professional qualification and credentialing résumé, I see a natural progression:

Year	Credential
1984	School Cert
1985	University Entrance
1986	B Bursay + HSC
1988	Speed Reading
1990	BCA Degree
1996	Access 2.0
1998	Windows 95
1999	VB 5.0 + Access 95
2000	Solution Architect
2001	VB 6.0 + SQL 7.0
2002	Windows 2000 + DBA
2003	MCT
2005	VB.NET (Windows)
2006	VB.NET (Web)
2007	.NET Framework 2.0
2008	SQL 2005
2009	ITIL v3.0 Foundations + .NET Sol Architect
2010	.NET Framework 3.5

Day 28 – How many computers lying about the house?

Not as many as there used to be:

Make/Model	Room	Use
Lenovo T61	Hamish bedroom	Work PC for Remote Access work
Dell OptiPlex	Rumpus Room	Kids games
HP Mini-Note	Main Lounge	Main home PC
Sony PS-2	Rumpus Room	Kids games

I have a habit of bundling up old PCs and delivering them to the annual e-PC recycling day at Westpac Stadium.