Geek Post Monthly Newsletter Volume 2 Issue 2

Geek Post

Volume 2 Issue 2 February 2010

Hippolite Musings	Tena Koutou Katoa, Still catching up on stuff I did last month.  It’s been hectic at work, so taking a breather to document it all seems good to me. Blessings, James
Developer News	Grenada Village Online This is where I continue the saga of documenting my learnings from actually putting a web site “out in the wild” (I usually code within a nice, safe, Intranet). In February I learned how to upload documents to a database, without having to upload the file to the server first.  I had always assumed that using the FileUpload control, I had to copy the file from the client to the server first, in order to grab the file on the server and push it into the database. However, in a managed server environment (e.g. utilising an Internet Service Provider) I do not have permission to write files to the server. I now realise that assumption was false. Here is the completed (presentation) code: 1: Protected Sub Submit_Click(ByVal sender As Object, _ 2: ByVal e As System.EventArgs) _ 3: Handles Submit.Click 4: If Page.IsValid() Then 5: DocumentLogic.Insert() 6: End If 7: End Sub 8:   9: Protected Sub DocumentLogic_Inserting( _ 10: ByVal sender As Object, _ 11: ByVal e As ObjectDataSourceMethodEventArgs) _ 12: Handles DocumentLogic.Inserting 13:   14: Dim iod As IOrderedDictionary = e.InputParameters 15: iod("documentName") = TitleTextBox.Text 16: iod("attachment") = FileUpload1.PostedFile.InputStream 17: iod("documentType") = FileUpload1.PostedFile.ContentType 18: iod("userName") = AppState.UserName 19: End Sub   Then, the business layer looks like this: 1: [System.ComponentModel.DataObjectMethodAttribute( 2: System.ComponentModel.DataObjectMethodType.Insert, true)] 3: public bool Add( 4: string documentName, 5: string documentType, 6: string author, 7: string audience, 8: string purpose, 9: DateTime? dateWritten, 10: Stream attachment, 11: string userName) 12: { 13: DAL.Document dr = new DAL.Document(); 14:   15: dr.DocumentName = documentName; 16: dr.DocumentType = documentType; 17: dr.Author = author; 18: dr.Audience = audience; 19: dr.Purpose = purpose; 20: dr.DateWritten = dateWritten; 21: dr.UpdatedBy = userName; 22: dr.UpdatedOn = DateTime.Now; 23: Int32 docLength = (Int32)attachment.Length; 24: byte[] docBuffer = new byte[docLength]; 25: attachment.Read(docBuffer, 0, docLength); 26: dr.Attachment = docBuffer; 27: dr.Save(userName); 28: return true; 29: }
Telecom News	We are moving to SubVersion… We are finally moving off Microsoft Visual SourceSafe for source code control.  The reasons for moving are: Ability to branch and merge (apparently) is better; More stable, robust database; Other teams (non-Microsoft e.g. Java) already have it – we’re the last holdouts. Free Open Source application (although the Visual Studio interface – Visual SVN – isn’t free). The reason why we’re not going to Team Foundation Server is: There already is a TFS database, but they way it was implemented (Virtual Server on a non-Telecom network via internal wireless network) means that we couldn’t code from home. Prohibitively expensive to spin up a second license. Seems like a good idea to me.  Not sure I want to share the same repository as all other teams: might lose too much autonomy.  We shall see.
Product News	Nothing new to report at this time Last month, I made a mistake.  I had thought (typo?) that the world-wide launch of Visual Studio 2010 was taking place on 22 March.  Turns out to be 22 April.
Partner News	Got our new MSDN Subscriber Licenses Good for another two years of unlimited, legal downloads.  I love working here.
Situations Vacant	Senior Functional Specialist BI/Planning - Wellington Requisition ID – INF022D5 NZ-Wellington Permanent - Full-time Job Posting 18/Mar/10 Senior Finance Analyst Requisition ID – FIN020GO NZ-Wellington Permanent - Full-time Job Posting 12/Mar/10 Technical Graduate Programme Requisition ID – GRA2200Y New Zealand Permanent - Full-time Job Posting 08/Mar/10 Functional Specialist BI/Planning - Wellington Requisition ID – INF022CE NZ-Wellington Permanent - Full-time Job Posting 01/Mar/10 Graduate Leadership Development Programme 2011 Requisition ID – GRA2200X New Zealand Permanent - Full-time Job Posting 01/Mar/10 If any of my non-Telecom friends are reading this and interesting in any of the above, then drop me a line so we can discuss eligibility and suitability.
Training News	In February, I sat and passed Exam 70-562 TS: Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5, ASP.NET Application Development Should have been easy, but there was a whole lotta extra stuff e.g. WCF & AJAX My score: 763 Skills being measured in this exam: Configuration and Deploying Web Applications (10%) Consuming and Creating Server Controls (20%) Working with Data and Services (17%) Troubleshooting and Debugging Web Applications (16%) Working with ASP.NET AJAX and Client-side Scripting (15%) Targeting Mobile Devices (5%) Programming Web Applications (17%)
Trainer News	Renewed my MCT for another year… I’m a Microsoft Certified Trainer again.  Yippee!  It means that Telecom gets a discount on MSDN subscription, and I get unlimited, free and legal access to all Microsoft Official Curriculum material.
PASS News	I’m speaking to Auckland SQL Saturday in April… On Saturday 10 April at Wolters Kluwer, 41 Centorian Drive, Mairangi Bay, North Shore. My topic will probably be the Microsoft Sync Framework (again).  I find it difficult (as a full-time Web Developer) to find topics of relevance to Microsoft SQL Server Database Administrators.
Events Schedule	In this section, I highlight dates, times and venues of events either I am presenting at, or of interest to Geeks.  I’m available for bookings. Date Event Venue Speaker 19-Feb-2010 Exam 70-562 Auldhouse, Wellington None 22-26 Feb 2010 Exchange 2010 Training Auldhouse, Wellington ? 10-Apr-2010 SQL Saturday Wolters Kluwer, Auckland James, et al 22-Apr-10 Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 Launch All Over The World Various 21-23 April 2010 PASS European Conference Neuss, Germany Various 18-May-10 NZ SharePoint Conference Bay of Plenty Lots
Humour	Mistaken Identity One day, one of my first-grade students, Taylor, asked his grandmother if he was a child of God. "Why, of course you are, Taylor," she replied. He looked puzzled, then responded, "Well I better get home and tell Mom and Dad—they think I'm theirs!" —Mary De Guzman, Greenville, SC. Today's Christian Woman, "Heart to Heart."