January 2007 - Posts
It is coming to you this Wednesday! Microsoft Developers Academy, the annual developers event. As I mentioned before, I am one of the speakers in this event, and I am giving a session about some advanced features and techniques of Windows Workflow Foundation.
You can catch my session at 10:00 in room 9 (Track B) or at 11:30 in room 16 (Track A).
You can also catch me in the Developers Panel between 12:45 and 13:30.
I am looking forward to seeing you there!
In the meantime, you can enjoy some of the slides i will use... just to get the feeling...
See you there!
A new article on MSDN by Jeremy Boyd provides an overview of how workflows that are built by using Windows Workflow Foundation can be hosted inside services that have been created by using Windows Communication Foundation. The article also describes how we can make use of some of the broad capabilities that are provided by WCF to facilitate client-event callbacks by making use of a duplex channel.
If you are currently using WCF and WF or considering doing it in the near future - this article can be very useful.
Enjoy!
If you go to patterns & practices: Upcoming Releases page on MSDN, you'll get to see the list of previous, current and upcoming releases from patterns & practices. For example, I had no idea what are the p&p plans for late 2007, but now I do.
Enjoy!
January CTP of Enterprise Library 3.0 is now available for download in CodePlex!
The new CTP highlights are:
• Validation Application Block
o Near-complete validator library
o Configuration tool support
o ASP.NET integration
o Winforms integration
o Quickstarts and preliminary documentation
• Data Access Application Block
o TransactionScope enlistment
• Logging Application Block
o Rolling Flat File Trace Listener
o WCF integration
• Application Block Software Factory
o VB code generation
• Configuration Tool
o Selectable assembly sets
Looking at the Release Plans page, It seems that the final version of Enterprise Library 3.0 should be out this March! Looking forward to it!
Another thing I noticed in that page is that the next drops will contain "Object Policy Application Block". Never heard of it...
Enjoy!
I've been playing with ADO.Net Entity Framework for quite some time now. I have already given a talk about it in the Israeli Architects User Group and published my slide deck and demos from that session.
During that session I presented the Entity Framework using Visual Studio 2005 with LINQ Preview May CTP, ADO.Net Entity Framework August CTP and the additional EDM Designer.
These days, when Visual Studio "Orcas" CTP's are out, there is a bit confusion about which CTP / bits to use in order to play with the Entity Framework.
The latest January CTP of Orcas contains the latest bits of the ADO.Net Entity Framework, as it is mentioned in the download page:
- Extended, more powerful data APIs with the ADO.NET Entity Framework and LINQ to ADO.NET.
BUT… There is no support for LINQ in this CTP, and there is no support for any ADO.Net tools.
So, currently, I would advise anyone who wishes to play a little bit with the ADO.Net Entity Framework to use the August CTP + LINQ May CTP + EDM Designer installed on Visual Studio 2005.
The good news is that February CTP of Orcas should contain LINQ for Entities and LINQ for Datasets support and some additional features, including:
- Mapping EntitySets to stored procedures for (Create,Update and Delete operations)
- DataBinding support
- Default DataContract support on Entities
- EDMGen.exe (reverse engineering tool)
Can’t wait for February CTP.
Enjoy!
Following Jeff Pulver's Blog-Tag game, I was recently tagged by Ohad Israeli.
I have already written about being an aerobics instructor, so I will not go over it again in this post.
So… 5 things I'd like to share about myself:
1. I was born in 1980 and raised in Haifa. Studied in the Hebrew Reali School and graduated in 1998.
2. During my army service, I've gone through MAMRAM programming course and served 6 years one of the naval computers units.
3. I live in Ramat Gan with my girlfriend Carmit. We have been together almost 3 years now and definitely I know she is the one for me.
4. Besides being a senior consultant in Advantech Technologies, I am also a student in Bar-Ilan University. I study for Computer Science B.Sc degree, and hoping to graduate by next year.
5. I have a family in Sammamish (a city near Redmond), and after visiting them this summer, I know that some day I'd like to work in the WA Microsoft Campus. Have you heard of any interesting openings?
Paying it forward, I am tagging: Eyal Reissman, Dan Amiga, Roy Elimelech, Justin Josef Angel and Alik Levin.
Enjoy!
"Microsoft Visual Studio Code Name "Orcas" is the next generation development tool for Windows Vista, the 2007 Office System, and the Web."
Some of this version's highlights:
- Extended, more powerful data APIs with the ADO.NET Entity Framework and LINQ to ADO.NET
- C# 3.0 Language Support: This CTP implements all of the C#3.0 language features from the May LINQ CTP.
- LINQ to Objects API
- ClickOnce improvements
- Managed classes for Elliptic Curve Diffie Hellman and Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm cryptographic functionality
- Runtime and design-time support for Office 2007 (including Outlook 2007)
- Support for advanced lifetime management of add-ins and their AppDomains
- Client service support for Login/Logout, Role management and Profiles
- A trace listener that logs event to ETW, event tracing for Windows in Vista
- Jscript Intellisense support
- A new numeric type that provides support for very large numbers (Beyond the range of In64)
- LINQ over XML (XLinq)
- SQL Server Compact Edition (SSCE)
Enjoy!
I have recently written about Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Compact Edition being on RC1 bits. Today it was RTMed.
Available downloads:
For more detail about Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Compact Edition, visit the Home Page for SQL Server 2005 Compact Edition.
Enjoy!
The second version of the Service Factory (that helps build both ASP.NET and WCF services) has been released on msdn. The download is now available.
For those that don't know, the Web Service Software Factory (also known as the Service Factory) is an integrated collection of tools, patterns, source code and prescriptive guidance. It is designed to help you quickly and consistently construct Web services that adhere to well known architecture and design patterns.
Enjoy!
As a part of a conference I am participating in this week, I recorded a demo of Windows Workflow Foundation (in Hebrew).
You can take a look, and supply some comments. Your feedback is requested.
Enjoy!
As a part of a conference I am participating in this week, I recorded a demo of Windows Communication Foundation (in Hebrew).
You can take a look, and supply some comments. Your feedback is requested.
Enjoy!
In order to share folders between your hosting operating system and the guest operating system in a virtual PC, you must first install the Virtual PC additions to that VPC instance.
For instructions hot to do it, refer to KB 833139.
Enjoy!
Jon Galloway has some tips to save some time during this process.
As his post's title says - I wish I'd got to his post before trying to install...
Enjoy!
You decided you want to publish your workflow as a Web Service...
You click on the project, choose Publish as Web Service and you have a new web service project in your solution with a web service ready to use.
But now what? Assuming you would like to debug it, how it is done?
I have already written about the fact than in order to debug a workflow library, it should be selected as the start up project and the real .exe should be set as an external program that runs the workflow.
If you published your workflow as a web service, the process that runs is it either w3wp.exe (on Server 2003, Vista), aspnet_wp.exe (on XP), or webdev.webserver.exe which is the local file system web server that simplifies development of web applications.
So, in order to debug your workflow that is exposed as a web service, simply follow these steps:
- Make sure that debugging is enabled in the Web Service project. (set 'debug=true' in the web.config).
- Set the workflow library as the startup project and set appropriate breakpoints on the workflow.
- In the workflow project's properties dialog select the 'Debug' tab and choose 'Start with external URL'. Enter the URL of your Web Service.
- Run the solution. The browser will navigate to your service page where you can test it. Attach the appropriate process (w3wp.exe / aspnet_wp.exe / webdev.webserver.exe) and select the option 'Debug these code types' and only check 'Workflow'.
- Start debugging…
Enjoy!
Getting Started SQLCE | SQL Compact Edition | SQL Everywhere
I have recently joined a project that looks for a In-Memory Database for client-side caching solution. I am currently conducting the POC of using SQLCE | SQL Compact Edition | SQL Everywhere as an alternative.
SQL Server 2005 Compact Edition was previously named SQL Server 2005 Everywhere Edition during the product development phase. Customers have communicated to Microsoft through the pre-release community technology preview (CTP) program and other channels that this product name may cause potential confusion with other database product names in the industry. Microsoft has taken this feedback seriously and has accordingly changed the official product name.
To get started, I have searched and got to this list of resources that will help anyone to get started as well.
Introductory Resources:
Getting started with SQL Server 2005 Everywhere Edition
Information about SQL Server Everywhere Edition (SSEv)
SQL Server Everywhere: Just Another Database?
MSDN Technical papers:
Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Compact Edition Overview White Paper
SQL Server 2005 Compact Edition Data Access with the SqlCeResultSet and Visual C# .NET
How to: Add a SQL Server Compact Edition Database to a Project
Using SQL Server 2005 Compact Edition
Walkthrough: Using SQL Server Compact Edition in an Application
Application Deployment with Shared & Private Deployments (C#)
Downloads:
.NET Rocks! - Josh Holmes on SQL Everywhere and More
SQL Server 2005 Compact Edition Books Online Release Candidate 1
Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Compact Edition RC1
Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Compact Edition Server Tools
Enjoy!