Selected articles on MSDN

You Can Take It With You, Part 2
In this second part of his article on mobility, Arian Kulp focuses on mobile network connectivity awareness. He discusses how to create applications that can handle dropped wireless connections and then resume when a new connection is available.
Author: Arian Kulp - Published: Fri, 19 May 2006 18:03:23 GMT

The .NET Show: IIS 7.0
Shipping with Windows Vista will be the latest version of Internet Information Services (IIS), which includes a broad collection of features and capabilities that have been anxiously awaited by both developers and IT Pros.
Author: Robert Hess - Published: Thu, 18 May 2006 21:12:00 GMT

Build Your Own ASP.NET Provider-Based Feature
Stefan Schackow shows how to author your own ASP.NET provider-based features by leveraging the provider model support in the .NET Framework 2.0 to quickly and easily build a pluggable and extensible provider layer.
Author: Stefan Schackow - Published: Thu, 18 May 2006 21:04:51 GMT

Guidelines for Test-Driven Development
Find out how to incorporate Visual Studio Team System into Test-Driven development practices emphasized in Agile development methodologies.
Author: Jeffrey Palermo - Published: Wed, 17 May 2006 18:25:54 GMT

An MSDN Architecture Chat about Software as a Service with Gianpaolo Carraro
Review a chat about Software as a Service (SaaS) and the implications for enterprise architects and Independent Software Vendors (ISVs).
Author: Diego Dagum - Published: Tue, 16 May 2006 23:10:23 GMT

Deploying contemporary applications with ClickOnce
Bill Sempf looks at ClickOnce deployment from the perspective of a Visual Basic 6.0 developer and compares it to VB 6.0 deployment methods.
Author: Bill Sempf - Published: Tue, 16 May 2006 17:29:25 GMT

Model-Driven Development of .NET Enterprise Applications
Explores the role of domain-specific languages and Visual Studio 2005 Domain Specific Language Tools (DSLs) and show how they can be used to automate the generation of an enterprise application for the .NET platform.
Author: Susan Entwisle and Steve Eadie, EDS - Published: Mon, 15 May 2006 23:50:16 GMT

Managing A Custom Shell via Active Directory
This article introduces Windows policy-based management, which provides an easy, simplified approach to securing the desktop for point of service, and it explains how to do this across a retail organization.
Author: - Published: Mon, 15 May 2006 21:55:59 GMT

Retail and Hospitality Industry Standards: (Part 1)
This article explains why retail industry standards are important and beneficial, and it examines the role of the Association of Retail Technology Standards in addressing and implementing standardization goals for the retail industry.
Author: Microsoft Corporation - Published: Mon, 15 May 2006 21:47:26 GMT

Developing Solutions Using the Consolidated Outlook 2007 Object Model
Learn about new platform features in Microsoft Office Outlook 2007. Randy Byrne and Ryan Gregg give an overview of the unification, security, performance, and forms improvements in this release.
Author: Randy Byrne and Ryan Gregg - Published: Thu, 11 May 2006 19:47:30 GMT

ASP.NET Jumpstart: Introduction to the Media Share Library Starter Kit
Learn how to build your own starter kit using ASP.NET and Visual Studio 2005 or Visual Web Developer 2005 Express Edition.
Author: Bill Evjen - Published: Wed, 10 May 2006 21:42:43 GMT

.NET Rocks! - Ted Neward on Project Automation
Ted Neward makes a rallying call for developers to do everything they can to automate software development, from Continuous Integration to automatic testing and feedback.
Author: Carl Franklin - Published: Wed, 10 May 2006 19:44:36 GMT

Download the Developer Overview of the Office System 2007 User Interface
Get a developer-oriented review of the user interface for the 2007 release of the Microsoft Office System including a discussion of the impact of the redesigned UI on custom solutions.
Author: - Published: Tue, 09 May 2006 20:01:18 GMT

Microsoft Visual Studio Code Name "Orcas" – LINQ CTP (May 2006) Available Now
Get the Visual Studio Code Name “Orcas” - LINQ preview and see some of the newest features we’re planning for the next version of Visual Studio.
Author: - Published: Tue, 09 May 2006 19:53:24 GMT

.NET Matters: Parameterized ThreadStart, EventWaitHandle, and More
This month Stephen Toub answers readers' questions that include: How do I pass data to a new thread? Why can't I convert from "ref string" to "ref object"? And what’s the difference between EventWaitHandle, AutoResetEvent and ManualResetEvent?
Author: Stephen Toub - Published: Fri, 05 May 2006 22:29:23 GMT

Concurrent Affairs: Reader/Writer Locks and the ResourceLock Library
The Microsoft .NET Framework Class Library includes a ReaderWriterLock class in the System.Threading namespace. This month Jeffrey Richter explains when to use it, when not to use it, and how you can get better performance with other types of locks.
Author: Jeffrey Richter - Published: Fri, 05 May 2006 22:26:31 GMT

Toolbox: Generate Office Documents, Monitor Event Logs, and More
Toolbox: Generate Office Documents, Monitor Event Logs, and More
Author: Scott Mitchell - Published: Fri, 05 May 2006 22:05:05 GMT

Wicked Code: Three Cures for Common Site Map Ailments
TreeView branches that don't stay expanded, pages that don't display in SiteMapPath controls, and pages that contain multiple navigation controls are the three ASP.NET 2.0 data-driven navigation issues Jeff Prosise covers this month.
Author: Jeff Prosise - Published: Fri, 05 May 2006 20:45:11 GMT

Service Station: WSE 3.0, SOAP Transports, and More
This month Aaron Skonnard answers reader questions on service orientation and policy-based compatibility, SOAP's transport-neutral design, and Web Services Enhancements (WSE) 3.0.
Author: Aaron Skonnard - Published: Fri, 05 May 2006 20:42:25 GMT

Cutting Edge: ASP.NET Tracing
ASP.NET tracing lets you emit messages during processing, offering valuable information that’s useful for detecting problems. This month Dino Esposito reviews ASP.NET tracing basics and shows what's new in ASP.NET 2.0.
Author: Dino Esposito - Published: Fri, 05 May 2006 20:39:22 GMT

Test Run: Emitting XML
This month James McCaffrey demonstrates how to emit test result data to an XML file using five different techniques: XmlTextWriter, XmlDocument, XPathDocument, DataSet, and XmlSerializer, and discusses when to use each.
Author: Dr. James McCaffrey - Published: Fri, 05 May 2006 20:35:38 GMT

Data Points: Designing Reports with SQL Server Reporting Services 2005
SQL Server Reporting Services 2005 provides Web-based reports that can be integrated into both Windows Forms and Web-based applications and makes designing effective reports simpler than ever. This month John Papa tells you what you need to know.
Author: John Papa - Published: Fri, 05 May 2006 20:33:19 GMT

CLR Inside Out: Windows Vista Globalization Features
Want to know how cultures in the .NET Framework compare to locales in Windows Vista, the difference between a managed encoding and a Windows-based code page, and why Windows Vista has risk mitigation functions not available in the .NET Framework? Read on.
Author: Shawn Steele - Published: Fri, 05 May 2006 20:26:16 GMT

Advanced Basics: Office 2007 Document Properties
Word 2007, Excel 2007, and PowerPoint 2007 save their data natively in an XML-based format, making it easy for your applications to interact with these files. This month Ken Getz uses this capability to update Microsoft Office document properties.
Author: Ken Getz - Published: Fri, 05 May 2006 20:17:52 GMT

Share The Load: Report Visual Studio Team System Load Test Results Via A Configurable Web Site
This article adds some handy reporting capabilities to the new load testing tool in Visual Studio 2005 Team System.
Author: Wen Ding - Published: Fri, 05 May 2006 20:13:49 GMT

Class To Contract: Enrich Your XML Serialization With Schema Providers In .NET
The Microsoft .NET Framework 1.x provided support for mapping classes to schemas and serializing objects to XML documents. The .NET Framework 2.0 improves upon this with schema providers and the supported IXmlSerializable interface.
Author: Keith Pijanowski - Published: Fri, 05 May 2006 20:03:18 GMT

Configure This: Parameterize Your Apps Using XML Configuration In The .NET Framework 2.0
There are a number of ways to configure an application in the .NET Framework 2.0. This article explores the classes of the revamped System.Configuration namespace and explains how to use XML configuration files for your app configuration settings.
Author: Bryan Porter - Published: Fri, 05 May 2006 19:57:36 GMT

Inside MSBuild: Compile Apps Your Way With Custom Tasks For The Microsoft Build Engine
Learn how you can use MSBuild to customize your builds. Since it ships as a part of the .NET Framework, you don't even need to have Visual Studio installed on your machine.
Author: Sayed Ibrahim Hashimi - Published: Fri, 05 May 2006 19:48:45 GMT

.NET Rocks! - Kent Alstad on "Atlas"
http://msdn.microsoft.com/dotnetrocks/ Kent Alstad gives the lowdown on "Atlas", Microsoft's nascent framework for developing AJAX-enabled ASP.NET applications.
Author: Carl Franklin - Published: Fri, 05 May 2006 03:32:27 GMT

Scaling Out SQL Server 2005
This article explains the different technologies that are available for scaling out a SQL Server 2005 database application, focusing on the factors that go into deciding which solution(s) to use in your application.
Author: Roger Wolter - Published: Tue, 02 May 2006 23:38:33 GMT

Architecture Strategies for Catching the Long Tail
Provides an overview of the software-as-a-service (SaaS) model for software delivery, provides a high-level description of the architecture of an SaaS application, and discusses the challenges and benefits of developing and offering SaaS.
Author: Frederick Chong, Gianpaolo Carraro - Published: Mon, 01 May 2006 22:36:23 GMT

Coding4Fun: Building a Family History Web Service
Learn how to build a web service and client application to collect data about your family's history and ancestors.
Author: - Published: Mon, 01 May 2006 21:35:22 GMT

Classifieds Site Starter Kit - Beta version is out!
Thinking of creating an online marketplace, or hosting a virtual garage sale? The Classifieds Site Starter Kit Beta provides a complete, ready to run, fully customizable, Web site for listing and managing classified advertisements.
Author: - Published: Mon, 01 May 2006 21:34:38 GMT

Skype Wrapper for .NET - Beta version is out!
The Skype Wrapper for .NET Starter Kit allows you to create an application to easily send and receive calls from Skype users, automate calls from your Skype contacts list, and track call information using timestamp, subject, duration, and callerID.
Author: - Published: Mon, 01 May 2006 21:33:02 GMT

Video Series: Windows Forms Controls
10 short how-to video clips are now available for your reference when working with Windows Forms controls. These videos cover everything from button control properties, to dialog boxes, to working with the timer control.
Author: - Published: Mon, 01 May 2006 21:31:42 GMT

Introduction to Programming LEGO MINDSTORMS
Ever wanted to build your own robot? Using the LEGO MINDSTORMS kit, and the Microsoft .NET Interface, you can start experimenting with robotics and control your robot from your PC, automatically maneuver around obstacles, and play music.
Author: - Published: Mon, 01 May 2006 21:30:56 GMT

101 Code Samples for Visual Basic 2005
Looking for quick and easy references to help you do common tasks? Download the 101 samples for Visual Basic which includes data access, web and windows forms code samples.
Author: - Published: Mon, 01 May 2006 21:29:46 GMT

Visual Basic Developer Center: Learning resources for beginners
New to programming? Check out this website for a listing of valuable resources that will help you understand basic programming concepts.
Author: - Published: Mon, 01 May 2006 21:28:57 GMT

Coding Basics - Express Webcast Series
We've compiled a mix of live and on-demand webcasts specifically for Visual Studio Express users. Learn how to create a Rocket Commander game, program your Lego Mindstorms robot, take advantage of SQL Server Express, and much more!
Author: - Published: Mon, 01 May 2006 21:26:58 GMT

Download the Microsoft Component Installer SDK 2.0
Download MCISDK2 today and create simple multilanguage installaiton pakcages to get necessary runtime components to your customer computer. MCISDK2 support several runtime component such as the .NET Framework, MSI, MDAC, DirectX, J#, SSE and more.
Author: Barak Cohen - Published: Mon, 01 May 2006 20:27:54 GMT

Building Custom Solutions with Excel Services
Excel Services let users calculate, display and explore Excel workbooks on the server side. Learn the reasons behind Excel Services, the benefits, and see a demo using a Web service to incorporate Excel-based business logic into your own server solutions.
Author: Danny Khen and Shahar Prish - Published: Sat, 29 Apr 2006 21:36:38 GMT

A Crashcourse on ASP.NET Control Development - Building Callback Capabilities in ASP.NET Rich Controls
Dino Esposito uses ASP.NET Script Callbacks to create rich custom controls that retrieve data on demand from the server without erasing and reloading the current page.
Author: Dino Esposito - Published: Thu, 27 Apr 2006 18:52:22 GMT

Accelerate your VS 2005 skills with 59 core and advanced online workshops from Microsoft Learning
Learn by doing in these hands-on workshops. Each online workshop covers a specific topic within one of 4 main areas, Windows and Web Development, Data/XML and Distributed Application development. Each workshop includes both C# and Visual Basic code.
Author: Microsoft - Published: Thu, 27 Apr 2006 18:01:56 GMT

Web Services Policy Acknowledged by W3C
Web Services Policy Member Submission was acknowledged by W3C today. Nineteen companies participated in the submission.
Author: Microsoft et al - Published: Wed, 26 Apr 2006 18:20:41 GMT

Download the Visual Studio 2005 Design for Operations Integration Kit
The Design for Operations Integration Kit integrates and automates the communication and management of unhandled application errors and performance bottlenecks.
Author: Microsoft - Published: Fri, 21 Apr 2006 22:57:40 GMT

Team Developer Overview
Gabriel Marius gives a high-level look at the general features in Visual Studio 2005 Team Edition for Software Developers. He shows how to use and setup Code Analysis, Unit Testing, Profiling, and more.
Author: Gabriel Marius - Published: Thu, 20 Apr 2006 22:00:48 GMT

.NET Rocks! - Bob Beauchemin on SQL Server 2005
Bob Beauchemin talks about the new features in SQL Server 2005, and it's a lot more than just the .NET Framework! He talks about the Dos and Don'ts of framework inside SQL Server, the relative strengths and weaknesses of T-SQL, and more.
Author: Carl Franklin - Published: Thu, 20 Apr 2006 21:53:32 GMT

New specifications enable browser-based Web Single Sign-On (SSO) between security domains that use Liberty ID-FF and WS-Federation
Customer feedback has driven the development of two specs to enable browser-based Web single sign-on across domains. The Web Single Sign-On Interoperability Profile and Web Single Sign-On Metadata Exchange Protocol specs define interoperability between Liberty Identity Federation and WS-Federation for WebSSO.
Author: Microsoft et al - Published: Fri, 13 May 2005 07:00:00 GMT

Where Did My Icons Go?
Review the host of improvements and new features that make the Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 integrated development environment (IDE) even more impressive than its predecessors.
Author: Devin Rader - Published: Thu, 12 May 2005 07:00:00 GMT

Microsoft's Vision for an Identity Metasystem
The Identity Metasystem is an interoperable architecture for digital identity that assumes people will have several digital identities based on multiple underlying technologies, implementations, and providers.
Author: Microsoft Corp. - Published: Thu, 12 May 2005 07:00:00 GMT

Improving Application Performance by Implementing Paginated Lists
Describes how Ameripay has implemented the "How To: Page Records in .NET Applications" section of the Microsoft patterns & practices book Improving .NET Application Performance and Scalability.
Author: Chuck Cooper - Published: Thu, 12 May 2005 07:00:00 GMT

Data Cleansing Applications with SQL Server Integration Services
Data quality is a critical issue in data integration. Donald Farmer introduces the data quality features of SQL Server Integration Services with demos that show how to use the Fuzzy Lookup component for inexact matching and how to use Data Mining within the data integration process.
Author: Donald Farmer - Published: Thu, 12 May 2005 07:00:00 GMT

What's New for Developers in Windows Mobile 5.0
Learn about the new features in Windows Mobile version 5.0 from a developer's perspective.
Author: Jim Wilson - Published: Wed, 11 May 2005 07:00:00 GMT