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Readability in Validation
My favourite pattern for validation code is to have one method per validation rule. I think it makes it easier to read and manage the rules.For instance, I like to be able to write something like...
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Resolving Extension Methods
Paul Stovell (author of SyncLINQ) has pointed out another issue with Extension Methods. As he writes:The problem is the methods are *resolved* at compile time.Suppose you had this:void DoStuff(this...
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Better Property Change Notification
aka Automatic INotifyPropertyChangedSome time ago I developed a new way to do property change notification. It consists of code which can automatically figure out which property has changed, without...
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Extension Methods - Feedback to Microsoft
If you've been following the disussions about extension methods in this blog, you might be interested to know that I've submitted the issue to Microsoft's feedback site. Jump over there and vote for...
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Enhanced Automatic Properties
Recently there's been a lot of blog posts discussing things people would like to see in the next version of C#. Here's my addition to the wish-list:"Automatic properties that let me supply a method...
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Summary of C# vNext Ideas in this Blog
Here's a summary of the ideas I've suggested in this blog, for future versions of C#:Fix the versioning issues with extension methodsConsider "extension interfaces" to provide mixin-like behaviourAlso,...
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Only 4 New Features in C# vNext?
I've always admired the effort that Microsoft put into the design of C#. It's difficult to find the right balance between power and flexibility, and on the whole I think they've done an excellent...
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Another reason why architects should write code
Johanna Rothman explains why architects should write code. I completely agree. Not only does hands-on involvement reduce risks on the project, it also reduces embarassment when talking to your kids ;-)...
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POCO LINQ Update
Here is my long-promised near-POCO solution for LINQ to SQL.As planned, it is deliberately not 100% pure POCO, but it does implement these key goals:Entity classes are simple enough to be hand-written...
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Software Development Meme
I've been tagged by Andrew, in a software development meme that started way back here.How old were you when you started programming?I was exactly 13. My parents bought me my first computer for my 13th...
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A Practical Step in the Stored Proc Debate
I've taken a practical step in the long-running debate for and against stored procs.I've logged a formal suggestion with Microsoft asking them to correct their erroneous advice on the subject. :-)This...
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Syntactic Noise sample in C#
Martin Fowler wrote an interesting post on syntactic noise in internal DSLs.I thought it would be interesting to compare the Java versions (there are two in his post) with a concise C# version. Here is...
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Visual Studio Performance with Slow Laptop Drives
As Scott Guthrie wrote, hard drive speed makes a big difference to the performance of Visual Studio.So what can you do if, like me, you are using a laptop and so can't upgrade to a faster hard-drive?...
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How eBoostr Works
I'm using eBoostr to speed up compile times in Visual Studio.My only complaint with the product was the lack of documentation on what it caches and when. You can view the list of all the files that it...
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Presenting at Christchurch Code Camp 2008
I'm presenting at the Christchurch Code Camp on 1 November.I'm presenting on LINQ-to-SQL and also on my open source project, ActiveSharp. If you were coming to a presentation on either of those topics,...
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Future of LINQ to SQL
Yesterday, I did a presentation on LINQ to SQL. At about the time I was talking about how great it was, Microsoft was announcing that LINQ to SQL will not be their recommended solution in .NET 4!...
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LINQ to SQL Presentation
Here is a copy of the presentation I have at the 2008 Christchurch Code Camp. (zipped ppt)One of the key points of the presentation was to cover what LINQ to SQL includes, both out-of-the-box, and with...
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Hosting a window from one process inside another
Every time this topic comes up, I seem to have lost my bookmarks on it. So, here's a blog entry so I won't lose them again...Under Windows it is possible to visually "dock" the main window of one...
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What's up with P&P?
What's up with the interface between Microsoft's Patterns and Practices group (P&P) and the wider community?P&P are writing a new version of their guidance for architecture on the Microsoft...
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Things I'd like to see in the Entity Framework
With the announcement that the Entity Framework (aka EF or LINQ to Entities) will become the favoured Microsoft ORM, many people have blogged about how important it will be for EF to achieve better...
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Fix the Cross Functional Button on Toshiba Portege M200
I recently bought a second-hand Toshiba M200 tablet PC. It's great!I just had one problem, the little 4-way button, which looks like a mini joystick and is technically known as the "Cross Functional...
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Exporting High-Res Graphics from Excel
I've recently been battling with technology, trying to save some Excel charts as high-res (900 dpi) files.Here's the technique I finally came up with. (It also works for PowerPoint slides).:1. Save...
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Debugging IEnumerable
I often find enumerables difficult to inspect in the debugger. Here's a trick I just discovered.Given:IEnumerable foo = ...you can inspect it more easily by first writing this in the Immediate...
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Memory Leaks in Managed Code
(This is a repost of an old article I wrote in early 2006, before I started this blog)When writing a Window Forms application, it's useful to display the current memory usage in the "About" box. It...
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This blog -- taking a break
Prompted, in part, by my annoyance at Google dropping the FTP support this blog relies on, but mostly by a lack of time, I won't be doing any work on this blog for the foreseeable future.Commenting on...
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