Paul Laudeman

ReSharper 2.01 maintenance release available

2006-08-25T11:30:00Z

JetBrains has released version 2.01 of the popular (and must have!!) ReSharper tool for Visual Studio.

You can find the release notes here: http://www.jetbrains.com/resharper/releaseNotes201...

And you can find the download itself here: http://www.jetbrains.com/resharper/download/

(Note, this is actually build 259, so if you have already downloaded the EAP build, you're all set.)

I know quite a few of you have downloaded the 2.0 release version and have found the experience to be slow and at times buggy. This maintenance release has come a long way, so if you were intrigued by ReSharper before, you should do yourself a favor and check out this latest release!

Technorati Tags: resharper

Using ReSharper as an essential part of your TDD toolkit

2006-08-15T17:17:00Z

I have been a long time and fan and user of JetBrain's ReSharper add-in for Visual Studio .NET. At a high-level, ReSharper is a productivity and refactoring plug-in for Visual Studio, but that simple description belies the genius behind the product.

As a TDD advocate and practitioner, I have found ReSharper to be absolutely indispensable in writing tests, writing the implementation, getting the tests to pass, and then refactoring. The "Red -> Green -> Refactor" rhythm is essential to writing testable, robust, and correct code the first time. My experience with ReSharper 2.0 and NUnit has led me to a surprising productivity boost by shortening the feedback loop between constructing a test, implementing the minimal amount of no-fluff code to make it pass, and then refactoring the code as/if necessary.

Out of the box, ReSharper 2.0 offers unit testing support for NUnit test fixtures (future plans include MBUnit and possibly Team System fixtures). ReSharper brings enhanced IDE integration through a tool window that lists all of your tests in the familiar NUnit tree view:

But wait! There's more!

Inside your unit test fixtures, ReSharper adds some icons to the left of your code window to run either a particular test or all tests within the current fixture.

For example, it's easy to run all the unit tests in a particular fixture:

Or you can easily run tests at the individual method level:

From this context menu, at an individual test method level, you can run a unit test directly without navigating to the Unit Test Runner tool window. In addition, you can choose to run JetBrain's DotTrace code profiler against the particular test. (I won't bother to comment on the easy to access "Debug" option, as it may lead to Test Driven Debugging...).

From my experience, ReSharper has been a great boost to my personal productivity. The only downsides for me have been the slow loading times (due to parsing of all the projects and referenced assemblies in your solution) and some minor stability issues for some of the post-2.0 preview builds (build 257 seems relatively stable so far).

One of the most important things to consider when adopting a new tool or technique is how "friction-less" it fits into the way you develop your code. ReSharper has been great in this particular aspect, in addition to having some great(!) code generation features, such as the ability to generate new classes and methods as you write your unit tests:

Also helpful, too, is the ability to quickly navigate between code files spread out across many projects in larger solutions with CTRL-SHIFT-N:

And also the ability to quickly navigate to variable/method/class declarations with CTRL-Click (ReSharper highlights the current text under your mouse when you hold CTRL):

If you're a keyboard/shortcuts junkie, if TDD drives everything you do, and if you're looking for a way to take the drudgery out of writing code, you may be interested in giving ReSharper a spin.

You can download the "released" version from this URL http://www.jetbrains.com/resharper/

And you can download the latest EAP preview build (currently 257) from http://www.jetbrains.net/confluence/display/ReShar...

Finally, if you're interested learning more about Test Driven Development, Mock objects, and more, be sure to check out Jeremy's most excellent post Best of the Shade Tree Developer.

Technorati Tags: resharper, tdd, refactoring

Presentation to DC MICSUG on MIIS AD/RACF Synchronization

2006-06-23T15:42:00Z

Last night I had the opportunity to present a recent case study on an MIIS implementation to the Capital Area Microsoft Connected Systems User Group (MICSUG). My presentation followed an introduction to MIIS by Microsoft Principal Technology Evangelist Joe Francis. Thanks go to Geoff Snowman for coordinating the event and logistics.

My case study presentation covered how MIIS was leveraged to provide identity synchronization and access management between Active Directory to an IBM RACF security database. In addition, I covered several lessons learned that we took away from the implementation experience which are applicable to nearly all types of MIIS projects.

>> MIIS Identity Management Case Study presented to MICSUG

[tags: miis,identity management,ibm racf,access management,enterprise identity]

MIIS Operational Information: High Availability, Disaster Recovery resources

2006-06-20T12:56:00Z

A question was posted to the Yahoo! (Microsoft Meta Directory Users Group) MMSUG (link) requesting information about Microsoft Identity Integration Server (MIIS) disaster recovery and database management.

Here are a list of resources that have been helpful for us in planning and managing our MIIS implementation as well as developing our disaster recovery plans.

Maintaining the MIIS 2003 Database
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/miis/miissql.mspx
Microsoft Identity Integration Server 2003: Planning for High Availability
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserversystem/miis2003/techinfo/planning/highavail.mspx
Microsoft Recommends That You Run a Full Import After You Restore a Connected Directory
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?kbid=823783&product=idserv2003
Backup Strategies for Your MIIS Database
http://technet2.microsoft.com/WindowsServer/en/Library/a2ba0220-6b6f-44b2-9457-8fd95e4c92d11033.mspx
Identity Aggregation and Synchronization: Operational Considerations
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/topics/identitymanagement/idmanage/P2Ident_6.mspx

If I have missed any resources, please let me know. Thanks!

[tags: miis, disaster recovery, high availability]

Password reset challenge questions: More trouble than they are worth?

2006-06-08T01:39:57Z

Keith Brown states that password “security questions are considered dangerous” in the context of web applications, in particular as it relates to the new Membership Provider functionality in ASP.NET 2.0, because “there’s nothing stopping the user from asking a question that is easily answered by a 6 year old.”

This is an excellent point and raises some important questions, especially as companies seek ways to reduce help desk and administrative IT support costs. Is it enough to leave the security of your web applications or network resources in the hands of your users with a simple question/answer password reset challenge model?

Self-service password reset solutions sound very appealing for a number of reasons, especially so in the enterprise space. One reason, certainly, is the focus on reducing IT support costs and loss of employee productivity. Gartner says that companies can save anywhere from $51 to $147 per call by providing a self-service password reset solution[1]. If that sounds like a lot of money each time a user picks up the phone to call the help desk, you’re right, because it ties up both the help desk operator and the employee. Multiply this by the number of systems where the user has identity information (on average 16!), and this cost can be significant. Consider also that in most larger companies it is estimated that up to a third of help desk call volume is dedicated to password reset tasks.

Some might recommend that we do away with password resets altogether as they risk the pose is too great to be worth the cost savings that are promised. Alun Jones suggests that we might be better off doing away with self-service resets and instead take a walk down to the security office and show physical ID before a password is reset, or use any other method than self-service, such as requesting a reset and having your new password mailed to your manager.

Is there an acceptable middle ground to be found? Given the significant costs savings that might be had by implementing a self-service password reset solution, what would it take to do it right?

Perhaps it may take multi-factor evidence to assure non-repudiation of your identity. Maybe in addition to your password challenge question you would also have to swipe your smart card or answer several questions of varying difficulty depending on your organizational role, for example.

The take away to this discussion is that self-service password resets are more complicated than they look, and that you should be careful in choosing to implement this functionality without fully considering the potential risks involved. Microsoft has done a great job of providing us with a solid provider model to implement with ASP.NET 2.0, but let’s remember to take a pause and carefully evaluate the risks and benefits involved.

[1] Gartner Group, 2002, “Password Reset: Self-Service that you will love”

Technorati Tags: identity management, idm, password reset, self-service, membership provider, miis

Registration-Free COM with the DsoFramer Control

2006-05-25T13:11:00Z

New in .NET 2.0 for Windows Forms applications is a deployment feature known as “Registration-Free COM.” This allows you to use and deploy certain COM components such as ActiveX controls to client computers without registering the component on the local machine with your installer or manually using regsvr32.exe, with some limitations.

The DsoFramer control allows you to embed and control applications such as Microsoft Office programs directly inside your Windows Forms application. For example, your users might need to interact with or preview an Excel spreadsheet containing sales data, or perhaps preview a generated form letter created by Word. Until Microsoft releases a more fully supported .NET control (ActiveDocumentHost, anyone?), the DsoFramer is your best bet today for hosting unmanaged Office applications inside your Windows Forms client.

To enable Registration-Free COM for the DsoFramer control within your Visual Studio .NET 2005 project, simply right-click your unmanaged project reference, select Properties, and then on the properties panel for the reference, set “Isolated” to “True”. This will tell Visual Studio to generate a COM registration manifest for your application with the information necessary to activate and launch your unmanaged control.

By using this deployment feature new to .NET 2.0, you can in certain cases, enable your application to support XCOPY or ClickOnce deployment, where you otherwise would have to rely on a traditional setup project or manual registration for deployment.

Resources

MS KB 311765 – DsoFramer Control
GotDotNet: DsoFramer Enhancements – addresses some event related bugs in the original MS sample
MSDN: Registration-Free COM Interop (be sure to read the part on limitations)
MSDN: Escape DLL Hell: Simply App Deployment with ClickOnce and Registration-Free COM
MSDN: Requirements for Registration-Free COM Interop

Technorati Tags: dsoframer, registration free com, regfreecom, smart clients, clickonce, xcopy

ASP.NET 2.0 MSDN Event for Richmond, VA on 9/22

2005-09-15T11:15:00Z

Next Thursday (9/22) MSDN Events will host a half-day seminar covering important areas such as UI development, data access, and building high performance apps with ASP.NET 2.0.

For more information and to sign-up, visit:
http://msevents.microsoft.com/cui/EventDetail.aspx?culture=en-US&EventID=1032277621

Rule the Web with ASP.NET 2.0
ASP.NET is a powerful framework for building dynamic, high performance, data-driven Web applications. ASP.NET 2.0 improves on its predecessor by helping you become more productive, reducing the amount of code you need to write, making your Web sites easier to manage, and improving your Web site's scalability, reliability, and performance. In this three-part tour-de-force, you’ll explore valuable aspects of ASP.NET 2.0 – from user interfaces to data access to performance – that will help you create better Web applications with less hassle than ever before.

Avalon and Indigo bits for VS.NET 2005 Beta 2 Released!

2005-05-23T22:10:00Z

For those of you eager to get your hands on the latest and greatest Beta 2 compatible bits for Indigo and Avalon, head on over to the MSDN download page and get ready to have some fun! If you're interested in using MSMQ as a transport for Indigo queued channels, you might be interested in MSMQ 3.5 beta, available here. Btw, the new Beta 2 door hangers that have been appearing in magazines is pretty cool... unfortunlately, though, it doesn't seem to keep people out! :-)

Get the Visual Studio .NET 2005 Beta DVD while supplies last

2005-05-18T10:33:00Z

Head on over to Microsoft's Get The Betas page and order your copy for free while supplies last. You can also sign up to receive alerts of Visual Studio 2005 and SQL Server 2005 educational events and release details. (Thanks to Brian Keller of Coding4Fun fame for the link!)

Workspace for DsoFramer Enhancments created

2005-05-18T10:12:00Z

Victor Feintuch and I have created a new DsoFramer Enahcments Workspace over on GotDotNet for enhancements to Microsoft's DsoFramer control. Victor has already made some enhancements by fixing an event bug for events generated by hosted Office applications. We also plan to list known issues, workarounds, samples, etc., for community benefit. The DsoFramer control is an ActiveX sample provided by Microsoft that allows you to host instances of Office applications inside your ActiveX-capable application, including Windows Forms.

Since Microsoft has dropped the ActiveDocumentHost control from Windows Forms 2.0, this is your only real option of hosting Office applications inside of your applications today and into the near future. If you would like to see the ActiveDocumentHost control released as a sample when 2.0 ships, please add your vote!

Technorati Tags: dsoframer

Looking forward to Community Server integration with SharePoint!

2005-05-17T19:36:00Z

In my last blog post, I wrote about two new tools for SharePoint that have come out that let you do a wiki and blog engine. Rob Howard, founder of Telligent Systems who builds Community Server, posted a comment to my blog with some very interesting news that was worth sharing:

"Sharepoint integration is high on our list of important features. Our Roadmap:
http://www.communityserver.org/i/roadmap.aspx

Lists it as something we'll start on within the coming months. We've just hired a new developer specifically to focus on our Sharepoint integration efforts."

Woohoo! That's fantastic news! Community Server is a great platform in and of itself and will be a great compliment to SharePoint's feature set. We use blogs internally within our organization with Community Server and could definitely benefit from better integration, administration, and overall (especially) user experience. Besides the blogs feature, I'm also looking forward to replacing SharePoint's discussion and content management web parts outright.

I think Community Server has a lot of potential in this space and I'm glad to see that Rob and the other CS folks are angling to capitalize on it. Even more interesting is the an announcement that Microsoft has added Community Server to their Windows-Based Hosting Web Site Starters, along with the ever increasingly popular DotNetNuke portal system. Very cool!

Technorati Tags: sharepoint, community server

Interesting new SharePoint Wiki and Blog engine tools

2005-05-16T10:19:00Z

WikiSharePoint - "A set of SharePoint web parts which make it possible to create a Wikipedia-like application in SharePoint Portal Server or Windows SharePoint Services. The project is in beta, but I would like share it and invite you to use and test it!"

cBlog - A custom site definition to create a blogging engine in SharePoint (example)

We are currently using a Community Server and FlexWiki with our SharePoint Portal server, but I have always wanted something a bit more integrated into the overall look and feel of SharePoint, with a consistent navigation, usability, and administration interface. These look promising!

Technorati Tags: sharepoint, community server

Windows Forms Quick Tip: Use your Tag property!

2005-05-13T08:26:00Z

A question I frequently come across is how to add some type of context information to UI controls in a Windows Forms project. For instance, you might have a textbox where you want to revert to the original value if a user decides to cancel edits, you could store the original value in the Tag property and pull that out when needed (if you're not using data binding). Another example might be if you have a TreeView control and need to add information about the nodes to help perform some action when a user clicks on a node.

In either case, and many more, you should consider using the Tag property of the Control object. As you know, all Windows Forms controls (and even Forms!) inherit from the Control class which offers the Tag property. Since the Tag property is of type Object, this means that you can use it to store anything you want! You could use it to store a string, an array, a full blown class, etc., depending on your needs.

For bonus points, consider extending your Control and creating your own strongly typed properties. Just as the "Tag" property is available to you, you can create your own properties on your derived control that are strongly typed and easier to manage. Thanks to my readers for suggesting this alternative!

OpenNETCF Application Blocks for Compact Framework released

2005-05-12T16:39:00Z

This is great news for any of you who develop applications with the Compact Framework! The Microsoft patterns & practices team has joined forces with the OpenNETCF team to deliver high-quality p&p approved Application Blocks that address common challenges developer face when writing smart client applications for mobile devices.

If you haven't heard of OpenNETCF, it is a web site like SourceForge that hosts open source projects for the CF including the Smart Device Framework, a set of freely reusable components that help fill bridge the gap between the CF and Windows Forms API's.

Technorati Tags: opennetcf, compact framework

SharePoint Advisor Magazine launched

2005-05-10T10:25:00Z

SharePoint Advisor Magazine was launched recently and has a good amount of high-quality articles that make it worth checking out. Here's a list of highlights from the premiere issue:

Better Collaboration: Site Collections in SharePoint Portal Server 2003
Site collections give Microsoft SharePoint users a place to collaborate and share information. Find out how to choose between stand-alone and embedded site collections.
Secure SharePoint Code Using Credential-less Impersonation
The SharePoint security model gives you features that avoid all the pitfalls of traditional security models. Find out how you can create a bullet-proof security environment using credential-less impersonation.
Integrate .NET and Windows Applications With SharePoint
Learn how you can use, share, and manage your .NET and Windows applications as Microsoft Office 2003 does.
Create a SharePoint Web Part in 60 Minutes
Learn how to go from installing Windows SharePoint Services to debugging a Web Part in less than an hour.

If you're interested in checking it out, pick up a copy at your favorite bookstore or head on over to the SharePoint Advisor website. You can also signup to receive a complimentary free issue.

In addition, this magazine is published by the same folks who are putting together the SharePoint Advisor Live technical conference next month in Las Vegas.

Technorati Tags: sharepoint advisor