Public Sector Developer Weblog

I've updated my list of recorded webcasts

Details here.

-Marc

WEBCAST FOLLOW UP: Microsoft Robotics Studio – An Introduction

Thanks to everyone who attended.  A big thanks to Vlad for presenting.  The downloads for the webcast are here.

-Marc

The robotics webcast is TODAY!

Due to a typo by yours truly, the announcement here had the wrong date.  The webcast is TODAY from 2-3:30 EST.  I have updated the original post to reflect the correct date.  Sorry for any confusion.

-Marc

Virtual Earth JavaScript Intellisense Helper codeplex project update for those who want to contribute

Unfortunately, there was a configuration snafu with the email address I gave out for you to request access to the project as a contributor.  If you you sent an email from a non Microsoft email address prior to this post, then you received a "Delivery Status Notification (Failure)" response.  I have fixed the problem, but it may take some time to replicate to all of our servers.  Please try again, if you still get a failure response, wait a day.  I assure you the email address is valid:).

I have completed refactoring source code project structure to enable better distribution of work across multiple contributors.  I've also created work items ready to be assigned to contributors.  So don't be shy about contributing:).  The more contributors we have, the faster this turns into a useable solution for everyone! 

This will be the last time I blog from here about ongoing project issues.  All further project specific communications will be done via the codeplex project discussions tab.  I will, of course, make announcements about release on this blog:).

I will publish basic getting started instructions for contributors in the next day.  I will put the instructions on the discussions tab.

JavaScript Intellisense for the Virtual Earth Map Control

UPDATE: Fixed the embedded video.

Have you ever wished you could get JavaScript Intellisense for the Virtual Earth Map Control in Visual Studio 2008?  I have, so I came up with a solution and started a codeplex project!  I just recorded a short 10 minute channel 9 screencast explaining the solution.  The screencast is here.  I have also embedded the video in this post for those of you who prefer that.  Once the video has started, you can double click it to go fullscreen.

The project is not finished.  I need people to volunteer to contribute so we can release full intellisense for the Virtual Earth Map Control 6.0.  Instructions for people who want to contribute are in the screencast.  The more people willing to contribute, the faster we make this available for everyone!

The codeplex project is http://codeplex.com/vejs.

-Marc

Want a sneak peek at Silverlight 2 before MIX?

Scott Guthrie posted an update on Silverlight 2 plus an eight part walkthrough of building a Silverlight 2 application.  In the final part, he turns the Silverlight 2 application into a WPF application reusing the Silverlight 2 xaml and code.  Check it out  here!

Get On The Bus!!! - The Microsoft Enterprise Services Bus (ESB)

Join us this Friday, Feb 29, to explore the Microsoft Enterprise Services Bus (ESB)!!!

Microsoft provides a comprehensive ESB offering through its Application Platform including Windows Server 2003, Windows Communication Foundation (.NET 3.0), and BizTalk Server 2006 R2. This platform delivers an infrastructure that enables the flexible and secure reuse of infrastructure and business services and the ability to orchestrate existing services into new end-to-end business processes. This session explores the rationale and techniques used to build an ESB on the Microsoft platform as well as demonstrating its core components in action. 

Joel Reyes

YOU ARE INVITED - HPC Server 2008 - 1 day Clinic - Washington, DC March 19, 2008

It's Launch season!

That's right, we're right on the verge of the Windows Server 2008, Visual Studio 2008, and SQL Server 2008 launch events.  They start on February 27th in cities across the country.  I'll be presenting the Defy Occasionally Connected Challenges with Smart Client Applications session in DC on March 25th.  Go the launch site and register if your are interested in attending.

-Marc

Free Download: SharePoint Server 2007 DoD 5015.2 Resource Kit

For anyone who is looking/waiting for the Microsoft Resource Kit for the Records Management (DoD 5015.2) standard, that kit has been released and is publicly available for download.

Here's what's in the resource kit:

Overview

The DoD 5015.2 Resource Kit provides tools and guidance for evaluating additional features and functionality which has enabled SharePoint Server 2007 to be DoD 5015.2 Chapter 2 compliant. At the end of the evaluation you should engage a qualified partner to implement your DoD solution.

This resource kit is not intended for production usage.

Please note, installing the DoD 5015.2 Resource Kit replaces the out of the box Record Center SharePoint site template. Site administrators will be unable to create a standard record center once the add-on pack is installed.

To download the kit: Please click here.

Enjoy,

~ Robert Shelton

WEBCAST: Microsoft Robotics Studio – An Introduction

UPDATE: The date for this webcast in the original post was wrong.  The date of this webcast is February 27, 2008 (updated below).  Hopefully, if you registered, you noticed this.  Sorry for the confusion.

Microsoft Robotics Studio (MSRS) is a Windows-based environment for robot control and simulation.  Technologies comprising MSRS are applicable to a wide range of domains, including command and control, sensor networks, financial transactions processing, server management and many others. With Microsoft Robotics Studio, robotics applications can be developed using a selection of programming languages, including those in Microsoft Visual Studio® and Microsoft Visual Studio Express (C# and VB.NET), as well as scripting languages such as Microsoft Iron Python. Third-party languages that support the Microsoft Robotics Studio services-based architecture are also supported. This session will provide an overview of MSRS, its application model and Visual Programming Language as well as peek under the hood at the MSRS technology foundation - Concurrency and Coordination Runtime (CCR), and Decentralized Software Services (DSS).

What you will learn:

• How to get started with Microsoft Robotics Studio
• How to easily create services for a wide variety of robot hardware using the Visual Programming Language
• How MSRS makes Asynchronous Programming easy with the Concurrency and Coordination Runtime (CCR) which simplifies programming to handle asynchronous input from multiple robotics sensors and output to motors and actuators
• How the Decentralized Software Services (DSS) application model makes it simple to access, and to respond to a robot’s state, using a Web-browser or Windows-based application thereby allowing real time monitoring of robotic sensors and response to motors and actuators.

When

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

2:00P-3:30P EST (11:00A-12:30P PST)

Register at this link:

http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032366273&Culture=en-US

Note: Audio will be via the Internet.  Your machine will need a speaker.

-Marc

WEBCAST FOLLOW UP: Building Workflow Services (WF+WCF) with Visual Studio 2008

Thanks to everyone who attended.  Sorry for the technical difficulties with Live Meeting as well as accidentally doing one of my demos out of order.  Hopefully it wasn't too confusing.

The deck is here.  The demos I used are split into a few downloads.  The ones built from scratch are here.  The SimpleExpenseReport demo is here.  This is the one where both the client service and the workflow service are hosted in the client .exe.  I hope to publish a channel 9 screencast next week some time showing, step by step, how to build it.  Both the "Long Running Work via Messaging" and the "Conversations" demos are part of the Visual Studio 2008 and .NET Framework 3.5 Training Kit which is a free download.

-Marc

Free Download: VS 2008 Database Edition Power Tools

Microsoft has released a set of Power Tools for folks who use Visual Studio Team System 2008 Database Edition Power Tools.

Here's the description of what's in this free download, and it's a lot!

This release updates the Power Tools for the Database Edition to work with Visual Studio 2008 and provides several new features. The new features include two custom unit test conditions, a new Data Generation Wizard, and new MSBuild tasks to support running TSQL Static Code Analysis from the command line. The updated features include 5 refactoring types, a dependency viewer, additional data generators and editors, 2 MSBuild tasks for Schema and Data Compare and the TSQL Static Code Analysis feature:

New Test Conditions for Database Unit Tests
• ChecksumCondition – You can use this test condition to verify that the checksum of the data set returned by a database unit test matches the checksum of an expected data set.
• ExpectedSchemaTestCondition – You can use this test condition to verify that the column names and data types of the returned data set match expected values.

Data Generator Improvements
• New Data Generator Wizard – This new wizard creates a data generation plan that is configured to copy data from a source database. You can use this wizard when you need to copy most of your data from a live source, but need to make small changes to ensure privacy.

MSBuild Task Improvements
• SqlAnalysis Task – You can use this build task to run T-SQL Static Code Analysis from MSBuild.
TSQL Static Code Analysis
• Static Code Analysis - A precursor to the functionality that will be in future versions of VSTS that will allow you to perform Static Code Analysis on T-SQL code.

Refactoring
• “Move Schema” Refactoring - Allows a user to right click on an object and move it to a different but existing schema
• SP Rename Generation - Generate a new script that will contain sp_renames for all rename refactored objects that the user can then execute.
• Wildcard Expansion - Automatically expand the wildcard in a select to the appropriate columns.
• Fully-Qualified Name Support - Automatically inject fully-qualified names when absent in a script
• Refactoring extended to Dataset - Refactor into strongly typed dataset definitions

MSBuild Tasks
• Data / Schema Compare Build Tasks - MSBuild tasks that can generate scripts as if the user had run the Data / Schema compare UI

Schema View
• API Access to Schema View - Insert / Update / Delete to schema View and list schema objects and their associated files

Dependency Tool Window
• Dependency Tree - Show the dependencies ( incoming / outgoing ) for selected schema objects in a new tool window

Miscellaneous Tools
• Script Preprocessor - Expand SQLCMD variables and include files and command line version (sqlspp.exe) & an MSBuild version ( wraps the command line version )

Here's the link to the free download: Click here to access

Enjoy,

~ Robert Shelton

Free Download: SQL Server 2008 February CTP

The Microsoft SQL Server team has released the next CTP of SQL Server 2008 (February 2008).  Here's the overview of what's in it:

Microsoft SQL Server 2008, the next release of Microsoft SQL Server, provides a comprehensive data platform that is more secure, reliable, manageable and scalable for your mission critical applications, while enabling developers to create new applications that can store and consume any type of data on any device, and enabling all your users to make informed decisions with relevant insights.
This CTP will automatically expire after 180 days.

Here's the download link: Click here to access it

Enjoy,

~ Robert Shelton

Free Download: Visual Basic Power Packs 3.0

The Microsoft Visual Basic Team has released an updated version of the Visual Basic Power Pack, and I (as a C# Developer) am jealous!

Here's an Overview of what's in the Power Pack:

The new DataRepeater control included in this version of the Visual Basic Power Packs allows you use standard Windows Forms controls to display rows of your data in a scrollable container giving you more flexibility and customization than standard grid controls.

The Line and Shape controls are a set of three graphical controls that enable you to draw lines, ovals, and rectangles on forms and containers at design time making it much easier to enhance the look of your user interface. These shape controls also provide events such as click and double-click allowing developers to respond and interact with end users.

The Printer Compatibility Library allows projects that used the Printer and Printers Collection in Visual Basic 6.0 to be upgraded without having to re-write your printing logic. By simply adding a reference to the library, declaring a Printer and making a few minor syntax changes, your project will be able to print using the Printers collection and Printer object as it did in Visual Basic 6.0. This version adds a new Write method to the Printer object which allows you to print text without a forced carriage return similar to the semicolon syntax used by Print method in Visual Basic 6.0.

The PrintForm component is designed to bring back the ability to easily print a Windows Form. With this the new PrintForm component you can once again layout the Windows Form exactly as you want it and allow your users to print the form as a quick report.

Here's the download link: Click here to download

Enjoy,

~Robert Shelton