Software Recipes

Visual Studio & SharePoint: how to create package as part of the build process

2011-04-11T11:39:00.000-07:00

In order to build a project and have the package created, this can be added to the project file (csproj, vbproj):

<PostBuildEventDependsOn>
  $(PostBuildEventDependsOn);
  CreatePackage;
</PostBuildEventDependsOn>

SharePoint 2010: PowerShell to delete a web part from the gallery

2011-04-04T10:35:00.000-07:00

param($Identity = "", $Url = "")

[System.Reflection.Assembly]::LoadWithPartialName("Microsoft.SharePoint")
[System.Reflection.Assembly]::LoadWithPartialName("Microsoft.SharePoint.WebPartPages")
[System.Reflection.Assembly]::LoadWithPartialName("Microsoft.SharePoint.Publishing")


$SPSite = New-Object Microsoft.SharePoint.SPSite($Url)

$SPWeb = $SPSite.OpenWeb()
$WebPartGallery = $SPWeb.Lists["Web Part Gallery"]
$gall = $WebPartGallery.Items  select Name
$count = $gall.Count
for ($i =0; $i -lt $count;$i++)
{
    if ($gall[$i] -match $Identity)
    {
        $WebPartGallery.Items.Delete($i)
        $SPWeb.Update()
        Write-Host "$Identity deleted"
        $SPWeb.Dispose()
    }
}

VMWare player: blank full screen on Windows 7

2011-03-30T05:25:00.001-07:00

Solution: enable "Accelerate 3D graphics."

BitLocker: get out of recovery mode

2011-03-04T16:21:00.000-08:00

Some changes to BIOS will cause bitlocker to enter recovery mode.

One way to get out of this follows:

- enter the 8 groups of 6 digits
- get into Windows
- type "manage-bde -protectors -disable c:" from a admin command prompt
- reboot
- type "manage-bde -protectors -enable c:" from a admin command prompt
- reboot

It shouldn't prompt now.

See here for details.

SharePoint: list throttling messages

2011-03-03T11:25:00.000-08:00

There are two messages that people often get when throttling limits (5K default) is reached.

"Displaying only the newest results below. To view all results, narrow your query by adding a filter.": this is seen when metadata navigation and filtering is enabled for the list.

"This view cannot be displayed because it exceeds the list view threshold (5000 items) enforced by the administrator.": this is seen in all other cases.

BI: Technet Intro Articles

2011-02-17T03:46:00.000-08:00

Here's a set of articles that are a good intro to the Microsoft BI stack.

Business Intelligence: Planning Your First Microsoft BI Solution
Business Intelligence: Building a Data Foundation for a BI Solution
Business Intelligence: Building Your First Cube
Business Intelligence: Empower Your Users with Business Intelligence

SharePoint 2010: code for dumping a taxonomy tree

2011-02-09T17:23:00.000-08:00

Just customize the data you need from each node type (store, group, set, term).

        private void DumpTaxonomy(string siteUrl)
        {
            Stack<string> stack = new Stack<string>();
            using (SPSite site = new SPSite(siteUrl))
            {
                TaxonomySession session = new TaxonomySession(site, false);
                int nts = 0;
                foreach (TermStore ts in session.TermStores)
                {
                    nts++;
                    int ng = 0;
                    foreach (Group g in ts.Groups)
                    {
                        ng++;
                        int ns = 0;
                        foreach (TermSet s in g.TermSets)
                        {
                            ns++;
                            int nt = 0;
                            foreach (Term t in s.Terms)
                            {
                                nt++;
                                DumpTerm(t, stack, 4);
                            }
                            stack.Push(ReportNode(3, nt));
                        }
                        stack.Push(ReportNode(2, ns));
                    }
                    stack.Push(ReportNode(1, ng));
                }
                stack.Push(ReportNode(0, nts));
            }
            while (stack.Count > 0)
            {
                Console.WriteLine(stack.Pop());
            }
        }

        private void DumpTerm(Term t, Stack<string> stack, int level)
        {
            int nt = 0;
            foreach (Term children in t.Terms)
            {
                nt++;
                DumpTerm(children, stack, level + 1);
            }
            stack.Push(ReportNode(level, t.Name + " " + nt.ToString()));
        }

        private string ReportNode(int level, object children)
        {
            StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder();
            for(int i = 0; i < level; i++)
            {
                sb.Append("\t");
            }
            sb.Append(children);
            return (sb.ToString());
        }

SharePoint 2010: How to enable developer dashboard

2011-02-03T08:26:00.000-08:00

$service = [Microsoft.SharePoint.Administration.SPWebService]::ContentService
$addsetting =$service.DeveloperDashboardSettings
$addsetting.DisplayLevel = [Microsoft.SharePoint.Administration.SPDeveloperDashboardLevel]::OnDemand
$addsetting.Update()

SharePoint 2010: how to get SQL rows for a document in a library

2011-02-03T07:10:00.000-08:00

Here's the snippet, just change the doc lib name and doc title.

select * from AllDocs d
join AllLists l
on d.ListId = d.ListId
and upper(l.tp_Title) = 'UPPERCASE DOC LIB NAME'
and upper(d.LeafName) = 'UPPERCASE DOC TITLE'
join AllUserData u
on u.tp_DocId = d.Id

SharePoint 2010: "Access denied by Business Data Connectivity" when viewing list that accesses external data

2011-02-01T11:15:00.001-08:00

Solution: permissions (either to users if delegation is used, or the app pool account is trusted subsystem is used) need to be assigned through Business Data Connectivity Service in Central Administration site.

ASP.Net: OnSelectedIndexChanged event not firing

2011-01-21T07:10:00.000-08:00

I had this snippet in a page:

<asp:UpdatePanel ID="UpdatePanel1" runat="server" UpdateMode="Conditional">
    <ContentTemplate>
        <table>
            <tr>
                <td>
                    <asp:ListBox ID="lst" runat="server" OnSelectedIndexChanged="lst_SelectedIndexChanged"></asp:ListBox>
                </td>

Problem was that OnSelectedIndexChanged was not firing.

Solution was to set AutoPostBack to true in the list.

SharePoint 2010: Adding taxonomy field to files in a Document Library

2011-01-21T06:15:00.000-08:00

Pre-requisite is that a taxonomy structure is set up with a "Term Group" group, a child "Term Set" with a "Term Name" term on it. Other than that, it's just about adapting site and list names to your deployment.

Here's the code:

        private void Test()
        {
            // get doc lib
            SPWebApplication wa = SPWebApplication.Lookup(new Uri("http://server"));
            SPSite site = wa.Sites["/sites/test"];
            SPDocumentLibrary dl = site.RootWeb.Lists["DocumentLibrary1"] as SPDocumentLibrary;
          
            // get taxonomy field
            TaxonomySession session = new TaxonomySession(site, false);
            TermSet set = session.DefaultSiteCollectionTermStore.sGroups["Term Group"].TermSets["Term Set"];
            Term term = set.GetTerms("Term Name", 1033, false)[0];
            TaxonomyField tf = dl.Fields["Term Field"] as TaxonomyField;

            // add files
            for (int i = 0; i < 100; i++)
            {
                using (FileStream fs = (new FileInfo(@"C:\Content.txt")).OpenRead())
                {
                    // add item
                    string name = "Name " + i;
                    Hashtable ht = new Hashtable();
                    SPFile file = dl.RootFolder.Files.Add(name, fs, ht, true);
                    SPListItem item = file.Item;

                    // set item's taxonomy field value
                    tf.SetFieldValue(item, term);
                    item.Update();

                    // progress
                    Console.WriteLine("{0} created", name);
                }
            }
        }

SharePoint: The Taxonomy feature (Feature ID "73EF14B1-13A9-416b-A9B5-ECECA2B0604C") has not been activated.

2011-01-20T05:58:00.000-08:00

Taxonomy feature is a hidden feature; it doesn't appear in the Site Collection Features UI. Enable it from SP's Management Shell:

Enable-SPFeature -id "73EF14B1-13A9-416b-A9B5-ECECA2B0604C" -url <site collection Url>

VMWare: blank screen when "use host setting for monitor" is chosen

2011-01-20T04:53:00.000-08:00

After booting a virtual box, I started getting a blank screen after the Windows boot progress bar dissapeared. I wasn't sure what may have changed.
Went to edit VM settings in VMWare player, and noticed that if I chose a specific resolution, I didn't get the blank screen. But - the resulting windows was too small.
Solution: ended up deleting all VM files other than .vmx and .vmdk. Booted and worked.
(Not sure what root cause was though.)

SharePoint 2010: read & write profile properties

2011-01-19T10:46:00.000-08:00

Assuming the property exists and can be read and written, the following code does the job.

            StringBuilder s = new StringBuilder();

            // get profile
            SPServiceContext context = SPServiceContext.GetContext(SPContext.Current.Site);
            UserProfileManager profileManager = new UserProfileManager(context);
            UserProfile profile = profileManager.GetUserProfile(SPContext.Current.Web.CurrentUser.Name);

            // read & write profile's property
            const string testProperty = "TestProperty";
            string testValue;
            UserProfileValueCollection val = profile[testProperty];
            if (val != null && val.Value != null)
            {
                testValue = val.Value as string;
            }
            else
            {
                testValue = "Empty";
                profile[testProperty].Value = DateTime.Now.ToString();
                profile.Commit();
            }
            s.Append(profile[PropertyConstants.AccountName] + " = " + testValue);
            s.Append(Environment.NewLine);
            TestText.Text = s.ToString();

Virtual PC: "the hibernated state is not compatible with the installed version of windows virtual pc"

2011-01-19T05:12:00.000-08:00

Problem is that the "virtual saved state" file may contain information of the machine it last booted on (likely, the box virtual was copied from), that not compatible with the machine where virtual is being booted on.
Solution: delete that state file.

Cryptography & .NET: Simple encryption & descryption using certificates

2011-01-12T03:33:00.000-08:00

Here's a simple toy that describes encryption with a public key by a sender and decryption with a private key by the receiver. Notice that the only object that's sent is the cipher text. Other than that, all entities don't cross boundaries, nor the certificate (which in one case is read from the store, from the file in the other).

First, you have to create a suitable certificate. Only caveats: mark its key for 'Exchange' type, and its private key exportable:

makecert.exe Test.cer -r -n "CN=Test Subject" -sr LocalMachine -ss My -sky Exchange -pe

Then, the code, which is mostly self explanatory. (Keys are accessed through providers that encapsulate calculations performed with them.)

        private void TestSenderReceiver()
        {
            //////////////////////////////////////////////////////
            // SENDER CODE
            //////////////////////////////////////////////////////

            // get certificate
            var certSender = new X509Certificate2(@"C:\Test.cer");

            // encrypt with public key
            var providerSender = (RSACryptoServiceProvider)certSender.PublicKey.Key;
            var plainSender = Encoding.Default.GetBytes("this is plain text");
            var cipher = providerSender.Encrypt(plainSender, false);

            //////////////////////////////////////////////////////
            // RECEIVER CODE
            //////////////////////////////////////////////////////

            // get certificate
            var store = new X509Store("MY", StoreLocation.LocalMachine);
            store.Open(OpenFlags.ReadOnly | OpenFlags.OpenExistingOnly);
            var certReceiver = store.Certificates.Find(X509FindType.FindBySubjectName, "Test Subject", false)[0];

            // decrypt with private key
            var providerReceiver = (RSACryptoServiceProvider)certReceiver.PrivateKey;
            var plainReceiver = providerReceiver.Decrypt(cipher, false);

            // check they are same
            int i;
            for (i = 0; i < plainSender.Length && i < plainReceiver.Length; i++)
            {
                if(plainSender[i] != plainReceiver[i])
                {
                    break;
                }
            }
            if(i == plainSender.Length && i == plainReceiver.Length)
            {
                Console.WriteLine("Same!");                
            }
        }

Powershell script for fixing subtitles files (.srt)

2011-01-09T08:23:00.000-08:00

This script fixes the offset of subtitles files (.srt).

Sample call: .\SrtFixer.ps1 -Path 'Movie.srt' -Offset '-00:00:26.700'

SQL Server service not starting: initerrlog: Could not open error log file ''. Operating system error = 3(The system cannot find the path specified.).

2011-01-06T04:24:00.000-08:00

Issue was that the account under which service attempted to run was Network Service, which didn't have enough privileges.
While I set it to Local System and got it working, for security reasons, you should set it to a domain account instead. More info here.

Cannot run dcpromo.exe after Certificate Services have been installed

2011-01-05T04:12:00.000-08:00

This is because, once a Certificate Authority is installed, its domain membership cannot be changed.
Therefore, install Domain Services role, run dcpromo.exe and then install Certificate Services.

SPWebApplication.Lookup() throws "This operation can be performed only on a computer that is joined to a server farm..."

2010-12-03T06:00:00.000-08:00

In my case, issue was that project's target platform was x86. Changed it to 'Any CPU' and it worked.

ASP.Net Error: "The requested content appears to be script and will not be served by the static file handler"

2010-09-07T08:22:00.001-07:00

This means that, while there exist a handler that maps to that type of content (e.g. aspx), it doesn't apply to currently used .NET Framework.
Solution is to run aspnet_regiis.exe -i for the current framework. (e.g. C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v4.0.30319\aspnet_regiis.exe -i)
If that doesn't work, then double check whether there's a handler that maps to that content for integrated pipeline mode. If there's not, a possible solution is to change to classic pipeline mode.

PowerShell: Storing and retrieving secrets

2010-08-25T11:24:00.000-07:00

function StoreSecret($plain, $subkeyPath, $secretRegValue)
{
[void][System.Reflection.Assembly]::LoadWithPartialName("System.Security")
$secret = [System.Security.Cryptography.ProtectedData]::Protect([System.Text.Encoding]::UTF7.GetBytes($plain), $null, [System.Security.Cryptography.DataProtectionScope]::CurrentUser)
$subkey=[Microsoft.Win32.Registry]::LocalMachine.CreateSubKey($subkeyPath)
[void]$subkey.SetValue($secretRegValue, $secret, [Microsoft.Win32.RegistryValueKind]::Binary)
}

function RetrieveSecret($subkeyPath, $secretRegValue)
{
[void][System.Reflection.Assembly]::LoadWithPartialName("System.Security")
$secret = [Microsoft.Win32.Registry]::LocalMachine.OpenSubKey($subkeyPath).GetValue($secretRegValue)
$plain = [System.Text.Encoding]::UTF7.GetString([System.Security.Cryptography.ProtectedData]::Unprotect($secret, $null, [System.Security.Cryptography.DataProtectionScope]::CurrentUser))
return $plain
}

# set needed constants
$subkeyPath = "Software\Pepino";
$secretRegValue = "Secret";

function StoreMySecret($plain)
{
StoreSecret -plain $plain -subkeyPath $subkeyPath -secretRegValue $secretRegValue
}

function RetrieveMySecret()
{
$plain = RetrieveSecret -subkeyPath $subkeyPath -secretRegValue $secretRegValue
return $plain
}

# store secret
$plain="boquita"
Write-Host "Secret is `"$plain`"" -BackgroundColor Black -ForegroundColor Yellow
StoreMySecret -plain $plain

# retrieve secret
$plain = RetrieveMySecret
Write-Host "Recovered secret is `"$plain`"" -BackgroundColor Black -ForegroundColor Yellow

SQL Server: Backup/Restore sample PowerShell script

2010-08-19T10:32:00.000-07:00

This is a sample script that demonstrates a typical recovery scenario in SQL Server: full, differential and log backups restored in that order to bring back a database online.

(A pre-requisite to run it is to have SQL Server snap-ins added to PowerShell. See here.)

### SCRIPT STARTS HERE
$instance='.\SQLEXPRESS'

# drop db
Invoke-Sqlcmd -ServerInstance $instance -Query "USE MASTER;IF DB_ID('DUMMY') IS NOT NULL ALTER DATABASE DUMMY SET SINGLE_USER WITH ROLLBACK IMMEDIATE"
Invoke-Sqlcmd -ServerInstance $instance -Query "USE MASTER;IF DB_ID('DUMMY') IS NOT NULL DROP DATABASE DUMMY"

# create db with a table
$filesDir="c:\Garbage"
if(-not(test-path $filesDir)){mkdir $filesDir}
Invoke-Sqlcmd -ServerInstance $instance -Query "USE MASTER;CREATE DATABASE DUMMY ON (NAME = DUMMY_DATA,FILENAME='$filesDir\DUMMY_DATA.MDF') LOG ON (NAME = DUMMY_LOG, FILENAME = '$filesDir\DUMMY_LOG.LDF')"
Invoke-Sqlcmd -ServerInstance $instance -Query "USE MASTER;ALTER DATABASE DUMMY SET RECOVERY FULL"
Invoke-Sqlcmd -ServerInstance $instance -Query "USE DUMMY;CREATE TABLE DATA(VALUE SMALLINT)"

# query db (and ignore error)
Invoke-Sqlcmd -ServerInstance $instance -Query "USE DUMMY;SELECT VALUE FROM DATA" -EA "SILENTLYCONTINUE"

# insert some rows
Invoke-Sqlcmd -ServerInstance $instance -Query "USE DUMMY;INSERT INTO DATA(VALUE) VALUES(1)"
Invoke-Sqlcmd -ServerInstance $instance -Query "USE DUMMY;INSERT INTO DATA(VALUE) VALUES(2)"

# query db
Invoke-Sqlcmd -ServerInstance $instance -Query "USE DUMMY;SELECT VALUE FROM DATA"

# full backup
$full="$filesDir\Full.bak"
Invoke-Sqlcmd -ServerInstance $instance -Query "USE MASTER;BACKUP DATABASE DUMMY TO DISK='$full'"

# PROBLEM HERE, SOMEONE MISTAKENLY DROPS DATABASE
# drop db
Invoke-Sqlcmd -ServerInstance $instance -Query "USE MASTER;ALTER DATABASE DUMMY SET SINGLE_USER WITH ROLLBACK IMMEDIATE"
Invoke-Sqlcmd -ServerInstance $instance -Query "USE MASTER;DROP DATABASE DUMMY"

# TEST: restore full backup and verify data is there
Invoke-Sqlcmd -ServerInstance $instance -Query "USE MASTER;RESTORE DATABASE DUMMY FROM DISK='$full'"
Invoke-Sqlcmd -ServerInstance $instance -Query "USE DUMMY;SELECT VALUE FROM DATA" -EA "SILENTLYCONTINUE"
Invoke-Sqlcmd -ServerInstance $instance -Query "USE DUMMY;SELECT VALUE FROM DATA"

# insert a row
Invoke-Sqlcmd -ServerInstance $instance -Query "USE DUMMY;INSERT INTO DATA(VALUE) VALUES(3)"

# backup a transaction log
$diff="$filesDir\Differential.bak"
Invoke-Sqlcmd -ServerInstance $instance -Query "USE MASTER;BACKUP DATABASE DUMMY TO DISK='$DIFF' WITH DIFFERENTIAL"

# insert another row
Invoke-Sqlcmd -ServerInstance $instance -Query "USE DUMMY;INSERT INTO DATA(VALUE) VALUES(4)"

# backup another transaction log
$log="C:\Garbage\Log.bak"
Invoke-Sqlcmd -ServerInstance $instance -Query "USE MASTER;BACKUP LOG DUMMY TO DISK='$log'"

# drop database
Invoke-Sqlcmd -ServerInstance $instance -Query "USE MASTER;ALTER DATABASE DUMMY SET SINGLE_USER WITH ROLLBACK IMMEDIATE"
Invoke-Sqlcmd -ServerInstance $instance -Query "USE MASTER;DROP DATABASE DUMMY"

# verify no data files are in place
dir $filesDir\*.mdf;dir $filesDir\*.ldf

# TEST: restore full backup plus the transactions logs and verify data is there
Invoke-Sqlcmd -ServerInstance $instance -Query "USE MASTER;RESTORE DATABASE DUMMY FROM DISK='$full' WITH NORECOVERY"
Invoke-Sqlcmd -ServerInstance $instance -Query "USE MASTER;RESTORE DATABASE DUMMY FROM DISK='$diff' WITH NORECOVERY"
Invoke-Sqlcmd -ServerInstance $instance -Query "USE MASTER;RESTORE LOG DUMMY FROM DISK='$log'"

# query db, we should have now 4 rows!
Invoke-Sqlcmd -ServerInstance $instance -Query "USE DUMMY;SELECT VALUE FROM DATA" -EA "SILENTLYCONTINUE"
Invoke-Sqlcmd -ServerInstance $instance -Query "USE DUMMY;SELECT VALUE FROM DATA"

# and we should have data and log files back
dir $filesDir\*.mdf;dir $filesDir\*.ldf

### SCRIPT ENDS HERE

Shortcut for generating a hotfix request for MS

2010-08-18T08:33:00.001-07:00

Windbg: investigating exceptions

2010-08-18T05:07:00.000-07:00

The sequence shown below is:

1) !dumpheap -type Exception
2) !dumpheap -type System.Runtime.InteropServices.COMException
3) !pe 0000000006a58fb8
4) !do 0000000006a58fb8 (for some specific fields that !pe won't show)

0:000> !dumpheap -type Exception
         Address               MT     Size
0000000006961048 000007fef3336b30      136  
00000000069610d0 000007fef3336c40      136  
0000000006961158 000007fef3336d50      136  
00000000069611e0 000007fef3336e60      136  
0000000006961268 000007fef3336e60      136  
0000000006a29a90 000007fef3340298       24  
0000000006a29ac0 000007fef3340310       24  
0000000006a58fb8 000007fef335c580      136  
0000000006ac4390 000007fef335c580      136  
total 9 objects
Statistics:
              MT    Count    TotalSize Class Name
000007fef3340310        1           24 System.Text.DecoderExceptionFallback
000007fef3340298        1           24 System.Text.EncoderExceptionFallback
000007fef3336d50        1          136 System.ExecutionEngineException
000007fef3336c40        1          136 System.StackOverflowException
000007fef3336b30        1          136 System.OutOfMemoryException
000007fef335c580        2          272 System.Runtime.InteropServices.COMException
000007fef3336e60        2          272 System.Threading.ThreadAbortException
Total 9 objects

0:000> !dumpheap -type System.Runtime.InteropServices.COMException
         Address               MT     Size
0000000006a58fb8 000007fef335c580      136  
0000000006ac4390 000007fef335c580      136  
total 2 objects
Statistics:
              MT    Count    TotalSize Class Name
000007fef335c580        2          272 System.Runtime.InteropServices.COMException
Total 2 objects

0:000> !do 0000000006a58fb8
Name: System.Runtime.InteropServices.COMException
MethodTable: 000007fef335c580
EEClass: 000007fef2f4a2f8
Size: 136(0x88) bytes
 (C:\Windows\assembly\GAC_64\mscorlib\2.0.0.0__b77a5c561934e089\mscorlib.dll)
Fields:
              MT    Field   Offset                 Type VT     Attr            Value Name
000007fef3336758  40000b5        8        System.String  0 instance 0000000000000000 _className
000007fef3334b00  40000b6       10 ...ection.MethodBase  0 instance 0000000000000000 _exceptionMethod
000007fef3336758  40000b7       18        System.String  0 instance 0000000000000000 _exceptionMethodString
000007fef3336758  40000b8       20        System.String  0 instance 0000000006a591d8 _message
000007fef332dd78  40000b9       28 ...tions.IDictionary  0 instance 0000000000000000 _data
000007fef3336a20  40000ba       30     System.Exception  0 instance 0000000000000000 _innerException
000007fef3336758  40000bb       38        System.String  0 instance 0000000006a59268 _helpURL
000007fef3336048  40000bc       40        System.Object  0 instance 0000000006a59328 _stackTrace
000007fef3336758  40000bd       48        System.String  0 instance 0000000000000000 _stackTraceString
000007fef3336758  40000be       50        System.String  0 instance 0000000000000000 _remoteStackTraceString
000007fef333d9c8  40000bf       70         System.Int32  1 instance                0 _remoteStackIndex
000007fef3336048  40000c0       58        System.Object  0 instance 0000000000000000 _dynamicMethods
000007fef333d9c8  40000c1       74         System.Int32  1 instance      -2146824040 _HResult
000007fef3336758  40000c2       60        System.String  0 instance 0000000006a592a8 _source
000007fef3339160  40000c3       68        System.IntPtr  1 instance                0 _xptrs
000007fef333d9c8  40000c4       78         System.Int32  1 instance       -532459699 _xcode

0:000> !pe 0000000006a58fb8
Exception object: 0000000006a58fb8
Exception type: System.Runtime.InteropServices.COMException
Message: This command is not available because no document is open.
InnerException: <none>
StackTrace (generated):
    SP               IP               Function
    000000000013A200 0000000000000001 Microsoft_Office_Interop_Word!Microsoft.Office.Interop.Word.ApplicationClass.get_ActiveDocument()+0x2
    000000000013A2F0 000007FF00222F6E Ms_Ddue_DdueWord!Microsoft.Ddue.DdueWordAuthoring.WordHelper.GetActiveDocument(Microsoft.Office.Interop.Word.Application)+0xce

StackTraceString: <none>
HResult: 800a1098

See here for more details.

PowerShell, double and single quotes

2010-08-13T12:31:00.000-07:00

Powershell and quotes can be a bit confusing sometimes.

Double-quoted strings are subject to variable substitution, while single-quoted strings are not.

For example, let's launch a PowerShell console:

C:\Users\User>$x="hello"
C:\Users\User>"$x"
hello
C:\Users\User>'$x'
$x
C:\Users\User>

Let's write now a very small script that outputs a single parameter:

C:\Users\User>'param($p) "$p"' > .\test.ps1
C:\Users\User>type .\test.ps1
param($p) "$p"

Here's the output when calling that script with double- and single-quoted strings:

C:\Users\User>$x="hello"
C:\Users\User>.\test.ps1 "$x"
hello
C:\Users\User>.\test.ps1 '$x'
$x
C:\Users\User>.\test.ps1 -p "hello world"
hello world
C:\Users\User>.\test.ps1 -p 'hello world'
hello world

Which makes sense, because in PowerShell both single and double quotes serve to form strings with spaces.

Now, let's open a normal command prompt and try a few things:

C:\Users\User>powershell -file test.ps1 -p "hello"
hello
C:\Users\User>powershell -file test.ps1 -p 'hello'
'hello'
C:\Users\User>set XYZ="hello world"
C:\Users\User>powershell -file .\test.ps1 %XYZ%
hello world
C:\Users\User>set XYZ='hello world'
C:\Users\User>powershell -f .\test.ps1 %XYZ%
'hello

Which is expected too, because in a DOS command prompt, only double quotes will form strings with spaces, and single-quotes are taken as literals.

EDM designer in Visual Studio: "The operation could not be completed. The parameter is incorrect"

2010-03-09T18:02:00.001-08:00

When trying to open a .edmx file in VS, it throws this error:

Solution: open the designer as plain xml and remove children of edmx:Diagrams/Diagram node.

EDM: Error 11011: Association End key property 'Id' is not mapped.

2010-03-09T17:44:00.000-08:00

Problem: receiving this error when building a project that includes an EDM:

Error 11011: Association End key property 'Id' is not mapped.

Solution: open as plain xml the .edmx file, remove everything related to the entity causing the error, then open the model with the designer and "Update model from database..." After you build, you should not get this error anymore.

MVC & ViewState don't work together

2010-03-04T10:38:00.000-08:00

It seems that postbacks are not supported in MVC. I found this article, and tried to address this issue in order to use some Ajax controls that do require form tags for including a ScriptManager, which cause postbacks.

In short - it worked correctly, with one tweak: instead of

public class ViewUserControlWithoutViewState<T> : ViewUserControl<T> where T : class

I changed to:

public class ViewUserControlWithoutViewState : ViewUserControl

Otherwise, ASP.Net was not finding the type. Why? Didn't dig into more, but it may be related to Reflection not resolving correctly when where keyword is being used.

BTW - this is the control I was trying to use (needs Ajax Controls Toolkit):

    <form id="Form1" runat="server">
        <asp:ToolkitScriptManager ID="asm" runat="server" />
        <asp:LinkButton ID="linkButton1" runat="server" Text="Show Popup" />
        <asp:ConfirmButtonExtender ID="ConfirmButtonExtender1" runat="server" TargetControlID="linkButton1" ConfirmText="Want it or not?" />
    </form>

Reindex script for SQL Server

2010-01-12T08:15:00.000-08:00

DECLARE @db_name nvarchar(1000)
SET @db_name=N'your database name'
EXEC ('USE ' + @db_name)
DECLARE @index_name nvarchar(1000)
DECLARE @table_name nvarchar(1000)
DECLARE @ind_id int
DECLARE index_cursor CURSOR for
select name, object_name(id), indid from sysindexes where id > 1000 and indid >=1 and rows > 0 order by object_name(id), indid, name
OPEN index_cursor
FETCH NEXT FROM index_cursor INTO @index_name, @table_name, @ind_id
WHILE @@FETCH_STATUS = 0
BEGIN
IF @ind_id = 1
BEGIN
EXEC sp_executesql N'DBCC DBREINDEX (@tbl, @idx, 0)',
N'@idx nvarchar(1000), @tbl nvarchar(1000)',
@index_name,
@table_name
END
EXEC sp_executesql N'DBCC INDEXDEFRAG (@db, @tbl, @idx)',
N'@db nvarchar(1000), @idx nvarchar(1000), @tbl nvarchar(1000)',
@db_name,
@index_name,
@table_name
FETCH NEXT FROM index_cursor INTO @index_name, @table_name, @ind_id
END
CLOSE index_cursor
DEALLOCATE index_cursor

How to create a bootable installation CD/DVD in Windows

2009-12-24T10:46:00.000-08:00

1) Download BBIE
2) extract bootable sector from a bootable disk
3) Download ImgBurn
4) Create a bootable image file

Run ImgBurn
Choose "Create image file from file/folders"
Include desired files and folders
Click "Advanced", "Bootable Disc" (sic), specify as "Boot Image" file the file you obtained in step 2).

Launch the process, it will result in a .img file.

5) Create CD/DVD

Relaunch ImgBurn
Choose "Write image file to disc"
Browse to the image file obtained in step 4).

If everything goes well, you should end up with a bootable CD/DVD.

How to create a PFX file

2009-08-13T13:55:00.000-07:00

makecert.exe -sv MyKey.pvk -n "CN=My Test Site" MyKey.cer -sky exchange

"C:\Program Files\Microsoft SDKs\Windows\v6.0A\Bin\pvk2pfx.exe" -pvk MyKey.pvk -spc MyKey.cer -pfx MyPFX.pfx -po

Note: "-sky exchange" avoids errors like "SSL Certificate add failed, Error: 1312"

SharePoint: Code for extending a web app

2009-06-05T00:11:00.001-07:00

This doesn't claim to be the code to extend a web app, but more like a boilerplate that you can adapt to your own needs. I tried it with a generous matrix of parameters and works correctly, but I have no doubt that some combinations may cause issues.

        private static void ExtendWebApplication(SPWebApplication webapp, string name, int port, SPUrlZone zone, bool secure, bool useWindowsAuth, bool allowAnonymous, bool useClaims)
        {
            if (webapp == null)
            {
                throw (new ArgumentNullException("webapp"));
            }

            SPServerBinding serverBinding = null;
            SPSecureBinding secureBinding = null;
            if (secure)
            {
                secureBinding = new SPSecureBinding();
                secureBinding.Port = port;
            }
            else
            {
                serverBinding = new SPServerBinding();
                serverBinding.Port = port;
            }

            string extendedAppPath = webapp.IisSettings[SPUrlZone.Default].Path.ToString().Substring(0, webapp.IisSettings[SPUrlZone.Default].Path.ToString().LastIndexOf(@"\") + 1) + port.ToString();
            SPIisSettings iisSettings = new SPIisSettings(
                string.Format(CultureInfo.InvariantCulture, "{0} - {1}", name, port),
                false,
                true,
                serverBinding,
                secureBinding,
                new DirectoryInfo(extendedAppPath));
            iisSettings.DisableKerberos = !useWindowsAuth;
            iisSettings.UseWindowsIntegratedAuthentication = useWindowsAuth;
            iisSettings.AllowAnonymous = allowAnonymous;
            webapp.IisSettings.Add(zone, iisSettings);
            webapp.AlternateUrls.SetResponseUrl(new SPAlternateUrl(GetAlternateUrl(port, secure), zone));
            webapp.AlternateUrls.Update();
            webapp.UseClaimsAuthentication = useClaims;
            webapp.Update();
            webapp.ProvisionGlobally();
        }

C#: Running PowerShell from C#

2009-06-02T22:38:00.000-07:00

This is a class that allows to execute PowerShell scripts from C#



    using System.Management.Automation;
    using System.Management.Automation.Runspaces;

    /// <summary>
    /// PowerShellExecutor
    /// </summary>
    public class PowerShellExecutor
    {
        Runspace _runspace = null;
        Pipeline _pipeline = null;

        /// <summary>
        /// .ctor
        /// </summary>
        public PowerShellExecutor()
        {
            _runspace = RunspaceFactory.CreateRunspace();
            _runspace = RegisterCmdlets(_runspace, _runspace.CreatePipeline());
            _pipeline = _runspace.CreatePipeline();
        }

        public void ClearErrors()
        {
            _pipeline = _runspace.CreatePipeline("$error.Clear()");
            _pipeline.Invoke();
        }

        /// <summary>
        /// ExecuteCmdlet
        /// </summary>
        /// <param name="command"></param>
        /// <param name="rs"></param>
        /// <param name="pipe"></param>
        /// <returns></returns>
        /// <example>
        /// PowerShellExecutor p = new PowerShellExecutor();
        /// Collection<PSObject> c = p.ExecuteCmdlet("$w = Get-Web 'MySite - 80'", null);
        /// c = p.ExecuteCmdlet("[System.Console]::WriteLine($w)", null);
        /// </example>
        public Collection<PSObject> ExecuteCmdlet(string command)
        {
            // create pipeline
            _pipeline = _runspace.CreatePipeline();

            // add script to execute
            _pipeline.Commands.AddScript(command);

            // execute
            Collection<PSObject> results = _pipeline.Invoke();
            StringBuilder result = new StringBuilder();

            // check results
            if (results.Count == 0)
            {
                result = new StringBuilder();
                result.Append("$error");
                _pipeline = _runspace.CreatePipeline(result.ToString());
                results = _pipeline.Invoke();
            }

            // return
            return results;
        }

        /// <summary>
        /// RegisterCmdlets
        /// </summary>
        /// <param name="runspace"></param>
        /// <param name="pipeline"></param>
        /// <returns></returns>
        private Runspace RegisterCmdlets(Runspace runspace, Pipeline pipeline)
        {
            Collection<PSObject> results;
            StringBuilder command = new StringBuilder();
            runspace = RunspaceFactory.CreateRunspace();
            runspace.Open();
            command.Append("Set-Alias powershell $env:windir\\System32\\WindowsPowerShell\\v1.0\\powershell.exe");
            pipeline = runspace.CreatePipeline(command.ToString());
            results = pipeline.Invoke();

            command = new StringBuilder();
            command.Append("Add-pssnapin Microsoft.SharePoint.PowerShell");
            pipeline = runspace.CreatePipeline(command.ToString());
            results = pipeline.Invoke();
            return runspace;
        }
    }

Architectural Concerns

2009-06-01T18:27:00.000-07:00

Cheat-sheet on things to have in mind when looking at a system from an architectural perspective:

Simplicity
Testability
Usability
Deployment
Ecosystem
Modularity
Diagnosibility
Performance
Manageability
Compatibility
Layering
Reliability
Accessibility
Serviceability
Extensibility
Dependencies
Security
Globalizability
Supportability
Programmability
Maintenance

WCF: System.ServiceModel.FaultException: The message could not be processed

2009-05-30T23:53:00.000-07:00

Problem: exception thrown when connecting to a WCF service

System.ServiceModel.FaultException: The message could not be processed. This is most likely because the action 'http://tempuri.org/IStockService/GetSymbolData' is incorrect or because the message contains an invalid or expired security context token or because there is a mismatch between bindings. The security context token would be invalid if the service aborted the channel due to inactivity. To prevent the service from aborting idle sessions prematurely increase the Receive timeout on the service endpoint's binding.

Solution: at least in my case, there was a mismatch between the binding specified in the client (SecurityMode.None) and the server (wsHttpBinding). After specifiying the right binding in the client (SecurityMode.Message), it worked correctly.

When to use AllowUnsafeUpdates, ValidateFormDigest() or else

2009-04-07T16:52:00.001-07:00

For scenarios in which your code is processing a POST request, ValidateFormDigest() will, behind the scenes, set AllowUnsafeUpdates to true.

But some scenarios (e.g. web services) are not a POST request, therefore ValidateFormDigest() will fail.

So, here's a simple decision tree to help:

HttpContext.Current is null => Do nothing, no need to set AllowUnsafeUpdates to true nor to call ValidateFormDigest() because update will be carried out (e.g. code being called from an .exe from a cmd prompt)

HttpContext.Current is NOT null
- SPContext.Current is null => Need to set AllowUnsafeUpdates to true (e.g. web service)
- SPContext.Current is NOT null => Call ValidateFormDigest() (e.g. POST request processing)

SPSecurity.RunWithElevatedPrivileges() throws InvalidOperationException, "Operation is not valid due to the current state of the object."

2009-04-06T15:17:00.000-07:00

There are several reasons for this to happen.

1) HttpContext.Current.User == null
2) code running under impersonation.

If it's 2), here's one recipe, save HttpContext, set it to null, restore it back:

            HttpContext prev = HttpContext.Current;
            HttpContext.Current = null;
            try
            {
                SPSecurity.RunWithElevatedPrivileges(delegate()
                {
...
                });
            }
            finally
            {
                HttpContext.Current = prev;
            }

SQL Server: how to delete non-system databases from a cursor

2009-02-20T10:36:00.000-08:00

DECLARE @name nvarchar(200)
DECLARE @stmt nvarchar(200)
DECLARE dbCursor CURSOR FOR SELECT D.name FROM sys.databases D where owner_sid <> 0x01
OPEN dbCursor
    FETCH NEXT FROM dbCursor INTO @name
    WHILE @@FETCH_STATUS = 0
    BEGIN
        --next IF is not needed, as cursor specifies that owner_sid <> 0x01 already
        --IF @name <> 'master' and @name <> 'model' and @name <> 'msdb' and @name <> 'tempdb'
        --BEGIN
            PRINT 'Name = ' + @name
            SET @stmt = 'DROP DATABASE "' + @name + '"'
            PRINT 'stmt = ' + @stmt
            EXECUTE sp_executesql @stmt
        --END
        FETCH NEXT FROM dbCursor INTO @name
    END
CLOSE dbCursor
DEALLOCATE dbCursor

Notice couple of tips (at least for someone that doesn't write T-SQL every morning ☺):

- SQL syntax doesn't allow some statements to be run from inside a cursor, so you have to call sp_executesql store proc.
- since '-' is a reserved operator, you have to enclose the DB on quotes to successfully operate on a DB whose name contains '-' or other reserved operator.
- owner_sid <> 0x01 filters out system DB's (preferred over the commented IF)

Perf: Managed memory leaks investigation

2009-02-10T10:26:00.000-08:00

These two links are very helpful:

Identify And Prevent Memory Leaks In Managed Code
Tracking down managed memory leaks (how to find a GC leak)

SQL Server: how to get the sizes of the columns of a table

2009-01-30T11:33:00.000-08:00

select C.name, C.max_length from sys.columns C
inner join
sys.tables T
on C.object_id = T.object_id and T.name = '<table name>'

SQL Server: how to see Log Transaction status

2009-01-30T10:31:00.001-08:00

select name, log_reuse_wait, log_reuse_wait_desc from sys.databases

SQL Server: how to get the sizes of all tables

2009-01-30T09:17:00.000-08:00

EXEC sp_MSforeachtable @command1="EXEC sp_spaceused '?'"

What's installed in a Windows box?

2008-11-18T21:48:00.000-08:00

See here for downloading and use msiinv.exe.

IIS7: COM 0x800703E3 error

2008-11-12T15:54:00.000-08:00

Problem: when requesting static files against IIS7, following error was reported to event viewer

0x800703E3
at System.Web.Hosting.IIS7WorkerRequest.FlushCore(Boolean keepConnected, Int32 numBodyFragments, IntPtr[] bodyFragments, Int32[] bodyFragmentLengths, Int32[] bodyFragmentTypes)
at System.Web.Hosting.IIS7WorkerRequest.FlushCachedResponse(Boolean isFinal)
at System.Web.HttpResponse.UpdateNativeResponse(Boolean sendHeaders)
at System.Web.HttpRuntime.FinishRequestNotification(IIS7WorkerRequest wr, HttpContext context, RequestNotificationStatus& status)

Solution: known issue in IIS7, fixed by Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 Service Pack 1

SQL: Excessive SQL Compilations/Sec

2008-11-12T14:19:00.000-08:00

Problem: SQL Compilations/Sec greater than 50 sec in a mid-end backend.
Cause: Store procedures not being fully parameterized. If they were, their plans could have been cached and reused for same runs with different parameters.

Some related links:

http://www.sql-server-performance.com/tips/stored_procedures_p1.aspx
http://www.sql-server-performance.com/tips/sql_server_performance_monitor_coutners_p1.aspx
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/243588
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa212698(SQL.80).aspx

Tracking down managed memory leaks

2008-11-05T12:45:00.001-08:00

See here

Sansa m250: How to see it as a drive on XP

2008-09-23T22:59:00.000-07:00

Menu, Settings, USB, choose the one that is not Autodetect ☺

SharePoint: Output caching not retrieving pages from cache

2008-09-16T13:00:00.000-07:00

Symptom:

for subsequent requests, you see the date in the output page (right click IE page, View Source, etc) updated (it should remain constant for the period of time page in cache is not invalidated):

>>> Rendered using cache profile:Public Internet (Purely Anonymous) at: 2008-09-16T12:59:31

Solution:

This issue may happen for requests that include query strings, like '?var=val'.

Go to http://your%20server/cache%20profiles/allitems.aspx, and set 'Vary by Query String Parameters' to the value of the query param (in the example above, 'var') for the appropriate cache profiles.

SharePoint: Root folder element not returned through SPList.GetItems(SPQuery)

2008-09-11T15:32:00.001-07:00

Problem: a query like this

                SPQuery q = new SPQuery();
                q.Query = "<Where><Eq><FieldRef Name='MyField'/><Value Type='Text'>ABC</Value></Eq></Where>";
                q.ViewAttributes = "Scope=\"Recursive\"";
                SPListItemCollection c = l.GetItems(q);
                Console.WriteLine(c.Count);

on a list like with one element like

Folder, MyField='ABC'

was not returning the element.

Solution:

q.ViewAttributes = "Scope=\"RecursiveAll\"";

See here why ☺

Perfmon: "Unable to connect to machine"

2008-08-12T11:30:00.000-07:00

1) grant Local Service full control permissions on HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows
NT\CurrentVersion\Perflib
2) Start Remote Registry service

SQL: retrieve store procedures definitions in SQL Server

2008-08-01T23:31:00.000-07:00

select P.name, M.definition
from sys.sql_modules M 
inner join sys.procedures P
on P.object_id = M.object_id
order by P.name

Windbg cheat-sheet

2008-07-30T10:13:00.000-07:00

*** steps to find an exception

.symfix
.sympath+
.reload
sxd *
.loadby sos mscorwks
!threads
kp
!do *throwable*
!do *_stackTraceString*

*** debugging dump

lmv mmscorwks
.reload /f mscorwks.dll
!load sos
!threads
!clrstack
!pe -nested

*** setup

.sympath srv*g:\binaries*http://msdl.microsoft.com/download/symbols
.reload
.symfix
ld -> loads module symbols
ld moduleName
.loadby sos mscorwks

*** memory

d
dw
dd
dd /c 1 00401060 -> display dwords in 1 column from address 00401060
db
da -> ascii
du -> unicode
dds myFunction -> try to resolve symbol
dv -> display variables (needs symbols)
dv /V
dt -> display type
dt _EXCEPTION_POINTERS
ln -> list near

*** search

s -> search memory
s -a 77f75acc L80 "B" -> searches from 77f75acc to 77f75acc+80 for the ascci 'B'
s 77f75acc L80 42 40 3a -> searches from 77f75acc to 77f75acc+80 for the string 42, 40 and 3a
x -> search symbols
x *! -> list of all the modules in the process with their beginning and ending memory locations
x *!my* -> list the functions that start with 'my' in all modules
x my!* -> list the functions in 'my' module

*** registers

r
rm

*** step

g -> go until breakpoint
p -> step
t -> step into
gu -> step out
pa -> st
ta -> trace into to address
.restart
bp function -> set breakpoint
bp function "command" (ex.: bp kernel32!CreateFileW "du poi(esp+4); g")
bp address

*** stack

k
kP
.frame
kb 50 -> show 50 frames
~*k5 -> for each thread, show 5 frames

*** assembly

u -> unassemble function
uf myFunction
!u -> unassemble managed function

*** exceptions

sxe ld (to disable sxd)
sxe clr -> break in CLR exceptions

*** windows

!gle -> GetLastError()

*** dumps

!threads
!DumpObj = !do
!DumpStackObjects
!dt
!dso
!pe -nested
!peb
.cordll -u -l
!dumpheap -type theType

*** dumps (2)

lmv mmscorwks
Find matching package at \\server\share and copy all files (except symbols) to c:\debuggers folder
.loadby sos mscorwks (or, if doesn't work, .load %debuggers%\sos.dll)
May need to execute .cordll –u –l

*** help

!help

*** sources

.srcpath
.lines
.l+, .l-

*** security descriptor

!object \BaseNamedObjects\CLR_CASOFF_MUTEX
dt nt!_OBJECT_HEADER objHeader
?? SecurityDescriptor & ~0x7
!sd *result* 1

*** kernel dbg setup

in Vista:
bcdedit /bootdebug ON
bcdedit /dbgsettings SERIAL DEBUGPORT:1 BAUDRATE:115200
in XP: in boot.ini
/debug /debugport=com1 /baudrate=115200
connect Vista to box XXX with a null cable
in XXX
- kd.exe -server tcp:port=999 -k com:port=com1,baud=115200
- from windbg: .server tcp:port=999

restart Vista
to start debugging, kd.exe -remote tcp:server=serverboxname,port=999

From WinPE:

bcdedit /store c:\boot\bcd -enum -v
GUID corresponding to Vista -> {GUID}
bcdedit /store c:\boot\bcd –debug {GUID} on

*** kernel dbg

!stacks -> list threads
!locks -> lists locks

*** SOS commands

Object Inspection
-----------------------------
DumpObj (do)
DumpArray (da)
DumpStackObjects (dso)
DumpHeap
DumpVC
GCRoot
ObjSize
FinalizeQueue
PrintException (pe)
TraverseHeap

Examining CLR data structures
-----------------------------
DumpDomain
EEHeap
Name2EE
SyncBlk
DumpMT
DumpClass
DumpMD
Token2EE
EEVersion
DumpModule
ThreadPool
DumpAssembly
DumpMethodSig
DumpRuntimeTypes
DumpSig
RCWCleanupList
DumpIL

Examining code and stacks
-----------------------------
Threads
CLRStack
IP2MD
U
DumpStack
EEStack
GCInfo
EHInfo
COMState
BPMD

Diagnostic Utilities
-----------------------------
VerifyHeap
DumpLog
FindAppDomain
SaveModule
GCHandles
GCHandleLeaks
VMMap
VMStat
ProcInfo
StopOnException (soe)
MinidumpMode

IIS: RPS suddendly drops to zero while serving static files

2008-05-15T09:24:00.000-07:00

Problem: while running tests on an IIS web site, RPS dropped to zero, then came back up, etc.

Solution: NTFS may be causing disk I/O to be the bottleneck by logging reads to those static files. Try setting

HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\FileSystem\NtfsDisableLastAccessUpdate

to 1 (DWORD), reboot (not sure which services need to be restarted for avoiding a reboot...), and try.

More details here.

Debugging: No Locals, Breakpoint not being hit, etc in Visual Studio

2008-04-14T16:43:00.000-07:00

Problem: sometimes, VS has trouble seeing Locals for optimized assemblies. Also, even with symbols loaded for a module, a breakpoint is not hit. Or you attach to the w3wp.exe process only to not see your module as loaded (and you know it is).

Solution: say your assembly is My.dll

Create a file called My.ini
Put this content into that file:

[.Net Framework Debugging Control]
AllowOptimize=0
GenerateTrackingInfo=1

Copy the .ini file to the location of the assembly in the GAC

Performance: ASP.NET process not being registered by vsperfmon

2008-03-25T13:28:00.000-07:00

Problem: by following these instructions: TN_1206: Profiling ASP.NET in instrumentation mode from the command line, I was not getting the w3wp.exe process being registered by vsperfmon, so no .vsp file was being generated.

Solution: make sure to call vsperfmon with the /crosssession parameter

SharePoint: Enabling Anonymous Access on a Site Collection

2008-01-16T16:35:00.000-08:00

First, you need to configure the web application for anonymous access:

go to Central Administration
go to Application Management
click on Authentication Providers
choose the Web Application the site collection lives into
click on the zone for the specified provider
check Enable Anonymous Access and Save

Then, you need to enable anonymous access in the specific site collection:

Go to Site Actions Site Settings Modify All Site Settings
Click on Advanced Permissions
Click on Settings Anonymous Access
choose desired anonymous access, then OK

WCF with Transport security and self-signed certificate

2007-12-25T10:32:00.000-08:00

Say you want to create a secure WCF channel and not having the client verifying the server's certificate (maybe because you are testing or the server's certificate is self-signed and you don't want to install that certificate in the client's trusted certificate's store).

1) Configure the server this way:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
<configuration>
    <system.serviceModel>
        <services>
            <service name="MyContract">
                <endpoint
                  address=""
                  binding="basicHttpBinding"
                  bindingConfiguration="NtlmSecurity"
                  contract="IMyContract" />
            </service>
        </services>
        <bindings>
            <basicHttpBinding>
                <binding name="NtlmSecurity">
                    <security mode="Transport">
                        <transport clientCredentialType ="Ntlm" />
                    </security>
                </binding>
            </basicHttpBinding>
        </bindings>
    </system.serviceModel>
</configuration>

2) Force not verifying the server's certificate. WARNING: this is intended only for test purposes. In production code, you don't want to avoid checking server's certificate at all.

private IMyContract GetChannel(Uri address)
{
    // Create an endpoint address
    EndpointAddress endpoint = new EndpointAddress(address);

    // Create a binding
    BasicHttpBinding binding = new BasicHttpBinding(BasicHttpSecurityMode.Transport);
    binding.Security.Transport.ClientCredentialType = HttpClientCredentialType.Ntlm;

    ServicePointManager.ServerCertificateValidationCallback = new     RemoteCertificateValidationCallback(
    delegate(object sender, X509Certificate cert, X509Chain chain, SslPolicyErrors error)
    {
        return (true);
    });

    // Create a channel to the service application endpoint
    ChannelFactory<imycontract> factory = new ChannelFactory<IMyContract >(binding, endpoint);
    return factory.CreateChannel();
}

SharePoint: How to add a web part to a page from a solution package

2007-12-21T10:43:00.001-08:00

Assume you already got a solution package (.wsp) of the web part.

First, you have to install it:

SET STSADM="%full path%\STSADM.EXE"
SET URL="http://urlOfMySite"
SET SPACK="myWebPart.wsp"

%STSADM% -o retractsolution -name %SPACK% -immediate -url %URL%
%STSADM% -o execadmsvcjobs

%STSADM% -o deletesolution -name %SPACK% -override
%STSADM% -o execadmsvcjobs

%STSADM% -o addsolution -filename %SPACK%
%STSADM% -o execadmsvcjobs

%STSADM% -o deploysolution -name %SPACK% -immediate -allowgacdeployment -url %URL%
%STSADM% -o execadmsvcjobs

Then, from the site where you want to add the web part to a page:

Site Actions | Site Settings | Modify All Site Settings | Galleries | Web Parts, New
Choose your web part, click "Populate Gallery"

Then,

Site Actions | Site Settings | Modify All Site Settings | Site Collection Administration | Site Collection Features, click "Activate" to activate your web part

Then, you should be able to add your web part to a page on that site:

Navigate to a page
Site Actions | Edit Page, Add a Web Part, choose your web part, Add, Publish

System.Web.Extensions version error

2007-12-14T13:52:00.000-08:00

Problem:

when trying to access a SharePoint page (can repro with plain ASP.NET too), this exception got thrown:

An error occurred during the processing of . (0): error CS1705: Assembly 'Microsoft.Whatever' uses 'System.Web.Extensions, Version=3.5.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=31bf3856ad364e35' which has a higher version than referenced assembly 'System.Web.Extensions, Version=1.0.61025.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=31bf3856ad364e35'

Solution:

in affected web.config, replace

"System.Web.Extensions, Version=1.0.61025.0"

with

"System.Web.Extensions, Version=3.5.0.0"

and iisreset.

Visual Studio Find & Replace with Tagged Expressions

2007-12-12T14:04:00.000-08:00

This is an example on how to use tagged expressions in Visual Studio Find & Replace dialog.

Say you need to replace all of the ocurrences of

MyMethod<MyType>("Identity");

with something like

(MyType)Fields["Identity"];

Then, you have to find

MyMethod\<{:w+}\>$\"{:w+}\"$;

and replace it by

(\1)Fields["\2"];

Simple.

Notice two things here:

the backslashes before every reg exp metacharacter in the Find statement
the absence of them in the Replace statement