Accessing and Updating Data in ASP.NET 2.0: Programmatically Accessing Data using the Data Source Controls   18 Apr 2007 00:00 GMT

One of the benefits of using Source Code Control (SCC) software like SourceSafe, Perforce, Subversion, Vault, and others is that the software keeps a detailed history of all changes to the source code. With SCC, you can see how the code for a particular file has changed over time, and when and who made the changes. Moreover, with such a log in place it is easy to rollback the system to a previous state. A log that tracks changes to a system is sometimes referred to as an audit log, as it provides a repository of information that can be used to audit a system. In the case of SCC, your boss might want to perform an audit of the system to determine how a particular bug was introduced. By examining this log, your boss could determine who entered the buggy line of code and when, as well look at what the code looked like before the bug was introduced.

The concept of an audit log can be extended to database data as well. With a little bit of effort it is possible to setup a system that records all inserts, updates, and deletes to a specified set of database "history" tables. By logging all changes to the underlying data, it is possible to determine how, exactly, the data in the database was modified over time, as well as who made the changes and when. Database audit logs are especially useful in scenarios where the correctness of the data is essential or when there are many users all working on the same underlying data. In some scenarios audit logs are required by law.

In this article - the first of a two-part series - we will discuss different techniques for storing changes to database data and their advantages and disadvantages. If you have had first-hand experience implementing database audit logging, I invite your feedback, as I'd like to flesh out this article to include suggestions, anecdotes, and warnings from the community at large. Read on to learn more!
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Source: 4GuysFromRolla

Improved Pinging in .NET 2.0   17 Apr 2007 21:30 GMT
Pinging a host in 1.1 took at least 20 lines of code, but in 2.0, it's just a method call away.
Source: DevX

Code Refactoring in VS.NET 2005   13 Apr 2007 21:19 GMT
Find out how to use VS.NET 2005's Refactoring engine to improve the structure and readability of your C# source code while preserving its functionality.
Source: DevX

Remove Decision-Making Barriers for Your Application with ISV Platform Certification   13 Apr 2007 01:48 GMT
In recent months, Microsoft has released SQL Server 2005, Visual Studio 2005, 2007 Office, SharePoint Server 2007, and Windows Vista—plus, Windows "Longhorn" Server is slated to be released later this year. These releases represent a significant boon to the ISV community. Microsoft has created a series of programs to help ISVs build their applications and gain credibility for them as well. In this article, Ty Anderson explains the benefits of certification, the certification process, and how to get started today.
Source: DevX

Accessing and Updating Data in ASP.NET 2.0: Programmatically Accessing Data using the Data Source Controls   11 Apr 2007 00:00 GMT

Data Source Control Basics - explores the concepts and advantages of data source controls, and compares their usage in ASP.NET 2.0 to data access techniques in ASP.NET 1.x.

Accessing Database Data - shows how to use the SqlDataSource and AccessDataSource controls to query data from a relational database.

Filtering Database Data with Parameters - learn how to retrieve just a subset of database data based on hard-coded values and values from the querystring, other Web controls on the page, session variables, and so on.

Retrieving XML Data with XmlDataSource Control - see how to retrieve both remote and local XML data and display it in a data Web control.

Creating Custom Parameter Controls - learn how to create your own custom, declarative Parameter controls for use in the data source controls' parameters collections.

Examining the Data Source Control's Events - explore the events raised during a data source control's lifecycle.

Declaratively Caching Data - learn how to cache data to the data cache simply by setting a couple of data source control properties.

Programmatically Accessing Data using the Data Source Controls - programmatically retrieve, insert, delete, and update data using the SqlDataSource and AccessDataSource controls.

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A Multipart Series on ASP.NET 2.0's Data Source Controls
ASP.NET 2.0 introduced a number of new Web controls designed for accessing and modifying data. These controls allow page developers to declaratively access and modify data without writing any code to perform the data access. This article is one in a series of articles on ASP.NET 2.0's new data source controls.

Working with data in ASP.NET version 1.x required writing data access code. This involved establishing a connection to the database, specifying the SQL command, and then executing the command. ASP.NET 2.0's data source controls greatly simplifies this process by encapsulating the data access pattern within a Web control construct. As such, data can be retrieved or modified and bound to a Web control without writing a single line of code. We explored the essentials of declarative data binding earlier in this article series in the Data Source Control Basics and Accessing Database Data articles.

In addition to being used declaratively, the data source Web controls can also be accessed programmatically. It is possible to add a SqlDataSource or AccessDataSource control to a web page, specify SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, or DELETE queries, and then to programmatically execute one of the control's SQL commands. Such an approach is useful when you need to work with data programmatically, but want to avoid having to write the boilerplate data access code. In short, using the data source controls in this manner allows for data to be accessed programmatically with a single line of code.

In this article we will examine how to use the SqlDataSource control to programmatically retrieve, insert, and delete data. Read on to learn more!
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Source: 4GuysFromRolla

Finding the Namespace for a .NET Class in Visual Studio   10 Apr 2007 20:19 GMT
The following four steps outline a shortcut to finding the namespace for a .NET class
Source: DevX

Use Windows Forms Application Settings to Personalize Your Applications   10 Apr 2007 00:36 GMT
Application Settings is a new feature in Windows Forms 2.0 that allows you to maintain both user-specific and application-specific data (known as settings). Find out how to use it to improve your application's usability with personalization.
Source: DevX

Send Email Attachments On-the-Fly   09 Apr 2007 23:09 GMT
Find out how to avoid having to serialize attachments before sending them via email.
Source: DevX

Netting C++: Mapping Templates to Generics   07 Apr 2007 23:12 GMT
In this installment of Netting C++, Stanley Lippman continues to port his ISO-C++ Text Query Language application to the Microsoft .NET Framework and C++/CLI.
Source: MSDN

Design Patterns for ASP.NET Developers, Part 3: Advanced Patterns   05 Apr 2007 19:27 GMT
Find out how to use Factory, Builder, and Injection Patterns in ASP.NET to construct different representations of complex objects.
Source: DevX