Picture SMS Using the .NET Compact Framework 2.0   31 Oct 2007 12:21 GMT
Got a client that's asking to send messages via SMS? If so, you know there's no easy way to do it without third-party software. Learn how to build your own image-sending SMS application using only the .NET Compact Framework.
Source: DevX

Creating a TextBox Word / Character Counter Control   31 Oct 2007 00:00 GMT

When storing user-supplied text data into a database, it is essential that the length of the user's input does not exceed the size of the corresponding database table field. For example, imagine that you have defined a table with a field named Comments of type varchar(50). In a web page, the user is presented with a textbox into which to enter their comments. After doing so and clicking the "Save" button on the page, a postback ensues and the database is updated with the user's input. If the user entered more than 50 characters worth of comments, however, running the database UPDATE statement will result in an exception with the message: String or binary data would be truncated.

To prevent these types of exceptions, you need to ensure that the user's input does not exceed the size defined in the database. If it does, you must cancel the update and somehow alert the user that their input is too verbose. One way to proactively alert users that their input is too long is to interactively show them how many characters they've entered, along with how many maximum characters are allowed. This can be accomplished with a bit of client-side JavaScript code that runs whenever the user presses a key within the textboxes whose lengths you want to track and display.

In this article we'll look at a custom ASP.NET 2.0 server control I built named TextBoxCounter that uses JavaScript to display the total number of words and/or characters entered into a specified TextBox. The control's complete source code is available at the end of the article and you're welcome to use this control anyway you like (free of charge, of course). Read on to learn more!
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Source: 4GuysFromRolla

Basic Instincts: Extension Methods in Visual Basic 2008   30 Oct 2007 20:48 GMT
Learn how extension methods let you extend any existing type's functionality, even when a type is not inheritable. Extension methods play a crucial role in the implementation of LINQ in Visual Basic 2008.
Source: MSDN

Give Your Applications Mapping Capabilities, Part 2   30 Oct 2007 02:36 GMT
Learn to write applications that render static and real-time data positional data with Google Earth.
Source: DevX

Paint Event Not Called During Form Resize   30 Oct 2007 02:21 GMT
Read on for two workarounds that solve this problem.
Source: DevX

Using the Exception Handling Block in Enterprise Library 3.0   27 Oct 2007 01:31 GMT
Give your applications seamless and reusable error handling and logging services with the powerful toolset from Enterprise Library 3.0.
Source: DevX

Visual Studio 2008 Beta 2 VPC Images Expire on November 1   26 Oct 2007 01:53 GMT
We just recently discovered that the VPC images produced for Beta 2 will expire on November 1, which is sooner than anticipated. New VPC images are in the works, but you should prepare to move any data you want to preserve by following the Moving Team Foundation Server procedures before November 1.
Source: MSDN

Code-free User-Interface Design with Expression Blend   25 Oct 2007 04:08 GMT
Find out how easy user-interface design is with Microsoft's new, full-featured design tool.
Source: DevX

Building Interactive User Interfaces with Microsoft ASP.NET AJAX: Using the UpdatePanel   24 Oct 2007 00:00 GMT

AJAX Basics and Getting Started with Microsoft's ASP.NET AJAX Framework - examines AJAX basics and looks at installing Microsoft ASP.NET AJAX; includes a demo of the UpdatePanel control.

Using the UpdatePanel - provides more in-depth and real-world examples of using the UpdatePanel.

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A Multipart Series on ASP.NET AJAX

Over the past several years web developers have started using JavaScript to make asynchronous postbacks to the web server that only transmit and receive the necessary data; these techniques are commonly referred to as AJAX. Microsoft has released a free AJAX framework for ASP.NET developers named Microsoft ASP.NET AJAX. This article series examines using Microsoft's ASP.NET AJAX framework to build responsive user interfaces.

In AJAX Basics and Getting Started with Microsoft's ASP.NET AJAX Framework we looked at the basics of the ASP.NET AJAX framework. We discussed how to download and install the framework and the basics of the UpdatePanel. The UpdatePanel makes creating interactive user interfaces as easy as dragging and dropping. Simply add an UpdatePanel to the page and, within it, add those controls that you want to participate in the partial postback. With the UpdatePanel in place, any postback caused by a control within the UpdatePanel is converted into a partial page postback. Like with a full page postback, a partial page postback sends a request back to the server but does so through client-side script. Moreover, only those regions within UpdatePanels are rended and have their markup return in the HTTP response, and that markup is updated through JavaScript. In short, partial page postbacks make the page seem "snappier." There's less data sent between the client and server and the page is fluidly updated - there's no "flash" as with typical postbacks.

The UpdatePanel in Part 1 was pretty simplistic, involving a Label and a Button control. In this tutorial we'll look at some more real-world uses of the UpdatePanel and, in doing so, we will explore the UpdatePanel's properties in greater depth. In particular, this article first looks at using the GridView within the UpdatePanel. Next, it explores a demo that includes multiple UpdatePanels on the page and illustrates the effect of the UpdatePanel's UpdateMode, ChildrenAsTrigger, and Triggers properties. Read on to learn more!
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Source: 4GuysFromRolla

How Do I: Create a Rich Client Application with MFC?   23 Oct 2007 21:51 GMT
In this video, Chris Pels creates a managed Windows Forms control to use in a C++ application, and teaches you how to capture events from the Windows Forms control in your C++ application.
Source: MSDN