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Lab: Refactor for testability using the Repository pattern
I had a long drive yesterday to go visit a customer and while I was driving it occurred to me that I have LOTS of courseware that I’ve written that is just sitting around gathering virtual dust. Whether they’re parts of classes that never fully came together or they’re for courses that target old versions…
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Tip: Make TFS2012 build logging easier using extension methods in Microsoft.TeamFoundation.Build.Workflow.Activities
I’ve been writing a lot of custom Workflow Activities for Team Foundation Server 2012 (TFS2012) Builds lately. A custom Workflow Activity lets you drop application-specific logic and steps into theout-of-the-box TFS build scripts (aka. “build process templates”). When you write one of these Activities, you almost always need/want to write to the TFS build log…
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Use a Coded UI to test ListBox and ComboBox controls in a web application
A little over a year ago, I wrote a blog post about using Coded UI Tests to programmatically manipulate ListBoxes and ComboBoxes in a Windows Form application. More recently I got an email from a reader asking for that same kind of sample application for ListBoxes and ComboBoxes (aka “drop down lists”) using Visual Studio…
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Slides & Samples from my Visual Studio Live Vegas 2012 talks.
I spoke at Visual Studio Live 2012 last week and, as promised, here are the slides and code samples from my talks. Talk #1: Top 7 Lessons Learned On My First Big Silverlight Project Silverlight is tricky. You’d think it’d be just like writing any other .NET app but there are some things that can…
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“How to be a C# ninja in 10 easy steps”: Slides & Code
I spoke at Microsoft DevBoston a few days ago and did my “How to be a C# ninja in 10 easy steps” talk. As promised, here are my slides and my code samples. Abstract: Are you new to C# and want to get awesome? Are you pretty good at C# and you want to raise…
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Article: “Static methods are a code smell”
I wrote an article a while back for TechTarget / SearchWinDevelopment about static methods being a code smell. It got published a few weeks ago and here’s a link to read it. Static methods are a code smell by Ben Day 02.26.2010 Ever heard of code smells? A code “smell” is a way of saying…
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Windows Azure Sample Code – A Real Application
We here at Benjamin Day Consulting, Inc have been working on creating a training course for Windows Azure. Rather than just showing the students how to do basic skills and coding with Windows Azure and Azure Storage, I wanted to be able to make some architectural recommendations and be able to describe the best practices…
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Beantown .NET User Group Meeting on 11/5/2009: 4 Short Talks on Developer Utilities
Beantown .NET is going to be meeting on Thursday, 11/5/2009. This month we’ll be doing 4 short topics about 4 different development utilities presented by Beantown members. The talks will be: · Nick Parker on JetBrains’ dotTrace Code Profiler · Shaun Avery on Firebug · Jason Haley on PowerCommands for Reflector · Ben Day (me)…
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ITNAmerica / Microsoft Software + Services Case Study (plus Team Foundation Server)
One of my clients just got featured in a Microsoft case study about Software + Services. ITNAmerica is based in Portland, Maine and provides flexible transportation options for seniors who are no longer able to drive. The Microsoft case study features the scalability and flexibility features of ITN’s SOA-based architecture and their success with Microsoft’s…
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Article: “Eliminate Database Dependencies in Test-Driven Development”
My first magazine article is up! (Yay!) Eliminate Database Dependencies in Test-Driven Development How to avoid the end-to-end integration test problem with the Repository pattern. By Benjamin Day 09/01/2009 Many developers are tasked with writing unit tests as test-first design and development becomes commonplace, even on teams that aren’t strictly practicing Agile methodologies. Test-driven development…