Customized Blog

I have been customizing this blog for long. Wish the changes are positive.

1. Add a visits count.

2. Add a visitor map.

3. Add Google Analytics.

4. Add a QQ status bar.

I know there are much more goodies available, so stay tuned.

Expression Studio

From a developer's view, Visual Studio is fully capable of WPF design because you can design the forms in it. However, if you used Expression Blend, you will agree with me - that is amazing. I never knew a form could be be designed like an art.

I have just installed Expression Blend May Preview and finished a demo project. The feeling was like using Photoshop or Expression Design.

Have to confess that Microsoft is now cloning Adobe. First with Expression, and now with Silverlight. Do we really need two variations of Photoshop and Flash?

Tick Tick Tick: You Are Counted Here

Since yesterday the visitors to this blog has been counted. See the counter on the right of this page.

I have been blogging for long. My last blog has been visited for more than 80,000 times. However, when I switched to Blogger.com I did not find a counter by default.

The counter I use now is a free counter from webstat.net. You can register there and get yourself a counter, too.

I used to believe the count is not useful but now I have changed my mind totally. Seeing the number increased must be a great pleasure.

iPod Host: MediaMonkey vs. iTune

I have bought a iPod Video 2. Since so many people complains about iTune's performance, I have been frightened and decided to use something else.

And luckily, in Nick Hodges' blog, I found MediaMonkey, a Delphi written product. I will give it a try as soon as I get my Dell notebook.

BTW, KMPlayer is also written in Delphi.

(Updated: I am now using MediaMonkey all the time. It runs very well. According to its manual, more functions with iPod is provided by MediaMonkey than iTune.)

AssemblyInfoTask Tips

AssemblyInfoTask is a MSBuild custom task published on GotDotNet.com. In fact, it is written by a MSBuild team member.

If you want to have assembly version number generated in Visual Studio style (such as 2.1.010529.12), you will love AssemblyInfoTask.

However, the version available from GotDotNet.com is out-of-date now and lacks of latest updates.

1. The version number mask should be changed according to this post.

2. If you are using SVN to manage the source code, you'd better follow this post. The "Subversion Fix" section is very useful.

3. You should copy %ProgramFiles%\MSBuild\Microsoft\AssemblyInfoTask\Microsoft.VersionNumber.Targets to a local folder and make the above changes. Then set AssemblyMajorVersion and other properties in the *.targets file. --- I love this "one targets file one project" way.

4. Do not change your projects like others tell you. Simply create a batch file named versioningbuild.bat and write

%windir%\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727\msbuild.exe (your.proj) /p:CustomAfterMicrosoftCommonTargets="(localfolder)\Microsoft.VersionNumber.Targets"

@IF %ERRORLEVEL% NEQ 0 pause

Note: replace "(your.proj)" and "localfolder" with proper content.

In this way, if you do not build using this batch file, AssemblyInfoTask will not execute. That's why the version of my project only changes when I release it with versioningbuild.bat.

(Updated: Now AssemblyInfo Task is available from MSDN Code Gallery. Tip 2 is also useful if you use CodePlex TFS Command Line Client.)

Window Clippings: Need to Pay?

Window Clipping designed by Kenny Kerr is the tool I use every day to get a screen shot. However, today after updating to 2.0, I found some limitations of usage besides bugfixes.

Another free tool is now switching to shareware.

Luckily I do not need the advanced features right now. But I really wish it is free for ever.

Blue Screens: USB Keyboards and Tencent QQ

For our Chinese guys, using QQ is a daily action. However, since I began to work at SA I have met a lot of Blue Screens on Windows XP. And TSW met them even on Windows Vista.

In fact, QQ brings in the problem. When you use a USB keyboard and QQ, please read this article carefully.

http://support1.ap.dell.com/cn/zh/forum/thread.asp?fid=3&tid=82231&hls=&page=1

Problems about Visual Studio Addins

When I designed Code Beautifier Collection I knew it was easy to install it. Just copy the assemblies to a folder and add a registry item under the BDS tree.

However, when I install a Visual Studio addin, usually devenv.exe will execute for a long time and consume a lot of memory. I have to say it is not convenient but there must be something under the hood.

I do not plan to write an addin for Visual Studio, so I will not go any deeper, but I think in this aspect, BDS has some advantage.

The Loss Of OptimizeIt

When Borland acquired OptimizeIt, we saw the new products bundled in JBuilder and Delphi. I never touch the Java piece but it seems to be wonderful. The only piece I tested was Optimizeit Profiler for .NET which was not quite powerful and useful.

After that I tried TestComplete and AQTime. I have to say that AQTime is really nice. It is much better than the profiler.

Maybe Borland saw this, it acquired Silk then. I will try SilkPerformer soon to see if it is easy to use.

I was informed that my company will employed more software guys, which means we will in bad need of such tools.

Wish I could touch some wonderful piece later this year.

Writer Helpers

I have to confess Windows Live Writer (WLW) is so good that I will never write a post in browser again.

However, the default installation lacks of a few functions, such as no smiley, no table, no source code support. This is very annoying.

You can get all missing functions here. Yes, in fact there are so many useful plug ins. Maybe I could make my own ones later.

Anti-Virus Trouble

I have just bought a Dell notebook. As a result, I will soon start to use an anti-virus product. Which one I will buy?

Latest news warns me of Norton and Kaba, and I don't like Duba. So I have quite a limited range to choose from, haven't I?

In fact, after some simple evaluations, I prefer Kaba (Kaspersky). It is not too expensive (88 RMB per year), and easy to pay the bill over Internet. Other products either fail to list the fee apparently or fail to provide a online payment system.

In order to save money, I can even try Kaba with no charge for 30 days which is a good bonus before I pay.

Report Definition Language from Microsoft

I used to use RAVE Report and TeeChart to do reporting tasks on Delphi land. But now switched to .NET field, I found so many solutions including one that provided by Microsoft, RDL.

In a glance, RDL is not amazing. However, compared to other solutions, RDL is XML based open standard. You can not understand Crystal Report's format, but you can read RDL always.

It is hard to believe MS has begun to change in some aspects, but it is good. Maybe some day other reporting solutions will turn to use RDL instead of their private format.

First Entry written with Windows Live Writer

I have been wondering if Blogger.com offers a client side blogging tool but only an Emacs's addin is found.

However, CodeGear employee Steve Trefethen talked about Windows Live Writer yesterday. Okay, I downloaded and installed it. Now I am using it to author a blog entry. It works just fine.

One of my friends now works in the Live Search team. However, he never tells me about Writer. Maybe now I can inform him.

HardQuery Report: Kitty Credit Card

I received my first credit card on Monday. And yesterday I bought a Dell notebook with it. Oh my Lord, it was so fast to make this happen. I wish I can enjoy myself soon.

I think I will continue developing CBC and Alex on that 640m, so stay tuned.

Cool Tools for VS

CoolCommand and BuildConsole are something I found today. Yes, they are cool.

You can find them here.

Free CodeSmith

Although CodeSmith has turned to be a commercial product, it has a free version 2.6.

http://www.codesmithtools.com/freeware.aspx

If you want to have a try, that is a good start.

In Case You Don't Know

There are two articles worth reading if you are a .NET developer,

Visual Studio Add-Ins Every Developer Should Download Now,

and

Ten Must-Have Tools Every Developer Should Download Now

I have read them lately and found the information really helpful.

Notes on Resource Refactoring Tool

I have been using Resource Refactoring Tool for a long time (with ResEx). However, on a Simplified Chinese Windows, the font problem prevents part of the dialog from correctly showing. (This picture was taken from an English version of Windows.)
As a result, I have to modify the source code myself and build a patched version.

I have uploaded the patch here. If you meet similar problems, you can try the patch.

Localization Helpers

After you decide to take the adventure of localizing a WinForms application, you should at first search for helpers, especially the free ones.

For me, the pains of translating is less than the pains with Visual Studio 2005 IDE. In order to reduce your pains, I suggest you install the following tools.

First, Resource Refactoring Tool from Microsoft.

http://www.codeplex.com/Wiki/View.aspx?ProjectName=ResourceRefactoring

Second, download a tool named ResEx

http://www.papadi.gr/resex.aspx
http://resex.codeplex.com/

The first one helps you to extract a hard coded string to a resource string in an RESX file. The second helps you to translate RESX files.

I will go on to translate my project. If I dig something new, I will soon post it here.

Stay tuned.

[Updated: Now there are even more tools available, such as http://visualstudiogallery.msdn.microsoft.com/3b64e04c-e8de-4b97-8358-06c73a97cc68]

HardQuery Report: Final Will Be Out Soon

Soon I would buy a new computer. After that I will continue to develop Code Beautifier Collection in my spare time. I wish I could release the 5.3.3 final version in early June.

Stay tuned.