C# Distilled : Microsoft TechEd 2006

CodePlex Project - CSharpDistilled.Diagnostics 1.0.0.3

DougHolland — Wed, 09 Aug 2006 06:24:00 GMT

You've probably noticed that it has been a few weeks since my last blog posting here and that is largely due to the fact that I've been working on a open source project called CSharpDistilled.Diagnostics.

While at Microsoft TechEd this year I got talking to the folks at the CodePlex area about the exciting things they were doing with exposing Microsoft Team Foundation Server through the Web for open source projects.

Uploaded tonight, is the first version of the CSharpDistilled.Diagnostics framework which includes the main C# library project, unit testing project, database project, and associated setup project. Although you'll need Visual Studio 2005 Team Developer or Team Suite to use the unit testing project.

CSharpDistilled.Diagnostics introduces a new framework for publishing exceptions, based upon the ASP.NET 2.0 Provider design pattern. Using this framework you can configure one or more exception providers within an application domain configuration file (e.g. app.config or Web.config) and at runtime the framework determines the appropriate provider to publish the exceptions to.

The default exception provider within the framework is the SqlExceptionProvider class, which is responsible for persisting exceptions within a SQL Server 2005 database. Within the database there is the Exception table which contains columns for the each of the properties defined within the System.Exception base exception class, however it also contains a column that uses the new XML column type, within SQL Server 2005, to enable the database to store the exceptions serialized using the .NET Framework's SoapFormatter class. The serialized exceptions will then allow developers to examine the various properties that may exist on exceptions derived from System.Exception.

When debugging exceptions that occur either within a development environment, or especially within a production environment, knowledge is power!!!

CSharpDistilled.Diagnostics is intended to provide that power such that .NET developers can sleep easy at night knowing that their exceptions are being published and that they'll be able to resolve the issues that caused the exception in the first place.

Although the project is listed as an alpha release on CodePlex the framework is fully functional and will persist exceptions, and the various inner-exceptions, to the SQL Server 2005 database. In reality it is alpha because I'd like to get as much feedback from people who download it before I release a beta release which will then be functionally complete and unlikely to change aside from some internal workings which may be tweeked before a final RTM build is made available.

So hopefully the alpha nature of the release won't stop you from downloading the framework and letting me know what you think.

Finally, once the framework has been released with one or two exception providers it is my intent to provide both a Windows Forms and ASP.NET based Diagnostics Management Studio, which would allow development teams to more easily search through exceptions that have been logged either in production or development environments. There is even a chance that the Diagnostics Management Studio will find itself as a plug-in to either Visual Studio 2005 or Microsoft Outlook 2007 (once released).

Iron Architect Contest at Microsoft TechEd 2006

DougHolland — Fri, 09 Jun 2006 22:17:00 GMT

If, like me, you're attending the Microsoft TechEd 2006 conferrence in Boston and either work as an architect or have an interest in software architecture then I would recommend you check out the Iron Architect Contest where the winner will win a Microsoft Architecture certification worth $10,000.

Microsoft TechEd 2006 - Boston MA

DougHolland — Thu, 27 Apr 2006 04:09:00 GMT

Today I finally registered for the Microsoft TechEd 2006 conference which will this year take place in historic Boston Massachusetts.

Microsoft TechEd and Microsoft PDC are an absolute must for serious software developers and architects using Microsoft technologies and personally I've been attending these conferrences since the Microsoft PDC conferrence in 2003 when Microsoft announced Longhorn (Microsoft Windows Vista), Whidbey (Microsoft Visual Studio 2005), and Yukon (Microsoft SQL Server 2005).

If your coming to Microsoft TechEd 2006 and have never been to Boston there are several places in and around Boston that are definitely worth a visit. Faneuil Hall, built in 1742 by wealthy merchant Peter Faneuil was given to the town as a gift. It was at Faneuil Hall on November 5, 1773, that John Hancock and other Bostonians held the first tea meetings to discuss the fate of that "baneful weed."

Another excellent piece of history to discover while in Boston is the U.S.S. Constitution, located at the Charlestown Navy Yard. The U.S.S. Constitution is the oldest commissioned warship in the world and became known as "Old Ironsides" during the war of 1812 when she fought the British Frigate H.M.S. Guerriere. Known as "Old Ironsides" because H.M.S. Guerriere sank like a stone, while the cannonballs she fired at the U.S.S. Constitution merely "bounced off" as if she were made of iron.

What could be better than learning the latest that Microsoft has to offer while enjoying historic Boston at the same time? Not to mention the excellent restaurants in Boston. See you at Microsoft TechEd 2006!!!