DotNetKicks.com : Stories kicked by JohnRLewis

On the A* Search Algorithm

Tue, 23 Dec 2008 09:01:49 GMT

I recently made a post about two generic delegates introduced in version 3.5 of the .NET Framework. As an example, I mentioned an implementation of the A* search algorithm. For those not familiar with the algorithm, A* (pronounce A Star) is one, if not the, most popular search algorithms in artificial intelligence. Generally, the algorithm visits nodes in a graph, taking certain aspects into consideration, until it finds a node that meets a specific goal condition or until there are no more nodes left. The algorithm is, usually, optimal and complete, which means it will always find the least expensive solution. This, however, can change depending on certain factors I will get into later on in the post.

ASP.NET MVC Release Candidate shipping in January

Fri, 19 Dec 2008 12:01:02 GMT

ScottGu talks about the upcoming Release Candidate of ASP.NET MVC V1 and the features it brings to the table

Oxite - Oh Dear Lord Why?!

Tue, 16 Dec 2008 15:01:16 GMT

Oxite is an open source application built on ASP.NET MVC and Karl Seguin raises some points related to the design/architecture/implementation.

Choosing Between WebForms and MVC

Wed, 17 Dec 2008 18:46:04 GMT

Another take on what to consider when making a decision between Asp.Net WebForms or Asp.Net MVC.

Fluent NHibernate - Conventions and AutoPersistenceModel

Mon, 15 Dec 2008 10:55:09 GMT

Article shows how to use Fluent NHibernate and adjust Conventions to our needs. It also presents how to use AutoPersistenceModel to eliminate mappings.

ASP.NET - Correct way of storing c# property in ViewState

Sun, 14 Dec 2008 23:02:29 GMT

Correct way of storing c# property in ViewState. Classic example of null-coalesing operator ??. Property in ViewState code snippet.

Fluent NHibernate Introduction

Sat, 13 Dec 2008 16:32:08 GMT

Article introduces Fluent NHibernate and quick start guide. Simple web application is available to download for everyone willing to play with Fluent NHibernate.

SCRUM in 10 Minutes - HD Video

Sun, 14 Dec 2008 21:46:03 GMT

Covers backlogs, burn-down charts, daily scrum, team roles and more. If you are new to SCRUM or want to teach someone else about SCRUM, this is a great resource.

[PSA] Using the Code Behind in MVC causes blindness

Tue, 16 Dec 2008 16:31:02 GMT

Just a PSA on why NOT to use the Code Behinds in Asp.Net MVC framework

jQuery Autocomplete JSON ASP.NET MVC

Mon, 15 Dec 2008 03:01:02 GMT

Great overview of undocumented jQuery AutoComplete.

How to get WebORB and ASP.NET MVC to work together.

Tue, 09 Dec 2008 18:33:42 GMT

WebORB does not play nicely with the default routing in ASP.NET MVC. This blog post shows how to configure routing so that both WebORB and ASP.NET MVC will function properly.

Avoiding Inheritance Dependencies Using Generics and Lambdas

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 08:24:27 GMT

A nice implementation of the Command pattern using generics and lambdas

What makes me NOT want to leave a company/client/shop

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 16:16:09 GMT

What makes me NOT want to leave a company

Metrosexual Developers

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 07:16:02 GMT

A blog post I wrote on the value and importance of looking good as a software developer.

ASP.NET MVC: Strongly typing form methods with input values

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 17:46:03 GMT

Description of how you can use LINQ to implement a missing feature of the HtmlHelper class

NHibernate.Linq troubles

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 14:15:15 GMT

I think I found a bug in NHibernate.Linq, on a parent-child relation ship, trying to select all children that have no parent. Code sample included.

Unit tests are for functionality, not code!

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 00:31:02 GMT

Unit tests are meant to test functionality, NOT code! That means if you write your unit tests after the fact, you're probably not focusing on the functionality.

I finally get the point of inversion of control

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 21:31:02 GMT

A quick overview of IoC (with diagrams!).

ViewData "dot" Notation Expressions in ASP.NET MVC

Thu, 29 May 2008 16:16:13 GMT

ASP.NET MVC Preview 3 introduced a new concept that I'm calling "dot" notation expressions off of your ViewData. See how these expressions can be used and how powerful they are.

What's Wrong with this?

Thu, 29 May 2008 14:46:03 GMT

Every time I read a C# book or an article or just a code sample in MSDN I can't stop wondering why don't people use this qualifier unless it's absolutely required? What do we sacrifice code readability for?

ASP.NET MVC Preview 3 Release

Tue, 27 May 2008 22:16:07 GMT

From ScottGu's weblog - "This morning we released the Preview 3 build of the ASP.NET MVC framework. I blogged details last month about an interim source release we did that included many of the changes with this Preview 3 release. Today's build includes some additional features not in last month's drop, some nice enhancements/refinements, as well as Visual Studio tool integration and documentation."

HowTo: Configure Microsoft Source Analysis

Mon, 26 May 2008 08:46:03 GMT

Lots of folks are complaining about Microsoft's recently released Source Analysis tool, and how they disagree with certain rules, and how it is not configurable. Well, it is configurable, but they put the dialog in a strange place.

MVC Storefront, Part 12: Mocking

Tue, 27 May 2008 01:16:04 GMT

In this episode I implement mocking so I can test my Authentication action for my UserController. In order to do this, however, I have to mock up the HttpContext... Not much else to say here - it's all about Mocking!

Writing your own rules for Microsoft Source Analysis for C#

Mon, 26 May 2008 08:01:02 GMT

How to look at the baked in rules or how to write your own set of rules for the newly released Microsoft Source Analysis for C#.

Silverlight 2.0 almost WPF

Sat, 24 May 2008 12:03:11 GMT

Silverlight 2.0 Beta is available now. So what's new in this version compared to Silverlight 1.0/1.1? In easy words: It's (almost) as powerful as WPF. This article will help you getting started with Silverlight 2.0 and VS 2008. We will explain the installation of the Silverlight Tools for VS 2008 and create a little Silverlight project using new Layout-functionalities and controls.