netKB

Automatically Create Data Adapter to match DataSet

Thu, 09 Oct 2003 08:00:37 GMT

// Presumes tables are named: tblEntity
// sprocs: uspUpdateEntity, uspAddEntity, uspDeleteEntity

$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;private SqlDataAdapter CreateAutoDataAdapter( string entityName )
$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;{
$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;SqlDataAdapter da = new SqlDataAdapter();

$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;da.UpdateCommand = CreateAutoCommand( entityName, "uspUpdate" + entityName);
$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;da.InsertCommand = CreateAutoCommand( entityName, "uspAdd" + entityName);
$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;da.DeleteCommand = CreateAutoIDParamCommand( entityName, "uspDelete" + entityName);

$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;return da;

$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;}

$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;private SqlCommand CreateAutoCommand( string entityName, string sprocName)
$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;{
$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;string sqlClientConnString = ConnectString.Replace("Provider=SQLOLEDB", "");

$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;SqlCommand cmd = new SqlCommand();
$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;cmd.CommandType = CommandType.StoredProcedure;
$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;cmd.CommandText = sprocName;
$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;cmd.Connection = new SqlConnection( sqlClientConnString);

$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;foreach( DataColumn c in this.Tables[ "tbl" + entityName].Columns)
$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;{
$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;string parameterName = "@" + c.ColumnName;
$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;SqlParameter p = new SqlParameter("@" + c.ColumnName, ConvertSystemTypeToSqlDbType(c.DataType));
$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;cmd.Parameters.Add( p);
$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;cmd.Parameters[ parameterName].SourceColumn = c.ColumnName;
$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;}

$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;return cmd;
$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;}

$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;private SqlCommand CreateAutoIDParamCommand( string entityName, string sprocName)
$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;{
$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;string sqlClientConnString = ConnectString.Replace("Provider=SQLOLEDB", "");

$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;SqlCommand cmd = new SqlCommand();
$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;cmd.CommandType = CommandType.StoredProcedure;
$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;cmd.CommandText = sprocName;
$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;cmd.Connection = new SqlConnection( sqlClientConnString);

$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;string parameterName = "@" + entityName + "ID";
$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;SqlParameter p = new SqlParameter( parameterName, SqlDbType.UniqueIdentifier);
$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;cmd.Parameters.Add( p);
$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;cmd.Parameters[parameterName].SourceColumn = entityName + "ID";

$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;return cmd;
$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;}

$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;private SqlDbType ConvertSystemTypeToSqlDbType( System.Type t)
$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;{
$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;switch ( t.Name)
$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;{
$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;case "Guid"$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;: return SqlDbType.UniqueIdentifier;
$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;case "String"$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;: return SqlDbType.NVarChar;
$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;case "Integer" : return SqlDbType.Int;
$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;case "DateTime" : return SqlDbType.DateTime;
$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;case "Boolean" : return SqlDbType.Bit;
$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;
$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;default :
$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;throw new ApplicationException( "unknown datatype");

$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;}
$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;}

Word Macro to Assist Mail Merge Field Selection

Thu, 09 Oct 2003 08:00:28 GMT

The attached VBA can be used to create a macro to find and mark field names automatically when preparing a document to do a mail merge. You will no doubt have to read and tweak the macro to get it to work on your machine. It was put together in a rush to save having to choose a merge field name from amongst a list of several hundred. If you select some text in a mail merge document (with the data source already configured), this macro will find matching names amongst all the fields in the data source. It will list the nearest matching fields in a list box. If you double click on a name in the list box, it will convert the selected text to a merge field with the name you selected. To install the macro: Paste the attached code into the "New macros" module of your normal.dot. Create a form called UserForm1 On the form create a Listbox called "Listbox1" and a label called "Label1" Right click on the form and select "View Code". Copy the code from the attached file for the list box double click event into the code file so that it runs when the list box is double clicked.

Private Sub ListBox1_DblClick(ByVal Cancel As MSForms.ReturnBoolean)
ActiveDocument.MailMerge.Fields.Add Range:=Selection.Range, Name:=ListBox1.Value
UserForm1.Hide
Selection.MoveRight wdWord
End Sub

Function RemoveWhiteSpace(t As String)

Dim i As Integer
Dim t1 As String

For i = 1 To Len(t)
If Asc(Mid(t, i, 1)) > 31 Then
t1 = t1 + Mid(t, i, 1)
End If
Next

RemoveWhiteSpace = t1
End Function

Sub PickName()

Dim s As Variant
Dim t As String
Dim t1 As String
Dim istart, iend As Integer
Dim i As Integer
Dim selText As String

t = Trim(Selection.Text)
istart = InStr(t, "_") + 1
iend = InStr(istart, t, "_")

If istart > 0 And iend > 0 Then
t = Trim(UCase(Mid(t, istart, iend - istart)))
t = RemoveWhiteSpace(t)
End If

selText = UCase(RemoveWhiteSpace(Trim(Selection.Text)))
selText = Replace(selText, "PERC25", "25")
selText = Replace(selText, "PERC50", "MEDIAN")
selText = Replace(selText, "AVG", "AVERAGE")
selText = Replace(selText, "PERC75", "75")
selText = Replace(selText, "FREQ_", "FREQPERC_")
selText = Replace(selText, "FREQPERC1", "FREQPERC_1")
selText = Replace(selText, "FREQPERC2", "FREQPERC_2")
selText = Replace(selText, "FREQPERC3", "FREQPERC_3")
selText = Replace(selText, "FREQPERC4", "FREQPERC_4")
selText = Replace(selText, "CI_", "")
selText = Replace(selText, "DL_", "")
selText = Replace(selText, "HI_", "")

UserForm1.ListBox1.Clear

For Each s In ActiveDocument.MailMerge.DataSource.FieldNames

If InStr(s, t) > 0 Then
If Not AlreadyUsed(CStr(s)) Then

' Exact match?
If selText = s Then
Selection.Range.HighlightColorIndex = wdNoHighlight
ActiveDocument.MailMerge.Fields.Add Range:=Selection.Range, Name:=selText
Selection.MoveRight wdWord, 2
Selection.MoveRight wdWord, 5, wdExtend
Exit Sub
End If

UserForm1.ListBox1.AddItem (s)
End If
End If

Next

GoTo skip

UserForm1.ListBox1.AddItem (" ")

UserForm1.ListBox1.AddItem ("---- Already Used ----")

For Each s In ActiveDocument.MailMerge.DataSource.FieldNames

If InStr(s, t) > 0 Then
If AlreadyUsed(CStr(s)) Then
UserForm1.ListBox1.AddItem (s)
End If
End If

Next

UserForm1.ListBox1.AddItem (" ")
UserForm1.ListBox1.AddItem ("---- All ----")

For Each s In ActiveDocument.MailMerge.DataSource.FieldNames
UserForm1.ListBox1.AddItem (s)
Next

skip:
UserForm1.Label1 = selText
UserForm1.Show

End Sub

Function AlreadyUsed(s As String) As Boolean

Dim i As Integer

For i = 1 To ActiveDocument.MailMerge.Fields.Count
If InStr(CStr(ActiveDocument.MailMerge.Fields.Item(i).Code.Text), s) > 0 Then
AlreadyUsed = True
Exit Function
End If
Next

AlreadyUsed = False

End Function

Word Macro to Format Merge Fields

Thu, 09 Oct 2003 08:00:28 GMT

Formats the field either with 2 decimal places or none.

Sub FormatMerges()
Dim d As Document
Set d = ActiveDocument

For i = 1 To ActiveDocument.Fields.Count
s = d.Fields(i).Code
Debug.Print s
j = InStr(s, "\* MERGEFORMAT") - 1

If j < 0 Then
If InStr(s, "\#") = 0 Then
If InStr(s, "FREQPERC") > 0 Then
' freqperc fields - no decimal places
s1 = s & " \# 0 \* MERGEFORMAT"
ElseIf InStr(s, "MEDIAN") > 0 Or _
InStr(s, "AVERAGE") > 0 Or _
InStr(s, "_25") > 0 Or _
InStr(s, "_75") > 0 Then ' 2 decimal places

s1 = s & " \# 0.00 \* MERGEFORMAT"
End If
d.Fields(i).Code.Text = s1
End If
End If
Next

End Sub

Submitting Documents to BizTalk Server from the .NET Framework

Thu, 09 Oct 2003 08:00:27 GMT

Excerpt from MSDN:

When building applications using Visual Studio .NET, there are two common mechanisms to submit documents to BizTalk Server from these applications:

Directly submitting using the IInterchange interface
Submitting by writing the document to a Message Queuing message for BizTalk Server to pick up using a Message Queuing receive function

The following code sample shows how a message is sent to Message Queuing that is suitable for a BizTalk Server receive function:

void SendToMSMQ(string queueName, string body, string label)
{
$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;MessageQueue queue = new MessageQueue();

$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;if (MessageQueue.Exists(queueName))
$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;{
$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;//Set Queue Path
$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;queue.Path = queueName;
$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;Message msg = new Message();

$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;// Assumes the dest queue already exists
$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;ActiveXMessageFormatter format = new
ActiveXMessageFormatter();

$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;format.Write(msg, body);
$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;if (queue.Transactional)
$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;{
$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;MessageQueueTransaction trans1 = new
MessageQueueTransaction();
$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;trans1.Begin();
$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;queue.Send(msg, label, trans1);
$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;trans1.Commit();
$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;}
$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;else
$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;queue.Send(msg, label);
$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;}
}

http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/dnbiz2k2/html/bts_wp_net.asp

Compressed XML Formats

Thu, 09 Oct 2003 08:00:22 GMT

http://www.expway.com/
http://www.yaml.org (not exactly, but relevant)
http://www.research.att.com/sw/tools/xmill/

What the World Thinks of America

Thu, 09 Oct 2003 08:00:22 GMT

This airs tomorrow night on the BBC.

The BBC is hosting a unique global television debate about America's place in the world.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/wtwta/default.stm

Software Noise Cancellation

Thu, 09 Oct 2003 08:00:21 GMT

With a full duplex sound card (capable of playing and recording simultaneously), it seems to me it should be feasible to implement noise cancellation in software on a PC.

Bose has (expensive) headphones that do something like this, if I understand them correctly.

I would like to be able to listen to audio on my laptop and cancel out the sound of the truck parked outside my window. Screaming babies and car alarms would be good test cases as well.

Would that be a wicked Winamp plug-in or what?

Traffic Gauge

Thu, 09 Oct 2003 08:00:21 GMT

A Seattle company called Traffic Gauge has invented a small, always on device which shows current traffic conditions. I got one for dad for father's day and he loves it! Apparently the thing is mesmerizing to watch.

Refactoring C# Exception Handling

Thu, 09 Oct 2003 08:00:21 GMT

I'd really like an IDE feature or extenstion that would list the possible exceptions thrown in a give try {} block.

The purpose would be to refactor

try
{}
catch ( Exception e)
{}

so that it would just catch a meaningful subset of Exceptions.

Does this exist anywhere?

http://www.ozzie.net/blog/stories/2003/07/03/extremeMobility.html

Thu, 09 Oct 2003 08:00:21 GMT

An excerpt from Ray Ozzie's blog [via Dan Gillmor]

I believe we're currently in a transition period for personal computing: from a tethered, desk-bound, personal productivity view, to one of highly mobile interpersonal productivity and collaboration, communications, coordination. We're focused right now on devices and networks because we're coming at the problem bottom-up: preoccupied by gizmos and technologies' capabilities rather than focusing on how our lives and businesses and economies and societies will be fundamentally altered.

If technology, molded into any of a variety of forms, can ultimately give us continuous awareness of the geo-location, activity, interruptability, and even potentially "state of mind" of those with whom we wish to "be close to", what will it do to the nature of the nuclear family unit? The local community? The collaborative work team?

If technology, molded into forms such that teams of individuals can virtually and dynamically assemble into highly productive organizational units, what will ultimately happen to the large-scale enterprise? In what industries will the mega-corporation continue to exist as a large scale employer, versus being more-or-less an aggregator and connector of highly productive smaller companies?

Regardless, one thing seems certain: with the notable exception of a small number of truly visionary CIO's such as the one mentioned above - exceptional individuals who are willing to move their enterprises forward by taking risks - discovery and innovation in mobility and interpersonal productivity & communications - in "relationship superconductivity" - is being driven primarily from "the edge": from small businesses, organizations and individuals who are experimenting with new communications technologies and software. Innovation now works its way into the enterprise; it no longer migrates outward. The technology leaders of the past - enterprise IT - are now focused (for very good economic reason!!) on cost reduction and efficiency, on "fast solutions", and on a very tough regulatory environment, through strict controls. Liability, and the sheer mass and difficulty of managing broad ICT deployments encourages conservatism, and this won't be changing anytime soon.

Blogagotchi

Thu, 09 Oct 2003 08:00:20 GMT

(Lazyweb request #2) - Blog-counter-web-pet

A blogagotchi (or Blogemon) is a monster that inhabits your blog. Your posts are its food, page views are its love, inbound links are its friends, outbound links its exercise. When you sign up for a blogagotchi, it is born - and ages in blog time. If in a few months, if it has eaten well (had lots of posts), and been played with (viewed often) it will be in good health. Otherwise, it will be mean and anemic.

It is an animated GIF or bit of Flash that resides in your side bar. A small window on to Blogagotchi's world. Each visit finds him playing, sleeping, listening to music - or moping, hungry and lonely. Blogagotchi's sleeping patterns could even match the sleeping patterns of his owner, based on the statistical distribution of his owner's posts.

For blogagotchi owners, a web pet is a motivation to create a great blog. For blog readers, a web pet is an instant indication of the health of a blog. Could blogagotchi make friends on his own with other blog pets and suggest them to you? Could visitors click him to give him even more love?

Blogemon.com

Reads RSS for pet owners to determine how well fed their pet is, and determine sleeping patterns.
Polls Technorati for Inbound/Outbound links
Generates a GIF for each visitor based on the current state of the pet.

(Just a post with a counter)

Thu, 09 Oct 2003 08:00:20 GMT

Experimental Audregator

Thu, 09 Oct 2003 08:00:20 GMT

My "too much free time" experiment from a few weekends ago. Generates a playlist of recent audblog posts so you get a nice cross section of prayer requests, phone porn, bored idiots, and other people who need to share their life with the whole world. Fascinating, stupid, or both?

http://leond.europe.webmatrixhosting.net/index.html

Happenings

Thu, 09 Oct 2003 08:00:20 GMT

I saw a scene from the upcoming Thunderbirds movie being filmed down at south bank yesterday. Apparently, the director from a few of the Star Trek films is directing it (Ananova). Looked a bit like the Power Rangers from my angle.

Also, once again I managed to miss Adam Ant in our neighborhood (he lives 'round the corner).

Audblog Experiment - listen to latest posts

Sun, 01 Jun 2003 11:50:03 GMT

http://leond.europe.webmatrixhosting.net/index.html