Ian Smith's Work Related Blog

Last Post!

2011-09-14T15:49:00.000+01:00

I'm closing this blog down and this will be my final post here. This is partly because I'm not sure Irascian (the company) is going to continue through the rest of the year (the intention was to close down the company when I moved to Switzerland back in May, but I never got around to it) But it's also because I genuinely think we're moving into a new world of application development, and I

Build Conference Day 1: The Links

2011-09-14T12:31:00.006+01:00

It was a long day yesterday, with information about the 'new world' of Microsoft development slowly trickling out over my Twitter stream as the day progressed and more and more people digested the keynote and posted their analyses.Expect more updates in a new blog post as Day 2 unfolds.Below is my list of the 'useful information' links I collated over the first 12 hours of Day 1 of the conference

Build Conference Day 1 Keynote

2011-09-13T23:36:00.002+01:00

Well the keynote is over, but things are still pretty muddy with regard to exactly what 'XAML support' (no mention of 'Jupiter' at all) there is going to be in the next version of Windows.As predicted, the Silverlight shills in the Microsoft echo chamber are all loudly declaring that today's keynote proves Silverlight is not dead. To me, this all reminds me of the time VB6 programmers celebrated

The "Build" Conference Reboot

2011-09-12T11:13:00.005+01:00

It's hard to believe it's 9 months since I last blogged, but in truth very little has changed with regard to the whole Silverlight situation, and I didn't want to get pulled into the whole 'Silverlight isn't dead' shill nonsense that dominates the blogs.On a personal note, I've just finished my second contract (this time for a Swiss investment bank) where Silverlight was mandated from on high,

The Future of Silverlight

2010-12-05T13:01:00.006Z

I've spent most of my weekend watching downloaded HD video's of the Silverlight Firestarter event held last Thursday. (You can download all the video's from the day via links posted on John Papa's blog).The first thing to say is, giving credit where credit's due, Scott Guthrie's team did a superb job at turning around all the negative stories about the death of Silverlight that have plagued the

Silverlight Shenanigans!

2010-11-02T09:56:00.005Z

Until now I've avoided writing a blog post on the whole "Microsoft are killing off Silverlight" noise that's been reverberating around the Microsoft echo chamber for the last month or two, although I have commented on others posts where basic facts were quite outrageously being ignored. There are three reasons why I haven't rushed to make a blog post:I saw the way the echo chamber launched an

Is Video Killing Community?

2010-10-18T22:45:00.002+01:00

A few weeks ago, before I canceled my Twitter account, I saw an informal conversation taking place between a few of the UK Microsoft community 'leaders' on the subject of an overall decline in attendance and interest in community events over the last year.I've noticed the decline in some of the user groups I attend and apparently more country-wide events like Developer Developer Developer are

Silverlight 4 Books - Whatever happened to Proof-Reading?

2010-10-04T17:22:00.004+01:00

I read a lot of books, and at one point, unhappy with the lack of good technical book reviews available, I was going to review each new Silverlight 4 book as it became available on this blog. However I was getting so much flack about my 'negativity' on Twitter I abandoned the idea when I found each new book I intended to review was just not worth the money I'd paid for it.About this time last

"Silverlight 4 Fundamentals" course coming to the UK

2010-08-23T21:12:00.003+01:00

It's always feast or famine on this blog - and it's been famine for quite a while, mainly because I've been working away from home for most of the last 4 months.Anyway I hope to rectify all that over the coming weeks, with a series of Silverlight 4 book review blog posts, now that titles are finally starting to appear on the shelves. Expect the first review next Monday!However, first off I wanted

Microsoft's Free Silverlight 4 LOB Training Course (and dealing with possible Database Issues)

2010-04-21T09:34:00.003+01:00

I'm often asked for advice on how best to learn Silverlight, and with the release of Silverlight 4 last week folks are keener than ever to get to grips with the technology, particularly for writing line-of-business applications.At the time of writing, the only book available for Silverlight 4 is Microsoft Silverlight 4 Business Application Development. Although the book advertises itself as a '

Visual Studio 2010 Hanging On Splash Screen (Add-in problems)

2010-04-19T20:29:00.003+01:00

Last week, in the middle of a manic week of Microsoft TechDays Visual Studio 2010 finally got released to manufacturing (RTM'ed) and being conveniently 'between contracts' with no client software dependencies needed on my main PC, it seemed a good time to install it.I hit a problem just after I installed the Silverlight Tools for Visual Studio 2010 which went to 'Release Candidate 2' status just

Some Notes for Those on their Way to MIX10

2010-03-12T16:08:00.005Z

It's around 8am local time here in Las Vegas, and I'm about to head off for a day's shopping/being a tourist. But with so many folks about to head out to MIX10 from the UK thought I'd post a few quick points in answers to various tweets I've received.The weather in Vegas at the moment is clear blue skies and sunny, but quite cool in the evenings. It's definitely long sleeve shirt, pullover or

Heading for Microsoft's MIX10 Conference

2010-03-11T05:31:00.009Z

Today, I'm finally heading off to Microsoft's MIX10 conference in Las Vegas, where developers and designers get to "mix" it up. The pre-conference buzz this year has been even higher than usual, and not just because people have been getting carried away drinking the Microsoft Kool-Aid.Early leaks about Windows Phone 7 Series (FINALLY, something to compete with the Apple iPhone), Silverlight 4,

Scott Guthrie Web Chat/Q&A (Transcript)

2010-02-15T19:57:00.005Z

Every 3 months Scott Guthrie (VP of .NET Developer Division that covers IIS, ASP.NET, Silverlight, WPF etc) gives an online audio webchat/Q&A on LinkedIn which invariably contains all sorts of information that just hasn't been publicised elsewhere. These chats are pretty unmissable.The most recent chat took part last Thursday, but since I was on a train at the time I only caught up with the

Silverlight UK User Group Video: Bing Maps Control for Silverlight

2010-02-09T12:29:00.003Z

The EMC Blogs still seem to be down so click on the image below to go straight to ExposureRoom to view the latest video from last Wednesday's meeting of the Silverlight UK User Group As usual, if you have the bandwidth the HD version (or the iPhone version) can be viewed by pointing your browser at http://www.RIAViewMirror.com/SlugUK/If you find the video is buffering/stuttering you may prefer to

Silverlight UK User Group Talk on "MEF for Silveright 4" by Mike Taulty

2010-02-06T20:11:00.004Z

At Wednesday's Silverlight UK User Group we had two excellent talks. One from Mike Taulty on A Guided Tour of Microsoft Extensibility Framework (MEF) in Silverlight 4, and a second from Johannes Beck on Working with The Bing Maps Control for Silverlight.Ordinarily the video for the talks would be posted on the blog of one of the organisers - Mark Mann or Michelle Flynn at EMC Consulting, but

2 Years of User Group Videos

2010-02-04T18:27:00.003Z

It's rather scary to realise that next month will mark the two year anniversary of when I first started doing video for London-based 'Microsoft developer'-oriented user groups. It seems like only yesterday I lugged my gear across town to record my first user group session and then wrestle with everything that post-production involves.User Groups I supportMy regular 'gigs', when work doesn't get

DDD8 at the Microsoft Campus, Reading

2010-01-30T20:56:00.006Z

Another year, another community day at the Microsoft campus in Reading: DDD8 (Developer! Developer! Developer! - Event no. 8!).Featuring talks from those working with Microsoft technologies, but specifically excluding Microsoft staff themselves, the DDD event has been a success from the day it first launched in Reading, with similar events now also organised annually in Scotland, Ireland and 'the

MIX10 in Las Vegas - So, why the hell are you going, Ian?

2010-01-16T15:37:00.005Z

In March I'm attending MIX10 - Microsoft's 'cool' annual designer/developer web conference held in Las Vegas for 3 days every March.It's a sign of my age that I nearly wrote 'trendy' instead of 'cool' just then, and in truth I see these events as being essentially geared to the younger, hipper developers and designers, most of whom won't be directly footing the bill for the experience. With less

When Visual Studio Insists on Starting Two Copies of Your Application

2009-11-09T19:56:00.002Z

Some months back I had a nasty problem where every time I tried to run my Silverlight web application two copies of the browser would start up. The only way to stop this happening was to run the application in Release instead of Debug mode, which isn't really an acceptable solution when you're writing new code and need to step through it.The problem started occurring just after I'd installed an

3rd Party Vendor Controls (and why I've finally given up on Telerik)

2009-11-07T15:45:00.011Z

Tweeting up a StormThose who follow me on Twitter will have seen me posting a lot of exasperated tweets about the quality of Telerik's Controls for Silverlight suite earlier this week, when the company released the latest version of their control suite (their third and final release for 2009) with lots of hooplah on their blogs, main web site and various employee Twitter feeds.In some ways it was

PRISM Documentation: The 'Missing' Table of Contents

2009-09-27T15:12:00.004+01:00

For some reason (several actually!) PRISM is largely being ignored by many Silverlight developers. In my talk on PRISM (which I'm repeating at the next meeting of the Silverlight User Group this coming Tuesday - more information here) I talk about the documentation, and the fact that it seems to prejudice people against PRISM, when in fact it's an excellent resource. I talk about the fact there

My SketchFlow Comments: Christian Schorman of the Blend Team Responds

2009-09-20T09:18:00.003+01:00

On Friday I posted a quick report on my impressions of the Silverlight Firestarter event, which included my expressing surprise at what appeared to be a fundamental shift in the way SketchFlow was being promoted.Christian Schormann from the Blend team sent a detailed response to those comments, which I am happy to reproduce below. Unfortunately it is not obvious from this blog that you can easily

Silverlight Firestarter and a few other bits and pieces

2009-09-18T13:23:00.005+01:00

This is going to be a very hasty blog post because it's being written in my lunch hour. Why? Because I desperately need a break from trying to convert a complex Silverlight 'storyboard' application to use a separately developed .NET RIA Services prototype application whilst also introducing the use of PRISM modules and regions usng MVVM inside the Silverlight 3 navigation framework using .NET RIA

A Couple of Issues Discovered While Playing with .NET RIA Services

2009-08-20T12:25:00.005+01:00

Installing Windows 7 (which is a breath of fresh air after the nightmare I've had with Vista) and reinstalling all my software on different PCs probably wasn't my best idea given that I had a talk, which needed research, looming. As a result of the best part of a week rebuilding a ton of PCs, I left playing with .NET RIA Services (currently a July 2009 Preview with a 'use at your own risk' 'Go

Monthly Catch Up

2009-08-05T12:55:00.007+01:00

Yikes! It's been over a month since my last post. Alas most of my blogging these days seems to be in the form of micro-blogging via TwitterThe Silverlight project I've been working on finally launched last week (hope to have the URL for the public version to show any day now) and I'm in that strange limbo-land known as being 'between contracts'. It's nice to actually have some time to catch up

One Month On... Why Silverlight Development Can Be Painful

2009-06-20T10:46:00.008+01:00

What happened to the daily link dumps?It's over a month since I posted my last set of daily link dumps. Not through choice! Google decided that a blog with lots of links indicates spam, and it took more than 3 weeks to get this blog unblocked. Needless to say I'm now looking at moving my blog to somewhere that gives me more control (and responsibility :-( ) as part of migrating my embarrasingly

Ian's Link Dump 14th May 2009

2009-05-14T22:20:00.003+01:00

WPF/SilverlightMVVM with Slider that Chooses Which Model to Display (Ed Tanguay)MVVM Approach: Big Smart ViewModels, Dumb Views and Any Model (Ed Tanguay)So What is XAMLFest?First Virtual Silverlight Developer and Designer Network MeetingFlash vs Silverlight on Smashing MagazinenRoute and MVVM - A Match Made in C#15 Excellent and Useful Silverlight Tutorials and ResourcesNew York Times

Ian's Link Dump 13th May 2009

2009-05-13T22:49:00.000+01:00

WPF/SilverlightHow to Show the High Score of a Silverlight Game on a Web Site from a Different ServerSilverlight ClipToBounds - Can I Clip It? Yes You Can!Silverlight ValidateXAML ErrorSilverlight Using WCF with Windows AuthenticationSQL Server Value Tool Written in SilverlightNew York Times Switches from WPF/Silverlight to Flash and AIR for Reader 2Silverlight Unit Testing, RhinoMocks, Unity and

Ian's Link Dump 12th May 2009

2009-05-12T22:57:00.002+01:00

WPF/SilverlightSilverlight Cairngorm (Adobe M-V-VM ported to .NET).NET RIA Services May 2009 Preview ReleasedProject Starlight: Multicast plug-in for Silverlight (Ben Waggoner)Absolutely the Simplest Data Binding to an Object (Ed Tanguay)How to Cascase XAML Styles with BasedOnSimple Object Binding that works in Expression Blend Design ModeSilverlight Enterprise Deployment Guidance (Updated) (Tim

Ian's Link Dump 11th May 2009

2009-05-11T23:03:00.001+01:00

WPF/SilverlightFix for Visual Studio 2008 with XAML FilesRefactoring Silverlight ChildWindow for Non-Modal UseRIA Services and ResharperEditing Model and Default Initialiser for Silverlight ControlsSilverlight DomainUpDown ControlCustomising Rich Data Forms in Silverlight 3: CustomisationA Bit of Physics for an Inertial ScrollViewerMulticast comes to SilverlightJason Dollinger on

Ian's Link Dump 10th May 2009

2009-05-10T22:41:00.002+01:00

WPF/Silverlight'Odin' Unit Test Runners for the Silverlight Unit Test FrameworkDocument Toolkit for Silverlight 2 and Silverlight 3Silverlight Toolkit Overview Part 3: ThemingCreating Circular Rotating Text in Expression Blend (Silverzine)Silverlight Slider that Snaps to Rounded Value When DraggedUser-Initiated Actions in Silverlight'Great video about using Silverlight GraphicsProgramming

Ian's Link Dump 9th May 2009

2009-05-10T09:00:00.002+01:00

WPF/SilverlightNew Training Resources on SilverlightDebugging Silverlight in IE8 (on Windows 7)How to Define the Stule of the Selected Item in a XAML ListBox or ListViewExpression Blend 3: Trying a Drag-and-Drop Behavior (Part 1) (Mike Taulty)Flash vs Silverlight: What Suits Your Needs Best?Beat Box Application Part 3: Playing Media ElementsOther MicrosoftSysInternals on the WebUpdate Live

Ian's Link Dump 8th May 2009

2009-05-08T23:50:00.002+01:00

WPF/SilverlightCreate a Fire Button with Expression Design and Blend (Silverzine)How to have Expression Blend Design Mode See Test Data From Your ModelNotes on Video Tutorial: Expression Blend: Data SourcesGetting Started with Expression Blend (lynda.com)Expression Blend Training ResourcesNew Animation API for Silverlight 3 Easing FunctionsRAD Controls for Silverlight in ASP.NET (Video webcast

Ian's Link Dump 7th May 2009

2009-05-07T23:33:00.000+01:00

WPF/SilverlightSilverlight ComboBox Number of Items Shown RefreshAdd Extra Items to a Silverlight 2 ComboBoxSample Silverlight 3 BehavioursMVVM Base Application that can be Edited with Blend and Visual StudioPatterns and Practices in the Component Application Library: Part 3Customising the Look of a Radio Button in Expression Blend (Microsoft Expression video)Switching Pages and Passing

Ian's Link Dump 6th May 2009

2009-05-06T22:41:00.002+01:00

WPF/SilverlightThe New York Times Silverlight KitThinking outside the XAP - Blend 3 and Support for Web SitesWPF Design Surface Improvements in Visual Studio 2010How to Format Strings in a DataTemplate in XAML with MultiBindingHow to Structure a WPF Application with DataBindings so You Can Enhance it in Expression BlendDownload WPF M-V-VM Project Tempalte/ToolkitCustom Membership, Role and

Ian's Link Dump 5th May 2009

2009-05-05T22:53:00.002+01:00

WPF/SilverlightBe Careful When You Are Naming the Silverlight Class LibraryRadial Layout in SilverlightGoing 'Extreme' with Silverlight 3 (Sharing the Source for a Real-World Sample ApplicationSilverlight 3 Video Player with Source CodeHow to Create a User Control in WPF (video)Customising the Look of a Radio Button in Expression Blend (video)XCeed WPF DataGrid - Part 1WPF M-V-VM Toolkit 0.1 (

Ian's Link Dump 5th May 2009

2009-05-04T23:32:00.002+01:00

WPF/SilverlightA Quick Note on Namespaces in Silverlight/WPF'Convert Brush to Resource' button in Blend 3Getting the Most out of the Vector Tools in Expression DesignUsing Vector Graphics from Office Clip Art in Silverlight/WPF AppsUsing Wikipedia as Clip Art Source for Silverlight/WPF AppsASP.NET Membership and Roles in Silverlight 3Notes on Blend and Expression Video TutorialsXPath (barely) in

Ian's Link Dump 3rd May 2009

2009-05-04T00:13:00.002+01:00

WPF/SilverlightRooler Utilities for Measuring and Analysing On-Screen Graphics (Peter Blois)First Smooth Streaming User-Generated ContentSilverlight Error Codes ExplainedSilverlight Beat Box Application Part 2: Custom Panel Hit TestingMIX09: Sharing Skills and Code with Silverlight and WPF.NETProblem with the Azure Training Kit's IntroAccessControl Hands-On-LabMicrosoft Source Analysis aka

Ian's Link Dump 2nd May 2009

2009-05-02T22:22:00.002+01:00

WPF/Silverlight15 Excellent and Useful Silverlight Tutorials and ResourcesExtending Silverlight's Mouse EventsSilverlightContrib Star Selector Control UpdatedIntegrating Silverlight 3 Polling Duplex with Unity ContainerSilverlight UK User Group #7 Meeting Agenda PostedSilverlight Smooth Streaming Showcase Site (720p movie trailers)Star Wars Crawler in Silverlight 3.NETDotnetBlogEngine (Open

Ian's Link Dump 1st May 2009

2009-05-02T00:29:00.002+01:00

WPF/SilverlightModel-View-ViewModel Toolkit v0.1 ReleasedSwitching Pages and Passing Parameters in SilverlightRegister Silverlight Controls with Visual Studio and BlendWEB09 - Silverlight and Blend in Auckland, New Zealand (Tim Heuer)Expression for Art's Sake: Silverlight and Blend in Wellington, New Zealand (Tim Heuer)How to Use App.Config in WPF ApplicationsHow to Make a Frameless WPF

Ian's Link Dump 30th April 2009

2009-04-30T23:57:00.002+01:00

WPF/SilverlightTextBlock vs LabelBeginning a Silverlight Animation FrameworkPast your REST API as Strong Types in Visual Studio (Tim Heuer)Silverlight Quick Tip: Lambda Expressions for Async Web Service CallsAnimated Visual State Transitions with the Transitioning Content Control (Jesse Liberty)Reviewing my Favourite Silverlight BooksDeepZoomPix: Experience Your Photos Like Never Before (

Ian's Link Dump 29th April 2009

2009-04-29T23:13:00.002+01:00

WPF/SilverlightSilverlight 2 DataGrid Demo Application with Formatting of DataBeat Box Silverlight Application - Part 1 - OverviewSilverlight Navigation Part 3Introducing HTML Utilities for SilverlightWPF Application Quality Guide v0.5 ReleasedGenerate WPF and Silverlight Dependency Properties using T4 templatesPerenthia World Builder in SilverlightGreat Silverlight Charting ResourcesSwitching

Ian's Link Dump 28th April 2009

2009-04-28T22:45:00.002+01:00

WPF/SilverlightPaging with the Silverlight RIA Services DomainDataSourceMicrosoft Previews Great WPF and Silverlight Apps with Facebook OpenStreams APIUse SketchFlow to Build Skateboarding PenguinsThe Connection Between DataContext and ItemsSourceHow to Evaluate Data in XAML Using DataTriggers and IValueConverterMSDev.Com (Got XAML?)Silverlight CountDown Control - Your Days Are CountedAnnouncing

Ian's Link Dump 27th April 2009

2009-04-27T23:21:00.002+01:00

WPF/Silverlight12th Annual Webby Awards Powered by SilverlightSilverlight 3 Hidden Features: TextBox.CaretBrushUsing Blend 3 for SilverlightSlide Show using DomainUpDown and TransitionContentControlA Silverlight Database Application with Image UploadA Collection of Silverlight and WPF Charting ResourcesBitmap Effects Generic PixelShader Helper ClassScott Guthrie MIX Keynote Coding Demo PostedRead

Ian's Link Dump 26th April 2009

2009-04-26T23:59:00.002+01:00

WPF/SilverlightOrchestrating Animated Transitions Between View and ViewModelA Cool trick for Passing Data to A Silverlight ApplicationOpen in Expression Blend - Switch Between 2 and 3How to Programmatically Detect Silverlight VersionOptimising Sending XML to a ServiceReaction-Diffusion Models (Silverlight 2 Application)British MPs Expenses Data Visualisation via Virtual Earth CTP (Silverlight 2

Ian's Link Dump 25th April 2009

2009-04-26T00:25:00.002+01:00

WPF/SilverlightAdd Rich Intellisense for your Silverlight ControlsVector Visualiser: Silveright 3D Tool for Viewing Vectors in Three DimensionsGetting Started With Silverlight (New Video Series)Web Services and Silverlight.NETLearning Resources for .NET 4.0 New FeaturesHidden Features of C# (StackOverflow Thread)My Quick Oversimplified ASP.NET MVC Pros and Cons (Jeremy D Miller)Is ASP.NET MVC a

Ian's Link Dump 24th April 2009

2009-04-25T09:28:00.002+01:00

WPF/SilverlightUnderstanding Performance in your WPF ApplicationsBehaviours, Actions and ViewModels in SilverlightFollow the Cursor Animation: Let's Do It With BehaviorsWhat is Silverlight? Part 1 of ManyEasing is ... Easier in Silverlight 3Web6 Tools Every Google Analytics User Should HaveDesignFive Types of Effective Headers in Web DesignCSS Illustrated: Showcase for Sites that Use

Ian's Link Dump 23rd April 2009

2009-04-24T00:11:00.002+01:00

WPF/SilverlightHow Can I Debug WPF Bindings?How to Use Command Sink to Simplify WPF CommandsMVVM: Binding to Commands in SilverlightSilverlight Image Event ImageFailed Not Being CalledSilverlight Animation Part 2: SpritesSilverlight and DOM EventsSilverlight DeepZoom as an Ad UnitSilverlight Window ControlBinding a Silverlight DataGrid to Dynamic Data Part 2A Fix for the Unofficial WPF Charting

Ian's Link Dump 22nd April 2009

2009-04-23T09:25:00.002+01:00

WPF/SilverlightSilverlight ListBox Part 1: Using Multiple Templates in a ListBoxHandling Security for Flex and Silverlight in ASP.NETSpiral Flip Control 3DBuilding Controls in Silverlight: Lessons from the Silverlight Toolkit team (podcast)Top 20 Tweeters on SilverlightREALLY Small Unzip Utility for SilverlightShould You Invest in WPF and Silverlight?DeepZoom InSecurity (game)WPF and Silverlight

Ian's Link Dump 21st April 2009

2009-04-21T23:33:00.002+01:00

WPF/DesignNotes on Article 'Using Routed Commands with ViewModel in WPF'Silverlight 3 Flickr Client (Mike Taulty)Patterns and Practices in the Composite Application Library - Part 2SilverlightArcade.com (for Silverlight Games) is now Live!Binding a Silverlight DataGrid to Dynamic Data via IDictionarySilverlight ObjectDataSourceSilverlight 3 Out-of-Browser Applications on the Mac (Mike Taulty)

Ian's Link Dump 20th April 2009

2009-04-21T02:57:00.002+01:00

WPF/SilverlightCombining .NET RIA Services and MVVM in Silverlight 3 (StackOverflow Thread)Silverlight 3 Out-of-Browser: A Quick rantSetanta Sports on SilverlightIt took me under 5 Minutes to Realise the Power of BehavioursRIA Services and ViewModel (code download)Timers in Silverlight 2.0 and Multi-Threaded SilverlightSilverlight 'Multiple HTTP Requests' ScreencastViewModel Pattern with .NET RIA

Ian's Link Dump 19th April 2009

2009-04-20T00:19:00.002+01:00

WPF/Silverlight'Silverlight for Designers' Web Site LaunchesCannot Set a CheckBox to IsCheck=True inside a TreeViewRobby Ingebretson's 'Design for Developers' MIX09 Workshop Video Now OnlineSilverlight 3 Note-Taker Application with Local StorageSilverlight 3 Out-of-Browser Applications with Cached Extensions (Mike Taulty)New Screencast 'Silverlight Best Practices: MVVM in Silverlight'Flicker

Ian's Link Dump 17th April 2009

2009-04-17T16:39:00.002+01:00

A bit early today as I'm heading off to Reading (WITHOUT PC) for WebDDSilverlight/WPFMicrosoft SketchFlow and Blend 3 ScreencastThe Future of Silverlight ContribSilver Bay Labs Walkthrough of MVVM Example.NETProject Kobe: Community FeedbackKobe: In the Nuts and Bolts and Not Really Liking ItOne Billion Bytes of SQL Server 2008 TrainingHunt Out Duplicated Code in VS2008LANG.NET Conference

Ian's Link Dump 16th April 2009

2009-04-17T00:21:00.003+01:00

WPF/SilverlightUsing XAML and Client Presentation.NET RIA Services Custom Validation(Self-Reminder): WPF/Silverlight Code Examples That Help You Learn M-V-VMDeepZoom Pix: Silverlight, Deep Zoom and the Azure Services PlatformSilverlight Installation Experience Whitepaper and Sample Code ReleasedSilverlight 3 Overview Tutorials Part 8: Overview of the Live Streaming, Live Encoding and Streaming

Ian's Link Dump 15th April 2009

2009-04-15T23:15:00.002+01:00

Silverlight/WPFViki Version 0.0.0.1 (Jesse Liberty)Turn on the Silverlight Web Service Debug ModeHow to Change the Default WaterMark 'Show Calendar' on WPF DatePicker ControlXAML for a Simple Full-Screen Silverlight applicationSilverlight RevisitedTutorial: Silverlight Simple AnimationSilverlight 3 Overview Part 7: DataGrid.NETA new Flag to Optimise ASP.NET Compilation BehaviournRoute Around the

Ian's Link Dump 14th April 2009

2009-04-14T23:43:00.002+01:00

Silverlight/WPFSearch Problems with the Silverlight 3 Beta DocumentationIndexability for Search Engines in SilverlightNew training resources on SilverlightLink Round-up on .NET RIA ServicesDiscussions about starting work on a Reference Application for M-V-VM FrameworksSilverlight Exception: The DOM/Scripting Bridge is Disabled.NETAzure Application Training Part 2: Access Azure Table

Ian's Link Dump 13th April 2009

2009-04-13T23:27:00.002+01:00

WPF/SilverlightFor Now Don't Use SynchronizationContext in Silverlight 2 or 3Silverlight 3 Quick Tip: System ColoursSilverlight 3 Out-of-Browser Apps: The InstallCreating a .NET Application with .NET RIA Services: Part 5 - Sorting and Filtering Data(Good) Overview of the MVVM Pattern'Hello World' View ModelSilverlight and Azure Sample Program Part 1.NETSquashing the ASP.NET MVC Response Part 15

Ian's Link Dump 12th April 2009

2009-04-13T00:27:00.002+01:00

WPF/SilverlightSlider with Ticks.NETMEF Preview 5 Changes and EnhancementsTransact-SQL Debugger for SQL Server 2008 - Part 1WebTop 10 Must-Have Firefox ExtensionsUploadify: A File Upload Plugin for jQuery

Prototyping with Balsamiq

2009-04-12T22:01:00.003+01:00

One of the things that I've heard good designers like Tricky and Bill Buxton emphasising again and again is the importance of wire-frame prototyping. Occasionally, I've tended to do this using pen and paper (but I can't draw!) or Visio in the past, but this is slow, and somewhat tedious and is usually just a first step before hacking together a 'prototype' I can show the client in HTML/CSS or

Ian's Link Dump 11th April 2009

2009-04-11T23:46:00.002+01:00

WPF/SilverlightSilverlight Installation Experience Guidance Posted (Tim Heuer)Silverzine - Silverlight Resource for Designers (Coming Soon!)MouseWheel Behaviour for SilverlightShould Silverlight 3 Out-of-Browser be Full Trust?Silverlight 3: Navigation and Prettying My URIs (Mike Taulty).NETWeb Forms vs ASP.NET MVCFeatured Visual Studio Library ContentMiscellaneousEgoless ProgrammingDesign50+

Ian's Link Dump 10th April 2009

2009-04-11T00:34:00.002+01:00

WPF/SilverlightVideo Wiki Design Step 1 (Jesse Liberty)Implementing PropertyChanged with Expression TreeLooking at Virtual Earth Silverlight ControlSilverlight 3 and RIA Service - Creating a Proxy for Cross Domain Http RequestsSilverlight Toolkit Themes Make It Easy to Create Apps with a Designer LookThe Silverlight Documentation Sample BrowserScott Barnes' Take on Silverlight 3O'Reilly's 'Inside

Ian's Link Dump 9th April 2009

2009-04-10T08:44:00.003+01:00

WPF/SilverlightSilverlight 3 and Navigation Applications (Mike Taulty)Dynamic Data Forms for Silverlight RevisitedSilverlight 3's New Style EnhancementsImprove PollingDuplex Reliability with Silverlight 3.0nRoute: At Last a QuickStartUsing WCF Services from Silverlight in AzureGrouping Data in Silverlight DataGridSilverlight SVC Web Service Problems on IISNew Gradient Editing Tools in Blend 3WPF

Ian's Link Dump 8th April 2009

2009-04-08T22:43:00.002+01:00

WPF/Silverlight3D Flipper Control: Using Silverlight 3.0 Plane ProjectionBlend Behaviors FTWPatterns and Practices in the Composite Application Library Part 1XAML Power Toys v4Notes on Video Tutorial: XAML Power Toys: Installation and SetupNotes on Video Tutorial: XAML Power Toys: Create Business FormNotes on Video Tutorial: XAML Power Toys: Build Form for ClassHow to Use FluidKit to Make

Ian's Link Dump for 7th April 2009

2009-04-08T10:01:00.002+01:00

WPF/Silverlight19 Online Code Examples That Help You Learn MVVMIssues with the Web Services Feature in Silverlight 3 BetaSilverlight Spy - Visual Debugging Silverlight Applications (Channel 9 Video)Building a Composite WPF ApplicationLine of Business Silverlight Applications That RockDo you have any feedback on the AutoCompleteBox API?Pixel Effects in Silverlight 3Using MVVM with Silverlight (

Ian's Link Dump 6th April 2009

2009-04-06T23:16:00.002+01:00

WPF/SilverlightRunning Silverlight 2 and 3 On the Same Machine - ReduxCreating Silverlight Behaviours (with Blend 3 Interactivity)Silverlight 3's New Out-of-Browser ApplicationsProperty Value Editors for Silverlight ControlsSilverlight 3 and RIA Services: The BasicsSilverlight 3 and RIA Services: The Advanced ThingsManaging Silverlight 3 Navigation BehaviourRelative URIs in XAMLnRoute comes with

Ian's Link Dump 5th April 2009

2009-04-05T22:22:00.002+01:00

WPF/SilverlightAdvance Your Design With UX Patterns (Quince video)Combining Different Separated Presentation PatternsSilverlight 3: Experimenting with WCF's Binary XML Encoder.NETVirtual Earth Wrap-up March 2009.NET Services: Host a Public Website at the Kitchen Table or from a Coffee Shop! No Kidding!VideoYouTube Ads: You Hate 'EmTop 100 Tools for the Twittering Teacher (and others!)

Ian's Link Dump 4th April 2009

2009-04-05T01:25:00.002+01:00

WPF/SilverlightLink Roundup on .NET RIA ServicesSilverlight 3 Navigation Framework and DataShare DataContext among Navigation Pages in Silverlight 3VS Item Templates for Silverlight Resource DictionariesExpression Blend 3 PreviewDisplaying Dynamic Content in Silverlight using Expression BlendCreating a Dynamic Silverlight Video PlayerUsing a Behaviour to Magnify Your WPF Applications.NETAzure

Ian's Link Dump 3rd April 2009

2009-04-04T07:07:00.002+01:00

WPF/SilverlightWhy DataBinding with ComboBoxes is Non-TrivialBasic WPF M-V-VM ExampleNotes on Website: Quince UX PatternsSilverlight Documentation Sample BrowserSilverlight: Creating, Binding and Styling a Bubble Chart.NETTweetSharp - A C# Fluent Interface for Twitter, Designed for App DevelopersVS2010 CTPGeneral WebGuidelines for Developing Your Own CSS FrameworkMiscellaneousHow to beat Priceline

Ian's Link Dump 2nd April 2009

2009-04-02T23:43:00.002+01:00

WPF/SilverlightSilverlight 3: Navigation Application Template - New ThemesSilverlight Advertising Creation KitSilverlight Advertising Creation Kit (Documentation)Silverlight Dependency Property Code GenerationValidation Exceptions in SilverlightHow to Enable GPU AccelerationEfficient Paging in Silverlight 2Silverlight 3: Enable Multiple Selection in Silverlight ListBoxSilverlight 3: Navigation

Ian's Link Dump 1st April 2009

2009-04-02T18:14:00.002+01:00

None of these links are April Fools!WPF/SilverlightHow to run Events off a Timer in SilverlightNotes on article M-V-VM in Silverlight... More notes... Even more notes... and yet more.Bitmap Caching in Silverlight 3Silverlight 3 Photo Wall GalleryDocument Toolkit for Silverlight 2 and 3Adding the ScrollIntoViewCentered method to WPF's ListBoxBehaviors, Actions and View Models in

Ian's Link Dump 31st March 2009

2009-04-02T18:05:00.002+01:00

WPF/SilverlightIntegrating Silverlight and MVCMIX09 Recap Series part 1: Favourite Features and AnnouncementsBlend 3 Part 1 - Import CompatabilitySilverlight 3: Navigation ScreencastsEasy Drop Shadows on Text in Silverlight 3Behaviours Under the Hood - API Details and Constraining the Type.NET RIA Services: Implementing Custom InterfacesNest another Grid inside a LayoutRoot ElementLambda

Ian's Link Dump 30th March 2009

2009-03-30T23:06:00.002+01:00

WPF/SilverlightThe Silverlight 3 Navigation FrameworkSilverlight Chart BuilderWhere is Silverlight Mobile?.NETFree Ebook: Mastering SQL Server 2005 Profiler (excellent, from the folks at RedGate!) ASP.NET MVC Tutorial (Wrox PDF Chapter. Updated. Again (with reader corrections)! 3rd time lucky?!Tutorial: Install CruiseControl.NETDesignWeird, Confusing and Irritating Photography30 Photoshop Video

Ian's Link Dump 27th March 2009

2009-03-27T18:43:00.002Z

WPF/SilverlightAnimation Hack Using Attached Properties in SilverlightBehaviours: Making Interactivity Easy (and Fun!)Controlling an Object using the KeyDown function in SilverlightCreating a RadioButton ListFaking the Initialized Event in SilverlightSilverlight: The Simplest Master Pages EverProblems with Silverlight DataContractJsonSerializerMIX09 Review by Former Adobe Employee (very good

Ian's Link Dump 26th March 2009

2009-03-26T22:36:00.002Z

WPF/SilverlightSilverlight DataGrid NOT sorting when binding to IEnumerableRIA Dashboards with SilverlightDiscovering Silverlight 3: Poor Man's VisualBrush BehaviourSilverlight 3 and SEOSilverlight 3 'GetNetworkAvailable' Doesn't Capture Working OfflineUsing Blur to Make Dialogs Pop in Silverlight 3Using Silverlight 2 with ADO.NET Data Services (MSDN Magazine, John Papa)Publishing Silverlight

Ian's Link Dump 25th March 2009

2009-03-25T23:23:00.002Z

WPF/SilverlightBuilding an Optimised, Graphics-Intensive Silverlight Application (Tim Sneath)View any of the MIX09 Sessions with Less Clicks (Mike Swanson)Creating Video from Raw Bits using a MediaStream SourceCreating Sound using MediaStreamSource in Silverlight 3 BetaSilverlight 3: Using Behaviours - A Quick WalkthroughAdding Interactivity to Silverlight Projects using Expression BlendBlend 3

Ian's Link Dump 24th March 2009

2009-03-24T22:40:00.002Z

WPF/SilverlightExploring the Core CLR within Silverlight (Tim Sneath)Silverlight 3: BasedOn StylesBug: Explicit Styles Replaced by ISM in Silverlight 3 version of ToolkitSilverlight 3 Beta - Downloads You May Have MissedSilverlight 3: Chroma Key Pixel Shader ExampleLocal Messaging SamplesExpression Media: Replacement for SP2 is Out.NETAn ASP Menu Fix Needed for a Problem with IE8 is Now

"The Magic of BizSpark"

2009-03-24T18:34:00.003Z

Today I attended a one-day event, hosted by Microsoft, at their London Victoria offices, entitled "The Magic of BizSpark", intended to promote Microsoft's new BizSpark offering which is aimed at helping new start-ups who want to get started using the Microsoft technology stack, but would ordinarily find the cost prohibitive to doing so.It's a no-brainer!I should say, right from the get-go, that

Ian's Link Dump 23rd March 2009

2009-03-23T22:50:00.002Z

WPF/SilverlightWPF vs Silverlight: It's the Wrong DebateCustomising Silverlight Video Players using Expression BlendThe New Silverlight Toolkit ExperienceSilverlight 3 Beta Install Experience: Avoid Annoying Loop (Tim Heueur)Build a simple Twitter Client using Silverlight 2Silverlight 3: Detecting Network StatusSilverlight 3: Deep LinkingSilverlight 3: Data Binding with the Virtual Earth

Ian's Link Dump 22nd March 2009

2009-03-22T22:55:00.002Z

WPF/Silverlight.NET Rocks on RIA Services and Business Apps in Silverlight (audio podcast)Silverlight 3 Navigation URI RoutingSilverlight 3 DropShadows are SlowSilverlight 3 WriteableBitmap GotchasSilverlight 3 Web Pixel Shader CompilerSilverlight 3 Sample Application: Slidentity (Tim Heueur)Grouping in Silverlight 3 DataGridVirtual Earth Silverlight Mini-map TutorialExpression Media 2 SP2

Ian's Link Dump 20th March 2009

2009-03-20T23:45:00.002Z

WPF/SilverlightSilverlight Tools Installation Error CodesVirtual Earth Silverlight Control CTP Teaser and some Initial ThoughtsSilverlight Toolkit ReleaseWhat's New With Web Services in Silverlight 3Silverlight 3 Activity ControlSilverlight 3 - RIA ServicesWhat is .NET RIA Services (Brad Abrams)Silverlight 3, .NET RIA Services and Common Lookup Data.NET RIA Services NotesSilverlight 3 and

Ian's Link Dump 19th March 2009

2009-03-19T22:47:00.002Z

MIX09 Videos (and lots of 'em)WPF/SilverlightSilverlight 3 First Look (65 page pdf from forthcoming 'Introducing Silverlight 3' bookMicrosoft.NET RIA Services Overview (116 page pdf)Upgrading a Web Project from Silverlight 2 to Silverlight 3Switching from Silverlight 3 to Silverlight 2 ToolsSilverlight 3 Charting Update DetailsOrganising Your Project Using Layout Containers in Expression

Ian's Link Dump 18th March 2009

2009-03-18T22:40:00.002Z

Apparently there's been a little conference held in Las Vegas today! Way too many links (and not enough time) to keep track of, but here are the ones I intend to go back to this weekend. The keynote for this conference can be viewed here (click on "day 1" link on top of large image at top of page)WPF/SilverlightSilverlight Official Blog LaunchedA Guide to Silverlight 3 New Features (Tim Heuer)

Ian's Link Dump 17th March 2009

2009-03-17T22:32:00.002Z

WPF/SilverlightWPF In a BoxMicrosoft Expression March 2009 Newsletter (lots of good stuff!)Another WPF Application Sample Using M-V-VMMake Sure All Elements are Properly Loaded in your WPF Code-BehindSimple Example of an Interactive Rules Engine in WPFSilverlight Pulse - A Twitter Silverlight ApplicationVery Cool Razorfish DaVinci Surface Application (short video)Create a Glass Orb Button in

Ian's Link Dump 16th March 2009

2009-03-16T22:36:00.002Z

WPF/SilverlightBuilding a Paint application in Silverlight Using the Line ElementDynamic Data Forms for Silverlight with a Data Template Selector ControlReturn of the Smart ClientSilverlight Contrib Colour PickerSilverlight Contrib CoolMenuNew Storm Ideas Silverlight SiteView Large Images Instantly with Deep Zoom IntegrationScrollViewer Skinning to Make a Picture Viewer'Page Cannot Be Found'

Ian's Link Dump 15th March 2009

2009-03-15T23:17:00.002Z

WPF/SilverlightMouseLeftButtonDown event in StackPanel and Grid don't Fire Every TimeSilverlight Bugs v1: Playing with RandomDisplaying Today's Date with XAMLSilverlight Contrib to Merge with Silverlight Extensions.NETTips and Tricks for Finding Information in the MSDN LibraryAnalysing the Code Base of CruiseControl.NETCan we Declare Programming in XML to be Dead?MVC Framework Sample: Suteki

Ian's Link Dump 14th March 2009

2009-03-15T00:20:00.002Z

WPF/SilverlightWPF Master/Detail Functionality App Using Composite Application Guidance (aka PRISM v2)Visibility Pattern in SilverlightSome New Features for REST Services.NETASP.NET MVC Translated for the Web Forms Programmer (New Series)8 New Videos: IIS 7 For DevelopersHow to Enable Large File Uploads in IIS7What is Code Quality?Getting My Head Around 'Oslo', 'M' and 'MGrammar' (Scott Hanselman

Ian's Link Dump 13th March 2009

2009-03-14T00:24:00.003Z

WPF/SilverlightCollision testing on a Free-Moving Object in SilverlightRadio Buttons in a DataTemplate in SilverlightUnit Testing Silverlight AnimationAttached Bindings for SilverlightBook News: Silverlight 2 Lab: Intensive Skills Training (from the excellent Andy Troelsen)Caliburn Beta is Live (Class Library for Easier UI Building in Silverlight and WPF)Silverlight Rain Effect: Playing with

Ian's Link Dump 12th March 2009

2009-03-12T23:16:00.002Z

WPF/SilverlightSilverlight Streaming ClassesWorking with WPF or Silverlight? You Need This PatchMy Silverlight War RoomWhat I Use for Silverlight DevelopmentNew Release: Silverlight for Designers Getting Started GuideTutorial: Create a Firey Button.NETSix Things Every ASP.NET Developer Should Know by 2010General WebObject Oriented CSS (video)Design105+ Logo Design Tuts and ResourcesFreebie:

Ian's Link Dump 11th March 2009

2009-03-11T22:56:00.002Z

WPF/SilverlightSilverlight: Using PreparingCellForEdit event in DataGridAnother Silverlight 2 Hands-On LabSilverlight Business Application Development Faster with IdeaBlade (Tim Heuer)Extended PRISM example with MVP, Decoupled Events, Business EntitiesContrasting Silverlight and WPFUsing CSS Selectors for Styling in WPFFirst Mockup of Silverlight Control Maps for Designers/Developers:

Ian's Link Dump 10th March 2009

2009-03-10T22:43:00.002Z

WPF/SilverlightGravatar Control for Silverlight and WPF: Source and Control BinariesSilverlight Unit Testing, RhinoMocks, Unity and ResharperSilverlight Relay Base ClassEnabling RelativeSource Binding in SilverlightSilverlight Chord finderTemplatePanel (aka MasterPage) for SilverlightInteraction between Silverlight and the BrowserSilverlight Visifire ChartsDebugging a Remotely Hosted Silverlight

Ian's Link Dump 9th March 2009

2009-03-09T23:11:00.002Z

WPF/SilverlightAnnouncing new 'Silverlight' expertise for the MVP ProgramMasterPage and SilverlightDeclarative Role-based Security for Silverlight XAML ElementsUsing TransformToVisual for Custom XAML AnimationBlacklight v3.0 ReleasedMore Use for Value Converters and Extension Methods in Silverlight BindingSilverlight 3.0 for Great Business Apps (video)Notes on the Silverlight 3.0 video (cuts out

Ian's Link Dump 7th/8th March 2009

2009-03-08T16:56:00.003Z

WPF/SilverlightSpecialised Layout Panels for SilverlightSilverlight Drag Drop ManagerSilverlight TutorialsGeneral WebHow to Absolutely Position DIVs inside a Relatively-Positioned DIVDigg Toolbox: 50 New Tools and ResourcesData AccessADO.NET Data Services (Astoria) ResourcesDesign53 High-Resolution Photoshop Paint BrushesLogo Design Trends 2009 - Showcase20 Beautiful Video Motion PiecesFree

Ian's Link Dump 6th March 2009

2009-03-08T16:27:00.002Z

WPF/SilverlightSimple Parent/Child Navigation in SilverlightSilverlight: Attach a Double-Click to any ObjectDrilldown Silverlight Charts Using VisifireThe State of Silverlight 2 BooksWPF and the Power of ICommandSilverlight 2: Custom Control Gotcha'sSilverlight 2 Walkthrough: Creating a Traffic Jam gameAsynchronous Test Support - Silverlight Unit Test Framework and the UI ThreadGotcha when

Ian's Link Dump 5th March 2009

2009-03-08T16:17:00.002Z

WPF/SilverlightHow to Create Your Own Commands and Bind Them in WPFHow to Build a WPF application with PRISM V2Composite Application Guideance for WPF and Silverlight Feb 2009 (Notes)Sunny Orange: WPF Theme 1GeneralSchool for StartUps10 Ways to Bide Your Time when You Hate Your Job10 Fixes that Solve IE6 ProblemsDesign50 Stunning Photoshop Text Effect Tutorials20 Must Subscribe Graphic Design

Ian's Link Dump 4th March 2009

2009-03-08T16:08:00.002Z

WPF/SilverlightPrism VideosHow to Grey the Icon of a Menu ItemSilverlight 101: Make a GET request and a POST requestPanning across Large Maps with Deep Zoom and Custom AnimationsHosting Silverlight Outside the BrowserWPF Application Frameworks on CodePlexSilverlight.FX and Silverlight Store Sample Application.NETBack to Basics: InterfacesSOLID Development Principles - in Motivational

Ian's Link Dump 3rd March 2009

2009-03-08T16:00:00.002Z

WPF/SilverlightA Rose by Any Other Name: LayoutTransformControl on track to ship in the Silverlight Toolkit under the name LayoutTransformer.NETHow to Make CTRL-C not select a blank lineHow to Create a Code Snippet for Visual Studio 2008General Web40 Useful JavaScript LibrariesGoogle Analytic IQ LessonsDesign40+ Sources to Download High Quality Free Stock Images50 Sites to find free Stock

Ian's Link Dump 2nd March 2009

2009-03-08T15:53:00.002Z

WPF/SilverlightMulti-Targetting M-V-VM: An Exercise in Reuse for Silverlight and WPF ApplicationsSilverlight M-V-VM ResourcesRecent WPF DiscussionsUsing Complex Vector Shapes in Expression DesignDependency Properties and Silverlight 2General WebEmpirical Studies Show Test Driven Development Improves Quality10 Features that will make Twitter Better50 Twitter Tools and Tutorials for Designers and

Ian's Link Dump 1st March 2009

2009-03-08T15:48:00.002Z

WPF/SilverlightHow do I Prism 2? (videos)Integration of Browser's Unloading with SilverlightTip of the Day: How to get an Image's source nameSilverlight Adoption: A Few NumbersGeneral DevelopmentPacker for .NET Updated (JScript compressor)Software Development is not a Jenga Game (SOLID)JQuery Auto-Complete Plug-In

Ian's Link Dump 28th February 2009

2009-03-08T14:54:00.002Z

WPF/SilverlightSilverlight-Enabled Live SearchMiscellaneous10 Things You Could Do Better Today10 Online Photo Editors That You Definitely Need to Bookmark