I am going to have to keep a closer eye on the live writer web site, as having updated to the latest beta things now work correctly on my machine, apparently my images are a bit big but I can deal with that in future posts.
I wish they had made this a one click app so it would update it self.
ok so using expression seams more problematic that I thought, so for this iteration I decided to use a simple windows form, this will allow me to think about what elements I want, and how I am going to test this, the aim is to test as close to the interface as possible.
So here we have come text box’s and a data grid, along with a button, the idea is that the grid is filled from the collection, and the user can enter new transactions using the text box’s and drop down list, when update is pressed any transactions marked for deletion are deleted, and the addition is made.
So the next job is to bind the grid to the collection and get the items to display.
For the first time ever I am having trouble posting to my blog, windows live writer just seams to cancel the post, it has many pictures in it so, I am going to have to break it up a bit first
This is a test post just to ensure that the basics are working.
Ever downloaded a program and then forgot where you got it from, so this is a memory aid for me as well as it has just happened to me.
At work I use a small utility called ‘Next Action’ its always running somewhere on my screen, (it moves out of the way of the mouse automatically) I use it as a do next todo list, or a quick note to myself when I am working, nothing long term.
I know that outlook can do it, along with many other programs, but they all seam like overkill, I wanted something that, when someone came up and said ‘could you just’, I could add their request, without fuss or a load of keypresses or mouse moves, with next action I simply select the application in the task bar and start typing, when I am finished click back to where I was first and continue.
Next Action has lived up to the task in spades
Its simple, simply type in the stuff you want to remember and leave the window, saving is done automatically, the only other key I have used is control down arrow to move selected text to the bottom of the list, usually when I have completed it, so the next item appears.
oh and there is no install, simply copy the program to where you want to run it and you are off. I have added a short cut to the program in my startup folder, so its there running when ever my computer is on.
download it here
I have added this to the list of things that I must install on any dev machine I work on, just remember to keep the list short, and only use this for the short term things, longer items that need big descriptions and have long time scales I still use outlook for, this is for those jobs that get in the way, for jotting where I got to when I close Visual Studio
Here we are at last sorting out one of my aims with regard to our video and music collection, we have started to rip our dvds to disk so that we may watch them via our media center pc which I have at last setup.
copying the DVDs to disk so that they are not all sat on the shelf taking up valuable space, and allowing us to stream them to any room in the house is the aim, the block until recently was that none of us had any experience of copying dvds and I wasn’t sure of what programs to use.
I was using Live Search and Google and was searching for a how to, or some general information and found a early good guide to copying dvds on the wiki how, funny but I have never heard of this before or the program DVDx that the page pointed me to, its a free program, with a pay for version available, (well actually you pay for access to the advanced features of the website.
So hows it going, well following the guide, very well, though i can see a new hard disk on the horizon, and an upgrade to windows vista for the media center when Channel 4 have sorted out their 4od service, so that it will work with vista, but that’s another story.
For a long time now I have been looking for a spelling package that I could use from any program, even Visual Studio, I have a plugin for Code Rush this does a good job of checking strings, but really I need something that will allow me to check the spelling of an individual word, even if its a part of function name, many a time I have function names made up of two or more words camel cased, and someone has pointed out that its spelt incorrectly.
My latest tool of choice is ENSO Words there is a nice free trial that lasts 28 days, and its cost is very reasonable, it uses a magic key (the caps lock key) the user then taps out the start of a known command such as (spell check) and once the correct command is highlighted release the magic key, and the highlighted text is spell checked.
there is also a program launcher ENSO Launcher, which I am also trying out, although it does have stiff competition from Colibri which is the best program launcher I have found so far.
We have had one of those days at work, so its nice to think that tomorrow there is something to look forward to, even though I have been using Vista since before Christmas on various computers, and now use it as my main platform on a laptop, my main development machine, I have been lucky as I have had few problems with the RTM, and now with the release hopefully we will get some new extras for the ultimate edition.
I remember the windows 95 lunch when Microsoft brought (I think it was the Times in the UK) for the day, and it was free to everyone! Wonder what is planned for tomorrow.
Happy Vista launch everyone.
Well that’s not really the truth, its more that vista can be a bit fussy about how an install program works, by now a lot of people have written about the UAC stuff, some older (and newer) install programs even though they have been given permission via the UAC system still will fail install.
now I don’t want to turn off the UAC, Microsoft has spent a lot of time developing this system to help me, so turning it off to me doesn’t seam the solution.
Another way I have found to install a difficult program is from the command line, in the search panel, enter cmd this will find the dos command box, now select this with a right click and a menu will appear, select run as administrator, once the dos box appears then simply navigate to the setup and type in the name.
This seams to allow the setup to run completely with admin privileges, which so far has solved the any install problems I have had with the Vista RTM
Oh heck here I am, all the background is developed, now comes for me the difficult bit. the user interface, I really want to develop this in WPF, just because its new and I am working on a vista machine.
so its off to download the Microsoft expression designer as I suppose that will be the easiest way to design a general screen for the application.
although I think I must say at this point that Microsoft are shooting themselves in the foot, the expression suite is not currently available to MSDN subscribers, meaning that developers will not in the future use this technology
Throughout its development it has been touted at all the developer events, with the suggestions that developers should be using the tools to develop the next generation of applications, new we are informed that its not really for developers, sorry Microsoft we produce the software that runs on your platform, slowly withdrawing the development tools is only going to harm your market, and the relationship with the developers, who promote your platform within the industry.
enough said, I am off to learn this new technology and work out a simple design for the money application.
As with most books I have read, I actually listened to this via Audible, so I will be supplying both links.
I should first say that apparently this is the third book in a trilogy, and I haven’t read any of the other books, written by Douglas Preston or Lincoln Child, so this a totally new experience, the title interested me, and I have an interest in Egyptian things, and being an Audible member allows me to pick books that I might not buy in the shops.
I don’t really want to give a story outline as its available elsewhere, but more to give my impressions and how much I enjoyed it (or not)
The audible book came in two parts, and was the unabridged version which I prefer, so I got the whole story, there are books that grab you and carry you along, others start slow, this grabbed me from the first page, to be honest I wasn’t sure at the early stages where I was being taken, and having not read any other books in the series I didn’t know the characters so had no preconceptions.
At about the begriming of part 2 I sort of knew where the story was heading, and could understand what was happening, seeing the pieces fall into place, but the writing just would not let me stop, each turn promised and delivered.
I early did enjoy the book, not one that I think would make a good film, but the characters are interesting and I shall be reading the other books in the series.
from Amazon The Book of the Dead
and from Audible.com or Audible UK
The Butler Did It 