Sample code:

 Microsoft.Win32.OpenFileDialog _ofd = new Microsoft.Win32.OpenFileDialog();
_ofd.ShowDialog();

The keyword as doesn’t throw an exception if it fails to complete the casting operation.

Instead it will return null.

Other casting operations will throw an exception when the provided value cannot be casted.

Since the “as” keyword sets or returns “null” value when it fails, the variable you use must be of a reference type or nullable in order to be used with the as keyword. For example, following operation will not be suitable as int is not a nullable type.

int Year = rowYM["year"] as int; // the compiler will reject this because int is non-nullable value type

string FName = dt.Rows[0]["fname"] as string; // this works because string is a reference type

// c# - use of keyword as in csharp

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Cassian Menol Razeek

WPF doesn’t have a straightforward Timer control that you can drag and drop from the Toolbox.

However, ther’s still a straightforward easy way to implement this.

You can use the provided System.Windows.Threading.DispatcherTimer class for this

It’s easy as abc.

Steps:

1 Create an instance

System.Windows.Threading.DispatcherTimer TimerName = new System.Windows.Threading.DispatcherTimer() ;

2 Create an event handler for DispatcherTimer.Tick event

This is similar to what you used to write after double clicking on the timer under the Timer_Tick method.

Use following structure (method signature) to create the event handler and put all the code you want the timer to do in it.

private void methodName(object sender, EventArgs e)

{

… put your code for the timer here

}

3 Assign The Tick Event Handler To The Timer

TimerName.Tick += methodName ;

3 Set An Interval

Specify the interval for the timer. Or in other words tell the timer how often you want it to fire.

You have to use a TimeSpan value for this. Simply create a new TimeStamp and set the time.

Briefly: System.TimeSpan constructor takes three parameters (hh – number of hours, mm – number of minutes, ss – number of seconds)

There are  overloaded constructors that accept days and milliseconds if you want.

i.e. TimerName.Interval = new TimeSpan(0, 0, 1) ;  // this timer will fire every one second

4 Start the timer…

TimerName.Start() ;

Sample Code

private void btnStartClock_Click(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
{
System.Windows.Threading.DispatcherTimer digitalClock = new System.Windows.Threading.DispatcherTimer();
digitalClock.Interval = new System.TimeSpan(0, 0, 1);
digitalClock.Tick += digitalClock_Tick;
digitalClock.Start();
}

private void digitalClock_Tick(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
this.lblClock.Content = string.Format("{0} : {1} : {2}",DateTime.Now.Hour, DateTime.Now.Minute, DateTime.Now.Second);
}

Output:

The label will display the time in “Hour : Minute : Second” format (i.e. 11 : 25 : 36) and the timer will refresh it every second.

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Cassian Menol Razeek

I usually use ItemsSource property when I need to databind a control in WPF because it’s straightforward and the framework does everything for me.

However, I came accross a situation where I had to do all data formatting and stuff for a DataGrid. In such a case the best method is to use the DataContext property.

The DataContext property is available for pretty much any item you use under the .net framework because it is implemented in the FrameworkElement. What you need to know about FrameworkElement to understand DataContext is that it is one of the very top level classes in the .net framework class hierarchy which is inherited by many classes beneath it.

The ItemsSource property on the other hand is implemented in the ItemsControl class which is located far below in the .net class hierarchy and therefore only inherited by a sub set of controls you use.

What is DataContext

As the name suggests this property sets the data context for an item. In other words it sets the bigger picture (something similar to saying this text box is should be bound to some data element within this particular data table, but you have to tell me what exactly that element is). So when you set the data context property, then you have to specify databindings explicitly.

Data context is usually used to databind controls such as forms which would include sub controls that need to be bound to sub elements of the data context.

For example, a form would include text boxes for First Name and Last Name. Instead of databinding each control you can set the datacontext property of the form so that both FirstName and LastName textboxes would get relevant data automatically.

Following example shows a simple use of DataContext:

First take a note at the two XAML lines for two text boxes which tells the framework what fields of the datacontext each text box should be bound to

Now following code sets the datacontext of the whole window. (Notice this.DataContext)

// create a simple data source
DataTable _dt = new DataTable();
_dt.Columns.Add(new DataColumn("Id", typeof(int)));
_dt.Columns.Add(new DataColumn("FirstName", typeof(string)));
_dt.Columns.Add(new DataColumn("LastName", typeof(string)));

_dt.Rows.Add(1, "Robin", "Hood");
_dt.Rows.Add(2, "Spider", "Man");
_dt.Rows.Add(3, "Knight", "Rider");

this.DataContext = _dt;

Output

ItemsSource

On the other hand, Items source setting does all the binding work for you so all you have to do is to set the items source property of your control to any collection that implements IEnumerable interface.

Following example shows how you can simply data bind a datagrid using ItemsSource property:

// create a simple data source
DataTable _dt = new DataTable();
_dt.Columns.Add(new DataColumn("Id", typeof(int)));
_dt.Columns.Add(new DataColumn("First Name", typeof(string)));
_dt.Columns.Add(new DataColumn("Last Name", typeof(string)));

_dt.Rows.Add(1, "Robin", "Hood");
_dt.Rows.Add(2, "Spider", "Man");
_dt.Rows.Add(3, "Knight", "Rider");

// DgTestGrid is a dimple datagrid
this.DgTestGrid.ItemsSource = _dt.DefaultView;

Output

Note

The data table, _dt is not used straightaway as the items source but its DefaultView is used instead. This is because the DataTable (System.Data.DataTable) class does not implement the IEnumerable interface but its DefaultView (System.Data.Dataview) does.

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Cassian Menol Razeek

The RowFilter property of the DataView allows to use flexible string similar to SQL or LINQ to easily filter rows wihtout having to iterate through them.

I had to implement a fully flexible search module for a project I’m working on. The user had to be able to perform a string search on any field displayed on the gridview. The above mentioned RowFilter method is really handy to provide such a functionality due to increased efficiency.

Assume following example:

The data table (in the database)

Field Name         Data Type  

Name                String

DateOfBirth        DateTime

Data

Name                     DOB

John                      1976-10-12

Sophie                   1990-12-30

If you want to use the RowFilter to enable flexible searching (i.e. if the user type “j” in the search textbox the search grid view would only show the record for John) you can use following code:

string SearchFor = SearchTextBox.Text;
((DataView)SearchGrid.DataContext).RowFilter = string.Concat("Name LIKE '%", SearchFor, "%'");

This will allow the above explained behaviour so if the user now enter “h” in the textbox it will show both records because both John and Sophie have the letter “h” in their names.

So what if we repeat the same and use the following code for the date of birth field?

// WRONG CODE
string SearchFor = SearchTextBox.Text;
((DataView)SearchGrid.DataContext).RowFilter = string.Concat("DateOfBirth LIKE '%", SearchFor, "%'");

We would expect the program to filter records similarly. However, if you enter “1990″ in the search textbox hoping it would filter Sophie, it would give you an error instead!

This is because the LIKE operator cannot work with non-charactor types.

The Solution!

We have to use a converter to convert the datetime field into a string just before the RowFilter is applied.

Here’s the code:

string SearchFor = SearchTextBox.Text;
((DataView)SearchGrid.DataContext).RowFilter = string.Concat("CONVERT(DateOfBirth, System.String) LIKE '%", SearchFor, "%'");

The Convert function will cast the datetime value into string just before the LIKE operation takes place. And since the datetime value is only temperory converted, the original data are not affected as well.

So if you add this code to the previously worked code for the Name column as described below:

string SearchFor = SearchTextBox.Text;
((DataView)SearchGrid.DataContext).RowFilter = string.Concat("Name LIKE '%", SearchFor, "%'");
((DataView)SearchGrid.DataContext).RowFilter = string.Concat("CONVERT(DateOfBirth, System.String) LIKE '%", SearchFor, "%'");

The Result

Now if you type “John” the grid will only show records that match that value and if you type a digit (e.g. 30) it will show the record that has 30 in the dob field (i.e. the record for Sophie)

Note
You can use the same method for any other field type which doesn’t support use of LIKE directly.

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Cassian Menol Razeek

Timestamp is a value that is incremented by the database whenever an insert or update operation is performed.

Even though the name Timestamp could be a bit misleading, this value has no relevance to a clock related time. This only shows a linear progression of time.

For an example , it is something like your database saying it has been two update or insert commands since your last visit.

You can see this value by referring to @@DBTS  [ select @@DBTS ]

Database Timestamp Value

Well, in simple terms, this helps to keep track of versions of records.

For an example, assume a scenario where you have to fetch a record from a table, manipulate the data and write it back.

What if the record gets changed (from another database call) after you fetched data? You will manipulate the old data and update the record without knowing somebody has updated the record in between your fetching and updating commands.

How can timestamp help?

You can add a column to your table (you can call it “Version”) and set its data type to TimeStamp. Then whenever you update or insert a record to this table, this column will record the database timestamp after that transaction.

So before writing your manipulated data, you can check if the timestamp value remains the same as what you read at the beginning of the transaction.

Following example demonstrates how timestamp can be used to monitor versions:

The Person table used for this example has a column called “Version” which is of type Timestamp.

First simply query the Version column of the table for the person called “Robert”

Timestamp before update

Timestamp after update

Note: Timestamp columns are automatically updated by the database engine so you do not have to specify value when either inserting or updating a row of a table which has a timestamp (version) column.

So to insert a record to a table with a timestamp column simply omit the timestamp column from your insert statement.

i.e. – Person table has following columns [Id, Given_Name, Family_Name, Age, Version]

Insert statement would be:

Insert into Person(Id, Given_Name, Family_Name, Age)
Values(001, "Robert", "Nox", 78);

The database will take care of the timestamp (version) column.

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Cassian Menol Razeek

We frequently get to fetch data from the database, update them and then write them back to the database.

Most of the time we only have to write them back as individual records.

How about updating a whole database table in the memory and having to synchronize all changes to the actual data table?

My initial thought was this would be full of complex coding. However, thanks to Microsoft, there’s nothing much to be done at all.

So how are we gonna do this is…

We will use a data adaptor to fill our data table as usual.

The only new thing is the use of a Command Binder.

Command Binder: A command binder is capable to detect changes that have occurred to a table (in the memory) and then automatically generate appropriate SQL statements to save those changes into the actual data table (in the database).

Following is a simple example: Scenario: In my application I had to take a database table name and present data in a data grid and then save all changes made by the user.

What we need: a data table an adaptor a connection a command builder I have defined them at the form level so I can use them across the form from different events.

private DataTable _tbl;

private SqlDataAdapter _adptr;

private SqlConnection _conn;

private SqlCommandBuilder _cbldr;

Step1: Initialize connection and retrieve data from the database

_tbl = new DataTable();
_conn = FetchData.GetOpenConnection();
_adptr = new SqlDataAdapter("Select * from " + DatabaseTableName, _conn);
_cbldr = new SqlCommandBuilder(_adptr);
_adptr.Fill(_tbl);

Step2: Let the user to change data (in here simply bind the table to a grid)

dgMainGrid.DataSource = _tbl;

Step3: Save (synchronize) changes to the actual database table Even though this is a complex process and undoubtedly would take a lot of effort to do manually, Thanks to .net framework all we need is a line of code.

_adptr.Update(_tbl);

Once you call the adaptor to update the table, it will use the command builder attached to it to generate all necessary SQL command building. The database table is now up-to-date!

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Cassian Menol Razeek

English is not my first language so I use online dictionaries frequently as a part of my daily routine to clarify and learn unfamiliar words as I read through articles in the Internet.

I have been using www.ditionary.com for a long time and I had the plan to make this work easy by creating a small application to retrieve the definition with support of a web service. This morning suddenly a new idea hit me to use JavaScript to get the word in the first place and load the appropriate URL.

How Does This Work?

When a user enters a word in the www.dictionary.com interface it redirects the user to the following dynamic URL.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Target-Word

Target-Word is The word we are seeking the definition for

What this JavaScript does is it retrieves the desired word from the user via a prompt, generate the appropriate URL according to the above format and open the new URL in a new window or tab so the time taken (under normal circumstance) to, load the web site, type-in the word, wait till the site redirects you, is saved. Now time is only taken for a single server request/response.

How To Set This Up?

It’s simple, just add a new favorite (for IE) or bookmark (for FireFox) in your browser and paste following code as the URL (for IE) or Location (for FireFox):

javascript:(function(){var%20word=prompt(%22Enter Word:%22);if(word!=null){window.open(%22http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/%22+word);}})();

Add bookmark dialog box in firefox

Now, when you open the favorite/bookmark, it will ask you for the word you want to look for and open the definition in a new window/tab.

Sample use of the script

It’s easier to use if you add the bookmark/favorite as a button into your bookmark/links toolbar

Bookmark button

This small script helps me a lot daily so I hope this would help you too!

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Cassian Menol Razeek

I have being working on a software application made on .Net and recently my client asked me to use D LINQ instead of SQL.

D LINQ has great benefits loaded! As I started working with DLINQ I started to know that preventing SQL injection is not a headache anymore and misspelled SQL queries will not trouble agian at run time because DLINQ generates all necessary SQL inside the framework!

I chose to use annotations inside the class instead of using separate xml file. Following is a part of the first class I ported to D LINQ.

</p>
_
Public Class Process
_
Public ProcessID As Integer
_
Public BusinessProcessID As String
_
Public ProcessText As String
...
...

ProcessID column is the primary key of my database table tbl_Process.

Important Point: I use database to auto-generate values for the primary key column (integer value incremented by one).

So when I run the application, It gave me this unexpected error:

Cannot insert explicit value for identity column in table ‘tbl_Process’ when IDENTITY_INSERT is set to OFF.

Basically, the IDENTITY_INSERT when using the database to auto generate value for a field but when I ran a SQL insert statement at the database end it worked fine!

After some tough time I found out the solution for this problem!

When we use an auto-generate field in a data table we have to specifically mention it in the matching field in the appropriate class.

The code to state this is:

Syntax:

IsDbGenerated:=True

This has to be added to the annotation added for the specific column like:

</p>
_
Public ProcessID As Integer

Now D LINQ can understand that the field value is auto-generated by the database!

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Cassian Menol Razeek

Today I was experimenting on a grid view where I was trying to select multiple rows of the grid view using a check box column.

I wrote some code in the CheckedChanged of checkbox but then I found that the code was not executed when the state of the checkbox is changed.

So I did a little googling and found out about this AutoPostBack property. This property defines whether the control should post back to the server each time when the user interacts with the control. Or, according to this scenario, a post back will fire when the user clicks on the check box or when the Checked property is changed.

AutoPostBack :

This value holds a boolean value (true/false)

If the property is set to true, a post back is sent immediately to the server and no post back is occurred when set to false.

The Use of AutoPostBack:

According to MSDN, for most WebControls, when AutoPostBack is false, only the events from actions that cause a net change in the state of the control are submitted to the server.

In other words some events are not queued to the server. For example no event is fired when a user selects a value from a drop down list or when user presses Enter or Tab key after entering a value to a textbox.

If you want such events to be fired then you have to enable autopostback by setting autopostback property to true.

How AutoPostBack Works :

When AutoPostBack is enabled, the .Net framework automatically injects following additional items into the generated HTML code.

1. Two Hidden variables with name __EVENTTARGET and __EVENTARGUMENT
2. A Java script method with name __doPostBack (eventtarget, eventargument)
3. OnChange JavaScript event to the control

What is __EVENTTARGET :

__EVENTTARGET tells the server which control wants to fire the event so that the framework can fire the event on that control.

What is __EVENTARGUMENT :

__EVENTARGUMENT can be used to provide additional information to the server about the event.

What is __doPostBack (eventtarget, eventargument) :

Parameters sent to this method holds relevant target and event argument values and this method sets those values into __EVENTTARGET and __EVENTARGUMENT hidden variables so that the server can read those.

Then this method submits the form to the server where the appropriate event will be fired.

What is OnChange JavaScript event to the control :

Every control has a client side event called OnChange. When AutoPostBack is enabled for a control the framework sets the handler for this client side event as the __doPostBack method and will pass the name of the control as the first parameter, eventtarget.

Ex/

Following shows how the framework binds the __doPostBack method to the OnChange event.

<input type=”checkbox” onclick=“javascript:setTimeout(‘__doPostBack(‘CheckBox1′,”)‘, 0)” />

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Cassian Menol Razeek

Recommended Books:

• Pro ASP.NET 3.5 in C# 2008

• Professional ASP.NET 2.0 Special Edition
• Beginning ASP.NET 3.5: In C# and VB Languages