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Experiencing Nothingness in C# and Visual Basic

Nothing and null are one and the same, except in the language of programming.

16 Essential Windows Tools for Amazon Web Services

That "other" cloud company is a popular option due to the breadth of tools and capabilities. So, it only makes sense that there are a number of Windows developer tools available for those who want to hop on the AWS cloud.

Creating a Flexible, Extendable Update Process

In any real-world business, updating data isn't simple and changing the rows in the table is just the start of a complex set of processes. Fortunately, you can break those updates down into a bunch of simple processes that can be easily extended.

Use Lambda Expressions in LINQ Includes

You couldn't do it in earlier versions of Entity Framework but, in more recent versions, you can use lambda expressions to save yourself from some runtime errors.

Using the not_null Template for Pointers That Must Never Be Null

Null pointer exceptions can get downright annoying, so who needs that?

Visual Studio, .NET Framework Blogs Are Branching Out

The MSDN blogs can't contain all the information that's being produced on the various Microsoft developer tools and technologies.

Implementing Updates Without Query

The CQRS pattern separates updates from queries, allowing you to create the best process for each of those activities. Effectively, CQRS codifies the standard practice for ASP.NET MVC developers: Here are some strategies for implementing that pattern and improving your application's performance.

Different Take on Trial Software: Azure Test Drives

Azure Test Drives gives developers the ability to test out apps in the cloud without any commitment whatsoever.

Conflicts in C# and Visual Basic

Case matters when moving from one language to another and, often, variable naming conflicts can be as simple as that.

Processing All Properties on an Object

If you ever need to work with all of the properties in some object, you can use GetType and GetProperties to retrieve the object's PropertyInfo objects. After that you can do what you want. Here's an extension method that sets all those properties to their defaults, for example.

Ignore the Myths About C++ And Read This

Online book from C++ expert Andrey Karpov aims to explain away the myths of C++ programming by way of example.

Initialize Member Variables in the Order You Declare Them

In part 4 of this series on the C++ Core Guidelines, Kate Gregory reminds you of an oddity in C++ when it comes to initializing member variables, and shows you a best practice that will make sure this oddity never hurts you.

Silver Anniversary for Visual Basic

A belated 25th birthday to Visual Basic. Yes, 25 years ago, this language transformed the Windows app market in ways even Microsoft could not have imagined.

Integrating ASP.NET MVC, React and JSX with TypeScript

Creating a form with TypeScript, React and JSX lets you generate the HTML for your form dynamically, at runtime, and on the user's computer. Here's how to integrate a data- driven form into ASP.NET MVC.

How To Programmatically Customize iOS Keyboards with C#

Developers will always look to customize everything, and keyboards aren't out of bounds. Here's how to customize the iOS keyboard that pops up in your mobile apps to address any shortcomings.

Simplifying Data Retrieval with CQRS in ASP.NET MVC

Data retrieval and updates are very different activities so the CQRS pattern says that the smart thing to do is treat them differently. Here's a variety of solutions for the retrieval side in an ASP.NET MVC application.

Generate TypeScript Classes from C# with TypeScriptSyntaxPaste

When working with TypeScript it's not unusual to need a class that matches an already existing server-side class written in C#. Here's one way to get from C# to TypeScript by doing what you normally do.

Build Interactive Tiles for Microsoft Band

Now that you know how to communicate with the Band apps, here's another twist. Let's get interactive.

Choosing the Right Constructors to Write

In part 3 of this series on the C++ Core Guidelines, we explore constructors and why, rather than writing a default constructor, you should use in-class member initializers, a feature added in C++ 11.

Simplify Code with the Visitor Pattern

You can't make a complicated problem simple. But, by leveraging the right tools in your language (and the Visitor pattern) you can ensure that your code doesn't get as complicated as your problem.

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