In-Depth Features


How to Use .NET Objects to Tie an Application to a Database

Use custom-built .NET 4.0 classes to connect an application to a SQL Server 2012 database.

Top 7 Reasons To Love CoffeeScript

Learn why more and more C# developers are turning to CoffeeScript to build their JavaScript-based Web applications.

What's New in Windows 8.1 Background Tasks

A look at the improvements and new features of the updated collection of background APIs.

The Observer Pattern in .NET

The Observer Pattern is the foundation of Model View Controller (MVC) development. In this article, you'll learn how to use it by building a simple email application.

Security Considerations and Best Practices for WCF 4 Apps

The Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) framework can be vulnerable to phishing and other attacks. Learn how to protect it with these tactics.

Windows 8 Contracts and Extensions: Search

Don't re-invent the wheel when building your Windows 8 apps. Instead, save coding time by using (and customizing) the Search contract to add this critical piece of functionality.

VSM Goes Responsive, Part 3: Cross-Browser Support for Responsive Design

Rodrigo Munoz walks you through how to fix two of the most challenging Internet Explorer 8 and Internet Explorer 7 responsive design bugs: media queries and box-sizing.

Generating Distinct, Random Array Indices

James McCaffrey demonstrates the brute-force, Fisher-shuffle and reservoir-sampling techniques.

How to Set Up In-App Purchasing for Your Windows Phone App

In-App purchasing helps you make money after the initial sale. Learn how to use the new API to set it up.

NuGet Inside the Firewall

NuGet extends Visual Studio by simplifying the process of installing and updating third-party libraries and tools. It has limitations in a local private network, however. Here's what you need to know, along with a possible solution.

Creating LINQ-Enabled Frameworks

Harness the power of query expressions to develop powerful frameworks.

Create a MapView in Google Maps for iOS

You're not stuck with using Apple's Maps app in your iOS development. Learn how to leverage the Google Maps SDK for iOS.

Continuous Improvement and the Agile Retrospective

Doing better takes time and is an incremental process.

Best Practices for Transitioning from ASP.NET to Windows 8 Development

One key change that will smooth your transition from ASP.NET to Windows 8 is to think like a designer from the outset.

Cross-Platform Development with Portable Class Libraries

In a Bring Your Own Device (BOYD) world, .NET Framework support for Portable Class Libraries (PCLs) provides a base for writing code that will run on any platform -- provided you understand the limitations of PCLs and how to structure your applications to exploit them.

Background Tasks in Windows Store Apps

A new feature of Windows Store apps, utilizing background tasks will not only help circumvent some challenges from the Windows Store app lifecycle, but they can keep your app responsive to what's going on with the user's device.

Say What? Incorporating Windows Phone 8 Speech Recognition into Your Apps

The Windows Phone 8 SDK added a speech recognition API that's easy to use and flexible. Learn how to put it to work in your application.

VSM Goes Responsive, Part 2: Media Queries Explained

CSS3 media queries are the key to making responsive design work.

VSM Goes Responsive, Part I: Why The Box Model Breaks Layouts (and How To Fix It)

This new series on the Visual Studio Magazine Web site redesign focuses first on one of the most frustrating things you can encounter on implementing responsive designs -- having layouts break after adding padding or borders -- and what you need to do to fix this.

Puncturing The Top 7 Agile Myths

Although continuing to gain in popularity among developers, Agile methods still suffer from misperceptions. Here are seven of those myths, and why they're bunk.

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