How To


New Migration Paths to the Microsoft Cloud

Will emerging developer tools and hybrid Platform as a Service features ramp up project and data deployments to Windows Azure?

Lambda Properties: An Alternative to Subclassing?

This article will introduce you to the concept of exposing parts of your application logic as lambda properties. By making these properties read/write, you can plug in specific functionality with more control than subclassing.

Test Plans with Microsoft Test Manager 2010

Visual Studio 2010 brings testers and developers closer together and provides testers the tools they need to be able to do their job more effectively. We look at Test Plans in Microsoft Test Manager 2010 and discuss how they are used within the testing framework.

ASP.NET: Exploiting DataSources' Events

If you're using the ASP.NET DataSources, you may be missing an important part of their functionality: the power of their events. But sometimes the right event isn't on the DataSource.

Reactive Extensions: Just What the Doctor Ordered (Part 1)

The Reactive Extensions (Rx) Library is a set of extensions for the IObservable<T> and IObserver<T> interfaces that greatly simplifies the orchestration and composition of asynchronous functions and events.

Retrospective Meetings: Agile Learning from the Past

Aaron Bjork talks about the power of learning from the past and gives some insight into how to get the most out of your retrospectives in your Agile projects.

Build Consistent WP7 User Interfaces Using Resources

Nick Randolph walks through how to create and consume resources within your Windows Phone 7 application.

Clear Cross-Cutting Concerns with Aspect Oriented Programming in .NET

How to use the PostSharp AOP library to encapsulate cross-cutting concerns into efficient and re-usable modules.

From Unstructured to Structured Data with HTML 5

The emerging HTML 5 specification provides for structured documents that can support rich hierarchies and enable deep interoperability.

Windows Phone Layout Using Grid

Nick Randolph walks through how to use the Grid to layout your Windows Phone 7 application.

Visual Studio Solution Architecture for a WPF Application

Complex applications require careful architecting to reduce the amount of code movement between Visual Studio projects and the renaming of corresponding namespaces and folders.

Performance Tips: Speed up Data Access

Faster performance in business applications comes down to reducing the "critical two" -- disk I/O and trips to the server. Doing that means doing a lot of things right, starting with your database design -- and tweaking your ADO.NET code helps, too.

Is Visual Studio LightSwitch the New Access?

The LightSwitch RAD platform generates apps with "no coding required." What's in it for you? .NET apps that are easier to maintain and extensions built on the Managed Extensibility Framework.

Silverlight Code: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle

A developer's guide to unlocking the power of code reusability.

Not Just a Designer: Code First in Entity Framework

Code First is a new development approach in the Entity Framework 4.1 stack that can simplify the understanding and maintenance of your domain model.

Make Objects Look Alike... and Tell Them Apart

Here's everything you need to know to simplify your code about how to make classes look alike and then, when you need to, tell them apart.

Deleting all Data from a SQL Server Database (Part 2)

In part 2 of a series, On VB columnist Joe Kunk provides a Visual Basic program to generate a SQL script that clears all the data from a SQL Server database.

Extending a C# Application Through a Scripted DLR Language

The DLR Hosting API allows a DLR language to be scripted from a CLR language such as C# and VB.NET, extending the functionality of an application through scripts coded in one of the many DLR supported languages.

Introducing Team Web Access for TFS 2010

Mickey Gousset offers an introduction to the new Team Web Access console for Team Foundation Server 2010.

Agile Development and the Daily Standup Meeting

This is the first installment of a new online column written by Aaron Bjork, senior program manager at Microsoft working on Agile experiences and tooling within TFS. This month Aaron looks at daily standup meetings.

Inside the NuGet Package Manager

The popular, open source Nuget Package Management system makes quick work of installing, configuring and updating third-party components in.NET projects.

A Walk Through the Windows Phone 7 Social Reader Template

Mobile Corner columnist Nick Randolph walks through a template that can get your first Windows Phone 7 application up and running fast.

ASP.NET: Extending the Config File with Custom Sections

If you want to do a better job of managing your configuration settings than just throwing random data into appSettings, you can extend your config file with your own custom XML and actually edit your settings.

Deleting All Data from a SQL Server Database

There are times as a developer that you will want to be able to delete all the data from a database as efficiently as possible. Unfortunately, doing so may not be as easy as it seems.

Asynchronous Programming with the Async CTP

The Async CTP and async and await keywords allow C# (and VB) developers to easily create more responsive applications. Here's how to get started with the Async CTP.

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