How To


Serialize Data to the Clipboard

Learn how to copy all the custom data formats in objects to the clipboard and determine which ones are appropriate when you paste.

Creating and Consuming ASP.NET AJAX Page Methods

Using Page Methods when adding the ScriptService attribute is overkill for a single page -- find out how to add the functionality directly using AJAX.

Returning Complex Types from AJAX-Enabled Web Services

Dan Wahlin walks you through exactly how to return any object that contains sub-objects exposed through properties.

Return XML from AJAX-Enabled Web Services

Dan walks you through using the ScriptMethod Attribute.

Write Code for a Multithreaded World

Multithreaded programming is difficult because context switches can happen any time. Here are a few techniques to mitigate the chance of failure.

Utilize Constraints in Custom Generic Classes

Learn how constraints work when creating custom generic classes; display the VB splash screen for an extended period of time; and preserve Handles clauses when you cut-and-paste them.

Implement Expandable Menus

Learn how to create expandable menus such as you find in Office; handle mouse up/down events properly; and create a custom toolstrip button.

Accelerate Apps With Velocity Reporting

Learn to set up and change durations in a supply-chain application that's both metadata- and template-driven.

Inform Users With Customized Visual Feedback

Add and customize visual cues on your AJAX-enabled Web pages with the UpdateProgress control and PageRequestManager class.

Partial-Page Updates With the UpdatePanel

Add partial-page update capabilities to your ASP.NET Web pages.

Whip WPF Snippets Into Shape

Learn how to work around some ugly behavior in WPF when relying on the provided code snippets; change the output of provided WPF snippets; resolve dependency issues in Windows Workflow; and more.

Reduce Lines of Code With C# 3.0

You already know what those new features in C# 3.0 are doing because you do these same things in C# 2.0. Learn how C# 3.0 can reduce coding lines and improve readability by walking through a reverse migration.

Reflecting on Generics

Determine whether an existing variable is a generic type and whether you have to use reflection in particular cases; create irregularly shaped forms; and enable remoting with single-instance applications.

Give Your Users a Voice

.NET 3.0 introduces several new features that simplify utilizing speech in your applications.

Write Robust Exception-Handling Code

Thrown exceptions break the normal flow of execution in a program to report error conditions. A few simple techniques can help you preserve execution flow and give users and administrators the information they need to understand what went wrong.

Build a Custom Data-Bound Generator

Learn how to write custom data-bound generator.

Configure ASP.NET AJAX Extensions

Explore ASP.NET AJAX configuration sections in web.config, and learn how handlers and modules fit into the overall picture.

Getting Started With AJAX

Discover the concepts behind AJAX and why using it in your ASP.NET development is advantageous.

Beautify Your Code With Extensions

Extension methods bring together old and new ways of working with data, and open the doors to new language opportunities.

Use Enums Across Assembly Boundaries

Call a combo box across assembly boundaries with generics and enums; add contact information with Assembly Information; and drill down on FxCop spelling rules.

Update Local Data Caches with Sync Services

The Microsoft Synchronization Services 1.0 API for SQL Server 2005 Compact Edition and the new Sync Designer in the Orcas March 2007 CTP team up to generate a local data cache that synchronizes incrementally and bidirectionally with SQL Server Express.

Lay Down the Law on Code Rules

It can be intimidating at first, but it helps you in the long run to run your code against a static code analyzer like FxCop; also learn how to use dynamic analysis to test your forms during runtime.

Build a Custom Data-Bound Generator

Learn how to write custom data-bound generator.

Remember User Settings

VB's My.Settings class makes it easy for you to remember user-preferred settings; also, what a quirky result in VB's debug window reveals about how its compiler and the .NET runtime work together.

Generics: Move Beyond Collections

Generics can solve many more problems than collections. Use generics to write code once and reuse it more easily.

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