.NET Framework


All Things to All People

Bigger is better. At least, that seems to be the philosophy at the Microsoft Developer Division.

Visual Basic and C# at the Crossroads

How the Microsoft co-evolution strategy has shaped the two flagship languages of the .NET Framework, and what it means for developers going forward.

Upgrading to Visual Studio 2010 SP1

Assuming you don't have any beta software installed, what will you get when you apply service pack 1 to your copy of Visual Studio 2010?

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.

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.

IE 10 Platform Preview Released

First pre-release version of IE 10 released at MIX11 event appears just four weeks after the production version of IE 9 shipped.

MIX11: Microsoft Releases IE10 Platform Preview, Entity Framework and MVC 3 Updates

Dean Hachamovitch and Scott Guthrie headline Microsoft's 11th Web dev conference, emphasizing HTML5 interoperability and strong ties to open source solutions.

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.

Mono for Android 1.0 Released

Novell releases production version of MonoDroid tooling and plug-in for developing Android apps in Visual Studio.

Using the Team Foundation Administration Console

Mickey Gousset walks through the improved Administration Console in Visual Studio TFS 2010.

6 MVVM Tips: Leverage ViewModel and Unit Test Silverlight and WP7 Apps

The Microsoft Model-View-ViewModel pattern is an indispensable tool for developing applications for Silverlight, Windows Phone 7 and Windows Presentation Foundation. Benjamin Day helps you avoid architectural pitfalls and create unit-testable and maintainable applications.

What You Want to See

In the March Frameworks column and a related Desmond File blog post, Editor in Chief Michael Desmond asked what readers of Visual Studio Magazine would like to see more of in the months to come. Here are some responses.

Using Expression Trees in Your APIs

How to translate C# code into expression trees to eliminate strings, standardize parameter validations and interact with other data structures.

Peering Ahead to Windows 8

By now, you may have heard rumblings of Microsoft's next big bet, Windows 8.

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