Code Focused


A Live Tiles Tutorial

Live Tiles are images that update a pinned tile (icon) on the start screen of Windows Phone. They're used to offer updates to a user browsing the start screen, without having to open the application completely.

Build a More Powerful CRM System with Visual Basic .NET Extensions

Accessing a customer relationship management system with a custom .NET application can add important functionality.

Creating an HTTP Service with ASP.NET Web API

ASP.NET Web API allows you to write a service once and provide different output formats with little effort on the developer's side.

Database Synchronization with the Microsoft Sync Framework

Use the Microsoft Sync Framework to synchronize data changes between SQL Server 2008 Standard, SQL Server 2008 Express and SQL Server Compact Edition 3.5.

Hidden Improvements in Visual Basic 11

Visual Basic 11 contains many enhancements you may not have noticed.

Entity Framework Code-First Migrations

Code First Migrations allow for database changes to be implemented all through code. Through the use of Package Manager Console (PMC), commands can be used to scaffold database changes.

10 Questions, 10 Answers on Roslyn

10 questions and answers to help understand the Roslyn complier-as-a-service project for Visual Basic and C# developers.

An EF Code First Tutorial

Code First frees you up from the chore of creating databases for your project. Here's a primer on how to do it.

Selling Data in the Windows Azure Marketplace

Learn how to publish data in the Windows Azure Marketplace for a monthly income with just a few hours effort.

Understanding Iterators, Part 2

Iterators are available for Visual Basic in Visual Studio 2010. In Part 2 of a series, Joe Kunk discusses Visual Basic iterator syntax, demonstrates how iterators are coded, and compares Visual Basic iterators to C# iterators.

Visual Basic Improvements in Visual Studio 11

Visual Basic development in Visual Studio 11 offers asynchronous methods, iterators, call hierarchy, the Global keyword and Windows 8 Metro-based applications.

Understanding Iterators: Concepts, Benefits and Functionality

Iterators are available for Visual Basic in Visual Studio 2010 after installing the latest Visual Studio Async CTP, and natively in Visual Basic 11.

Free Databases in the Window Azure Marketplace

The Windows Azure Marketplace has a hidden jewel: a host of free and nearly free databases ready for monetization.

Developer Recommendations from BUILD

Joe Kunk sifts through the Windows 8 announcements at BUILD and offers advice on next steps.

A CLR Alternative to the SQL Server ISNUMERIC function

CLR functions that perform string manipulation and substring extraction perform very well in SQL Server.

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