DotNetKicks.com : Stories kicked by tortoise_nz

LightSpeed 2.1 Released - includes new search API

Thu, 16 Oct 2008 14:01:02 GMT

LightSpeed 2.1, the performance minded object relational mapping framework, is fresh from the oven with new features like database independent full text search capabilities using Lucene.Net, Visual Studio integrated designer enhancements and a bundle of other new features.

Free Visual Studio File Explorer Add-in

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 15:31:03 GMT

The Visual Studio File Explorer Add-in (sexy name we know, but hey, it's self documenting) is a free Tool Window add-in for VS 2008 that provides a Windows Explorer style file system view. It's particularly useful for performing routine file system tasks without the need to "context switch" away from Visual Studio, which can be time-consuming over the course of days and weeks. It is shell-enabled so extensions like TortoiseSVN work too.

Elegant Invariant Checking with C# 3

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 13:16:03 GMT

Leveraging expression trees and extension methods to build a fluent invariant checking API.

A Small and Fast Domain Modeling Tool

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 11:46:03 GMT

Mindscape have released a major upgrade to their LightSpeed domain modelling / ORM tool. Version 2.0 includes a visual model designer integrated into Visual Studio, LINQ support, and the ability to access multiple databases concurrently.

How to apply model level validation

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 09:18:11 GMT

This post covers how to add validation to your LightSpeed models using the new Visual Studio 2008 integrated design surface. Validation support has always been an important feature of LightSpeed and now with version 2 the ability to leverage them is easier than ever before. Validation of your model objects is something that should be done at the model level and the support for this is deeply rooted into LightSpeed.

Rich domain modeling with Visual Studio 2008

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 10:16:03 GMT

LightSpeed 2.0 includes a powerful visual domain model designer that has support for database round tripping (auto update on schema changes, push model changes to the database), creates .NET 2.0 compliant or .NET 3.5 compliant code depending on the target framework of your project and customizable code generation templates. Drag and drop database support for SQL Server, Oracle, My SQL, SQLite and PostgreSQL is also supported right out of Visual Studio 2008. Free version available.

Functional C# - Unfolding Lists

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 05:01:03 GMT

Very nice post on implementing ideas from functional programming with C#.

Leveraging LightSpeed specific features from LINQ

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 04:54:28 GMT

Post about accessing the powerful features that LightSpeed offers through the new LINQ provider supplied with LightSpeed 2.0. Specifically this article deals with leveraging the powerful Named Aggregates feature and Soft Delete functionality.

Introducing LINQ to LightSpeed

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 09:31:02 GMT

LightSpeed 2 incorporates LINQ (Language Integrated Query) support. LINQ to LightSpeed means that if you know LINQ, you can get these benefits without having to learn a new API. You can continue to write LINQ queries as if against LINQ to SQL or another LINQ provider, but you'll get database independence (effectively LightSpeed gives you LINQ to Oracle, LINQ to MySQL, LINQ to PostgreSQL and LINQ to SQLite as well as LINQ to SQL Server, all in the one box), advanced eager loading functionality (avoiding the so-called "n+1" problem which affects some LINQ implementations) and of course the blazingly fast LightSpeed query engine.

"Velocity" project - memcached by Microsoft?

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 06:31:07 GMT

Is the Velocity project by Microsoft simply a me-too framework or are they creating real value for developers on the Windows platform?

Silverlight 2 Beta2 Released

Sat, 07 Jun 2008 12:31:02 GMT

Silverlight 2 Beta2 was released today. Silverlight 2 Beta2 supports a go-live license that allows you to start using and deploying Silverlight 2 for commercial applications. There will be some API changes between Beta2 and the final release, so you should expect that applications you write with Beta2 will need to make some updates when the final release comes out. But we think that these changes will be straight-forward and relatively easy, and that you can begin planning and starting commercial projects now.

LightSpeed 2.0 Released

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 10:16:02 GMT

LightSpeed 2.0 has been released. It includes a full, round-tripping Visual Studio designer and support for LINQ!

ASP.NET MVC framework preview 3 released!

Wed, 04 Jun 2008 13:16:03 GMT

Don't know how I do it, but I think this blog post is yet again the first one mentioning a new release of the ASP.NET framework (preview 3) The official installation package can be downloaded from the Microsoft site. Source code is also available from CodePlex.

Using the unit of work-per-request pattern in ASP.NET MVC

Tue, 13 May 2008 14:01:03 GMT

Describe a simple, efficient and testable approach to implementing the unit of work-per-request (a.k.a session-per-request) pattern in Microsoft's new ASP.NET MVC framework.

LightSpeed 2.0 Gets Visual Studio Designer

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 14:46:02 GMT

First it was LINQ support, now LightSpeed 2 gets a complete Visual Studio design experience.

Mindscape ships the WPF Property Grid

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 16:31:02 GMT

The prolific Mindscape from Wellington (NZ) released another cool developer's tool: a property grid for WPF.

Internet Explorer 8 now passing Acid2

Thu, 20 Dec 2007 03:46:02 GMT

The IE8 team just announced some new news about IE8 - they just passed a major milestone which is to have IE8 render Acid2 when in IE8 standards mode. Includes link to official post and video.

Introducing NHaml - An ASP.NET MVC View Engine

Thu, 20 Dec 2007 03:01:03 GMT

NHaml (pronounced enamel) is a pure .NET implementation of the popular Rails Haml view engine. From the Haml website: "Haml is a markup language that's used to cleanly and simply describe the XHTML of any web document, without the use of inline code. Haml functions as a replacement for inline page templating systems such as PHP, ERB, and ASP. However, Haml avoids the need for explicitly coding XHTML into the template, because it is actually an abstract description of the XHTML, with some code to generate dynamic content." In other words, NHaml is an external DSL for XHTML. It's primary qualities are it's simplicity, terseness, performance and that it outputs nicely formatted XHTML. Additionally, the NHaml view engine provides support for Rails style layouts and partials.

ASP.NET MVC Framework and December CTP of Extensions released

Mon, 10 Dec 2007 10:31:03 GMT

The ASP.NET MVC Framework is now available as part of the December CTP for the ASP.NET and ADO.NET 3.5 Extensions.

Mindscape LightSpeed on ARCast.TV

Tue, 06 Nov 2007 04:31:02 GMT

LightSpeed is a domain modeling and O/R Mapping framework. This ARCast.TV show discusses the framework with Jeremy Boyd and John-Daniel Trask.

Utilities.NET 1.0 released

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 02:46:02 GMT

Utilities.NET is a collection of helper classes and components for quickly solving common .NET programming tasks.

Fluent Ordering/Paging with LightSpeed

Wed, 26 Sep 2007 10:16:01 GMT

A short overview showing how the Query object in LightSpeed lets you apply aspects such as Ordering and Paging easily and using a Fluent interface style when working with the domain modeling framework and O/R Mapper, LightSpeed.

Rolling Back Truncates

Fri, 21 Sep 2007 06:28:59 GMT

Contrary to popular belief, it is in fact possible to roll back truncate table statements in SQL Server. A step by step illustration with code and screenshots

Querying with LightSpeed

Fri, 21 Sep 2007 02:01:01 GMT

A short introduction to how queries are constructed when working with the domain modeling framework and O/R Mapper, LightSpeed. Worth checking out if you're not a fan of writing SQL by hand.

Conditional WHERE Clauses: Avoiding ORs and CASE Expressions

Wed, 19 Sep 2007 23:01:01 GMT

Some tips regarding optimizing your SELECT statements when using conditions in your WHERE clause based on optional parameter values.