GeekPost Weekly Newsletter Volume 4 Issue 7

Geek Post

Volume 1 Issue 7

Friday 27 November 2009

Hippolite Musings

I learned something else new things this week.  How to embed an image into an email:

Dim pdfLink As String = String.Format("<a href='http://{0}/C2M/Handler/PdfPhase.ashx?ID={1}'>" + _
    "<img src=cid:pdfLogo alt='{2}' /></a>", _
    serverName, ideaID.ToString, newIdeaVersion.Title)
body.Replace("[PDF Link]", pdfLink)

'create the LinkedResource (embedded image)
Dim logo As New LinkedResource(pathName)
logo.ContentId = "pdfLogo"

Dim plainView As AlternateView = AlternateView.CreateAlternateViewFromString(body.ToString, _
   Nothing, "text/plain")
Dim htmlView As AlternateView = AlternateView.CreateAlternateViewFromString(body.ToString, _
   Nothing, "text/html")

'add the LinkedResource to the appropriate view
htmlView.LinkedResources.Add(logo)

'create the mail message
Dim mail As New MailMessage()

'add the views
mail.AlternateViews.Add(plainView)
mail.AlternateViews.Add(htmlView)

Blessings,
James

Developer News

Editorial: Nigel Parker

Dear MSDN Flash readers,

As you may very well be aware the PDC (Professional Developers Conference) ran last week in LA. I have been waking up early to watch the keynotes live each day. For experiencing the event virtually I have come to the conclusion that the PDC this year is full of surprises, inspiration and opportunity.

There is a flood of exciting announcements to absorb so I'm only going to focus on two key ones in this editorial.

Windows Azure featured heavily on day one of the conference. I particularly liked the introduction of SQL Azure Data Sync to connect on-premises data to SQL Azure and Windows Azure storage. If you want to see more detail please check my blog.

The Windows Azure platform is set to start commercial operation in New Zealand on the 1st Feb so now is the time to start looking closely at this technology. Beginning Jan 2010, new customers will be able to sign up to access services on the Windows Azure platform. If you want access to the platform before Jan I recommend that you come along to the Azure UNPLUGGED event in December where Mike & Ryan will be distributing CTP tokens to developers looking for early access.

On day two the big announcement was the release of the Beta of Silverlight 4. Silverlight 4 introduces a bunch of new enhancements that you have all been asking for including mic/ webcam support, printing and shared assemblies without separate compile step between SL4 and .NET 4! Again please check my blog for more details of this release.

Talking Silverlight I thought I'd take the time to talk about an exciting new exhibition that Te Papa museum is running that leverages Silverlight 3. Kura Pounamu consists of an interactive touch kiosk within the museum and an online version showcasing a collection of New Zealand stone carvings.

Of course there were many more topics covered at the PDC and all 150+ sessions from the event are available to download free of charge right now!

My boss Scott Wylie was lucky enough to be up in LA at the event and he has also shared a great summary of his experiences.

Thanks for reading!

Nigel Parker
Web Developer Advisor
Microsoft New Zealand
Blog
twitter

Telecom News

Chorus has gone fully viral, with the Cabinets are cool Facebook page.  If you do Facebook, why not surf on over and become a fan (33 and counting)?

You'll find updates on a myriad of cabinet-related excitement, including photos, videos and coverage maps.

Don't just sit there working - drive to the station, buy a ticket and get on board the cabinet love express.

Product News

It's shiny, new and here: http://wave.google.com/

Situations Vacant

Tell Us Your .NET Framework Story and Win
Every developer has a story. We want to know yours. How did you use the .NET Framework to create a killer app? What parts of the .NET Framework did you use to develop it? Tell us your story and be eligible to win a 12-day Galapagos Islands adventure, a new Smart Car, or US$12,000.

Training News

Evaluate Silverlight 4 Beta
This release of Silverlight 4 Beta is a developer release. What this means is that there is no "go-live" licensing available and the end-user runtime of Silverlight 4 is not available.

Get the SQL Server 2008 R2 November CTP and Self-Service BI Solution Downloads
Download the SQL Server 2008 R2 November CTP, as well as Microsoft's complete Business Intelligence platform. SQL Server 2008 R2 delivers several capabilities that improve IT and developer efficiency, and enable highly scalable and well managed Business Intelligence on a self-service basis for your users.

Get the Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 Ultimate Beta 2
Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 Ultimate Beta 2 builds on the innovations in Beta 1 by delivering an integrated environment that simplifies the entire development process from design to deployment.

Download the ASP.NET MVC 2 Beta
ASP.NET MVC 2 is a framework for developing highly testable and maintainable Web applications by leveraging the Model-View-Controller (MVC) pattern on top of the existing ASP.NET 3.5 SP1 runtime.

Announcing the New Microsoft SDK for Facebook Platform
The Microsoft SDK for Facebook Platform supports the development of applications across Silverlight, WPF, ASP.NET, ASP.NET MVC, and Windows Forms, allowing easy consumption of Facebook services delivered through the Facebook Open Stream API.

Download the .NET Services SDK November CTP
Microsoft has released an updated Community Technology Preview (CTP) of the .NET Services Software Development Kit (SDK), which represents the complete feature set from both the Service Bus and Access Control Service when the Windows Azure platform becomes commercially available early next year.

ALM Catalyst Live Workshops Now Expanded and Still Free
Live workshops put you in an interactive learning environment where you can explore topics such as multi-platform development, using TFS for Scrum and Agile adoption, how to integrate quality into development, understanding Team Foundation Server reports, and much more. A total of eight topics repeat weekly.

Trainer News

Score: 16/25 = 64 %

For Further Study:

• Code Access Security and ADO.NET
• Using Connection Pooling with SQL Server
• Implementing a .NET Framework Data Provider
• Connection Strings and Configuration Files (ADO.NET)
• .NET Framework Data Providers (ADO.NET)
• DbProviderFactory Class

Events Schedule

In this section, I highlight dates, times and venues of events either I am presenting at, or of interest to METTLE.  I'm available for bookings.

Humour

The boss wondered why one of his most valued employees was absent but had not phoned in sick one day. Needing to have an urgent problem with one of the main computers resolved, he dialled the employee's home phone number and was greeted with a child's whisper.

"Hello?"

"Is your daddy home?" he asked.

"Yes," whispered the small voice.

"May I talk with him?"

The child whispered, "No."

Surprised and wanting to talk with an adult, the boss asked, "Is your Mummy there?" "Yes"

"May I talk with her?" Again the small voice whispered, "No"

Hoping there was somebody with whom he could leave a message, the boss asked, "Is anybody else there?"

"Yes," whispered the child, "a policeman."

Wondering what a cop would be doing at his employee's home, the boss asked, "May I speak with the policeman?"

"No, he's busy," whispered the child.

"Busy doing what?"

"Talking to Daddy and Mummy and the Fireman," came the whispered answer.

Growing more worried as he heard a loud noise in the background through the earpiece on the phone, the boss asked, "What is that noise?"

"A helicopter" answered the whispering voice.

"What is going on there?" demanded the boss, now truly apprehensive. Again, whispering, the child answered,

"The search team just landed a helicopter"

Alarmed, concerned and a little frustrated the boss asked, "What are they searching for?"

Still whispering, the young voice replied with a muffled giggle.

"ME."