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• Summit Time!

  - by Ajarn Mark Caldwell

  Boy, how time flies!  I can hardly believe that the 2011 PASS Summit is just one week away.  Maybe it snuck up on me because it’s a few weeks earlier than last year.  Whatever the cause, I am really looking forward to next week.  The PASS Summit is the largest SQL Server conference in the world and a fantastic networking opportunity thrown in for no additional charge.  Here are a few thoughts to help you maximize the week. Networking As Karen Lopez (blog | @DataChick) mentioned in her presentation for the Professional Development Virtual Chapter just a couple of weeks ago, “Don’t wait until you need a new job to start networking.”  You should always be working on your professional network.  Some people, especially technical-minded people, get confused by the term networking.  The first image that used to pop into my head was the image of some guy standing, awkwardly, off to the side of a cocktail party, trying to shmooze those around him.  That’s not what I’m talking about.  If you’re good at that sort of thing, and you can strike up a conversation with some stranger and learn all about them in 5 minutes, and walk away with your next business deal all but approved by the lawyers, then congratulations.  But if you’re not, and most of us are not, I have two suggestions for you.  First, register for Don Gabor’s 2-hour session on Tuesday at the Summit called Networking to Build Business Contacts.  Don is a master at small talk, and at teaching others, and in just those two short hours will help you with important tips about breaking the ice, remembering names, and smooth transitions into and out of conversations.  Then go put that great training to work right away at the Tuesday night Welcome Reception and meet some new people; which is really my second suggestion…just meet a few new people.  You see, “networking” is about meeting new people and being friendly without trying to “work it” to get something out of the relationship at this point.  In fact, Don will tell you that a better way to build the connection with someone is to look for some way that you can help them, not how they can help you. There are a ton of opportunities as long as you follow this one key point: Don’t stay in your hotel!  At the least, get out and go to the free events such as the Tuesday night Welcome Reception, the Wednesday night Exhibitor Reception, and the Thursday night Community Appreciation Party.  All three of these are perfect opportunities to meet other professionals with a similar job or interest as you, and you never know how that may help you out in the future.  Maybe you just meet someone to say HI to at breakfast the next day instead of eating alone.  Or maybe you cross paths several times throughout the Summit and compare notes on different sessions you attended.  And you just might make new friends that you look forward to seeing year after year at the Summit.  Who knows, it might even turn out that you have some specific experience that will help out that other person a few months’ from now when they run into the same challenge that you just overcame, or vice-versa.  But the point is, if you don’t get out and meet people, you’ll never have the chance for anything else to happen in the future. One more tip for shy attendees of the Summit…if you can’t bring yourself to strike up conversation with strangers at these events, then at the least, after you sit through a good session that helps you out, go up to the speaker and introduce yourself and thank them for taking the time and effort to put together their presentation.  Ideally, when you do this, tell them WHY it was beneficial to you (e.g. “Now I have a new idea of how to tackle a problem back at the office.”)  I know you think the speakers are all full of confidence and are always receiving a ton of accolades and applause, but you’re wrong.  Most of them will be very happy to hear first-hand that all the work they put into getting ready for their presentation is paying off for somebody. Training With over 170 technical sessions at the Summit, training is what it’s all about, and the training is fantastic!  Of course there are the big-name trainers like Paul Randall, Kimberly Tripp, Kalen Delaney, Itzik Ben-Gan and several others, but I am always impressed by the quality of the training put on by so many other “regular” members of the SQL Server community.  It is amazing how you don’t have to be a published author or otherwise recognized as an “expert” in an area in order to make a big impact on others just by sharing your personal experience and lessons learned.  I would rather hear the story of, and lessons learned from, “some guy or gal” who has actually been through an issue and came out the other side, than I would a trained professor who is speaking just from theory or an intellectual understanding of a topic. In addition to the three full days of regular sessions, there are also two days of pre-conference intensive training available.  There is an extra cost to this, but it is a fantastic opportunity.  Think about it…you’re already coming to this area for training, so why not extend your stay a little bit and get some in-depth training on a particular topic or two?  I did this for the first time last year.  I attended one day of extra training and it was well worth the time and money.  One of the best reasons for it is that I am extremely busy at home with my regular job and family, that it was hard to carve out the time to learn about the topic on my own.  It worked out so well last year that I am doubling up and doing two days or “pre-cons” this year. And then there are the DVDs.  I think these are another great option.  I used the online schedule builder to get ready and have an idea of which sessions I want to attend and when they are (much better than trying to figure this out at the last minute every day).  But the problem that I have run into (seems this happens every year) is that nearly every session block has two different sessions that I would like to attend.  And some of them have three!  ACK!  That won’t work!  What is a guy supposed to do?  Well, one option is to purchase the DVDs which are recordings of the audio and projected images from each session so you can continue to attend sessions long after the Summit is officially over.  Yes, many (possibly all) of these also get posted online and attendees can access those for no extra charge, but those are not necessarily all available as quickly as the DVD recording are, and the DVDs are often more convenient than downloading, especially if you want to share the training with someone who was not able to attend in person. Remember, I don’t make any money or get any other benefit if you buy the DVDs or from anything else that I have recommended here.  These are just my own thoughts, trying to help out based on my experiences from the 8 or so Summits I have attended.  There is nothing like the Summit.  It is an awesome experience, fantastic training, and a whole lot of fun which is just compounded if you’ll take advantage of the first part of this article and make some new friends along the way.

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• Custom Lookup Provider For NetBeans Platform CRUD Tutorial

  - by Geertjan

  For a long time I've been planning to rewrite the second part of the NetBeans Platform CRUD Application Tutorial to integrate the loosely coupled capabilities introduced in a seperate series of articles based on articles by Antonio Vieiro (a great series, by the way). Nothing like getting into the Lookup stuff right from the get go (rather than as an afterthought)! The question, of course, is how to integrate the loosely coupled capabilities in a logical way within that tutorial. Today I worked through the tutorial from scratch, up until the point where the prototype is completed, i.e., there's a JTextArea displaying data pulled from a database. That brought me to the place where I needed to be. In fact, as soon as the prototype is completed, i.e., the database connection has been shown to work, the whole story about Lookup.Provider and InstanceContent should be introduced, so that all the subsequent sections, i.e., everything within "Integrating CRUD Functionality" will be done by adding new capabilities to the Lookup.Provider. However, before I perform open heart surgery on that tutorial, I'd like to run the scenario by all those reading this blog who understand what I'm trying to do! (I.e., probably anyone who has read this far into this blog entry.) So, this is what I propose should happen and in this order: Point out the fact that right now the database access code is found directly within our TopComponent. Not good. Because you're mixing view code with data code and, ideally, the developers creating the user interface wouldn't need to know anything about the data access layer. Better to separate out the data access code into a separate class, within the CustomerLibrary module, i.e., far away from the module providing the user interface, with this content: public class CustomerDataAccess { public List<Customer> getAllCustomers() { return Persistence.createEntityManagerFactory("CustomerLibraryPU"). createEntityManager().createNamedQuery("Customer.findAll").getResultList(); } } Point out the fact that there is a concept of "Lookup" (which readers of the tutorial should know about since they should have followed the NetBeans Platform Quick Start), which is a registry into which objects can be published and to which other objects can be listening. In the same way as a TopComponent provides a Lookup, as demonstrated in the NetBeans Platform Quick Start, your own object can also provide a Lookup. So, therefore, let's provide a Lookup for Customer objects.  import org.openide.util.Lookup; import org.openide.util.lookup.AbstractLookup; import org.openide.util.lookup.InstanceContent; public class CustomerLookupProvider implements Lookup.Provider { private Lookup lookup; private InstanceContent instanceContent; public CustomerLookupProvider() { // Create an InstanceContent to hold capabilities... instanceContent = new InstanceContent(); // Create an AbstractLookup to expose the InstanceContent... lookup = new AbstractLookup(instanceContent); // Add a "Read" capability to the Lookup of the provider: //...to come... // Add a "Update" capability to the Lookup of the provider: //...to come... // Add a "Create" capability to the Lookup of the provider: //...to come... // Add a "Delete" capability to the Lookup of the provider: //...to come... } @Override public Lookup getLookup() { return lookup; } } Point out the fact that, in the same way as we can publish an object into the Lookup of a TopComponent, we can now also publish an object into the Lookup of our CustomerLookupProvider. Instead of publishing a String, as in the NetBeans Platform Quick Start, we'll publish an instance of our own type. And here is the type: public interface ReadCapability { public void read() throws Exception; } And here is an implementation of our type added to our Lookup: public class CustomerLookupProvider implements Lookup.Provider { private Set<Customer> customerSet; private Lookup lookup; private InstanceContent instanceContent; public CustomerLookupProvider() { customerSet = new HashSet<Customer>(); // Create an InstanceContent to hold capabilities... instanceContent = new InstanceContent(); // Create an AbstractLookup to expose the InstanceContent... lookup = new AbstractLookup(instanceContent); // Add a "Read" capability to the Lookup of the provider: instanceContent.add(new ReadCapability() { @Override public void read() throws Exception { ProgressHandle handle = ProgressHandleFactory.createHandle("Loading..."); handle.start(); customerSet.addAll(new CustomerDataAccess().getAllCustomers()); handle.finish(); } }); // Add a "Update" capability to the Lookup of the provider: //...to come... // Add a "Create" capability to the Lookup of the provider: //...to come... // Add a "Delete" capability to the Lookup of the provider: //...to come... } @Override public Lookup getLookup() { return lookup; } public Set<Customer> getCustomers() { return customerSet; } } Point out that we can now create a new instance of our Lookup (in some other module, so long as it has a dependency on the module providing the CustomerLookupProvider and the ReadCapability), retrieve the ReadCapability, and then do something with the customers that are returned, here in the rewritten constructor of the TopComponent, without needing to know anything about how the database access is actually achieved since that is hidden in the implementation of our type, above: public CustomerViewerTopComponent() { initComponents(); setName(Bundle.CTL_CustomerViewerTopComponent()); setToolTipText(Bundle.HINT_CustomerViewerTopComponent()); // EntityManager entityManager = Persistence.createEntityManagerFactory("CustomerLibraryPU").createEntityManager(); // Query query = entityManager.createNamedQuery("Customer.findAll"); // List<Customer> resultList = query.getResultList(); // for (Customer c : resultList) { // jTextArea1.append(c.getName() + " (" + c.getCity() + ")" + "\n"); // } CustomerLookupProvider lookup = new CustomerLookupProvider(); ReadCapability rc = lookup.getLookup().lookup(ReadCapability.class); try { rc.read(); for (Customer c : lookup.getCustomers()) { jTextArea1.append(c.getName() + " (" + c.getCity() + ")" + "\n"); } } catch (Exception ex) { Exceptions.printStackTrace(ex); } } Does the above make as much sense to others as it does to me, including the naming of the classes? Feedback would be appreciated! Then I'll integrate into the tutorial and do the same for the other sections, i.e., "Create", "Update", and "Delete". (By the way, of course, the tutorial ends up showing that, rather than using a JTextArea to display data, you can use Nodes and explorer views to do so.)

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• Self-signed certificates for a known community

  - by costlow

  Recently announced changes scheduled for Java 7 update 51 (January 2014) have established that the default security slider will require code signatures and the Permissions Manifest attribute. Code signatures are a common practice recommended in the industry because they help determine that the code your computer will run is the same code that the publisher created. This post is written to help users that need to use self-signed certificates without involving a public Certificate Authority. The role of self-signed certificates within a known community You may still use self-signed certificates within a known community. The difference between self-signed and purchased-from-CA is that your users must import your self-signed certificate to indicate that it is valid, whereas Certificate Authorities are already trusted by default. This works for known communities where people will trust that my certificate is mine, but does not scale widely where I cannot actually contact or know the systems that will need to trust my certificate. Public Certificate Authorities are widely trusted already because they abide by many different requirements and frequent checks. An example would be students in a university class sharing their public certificates on a mailing list or web page, employees publishing on the intranet, or a system administrator rolling certificates out to end-users. Managed machines help this because you can automate the rollout, but they are not required -- the major point simply that people will trust and import your certificate. How to distribute self-signed certificates for a known community There are several steps required to distribute a self-signed certificate to users so that they will properly trust it. These steps are: Creating a public/private key pair for signing. Exporting your public certificate for others Importing your certificate onto machines that should trust you Verify work on a different machine Creating a public/private key pair for signing Having a public/private key pair will give you the ability both to sign items yourself and issue a Certificate Signing Request (CSR) to a certificate authority. Create your public/private key pair by following the instructions for creating key pairs.Every Certificate Authority that I looked at provided similar instructions, but for the sake of cohesiveness I will include the commands that I used here: Generate the key pair.keytool -genkeypair -alias erikcostlow -keyalg EC -keysize 571 -validity 730 -keystore javakeystore_keepsecret.jks Provide a good password for this file. The alias "erikcostlow" is my name and therefore easy to remember. Substitute your name of something like "mykey." The sigalg of EC (Elliptical Curve) and keysize of 571 will give your key a good strong lifetime. All keys are set to expire. Two years or 730 days is a reasonable compromise between not-long-enough and too-long. Most public Certificate Authorities will sign something for one to five years. You will be placing your keys in javakeystore_keepsecret.jks -- this file will contain private keys and therefore should not be shared. If someone else gets these private keys, they can impersonate your signature. Please be cautious about automated cloud backup systems and private key stores. Answer all the questions. It is important to provide good answers because you will stick with them for the "-validity" days that you specified above.What is your first and last name?  [Unknown]:  First LastWhat is the name of your organizational unit?  [Unknown]:  Line of BusinessWhat is the name of your organization?  [Unknown]:  MyCompanyWhat is the name of your City or Locality?  [Unknown]:  City NameWhat is the name of your State or Province?  [Unknown]:  CAWhat is the two-letter country code for this unit?  [Unknown]:  USIs CN=First Last, OU=Line of Business, O=MyCompany, L=City, ST=CA, C=US correct?  [no]:  yesEnter key password for <erikcostlow>        (RETURN if same as keystore password): Verify your work:keytool -list -keystore javakeystore_keepsecret.jksYou should see your new key pair. Exporting your public certificate for others Public Key Infrastructure relies on two simple concepts: the public key may be made public and the private key must be private. By exporting your public certificate, you are able to share it with others who can then import the certificate to trust you. keytool -exportcert -keystore javakeystore_keepsecret.jks -alias erikcostlow -file erikcostlow.cer To verify this, you can open the .cer file by double-clicking it on most operating systems. It should show the information that you entered during the creation prompts. This is the file that you will share with others. They will use this certificate to prove that artifacts signed by this certificate came from you. If you do not manage machines directly, place the certificate file on an area that people within the known community should trust, such as an intranet page. Import the certificate onto machines that should trust you In order to trust the certificate, people within your known network must import your certificate into their keystores. The first step is to verify that the certificate is actually yours, which can be done through any band: email, phone, in-person, etc. Known networks can usually do this Determine the right keystore: For an individual user looking to trust another, the correct file is within that user’s directory.e.g. USER_HOME\AppData\LocalLow\Sun\Java\Deployment\security\trusted.certs For system-wide installations, Java’s Certificate Authorities are in JAVA_HOMEe.g. C:\Program Files\Java\jre8\lib\security\cacerts File paths for Mac and Linux are included in the link above. Follow the instructions to import the certificate into the keystore. keytool -importcert -keystore THEKEYSTOREFROMABOVE -alias erikcostlow -file erikcostlow.cer In this case, I am still using my name for the alias because it’s easy for me to remember. You may also use an alias of your company name. Scaling distribution of the import The easiest way to apply your certificate across many machines is to just push the .certs or cacerts file onto them. When doing this, watch out for any changes that people would have made to this file on their machines. Trusted.certs: When publishing into user directories, your file will overwrite any keys that the user has added since last update. CACerts: It is best to re-run the import command with each installation rather than just overwriting the file. If you just keep the same cacerts file between upgrades, you will overwrite any CAs that have been added or removed. By re-importing, you stay up to date with changes. Verify work on a different machine Verification is a way of checking on the client machine to ensure that it properly trusts signed artifacts after you have added your signing certificate. Many people have started using deployment rule sets. You can validate the deployment rule set by: Create and sign the deployment rule set on the computer that holds the private key. Copy the deployment rule set on to the different machine where you have imported the signing certificate. Verify that the Java Control Panel’s security tab shows your deployment rule set. Verifying an individual JAR file or multiple JAR files You can test a certificate chain by using the jarsigner command. jarsigner -verify filename.jar If the output does not say "jar verified" then run the following command to see why: jarsigner -verify -verbose -certs filename.jar Check the output for the term “CertPath not validated.”

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• SQL University: What and why of database testing

  - by Mladen Prajdic

  This is a post for a great idea called SQL University started by Jorge Segarra also famously known as SqlChicken on Twitter. It’s a collection of blog posts on different database related topics contributed by several smart people all over the world. So this week is mine and we’ll be talking about database testing and refactoring. In 3 posts we’ll cover: SQLU part 1 - What and why of database testing SQLU part 2 - What and why of database refactoring SQLU part 2 – Tools of the trade With that out of the way let us sharpen our pencils and get going. Why test a database The sad state of the industry today is that there is very little emphasis on testing in general. Test driven development is still a small niche of the programming world while refactoring is even smaller. The cause of this is the inability of developers to convince themselves and their managers that writing tests is beneficial. At the moment they are mostly viewed as waste of time. This is because the average person (let’s not fool ourselves, we’re all average) is unable to think about lower future costs in relation to little more current work. It’s orders of magnitude easier to know about the current costs in relation to current amount of work. That’s why programmers convince themselves testing is a waste of time. However we have to ask ourselves what tests are really about? Maybe finding bugs? No, not really. If we introduce bugs, we’re likely to write test around those bugs too. But yes we can find some bugs with tests. The main point of tests is to have reproducible repeatability in our systems. By having a code base largely covered by tests we can know with better certainty what a small code change can break in other parts of the system. By having repeatability we can make code changes with confidence, since we know we’ll see what breaks in other tests. And here comes the inability to estimate future costs. By spending just a few more hours writing those tests we’d know instantly what broke where. Imagine we fix a reported bug. We check-in the code, deploy it and the users are happy. Until we get a call 2 weeks later about a certain monthly process has stopped working. What we don’t know is that this process was developed by a long gone coworker and for some reason it relied on that same bug we’ve happily fixed. There’s no way we could’ve known that. We say OK and go in and fix the monthly process. But what we have no clue about is that there’s this ETL job that relied on data from that monthly process. Now that we’ve fixed the process it’s giving unexpected (yet correct since we fixed it) data to the ETL job. So we have to fix that too. But there’s this part of the app we coded that relies on data from that exact ETL job. And just like that we enter the “Loop of maintenance horror”. With the loop eventually comes blame. Here’s a nice tip for all developers and DBAs out there: If you make a mistake man up and admit to it. All of the above is valid for any kind of software development. Keeping this in mind the database is nothing other than just a part of the application. But a big part! One reason why testing a database is even more important than testing an application is that one database is usually accessed from multiple applications and processes. This makes it the central and vital part of the enterprise software infrastructure. Knowing all this can we really afford not to have tests? What to test in a database Now that we’ve decided we’ll dive into this testing thing we have to ask ourselves what needs to be tested? The short answer is: everything. The long answer is: read on! There are 2 main ways of doing tests: Black box and White box testing. Black box testing means we have no idea how the system internals are built and we only have access to it’s inputs and outputs. With it we test that the internal changes to the system haven’t caused the input/output behavior of the system to change. The most important thing to test here are the edge conditions. It’s where most programs break. Having good edge condition tests we can be more confident that the systems changes won’t break. White box testing has the full knowledge of the system internals. With it we test the internal system changes, different states of the application, etc… White and Black box tests should be complementary to each other as they are very much interconnected. Testing database routines includes testing stored procedures, views, user defined functions and anything you use to access the data with. Database routines are your input/output interface to the database system. They count as black box testing. We test then for 2 things: Data and schema. When testing schema we only care about the columns and the data types they’re returning. After all the schema is the contract to the out side systems. If it changes we usually have to change the applications accessing it. One helpful T-SQL command when doing schema tests is SET FMTONLY ON. It tells the SQL Server to return only empty results sets. This speeds up tests because it doesn’t return any data to the client. After we’ve validated the schema we have to test the returned data. There no other way to do this but to have expected data known before the tests executes and comparing that data to the database routine output. Testing Authentication and Authorization helps us validate who has access to the SQL Server box (Authentication) and who has access to certain database objects (Authorization). For desktop applications and windows authentication this works well. But the biggest problem here are web apps. They usually connect to the database as a single user. Please ensure that that user is not SA or an account with admin privileges. That is just bad. Load testing ensures us that our database can handle peak loads. One often overlooked tool for load testing is Microsoft’s OSTRESS tool. It’s part of RML utilities (x86, x64) for SQL Server and can help determine if our database server can handle loads like 100 simultaneous users each doing 10 requests per second. SQL Profiler can also help us here by looking at why certain queries are slow and what to do to fix them.   One particular problem to think about is how to begin testing existing databases. First thing we have to do is to get to know those databases. We can’t test something when we don’t know how it works. To do this we have to talk to the users of the applications accessing the database, run SQL Profiler to see what queries are being run, use existing documentation to decipher all the object relationships, etc… The way to approach this is to choose one part of the database (say a logical grouping of tables that go together) and filter our traces accordingly. Once we’ve done that we move on to the next grouping and so on until we’ve covered the whole database. Then we move on to the next one. Database Testing is a topic that we can spent many hours discussing but let this be a nice intro to the world of database testing. See you in the next post.

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• Rebuilding CoasterBuzz, Part III: The architecture using the "Web stack of love"

  - by Jeff

  This is the third post in a series about rebuilding one of my Web sites, which has been around for 12 years. I hope to relaunch in the next month or two. More: Part I: Evolution, and death to WCF Part II: Hot data objects I finally hit a point in the re-do of CoasterBuzz where I feel like the major pieces are in place... rewritten, ported and what not, so that I can focus now on front-end design and more interesting creative problems. I've been asked on more than one occasion (OK, just twice) what's going on under the covers, so I figure this might be a good time to explain the overall architecture. As it turns out, I'm using a whole lof of the "Web stack of love," as Scott Hanselman likes to refer to it. Oh that Hanselman. First off, at the center of it all, is BizTalk. Just kidding. That's "enterprise architecture" humor, where every discussion starts with how they'll use BizTalk. Here are the bigger moving parts: It's fairly straight forward. A common library lives in a number of Web apps, all of which are (or will be) powered by ASP.NET MVC 4. They all talk to the same database. There is the main Web site, which also has the endpoint for the Silverlight-based Feed app. The cstr.bz site handles redirects, which are generated when news items are published and sent to Twitter. Facebook publishing is handled via the RSS Graffiti Facebook app. The API site handles requests from the Windows Phone app. The main site depends very heavily on POP Forums, the open source, MVC-based forum I maintain. It serves a number of functions, primarily handling users. These user objects serve in non-forum roles to handle things like news and database contributions, maintaining track records (coaster nerd for "list of rides I've been on") and, perhaps most importantly, paid club memberships. Before I get into more specifics, note that the "glue" for everything is Ninject, the dependency injection framework. I actually prefer StructureMap these days, but I started with Ninject in POP Forums a long time ago. POP Forums has a static class, PopForumsActivation, that new's up an instance of the container, and you can call it from where ever. The downside is that the forums require Ninject in your MVC app as the default dependency resolver. At some point, I'll decouple it, but for now it's not in the way. In the general sense, the entire set of apps follow a repository-service-controller-view pattern. Repos just do data access, service classes do business logic, controllers compose and route, views view. The forum also provides Scoring Game functionality. The Scoring Game is a reasonably abstract framework to award users points based on certain actions, and then award achievements when a certain number of point events happen. For example, the forum already awards a point when someone plus-one's a post you made. You can set up an achievement that says, "Give the user an award when they've had 100 posts plus'd." It also does zero-point entries into the ledger, so if you make a post, you could award an achievement based on 100 posts made. Wiring in the scoring game to CoasterBuzz functionality is just a matter of going to the Ninject container and getting an instance of the event publisher, and passing it events. Forum adapters were introduced into POP Forums a few versions ago, and they can intercept the model generated for forum topic lists and threads and designate an alternate view. These are used to make the "Day in Pictures" forum, where users can upload photos as frame-by-frame photo threads. Another adapter adds an association UI, so users can associate specific amusement parks with their trip report posts. The Silverlight-based Feed app talks to a simple JSON endpoint in the main app. This uses an underlying library I wrote ages ago, simply called Feeds, that aggregates event information. You inherit from a base class that creates instances of a publisher interface, and then use that class to send it an event type and any number of data fields. Feeds has two publishers: One is to the database, and that's used for the endpoint that talks to the Silverlight app. The second publisher publishes to Twitter, if the event is of the type "news." The wiring is a little strange, because for the new posts and topics events, I'm actually pulling out the forum repository classes from the Ninject container and replacing them with overridden methods to publish. I should probably be doing this at the service class level, but whatever. It's my mess. cstr.bz doesn't do anything interesting. It looks up the path, and if it has a match, does a 301 redirect to the long URL. The API site just serves up JSON for the Windows Phone app. The Windows Phone app is Silverlight, of course, and there isn't much to it. It does use the control toolkit, but beyond that, it relies on a simple class that creates a Webclient and calls the server for JSON to deserialize. The same class is now used by the Feed app, which used to use WCF. Simple is better. Data access in POP Forums is all straight SQL, because a lot of it was ported from the ASP.NET version. Most CoasterBuzz data access is handled by the Entity Framework, using the code-first model. The context class in this case does a lot of work to make sure that the table and key mapping works, since much of it breaks from the normal conventions of EF. One of the more powerful things you can do with EF, once you understand the little gotchas, is split tables by row into different entities. For example, a roller coaster photo has everything in the same row, including the metadata, the thumbnail bytes and the image itself. Obviously, if you want to get a list of photos to iterate over in a view, you don't want to get the image data. The use of navigation properties makes it easier to get just what you want. The front end includes Razor views in MVC, and jQuery is used for client-side goodness. I'm also using jQuery UI in a few places, for tabs, a dialog box and autocomplete. I'm also, tentatively, using jQuery Mobile. I've already ported most forum views to Mobile, but they need some work as v1.1 isn't finished yet. I'm not sure if I'll ship CoasterBuzz with mobile views or not yet. It's on the radar, but not something in my delivery criteria. That covers all of the big frameworks in play. Next time I hope to talk more about the front-end experience, which to me is where most of the fun is these days. Hoping to launch in the next month or two. Getting tired of looking at the old site!

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• Answers to Your Common Oracle Database Lifecycle Management Questions

  - by Scott McNeil

  We recently ran a live webcast on Strategies for Managing Oracle Database's Lifecycle. There were tons of questions from our audience that we simply could not get to during the hour long presentation. Below are some of those questions along with their answers. Enjoy! Question: In the webcast the presenter talked about “gold” configuration standards, for those who want to use this technique, could you recommend a best practice to consider or follow? How do I get started? Answer:Gold configuration standardization is a quick and easy way to improve availability through consistency. Start by choosing a reference database and saving the configuration to the Oracle Enterprise Manager repository using the Save Configuration feature. Next create a comparison template using the Oracle provided template as a starting point and modify the ignored properties to eliminate expected differences in your environment. Finally create a comparison specification using the comparison template you created plus your saved gold configuration and schedule it to run on a regular basis. Don’t forget to fill in the email addresses of those you want to notify upon drift detection. Watch the database configuration management demo to learn more. Question: Can Oracle Lifecycle Management Pack for Database help with patching an Oracle Real Application Cluster (RAC) environment? Answer: Yes, Oracle Enterprise Manager supports both parallel and rolling patch application of Oracle Real Application Clusters. The use of rolling patching is recommended as there is no downtime involved. For more details watch this demo. Question: What are some of the things administrators can do to control configuration drift? Why is it important? Answer:Configuration drift is one of the main causes of instability and downtime of applications. Oracle Enterprise Manager makes it easy to manage and control drift using scheduled configuration comparisons combined with comparison templates. Question: Does Oracle Enterprise Manager 12c Release 2 offer an incremental update feature for "gold" images? For instance, if the source binary has a higher PSU level, what is the best approach to update the existing "gold" image in the software library? Do you have to create a new image or can you just update the original one? Answer:Provisioning Profiles (Gold images) can contain the installation files and database configuration templates. Although it is possible to make some changes to the profile after creation (mainly to configuration), it is normally recommended to simply create a new profile after applying a patch to your reference database. Question: The webcast talked about enforcing in-house standards, does Oracle Enterprise Manager 12c offer verification of your databases and systems to those standards? For example, the initial "gold" image has been massively deployed over time, and there may be some changes to it. How can you do regular checks from Enterprise Manager to ensure the in-house standards are being enforced? Answer:There are really two methods to validate conformity to standards. The first method is to use gold standards which you compare other databases to report unwanted differences. This method uses a new comparison template technology which allows users to ignore known differences (i.e. SID, Start time, etc) which results in a report only showing important or non-conformant differences. This method is quick to setup and configure and recommended for those who want to get started validating compliance quickly. The second method leverages the new compliance framework which allows the creation of specific and robust validations. These compliance rules are grouped into standards which can be assigned to databases quickly and easily. Compliance rules allow for targeted and more sophisticated validation beyond the basic equals operation available in the comparison method. The compliance framework can be used to implement just about any internal or industry standard. The compliance results will track current and historic compliance scores at the overall and individual database targets. When the issue is resolved, the score is automatically affected. Compliance framework is the recommended long term solution for validating compliance using Oracle Enterprise Manager 12c. Check out this demo on database compliance to learn more. Question: If you are using the integration between Oracle Enterprise Manager and My Oracle Support in an "offline" mode, how do you know if you have the latest My Oracle Support metadata? Answer:In Oracle Enterprise Manager 12c Release 2, you now only need to download one zip file containing all of the metadata xmls files. There is no indication that the metadata has changed but you could run a checksum on the file and compare it to the previously downloaded version to see if it has changed. Question: What happens if a patch fails while administrators are applying it to a database or system? Answer:A large portion of Oracle Enterprise Manager's patch automation is the pre-requisite checks that happen to ensure the highest level of confidence the patch will successfully apply. It is recommended you test the patch in a non-production environment and save the patch plan as a template once successful so you can create new plans using the saved template. If you are using the recommended ‘out of place’ patching methodology, there is no urgency because the database is still running as the cloned Oracle home is being patched. Users can address the issue and restart the patch procedure at the point it left off. If you are using 'in place' method, you can address the issue and continue where the procedure left off. Question: Can Oracle Enterprise Manager 12c R2 compare configurations between more than one target at the same time? Answer:Oracle Enterprise Manager 12c can compare any number of target configurations at one time. This is the basis of many important use cases including Configuration Drift Management. These comparisons can also be scheduled on a regular basis and emails notification sent should any differences appear. To learn more about configuration search and compare watch this demo. Question: How is data comparison done since changes are taking place in a live production system? Answer:There are many things to keep in mind when using the data comparison feature (as part of the Change Management ability to compare table data). It was primarily intended to be used for maintaining consistency of important but relatively static data. For example, application seed data and application setup configuration. This data does not change often but is critical when testing an application to ensure results are consistent with production. It is not recommended to use data comparison on highly dynamic data like transactional tables or very large tables. Question: Which versions of Oracle Database can be monitored through Oracle Enterprise Manager 12c? Answer:Oracle Database versions: 9.2.0.8, 10.1.0.5, 10.2.0.4, 10.2.0.5, 11.1.0.7, 11.2.0.1, 11.2.0.2, 11.2.0.3. Watch the On-Demand Webcast Stay Connected: Twitter | Facebook | YouTube | Linkedin | NewsletterDownload the Oracle Enterprise Manager Cloud Control12c Mobile app

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• Merge replication stopping without errors in SQL 2008 R2

  - by Rob Farley

  A non-SQL MVP friend of mine, who also happens to be a client, asked me for some help again last week. I was planning on writing this up even before Rob Volk (@sql_r) listed his T-SQL Tuesday topic for this month. Earlier in the year, I (well, LobsterPot Solutions, although I’d been the person mostly involved) had helped out with a merge replication problem. The Merge Agent on the subscriber was just stopping every time, shortly after it started. With no errors anywhere – not in the Windows Event Log, the SQL Agent logs, not anywhere. We’d managed to get the system working again, but didn’t have a good reason about what had happened, and last week, the problem occurred again. I asked him about writing up the experience in a blog post, largely because of the red herrings that we encountered. It was an interesting experience for me, also because I didn’t end up touching my computer the whole time – just tapping on my phone via Twitter and Live Msgr. You see, the thing with replication is that a useful troubleshooting option is to reinitialise the thing. We’d done that last time, and it had started to work again – eventually. I say eventually, because the link being used between the sites is relatively slow, and it took a long while for the initialisation to finish. Meanwhile, we’d been doing some investigation into what the problem could be, and were suitably pleased when the problem disappeared. So I got a message saying that a replication problem had occurred again. Reinitialising wasn’t going to be an option this time either. In this scenario, the subscriber having the problem happened to be in a different domain to the publisher. The other subscribers (within the domain) were fine, just this one in a different domain had the problem. Part of the problem seemed to be a log file that wasn’t being backed up properly. They’d been trying to back up to a backup device that had a corruption, and the log file was growing. Turned out, this wasn’t related to the problem, but of course, any time you’re troubleshooting and you see something untoward, you wonder. Having got past that problem, my next thought was that perhaps there was a problem with the account being used. But the other subscribers were using the same account, without any problems. The client pointed out that that it was almost exactly six months since the last failure (later shown to be a complete red herring). It sounded like something might’ve expired. Checking through certificates and trusts showed no sign of anything, and besides, there wasn’t a problem running a command-prompt window using the account in question, from the subscriber box. ...except that when he ran the sqlcmd –E –S servername command I recommended, it failed with a Named Pipes error. I’ve seen problems with firewalls rejecting connections via Named Pipes but letting TCP/IP through, so I got him to look into SQL Configuration Manager to see what kind of connection was being preferred... Everything seemed fine. And strangely, he could connect via Management Studio. Turned out, he had a typo in the servername of the sqlcmd command. That particular red herring must’ve been reflected in his cheeks as he told me. During the time, I also pinged a friend of mine to find out who I should ask, and Ted Kruger (@onpnt) ‘s name came up. Ted (and thanks again, Ted – really) reconfirmed some of my thoughts around the idea of an account expiring, and also suggesting bumping up the logging to level 4 (2 is Verbose, 4 is undocumented ridiculousness). I’d just told the client to push the logging up to level 2, but the log file wasn’t appearing. Checking permissions showed that the user did have permission on the folder, but still no file was appearing. Then it was noticed that the user had been switched earlier as part of the troubleshooting, and switching it back to the real user caused the log file to appear. Still no errors. A lot more information being pushed out, but still no errors. Ted suggested making sure the FQDNs were okay from both ends, in case the servers were unable to talk to each other. DNS problems can lead to hassles which can stop replication from working. No luck there either – it was all working fine. Another server started to report a problem as well. These two boxes were both SQL 2008 R2 (SP1), while the others, still working, were SQL 2005. Around this time, the client tried an idea that I’d shown him a few years ago – using a Profiler trace to see what was being called on the servers. It turned out that the last call being made on the publisher was sp_MSenumschemachange. A quick interwebs search on that showed a problem that exists in SQL Server 2008 R2, when stored procedures have more than 4000 characters. Running that stored procedure (with the same parameters) manually on SQL 2005 listed three stored procedures, the first of which did indeed have more than 4000 characters. Still no error though, and the problem as listed at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2539378 describes an error that should occur in the Event log. However, this problem is the type of thing that is fixed by a reinitialisation (because it doesn’t need to send the procedure change across as a transaction). And a look in the change history of the long stored procs (you all keep them, right?), showed that the problem from six months earlier could well have been down to this too. Applying SP2 (with sufficient paranoia about backups and how to get back out again if necessary) fixed the problem. The stored proc changes went through immediately after the service pack was applied, and it’s been running happily since. The funny thing is that I didn’t solve the problem. He had put the Profiler trace on the server, and had done the search that found a forum post pointing at this particular problem. I’d asked Ted too, and although he’d given some useful information, nothing that he’d come up with had actually been the solution either. Sometimes, asking for help is the most useful thing you can do. Often though, you don’t end up getting the help from the person you asked – the sounding board is actually what you need. @rob_farley

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• Learnings from trying to write better software: Loud errors from the very start

  - by theo.spears

  Microsoft made a very small number of backwards incompatible changes between .NET 1.1 and 2.0, because they wanted to make it as easy and safe as possible to port applications to the new runtime. (Here’s a list.) However, one thing they did change was what happens when a background thread fails with an unhanded exception - in .NET 1.1 nothing happened, the thread terminated, and the application continued oblivious. Try the same trick in .NET 2.0 and the entire application, including all threads, will rudely terminate. There are three reasons for this. Firstly if a background thread has crashed, it may have left the entire application in an inconsistent state, in a way that will affect other threads. It’s better to terminate the entire application than continue and have the application perform actions based on a broken state, for example take customer orders, or write corrupt files to disk.  Secondly, during software development, it is far better for errors to be loud and obtrusive. Even if you have unit tests and integration tests (and you should), a key part of ensuring software works properly is to actually try using it, both through systematic testing and through the casual use all software gets by its developers during use. Subtle errors are easy to miss if you are not actually doing real work using the application, loud errors are obvious. Thirdly, and most importantly, even if catching and swallowing exceptions indiscriminately doesn't cause any problems in your application, the presence of unexpected exceptions shows you do not fully understand the behavior of your code. The currently released version of your application may be absolutely correct. However, because your mental model of the behavior is wrong, any future change you make to the program could and probably will introduce critical errors.  This applies to more than just exceptions causing threads to exit, any unexpected state should make the application blow up in an un-ignorable way. The worst thing you can do is silently swallow errors and continue. And let's be clear, writing to a log file does not count as blowing up in an un-ignorable way.  This is all simple as long as the call stack only contains your code, but when your functions start to be called by third party or .NET framework code, it's surprisingly easy for exceptions to start vanishing. Let's look at two examples.   1. Windows forms drag drop events  Usually if you throw an exception from a winforms event handler it will bring up the "application has crashed" dialog with abort and continue options. This is a good default behavior - the error is big and loud, but it is possible for the user to ignore the error and hopefully save their data, if somehow this bug makes it past testing. However drag and drop are different - throw an exception from one of these and it will just be silently swallowed with no explanation.  By the way, it's not just drag and drop events. Timer events do it too.  You can research how exceptions are treated in different handlers and code appropriately, but the safest and most user friendly approach is to always catch exceptions in your event handlers and show your own error message. I'll talk about one good approach to handling these exceptions at the end of this post.   2. SSMS integration for SQL Tab Magic  A while back wrote an SSMS add-in called SQL Tab Magic (learn more about the process here). It works by listening to certain SSMS events and remembering what documents are opened and closed. I deployed it internally and it was used for a few months by a number of people without problems, so I was reasonably confident in its quality. Before releasing I made a few cleanups, including introducing error reporting. Bam. A few days later I was looking at over 1,000 error reports in my inbox. In turns out I wasn't handling table designers properly. The exceptions were there, but again SSMS was helpfully swallowing them all for me, so I was blissfully unaware. Had I made my errors loud from the start, I would have noticed these issues long before and fixed them.   Handling exceptions  Now you are systematically catching exceptions throughout your application, you need to do something with them. I've tried 3 options: log them, alert the user, and automatically send them home.  There are a few good options for logging in .NET. The most widespread is Apache log4net, which provides a very capable and configurable logging framework. There is also NLog which has a compatible interface, with a greater emphasis on fluent rather than XML configuration.  Alerting the user serves two purposes. Firstly it means they understand their action has failed to they don't just assume it worked (Silent file copy failure is a problem if you then delete the originals) or that they should keep waiting for a background task to complete. Secondly, it means the users can report the bug to your support team, and then you can fix it. This means the message you show the user should contain the information you need as a developer to identify and fix it. And the user will probably just send you a screenshot of the dialog, so it shouldn't be hidden by scroll bars.  This leads us to the third option, automatically sending error reports home. By automatic I mean with minimal effort on the part of the user, rather than doing it silently behind their backs. The advantage of this is you can send back far more detailed and precise information than you can expect a user to include in an email, and by making it easier to report errors, you make it more likely users will do so.  We do this using a great tool called SmartAssembly (full disclosure: this is a product made by Red Gate). It captures complete stack traces including the values of all local variables and then allows the user to send all this information back with a single click. We also capture log files to help understand what lead up to the error. We then use the free SmartAssembly Sync for Jira to dedupe these reports and raise them as bugs in our bug tracking system.  The combined effect of loud errors during development and then automatic error reporting once software is deployed allows us to find and fix more bugs, correct misunderstandings on how our software works, and overall is a key piece in delivering higher quality software. However it is no substitute for having motivated cunning testers in the building - and we're looking to hire more of those too.   If you found this post interesting you should follow me on twitter.  

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• How to create a virtual network with Azure Connect

  - by Herve Roggero

  If you are trying to establish a virtual network between machines located in disparate networks, you can either use VPN, Virtual Network or Azure Connect. If you want to establish a connection between machines located in Windows Azure, you should consider using the Virtual Network service. If you want to establish a connection between local machines and Virtual Machines in Windows Azure, you may be able to use your existing VPN device (assuming you have one), as long as the device is supported by Microsoft. If the VPN device you are using isn’t supported, or if you are trying to create a virtual network between machines from disparate networks (such as machines located in another cloud provider), you can use Azure Connect. This blog post explains how Azure Connect can help you create virtual networks between multiple servers in the cloud, various servers in different cloud environments, and on-premise. Note: Azure Connect is currently in Technical Preview. About Azure Connect Let’s do a quick review of Azure Connect. This technology implements an IPSec tunnel from machines to to a relay service located in the Microsoft cloud (Azure). So in essence, Azure Connect doesn’t provide a point-to-point connection between machines; the network communication is tunneled through the relay service. The relay service in turn offers a mechanism to enforce basic communication rules that you define through Groups. We will review this later. You could network two or more VMs in the Azure cloud (although you should consider using a Virtual Network if you go this route), or servers in the Azure cloud and other machines in the Amazon cloud for example, or even two or more on-premise servers located in different locations for which a direct network connection is not an option. You can place any number of machines in your topology. Azure Connect gives you great flexibility on how you want to build your virtual network across various environments. So Azure Connect makes sense when you want to: Connect machines located in different cloud providers Connect on-premise machines running in different locations Connect Azure VMs with on-premise (if you do not have a VPN device, or if your device is not supported) Connect Azure Roles (Worker Roles, Web Roles) with on-premise servers or in other cloud providers The diagram below shows you a high level network topology that involves machines in the Windows Azure cloud, other cloud providers and on-premise. You should note that the only required component in this diagram is the Relay itself. The other machines are optional (although your network is useful only if you have two or more machines involved). Relay agents are currently available in three geographic areas: US, Europe and Asia. You can change which region you want to use in the Windows Azure management portal. High Level Network Topology With Azure Connect Azure Connect Agent Azure Connect establishes a virtual network and creates virtual adapters on your machines; these virtual adapters communicate through the Relay using IPSec. This is achieved by installing an agent (the Azure Connect Agent) on all the machines you want in your network topology. However, you do not need to install the agent on Worker Roles and Web Roles; that’s because the agent is already installed for you. Any other machine, including Virtual Machines in Windows Azure, needs the agent installed.  To install the agent, simply go to your Windows Azure portal (http://windows.azure.com) and click on Networks on the bottom left panel. You will see a list of subscriptions under Connect. If you select a subscription, you will be able to click on the Install Local Endpoint icon on top. Clicking on this icon will begin the download and installation process for the agent. Activating Roles for Azure Connect As previously mentioned, you do not need to install the Azure Connect Agent on Worker Roles and Web Roles because it is already loaded. However, you do need to activate them if you want the roles to participate in your network topology. To do this, you will need to click on the Get Activation Token icon. The activation token must then be copied and placed in the configuration file of your roles. For more information on how to perform this step, visit MSDN at http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windowsazure/gg432964.aspx. Firewall Rules Note that specific firewall rules must exist to allow the agent to communicate through the Relay. You will need to allow TCP 443 and ICMPv6. For additional information, please visit MSDN at http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windowsazure/gg433061.aspx. CA Certificates You can optionally require agents to sign their activation request with the Relay using a trusted certificate issued by a Certificate Authority (CA). Click on Activation Options to learn more. Groups To create your network topology you must first create a group. A group represents a logical container of endpoints (or machines) that can communicate through the Relay. You can create multiple groups allowing you to manage network communication differently. For example you could create a DEVELOPMENT group and a PRODUCTION group. To add an endpoint you must first install an agent that will create a virtual adapter on the machine on which it is installed (as discussed in the previous section). Once you have created a group and installed the agents, the machines will appear in the Windows Azure management portal and you can start assigning machines to groups. The next figure shows you that I created a group called LocalGroup and assigned two machines (both on-premise) to that group. Groups and Computers in Azure Connect As I mentioned previously you can allow these machines to establish a network connection. To do this, you must enable the Interconnected option in the group. The following diagram shows you the definition of the group. In this topology I chose to include local machines only, but I could also add worker roles and web roles in the Azure Roles section (you must first activate your roles, as discussed previously). You could also add other Groups, allowing you to manage inter-group communication. Defining a Group in Azure Connect Testing the Connection Now that my agents have been installed on my two machines, the group defined and the Interconnected option checked, I can test the connection between my machines. The next screenshot shows you that I sent a PING request to DEVLAP02 from DEVDSK02. The PING request was successful. Note however that the time is in the hundreds of milliseconds on average. That is to be expected because the machines are connecting through the Relay located in the cloud. Going through the Relay introduces an extra hop in the communication chain, so if your systems rely on high performance, you may want to conduct some basic performance tests. Sending a PING Request Through The Relay Conclusion As you can see, creating a network topology between machines using the Azure Connect service is simple. It took me less than five minutes to create the above configuration, including the time it took to install the Azure Connect agents on the two machines. The flexibility of Azure Connect allows you to create a virtual network between disparate environments, as long as your operating systems are supported by the agent. For more information on Azure Connect, visit the MSDN website at http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windowsazure/gg432997.aspx. About Herve Roggero Herve Roggero, Windows Azure MVP, is the founder of Blue Syntax Consulting, a company specialized in cloud computing products and services. Herve's experience includes software development, architecture, database administration and senior management with both global corporations and startup companies. Herve holds multiple certifications, including an MCDBA, MCSE, MCSD. He also holds a Master's degree in Business Administration from Indiana University. Herve is the co-author of "PRO SQL Azure" from Apress and runs the Azure Florida Association (on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=4177626). For more information on Blue Syntax Consulting, visit www.bluesyntax.net. Special Thanks I would like thank those that helped me figure out how Azure Connect works: Marcel Meijer - http://blogs.msmvps.com/marcelmeijer/ Michael Wood - Http://www.mvwood.com Glenn Block - http://www.codebetter.com/glennblock Yves Goeleven - http://cloudshaper.wordpress.com/ Sandrino Di Mattia - http://fabriccontroller.net/ Mike Martin - http://techmike2kx.wordpress.com

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• Top 10 Browser Productivity Tips

  - by Renso

  Originally posted on: http://geekswithblogs.net/renso/archive/2013/10/14/top-10-browser-productivity-tips.aspxYou don’t have to be a geek to be a productive browser user. The tips below have been selected by actions users take most of the time to navigate a web-site but use long-standing keyboard or mouse actions to get them done, when there are keyboard short-cuts you can use instead. Since you hands are already on the keyboard it is almost always faster to sue a keyboard shortcut to get something done that you usually used the mouse for. For example right-clicking on something to copy it and then doing to same for pasting something is very time consuming, keyboard shortcuts have been created that simplify the task. All it takes are a few memory brain cells to remember them. Here are the tips, in no particular order:   Tip 1 Hold down the spacebar on your keyboard to page to the end of your web page rather than using your mouse. This is really a slow way of doing it. If you want to page one page at a time, hit the spacebar once, and again to page again. But if you want to page all the way to the end of the web page simply hit Ctrl+End (that is hold down the Ctrl key and hit the End button on your keyboard). To get to the top of your web page, simply hit Ctrl + Home to go all the way to the top of your web page. Tip 2 Where are my downloads? Some folks run downloads again-and-again because they do not know where the last one went and they do not see the popup, or browser note on their web page in the footer, etc. Simply hit Ctrl+J. Works in most browsers. Tip 3 Selecting a US state from a drop down box. Don’t use the mouse, takes just way too long to scroll. When you tab to the drop down box or click on it with your mouse, simply hit the first character of the state and it will be selected. For Texas for example hit the letter “T” twice on your keyboard to get to it. The same concept can be applied to any drop down box that is alphabetical or numerically sorted. Tip 4 Fixing spelling errors. All modern-day browsers support this now. You see the red wavy lines underscoring a word, yes it is a spelling error. How do you fix it? Don’t overtype it or try and fix it manually, fist right-click on it and a list of suggestions comes up. If it does not show up, like my name “Renso” and you know how to spell your name as in this example, look further down the list of options (the little window popup that appears when you right click) and you should see an option to “Add to Dictionary”. Be warned, when you add it, it only adds it to the browser you’re using’s dictionary. If you use Google Chrome, Firefox and IE, each one will have their own list. Tip 5 So you have trouble seeing the text on the screen. Or you are looking at a photo, for example in Facebook. You want to zoom in to read better or zoom into a photo a bit more. Hit Ctrl++ (hold down Ctrl key and hit the plus key – actually it’s the equal key but it is easier to remember that it is plus for bigger). Hit the minus to zoom out. Now you can’t remember what the original size was since you were so excited to hit it 20 times, or was that 21… Simply hit Ctrl+0 (that is zero) and it will reset it to the default. Tip 6 So you closed a couple of tabs in your browser. Suddenly you remember something you wanted to double-check something on one of the tabs, you cannot remember the URL ad the tab is gone forever, or is it? Simply hit Ctrl+Shift+t and it will bring back your tabs one by one each time you click the T. This has also been a great way for me to quickly close some tabs because I don’t want my boss to see I’m shopping and then hitting Ctrl+Shift+t to quickly get it back and complete my check-put and purchase. Or, for parents, when you walk into your daughter’s room and you see she quickly clicks and closes a window/tab in here browser. Not to worry my little darling, daddy will Ctrl+Shift+t and see what boys on Facebook you were talking too… Tip 7 The web browser is frozen on your PC/Laptop/Whatever, in this example it may be your Internet Explorer browser. I don’t mention Firefox or Chrome here because it probably never happens in their world. You cannot close it, it won’t respond to anything you have done s far except for the next step you are about to take, which is throw your two-day old coffee on your keyboard. This happens especially on sites that want to force you to complete a purchase order. Hit Ctrl+Alt+Del on your keyboard on any version of windows, select TASK MANAGER. In the  First Tab, which is the Process Tab, look for the item in question. In this example you should see Internet Explorer. Right-click it and select “End Task”. It will force the thread out of memory and terminate that process. You can of course do this with any program running under your account. Tip 8 This is a personal favorite of mine. To select words in the paragraph without using the mouse. You don’t want to select one character at a time like when you use the Ctrl+arrows as it can be very slow if you want to select a lot of text. You also want to select whole words. Simply use the Ctrl+Shift_arrow (right or left depending which direction you want to go. Tip 9 I was a bit reluctant to add this one, but being in the professional services industry still come across many-a-folk that simply can’t copy-and-paste them-all text or images that reside on them screens, y’all. Ctrl+c to copy and Ctrl+v to paste it. Works a lot faster than using the mouse. You may be asking: “Well why in the devil did they not use Ctrl+p for paste…. because that is for printing. This is of course not limited to the browser world, it applies to almost any piece of software running on PC or Mac. Go try it on an image on your browser, right-click it and select copy. Open a word document and Ctrl+v to paste the image in there. Please consider copyright laws. Tip 10 Getting rid of annoying ads. Now this only works when you load a web page, meaning when you get back to the same page later you will have to do this again and you will need to learn a tool to do it, WELL WORTH IT. For example, I use GrooveShark to listen to music but I don’t like the ads they show. Install a tool like Firebug for Firefox or use the Ctrl+Shift+I on Chrome to bring up the developer toolbar. Shows at the bottom of the page. With Firefox, once you have installed Firebug as an add-on, a yellow bug should appear on the top right-hand-side of your browser, click on it to display the developer toolbar. You will need to learn how to use it, but once you know how to select an item/section on the window (usually just right-click the add you don’t want to see and select “Inspect Element”, the developer toolbar will appear (if not already there)) and then simply hit delete and it will remove the add from the screen. If you don’t know HTML you may need to play with it a bit, but once you understand how it works can open up a whole new world for you on how web pages actually work. If you can think of any others that have saved you a ton of time please let me know so I can add them to a top 99 list.

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• first install for windows eight.....da beta

  - by raysmithequip

  The W8 preview is now installed and I am enjoying it.  I remember the learning curve of my first unix machine back in the eighties, this ain't that.It is normal for me to do the first os install with a keyboard and low end monitor...you never know what you'll encounter out in the field.  The OS took like a fish to water.  I used a low end INTEL motherboard dp55w I gathered on the cheap, an 1157 i5 from the used bin a pair of 6 gig ddr3 sticks, a rosewell 550 watt power supply a cheap used twenty buck sub 200g wd sata drive, a half working dvd burner and an asus fanless nvidia vid card, not a great one but Sub 50.00 on newey eggey...I did have to hunt the ms forums for a key and of course to activate the thing, if dos would of needed this outmoded ritual, we would still be on cpm and osborne would be a household name, of course little do people know that this ritual was common as far back as the seventies on att unix installs....not, but it was possible, I used to joke about when I ran a bbs, what hell would of been wrought had dos 3.2 machines been required to dial into my bbs to send fido mail to ms and wait for an acknowledgement.  All in all the thing was pushing a seven on the ms richter scale, not including the vid card, sadly it came in at just a tad over three....I wanted to evaluate it for a possible replacement on critical machines that in the past went down due to a vid card fan failure....you have no idea what a customer thinks when you show them a failed vid card fan..."you mean that little plastic piece of junk caused all this!!??!!!"...yea man.  Some production machines don't need any sort of vid, I will at least keep it on the maybe list for those, MTBF is a very important factor, some big box stores should put percentage of failure rate within 24 month estimates on the outside of the carton for sure.  And a warning that the power supplies are already at their limit.  Let's face it, today even 550w can be iffy.A few neat eye candy improvements over the earlier windows is nice, the metro screen is nice, anyone who has used a newer phone recently will intuitively drag their fingers across the screen....lot of good that was with no mouse or touch screen though.  Lucky me, I have been using windows since day one, I still have a copy of win 2.0 (and every other version) for no good reason.  Still the old ix collection of disks is much larger, recompiling any kernal is another silly ritual, same machine, different day, same recompile...argh. Rh is my all time fav, mandrake was always missing something, like it rewrote the init file or something, novell is ok as long as you stay on the beaten path and of course ubuntu normally recompiles with the same errors consistantly....makes life easy that way....no errors on windows eight, just a screen that did not match the installed hardware, natuarally I alt tabbed right out of it, then hit the flag key to find the start menu....no start button. I miss the start button already. Keyboard cowboy funnin and I was browsing the harddrive, nothing stunning there, I like that, means I can find stuff. Only I can't find what I want, the start button....the start menu is that first screen for touch tablets. No biggie for useruser, that is where they will want to be, I can see that. Admins won't want to be there, it is easy enough to get the control panel a bazzilion other ways though, just not the start button. (see a pattern here?). Personally, from the keyboard I find it fun to hit the carets along the location bar at the top of the explorer screen with tabs and arrows and choose SHOW ALL CONTROL PANEL ITEMS, or thereabouts. Bottom line, I love seven and I'll love eight even more!...very happy I did not have to follow the normal rule of thumb (a customer watching me build a system and asking questions said "oh I get it, so every piece you put in there is basically a hundred bucks, right?)...ok, sure, pretty much, more or less, well, ya dude.  It will be WAY past october till I get a real touch screen but I did pick up a pair of cheap tatungs so I can try the NEW main start screen, I parse a lot of folders and have a vision of how a pair of touch screens will be easier than landing a rover on mars.  Ok.  fine, they are way smallish, and I don't expect multitouch to work but we are talking a few percent of a new 21 inch viewsonic touch screen.  Will this OS be a game changer?  I don't know.  Bottom line with all the pads and droids in the world, it is more of a catch up move at first glance.  Not something ms is used to.  An app store?  I can see ms's motivation, the others have it.  I gather there will not be gadgets there, go ahead and see what ms did  to the once populated gadget page...go ahead, google gadgets and take a gander, used to hundreds of gadgets, they are already gone.  They replaced gadgets?  sort of, I'll drop that, it's a bit of a sore point for me.  More of interest was what happened when I downloaded stuff off codeplex and some other normal programs that I like, like orbitron, top o' my list!!...cardware it is...anyways, click on the exe, get a screen, normal for windows, this one indicated that I was not running a normal windows program and had a button for  exit the install, naw, I hit details, a hidden run program anyways came into view....great, my path to the normal windows has detected a program tha.....yea ok, acl is on, fine, moving along I got orbitron installed in record time and was tracking the iss on the newest Microsoft OS, beta of course, felt like the first time I setup bsd all those year ago...FUN!!...I suppose I gotta start to think about budgeting for the real os when it comes out in october, by then I should have a rasberry pi and be done with fedora remixed.  Of course that sounds like fun too!!  I would use this OS on a tablet or phone.  I don't like the idea of being hearded to an app store, don't like that on anything, we are americans and want real choices not marketed hype, lest you are younger with opm (other peoples money).   This os would be neat on a zune, but I suspect the zune is a gonner, I am rooting for microsoft, after all their default password is not admin anymore, nor alpine,  it's blank. Others force a password, my first fawn password was so long I could not even log into it with the password in front of me, who the heck uses %$# anyways, and if I was writing a brute force attack what the heck kinda impasse is that anyways at .00001 microseconds of a code execution cycle (just a non qualified number, not a real clock speed)....AI is where it will be before too long, MS is on that path, perhaps soon someone will sit down and write an app for the kinect that watches your eyes while you scan the new main start screen, clicking on the big E icon when you blink.....boy is that going to be fun!!!! sure. Blink,dammit,blink,dammit...... OPM no doubt.I like windows eight, we are moving forwards, better keep a close eye on ubuntu.  The real clinch comes when open source becomes paid source......don't blink, I already see plenty of very expensive 'ix apps, some even in app stores already.  more to come.......

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• CodePlex Daily Summary for Monday, May 26, 2014

  CodePlex Daily Summary for Monday, May 26, 2014Popular ReleasesClosedXML - The easy way to OpenXML: ClosedXML 0.71.1: More performance improvements. It's faster and consumes less memory.Role Based Views in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011: Role Based Views in CRM 2011 and 2013 - 1.1.0.0: Issues fixed in this build: 1. Works for CRM 2013 2. Lookup view not getting blockedSimCityPak: SimCityPak 0.3.1.0: Main New Features: Fixed Importing of Instance Names (get rid of the Dutch translations) Added advanced editor for Decal Dictionaries Added possibility to import .PNG to generate new decals Added advanced editor for Path display entriesSimple Connect To Db: SimpleConnectToDb_v1: SimpleConnectToDb_v1CRM 2011 / CRM 2013 Form Helper: v2014.05.25: v2014.05.25 Added PhoneFormat & PhoneFormatAreaCode v2014.05.24 Initial ReleaseCreate Word documents without MS Word: Release 3.0: Add support for Sections, Sections Headers and Footers and right to left languages.Corporate News App for SharePoint 2013: CorporateNewsApp v1.6.2.0: Important note This version contains a major bug fix about the generic error "Request failed. Unexpected response data from server null" This error occurs on SharePoint Online only, following an update of the Javascript API after May 2014. If you have installed this application manually in your applications company catalog, you can download the CorporateNewsApp.app file in the zip archive and update it manually. If you have installed this application directly from the SharePoint Store, it ...DevOS: DevOS: Plugin-system added Including:DevOS.exe DevOS API.dll Files must be in the some folderTiny Deduplicator: Tiny Deduplicator 1.0.1.0: Increased version number to 1.0.1.0 Moved all options to a separate 'Options' dialog window. Allows the user to specify a selection strategy which will help when dealing with large numbers of duplicate files. Available options are "None," "Keep First," and "Keep Last"C64 Studio: 3.5: Add: BASIC renumber function Add: !PET pseudo op Add: elseif for !if, } else { pseudo op Add: !TRACE pseudo op Add: Watches are saved/restored with a solution Add: Ctrl-A works now in export assembly controls Add: Preliminary graphic import dialog (not fully functional yet) Add: range and block selection in sprite/charset editor (Shift-Click = range, Alt-Click = block) Fix: Expression evaluator could miscalculate when both division and multiplication were in an expression without parenthesisSEToolbox: SEToolbox 01.031.009 Release 1: Added mirroring of ConveyorTubeCurved. Updated Ship cube rotation to rotate ship back to original location (cubes are reoriented but ship appears no different to outsider), and to rotate Grouped items. Repair now fixes the loss of Grouped controls due to changes in Space Engineers 01.030. Added export asteroids. Rejoin ships will merge grouping and conveyor systems (even though broken ships currently only maintain the Grouping on one part of the ship). Installation of this version wi...Player Framework by Microsoft: Player Framework for Windows and WP v2.0: Support for new Universal and Windows Phone 8.1 projects for both Xaml and JavaScript projects. See a detailed list of improvements, breaking changes and a general overview of version 2 ADDITIONAL DOWNLOADSSmooth Streaming Client SDK for Windows 8 Applications Smooth Streaming Client SDK for Windows 8.1 Applications Smooth Streaming Client SDK for Windows Phone 8.1 Applications Microsoft PlayReady Client SDK for Windows 8 Applications Microsoft PlayReady Client SDK for Windows 8.1 Applicat...TerraMap (Terraria World Map Viewer): TerraMap 1.0.6: Added support for the new Terraria v1.2.4 update. New items, walls, and tiles Added the ability to select multiple highlighted block types. Added a dynamic, interactive highlight opacity slider, making it easier to find highlighted tiles with dark colors (and fixed blurriness from 1.0.5 alpha). Added ability to find Enchanted Swords (in the stone) and Water Bolt books Fixed Issue 35206: Hightlight/Find doesn't work for Demon Altars Fixed finding Demon Hearts/Shadow Orbs Fixed inst...DotNet.Highcharts: DotNet.Highcharts 4.0 with Examples: DotNet.Highcharts 4.0 Tested and adapted to the latest version of Highcharts 4.0.1 Added new chart type: Heatmap Added new type PointPlacement which represents enumeration or number for the padding of the X axis. Changed target framework from .NET Framework 4 to .NET Framework 4.5. Closed issues: 974: Add 'overflow' property to PlotOptionsColumnDataLabels class 997: Split container from JS 1006: Series/Categories with numeric names don't render DotNet.Highcharts.Samples Updated s...ConEmu - Windows console with tabs: ConEmu 140523 [Alpha]: ConEmu - developer build x86 and x64 versions. Written in C++, no additional packages required. Run "ConEmu.exe" or "ConEmu64.exe". Some useful information you may found: http://superuser.com/questions/tagged/conemu http://code.google.com/p/conemu-maximus5/wiki/ConEmuFAQ http://code.google.com/p/conemu-maximus5/wiki/TableOfContents If you want to use ConEmu in portable mode, just create empty "ConEmu.xml" file near to "ConEmu.exe" Aspose for Apache POI: Missing Features of Apache POI SL - v 1.1: Release contain the Missing Features in Apache POI SL SDK in Comparison with Aspose.Slides for dealing with Microsoft Power Point. What's New ?Following Examples: Managing Slide Transitions Manage Smart Art Adding Media Player Adding Audio Frame to Slide Feedback and Suggestions Many more examples are yet to come here. Keep visiting us. Raise your queries and suggest more examples via Aspose Forums or via this social coding site.PowerShell App Deployment Toolkit: PowerShell App Deployment Toolkit v3.1.3: Added CompressLogs option to the config file. Each Install / Uninstall creates a timestamped zip file with all MSI and PSAppDeployToolkit logs contained within Added variable expansion to all paths in the configuration file Added documentation for each of the Toolkit internal variables that can be used Changed Install-MSUpdates to continue if any errors are encountered when installing updates Implement /Force parameter on Update-GroupPolicy (ensure that any logoff message is ignored) ...WordMat: WordMat v. 1.07: A quick fix because scientific notation was broken in v. 1.06 read more at http://wordmat.blogspot.com????: 《????》: 《????》（c???）??“????”???????，???????????????C?????????。???????,???????????????????????. ??????????????????????????????????；????????????????????????????。Mini SQL Query: Mini SQL Query (1.0.72.457): Apologies for the previous update! FK issue fixed and also a template data cache issue.New ProjectsASP.Net MCV4 Simplified Code Samples: This project intended to simplify the same. In this project each task is implemented with minimum lines of code to reduces complicity.Calvin: net???CodeLatino by Latinosoft: A Modified version for codeShow -- Probably taking more than a month.freeasyBackup: A free and easy to use Backup Tool for everyone. Without any cloud restrictions. freeasyExplorer: A free and easy to use File Explorer for everyone.openPDFspeedreader: #spritz #pdfreader #speedreader PDF Editor to Edit PDF Files in your ASP.NET Applications: This sample application allows the users to edit PDF files online using Aspose.Pdf for .NET.SharePoint World Cup 2013: world cup 2014SSAS Long Running Query Performance Helper: This utility helps investigate long running multidimensional or mining queries in discovery, de-parameterization and re-parameterization back to source format.

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• Why Is Vertical Resolution Monitor Resolution so Often a Multiple of 360?

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  Stare at a list of monitor resolutions long enough and you might notice a pattern: many of the vertical resolutions, especially those of gaming or multimedia displays, are multiples of 360 (720, 1080, 1440, etc.) But why exactly is this the case? Is it arbitrary or is there something more at work? Today’s Question & Answer session comes to us courtesy of SuperUser—a subdivision of Stack Exchange, a community-driven grouping of Q&A web sites. The Question SuperUser reader Trojandestroy recently noticed something about his display interface and needs answers: YouTube recently added 1440p functionality, and for the first time I realized that all (most?) vertical resolutions are multiples of 360. Is this just because the smallest common resolution is 480×360, and it’s convenient to use multiples? (Not doubting that multiples are convenient.) And/or was that the first viewable/conveniently sized resolution, so hardware (TVs, monitors, etc) grew with 360 in mind? Taking it further, why not have a square resolution? Or something else unusual? (Assuming it’s usual enough that it’s viewable). Is it merely a pleasing-the-eye situation? So why have the display be a multiple of 360? The Answer SuperUser contributor User26129 offers us not just an answer as to why the numerical pattern exists but a history of screen design in the process: Alright, there are a couple of questions and a lot of factors here. Resolutions are a really interesting field of psychooptics meeting marketing. First of all, why are the vertical resolutions on youtube multiples of 360. This is of course just arbitrary, there is no real reason this is the case. The reason is that resolution here is not the limiting factor for Youtube videos – bandwidth is. Youtube has to re-encode every video that is uploaded a couple of times, and tries to use as little re-encoding formats/bitrates/resolutions as possible to cover all the different use cases. For low-res mobile devices they have 360×240, for higher res mobile there’s 480p, and for the computer crowd there is 360p for 2xISDN/multiuser landlines, 720p for DSL and 1080p for higher speed internet. For a while there were some other codecs than h.264, but these are slowly being phased out with h.264 having essentially ‘won’ the format war and all computers being outfitted with hardware codecs for this. Now, there is some interesting psychooptics going on as well. As I said: resolution isn’t everything. 720p with really strong compression can and will look worse than 240p at a very high bitrate. But on the other side of the spectrum: throwing more bits at a certain resolution doesn’t magically make it better beyond some point. There is an optimum here, which of course depends on both resolution and codec. In general: the optimal bitrate is actually proportional to the resolution. So the next question is: what kind of resolution steps make sense? Apparently, people need about a 2x increase in resolution to really see (and prefer) a marked difference. Anything less than that and many people will simply not bother with the higher bitrates, they’d rather use their bandwidth for other stuff. This has been researched quite a long time ago and is the big reason why we went from 720×576 (415kpix) to 1280×720 (922kpix), and then again from 1280×720 to 1920×1080 (2MP). Stuff in between is not a viable optimization target. And again, 1440P is about 3.7MP, another ~2x increase over HD. You will see a difference there. 4K is the next step after that. Next up is that magical number of 360 vertical pixels. Actually, the magic number is 120 or 128. All resolutions are some kind of multiple of 120 pixels nowadays, back in the day they used to be multiples of 128. This is something that just grew out of LCD panel industry. LCD panels use what are called line drivers, little chips that sit on the sides of your LCD screen that control how bright each subpixel is. Because historically, for reasons I don’t really know for sure, probably memory constraints, these multiple-of-128 or multiple-of-120 resolutions already existed, the industry standard line drivers became drivers with 360 line outputs (1 per subpixel). If you would tear down your 1920×1080 screen, I would be putting money on there being 16 line drivers on the top/bottom and 9 on one of the sides. Oh hey, that’s 16:9. Guess how obvious that resolution choice was back when 16:9 was ‘invented’. Then there’s the issue of aspect ratio. This is really a completely different field of psychology, but it boils down to: historically, people have believed and measured that we have a sort of wide-screen view of the world. Naturally, people believed that the most natural representation of data on a screen would be in a wide-screen view, and this is where the great anamorphic revolution of the ’60s came from when films were shot in ever wider aspect ratios. Since then, this kind of knowledge has been refined and mostly debunked. Yes, we do have a wide-angle view, but the area where we can actually see sharply – the center of our vision – is fairly round. Slightly elliptical and squashed, but not really more than about 4:3 or 3:2. So for detailed viewing, for instance for reading text on a screen, you can utilize most of your detail vision by employing an almost-square screen, a bit like the screens up to the mid-2000s. However, again this is not how marketing took it. Computers in ye olden days were used mostly for productivity and detailed work, but as they commoditized and as the computer as media consumption device evolved, people didn’t necessarily use their computer for work most of the time. They used it to watch media content: movies, television series and photos. And for that kind of viewing, you get the most ‘immersion factor’ if the screen fills as much of your vision (including your peripheral vision) as possible. Which means widescreen. But there’s more marketing still. When detail work was still an important factor, people cared about resolution. As many pixels as possible on the screen. SGI was selling almost-4K CRTs! The most optimal way to get the maximum amount of pixels out of a glass substrate is to cut it as square as possible. 1:1 or 4:3 screens have the most pixels per diagonal inch. But with displays becoming more consumery, inch-size became more important, not amount of pixels. And this is a completely different optimization target. To get the most diagonal inches out of a substrate, you want to make the screen as wide as possible. First we got 16:10, then 16:9 and there have been moderately successful panel manufacturers making 22:9 and 2:1 screens (like Philips). Even though pixel density and absolute resolution went down for a couple of years, inch-sizes went up and that’s what sold. Why buy a 19″ 1280×1024 when you can buy a 21″ 1366×768? Eh… I think that about covers all the major aspects here. There’s more of course; bandwidth limits of HDMI, DVI, DP and of course VGA played a role, and if you go back to the pre-2000s, graphics memory, in-computer bandwdith and simply the limits of commercially available RAMDACs played an important role. But for today’s considerations, this is about all you need to know. Have something to add to the explanation? Sound off in the the comments. Want to read more answers from other tech-savvy Stack Exchange users? Check out the full discussion thread here.     

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• 5 Lessons learnt in localization / multi language support in WPF

  - by MarkPearl

  For the last few months I have been secretly working away at the second version of an application that we initially released a few years ago. It’s called MaxCut and it is a free panel/cut optimizer for the woodwork, glass and metal industry. One of the motivations for writing MaxCut was to get an end to end experience in developing an application for general consumption. From the early days of v1 of MaxCut I would get the odd email thanking me for the software and then listing a few suggestions on how to improve it. Two of the most dominant suggestions that we received were… Support for imperial measurements (the original program only supported the metric system) Multi language support (we had someone who volunteered to translate the program into Japanese for us). I am not going to dive into the Imperial to Metric support in todays blog post, but I would like to cover a few brief lessons we learned in adding support for multi-language functionality in the software. I have sectioned them below under different lessons. Lesson 1 – Build multi-language support in from the start So the first lesson I learnt was if you know you are going to do multi language support – build it in from the very beginning! One of the power points of WPF/Silverlight is data binding in XAML and so while it wasn’t to painful to retro fit multi language support into the programing, it was still time consuming and a bit tedious to go through mounds and mounds of views and would have been a minor job to have implemented this while the form was being designed. Lesson 2 – Accommodate for varying word lengths using Grids The next lesson was a little harder to learn and was learnt a bit further down the road in the development cycle. We developed everything in English, assuming that other languages would have similar character length words for equivalent meanings… don’t!. A word that is short in your language may be of varying character lengths in other languages. Some language like Dutch and German allow for concatenation of nouns which has the potential to create really long words. We picked up a few places where our views had been structured incorrectly so that if a word was to long it would get clipped off or cut out. To get around this we began using the WPF grid extensively with column widths that would automatically expand if they needed to. Generally speaking the grid replacement got round this hurdle, and if in future you have a choice between a stack panel or a grid – think twice before going for the easier option… often the grid will be a bit more work to setup, but will be more flexible. Lesson 3 – Separate the separators Our initial run through moving the words to a resource dictionary led us to make what I thought was one potential mistake. If we had a label like the following… “length : “ In the resource dictionary we put it as a single entry. This is fine until you start using a word more than once. For instance in our scenario we used the word “length’ frequently. with different variations of the word with grammar and separators included in the resource we ended up having what I would consider a bloated dictionary. When we removed the separators from the words and put them as their own resources we saw a dramatic reduction in dictionary size… so something that looked like this… “length : “ “length. “ “length?” Was reduced to… “length” “:” “?” “.” While this may not seem like a reduction at first glance, consider that the separators “:?.” are used everywhere and suddenly you see a real reduction in bloat. Lesson 4 – Centralize the Language Dictionary This lesson was learnt at the very end of the project after we had already had a release candidate out in the wild. Because our translations would be done on a volunteer basis and remotely, we wanted it to be really simple for someone to translate our program into another language. As a common design practice we had tiered the application so that we had a business logic layer, a ui layer, etc. The problem was in several of these layers we had resource files specific for that layer. What this resulted in was us having multiple resource files that we would need to send to our translators. To add to our problems, some of the wordings were duplicated in different resource files, which would result in additional frustration from our translators as they felt they were duplicating work. Eventually the workaround was to make a separate project in VS2010 with just the language translations. We then exposed the dictionary as public within this project and made it as a reference to the other projects within the solution. This solved out problem as now we had a central dictionary and could remove any duplication's. Lesson 5 – Make a dummy translation file to test that you haven’t missed anything The final lesson learnt about multi language support in WPF was when checking if you had forgotten to translate anything in the inline code, make a test resource file with dummy data. Ideally you want the data for each word to be identical. In our instance we made one which had all the resource key values pointing to a value of test. This allowed us point the language file to our test resource file and very quickly browse through the program and see if we had missed any linking. The alternative to this approach is to have two language files and swap between the two while running the program to make sure that you haven’t missed anything, but the downside of dual language file approach is that it is much a lot harder spotting a mistake if everything is different – almost like playing Where’s Wally / Waldo. It is much easier spotting variance in uniformity – meaning when you put the “test’ keyword for everything, anything that didn’t say “test” stuck out like a sore thumb. So these are my top five lessons learnt on implementing multi language support in WPF. Feel free to make any suggestions in the comments section if you feel maybe something is more important than one of these or if I got it wrong!

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• Notifications for Expiring DBSNMP Passwords

  - by Courtney Llamas

  Most user accounts these days have a password profile on them that automatically expires the password after a set number of days.   Depending on your company’s security requirements, this may be as little as 30 days or as long as 365 days, although typically it falls between 60-90 days. For a normal user, this can cause a small interruption in your day as you have to go get your password reset by an admin. When this happens to privileged accounts, such as the DBSNMP account that is responsible for monitoring database availability, it can cause bigger problems. In Oracle Enterprise Manager 12c you may notice the error message “ORA-28002: the password will expire within 5 days” when you connect to a target, or worse you may get “ORA-28001: the password has expired". If you wait too long, your monitoring will fail because the password is locked out. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could get an alert 10 days before our DBSNMP password expired? Thanks to Oracle Enterprise Manager 12c Metric Extensions (ME), you can! See the Oracle Enterprise Manager Cloud Control Administrator’s Guide for more information on Metric Extensions. To create a metric extension, select Enterprise / Monitoring / Metric Extensions, and then click on Create. On the General Properties screen select either Cluster Database or Database Instance, depending on which target you need to monitor.  If you have both RAC and Single instance you may need to create one for each. In this example we will create a Cluster Database metric.  Enter a Name for the ME and a Display Name. Then select SQL for the Adapter.  Adjust the Collection Schedule as desired, for this example we will collect this metric every 1 day. Notice for metric collected every day, we can determine the exact time we want to collect. On the Adapter page, enter the query that you wish to execute.  In this example we will use the query below that specifically checks for the DBSNMP user that is expiring within 10 days. Of course, you can adjust this query to alert for any user that can cause an outage such as an application account or service account such as RMAN. select username, account_status, trunc(expiry_date-sysdate) days_to_expirefrom dba_userswhere username = 'DBSNMP'and expiry_date is not null; The next step is to create the columns to store the data returned from the query.  Click Add and add a column for each of the fields in the same order that data is returned.  The table below will help you complete the column additions. Name Display Name Column Type Value Type Metric Category Unit Username User Name Key String Security AccountStatus Account Status Data String Security DaysToExpire Days Until Expiration Data Number Security Days When creating the DaysToExpire column, you can add a default threshold here for Warning and Critical (say < 10 and 5).  When all columns have been added, click Next. On the Credentials page, you can choose to use the default monitoring credentials or specify new credentials.  We will use the default credentials established for our target (dbsnmp). The next step is to test your Metric Extension.  Click on Add to select a target for testing, then click Select. Now click the button Run Test to execute the test against the selected target(s). We can see in the example below that the Metric Extension has executed and returned a value of 68 days to expire. Click Next to proceed. Review the metric extension in the final screen and click Finish. The metric will be created in Editable status.  Select the metric, click Actions and select Deployable Draft. You can do this once more to move to Published. Finally, we want to apply this metric to a target. When managing many targets, it’s best to add your metric to a template, for details on adding a Metric Extension to a template see the Administrator’s Guide. For this example, we will deploy this to a target directly. Select Actions / Deploy to Targets. Click Add and select the target you wish to deploy to and click Submit.  Once deployment is complete, we can go to the target and view the Metric & Collection Settings to see the new metric and its thresholds.   After some time, you will find the metric has collected and the days to expiration for DBSNMP user can be seen in the All Metrics view.   For metrics collected once per day, you may have to wait up to 24 hours to see the metric and current severity. In the example below, the current severity is Clear (green check) as it is not scheduled to expire within 10 days. To test the notification, we can edit the thresholds for the new metric so they trigger an alert.  Our password expires in 139 days, so we’ll change our Warning to 140 and leave Critical at 5, in our example we also changed the collection time to every 5 minutes.  At the next collection, you’ll find that the current severity changes to a Warning and any related Incident Rules would be triggered to create an Incident or Notification as desired. Now that you get a notification that your DBSNMP passwords is about to expire, you can use OEM Command Line Interface (EM CLI) verb update_db_password to change it at both the database target and the OEM target in one step.  The caveat is you must know the existing password to use the update_db_password command.  To learn more about EM CLI, see the Oracle Enterprise Manager Command Line Interface Guide.  Below is an example of changing the password with the update_db_password verb.  $ ./emcli update_db_password -target_name=emrep -target_type=oracle_database -user_name=dbsnmp -change_at_target=yes -change_all_references=yes Enter value for old_password :Enter value for new_password :Enter value for retype_new_password :Successfully submitted a job to change the password in Enterprise Manager and on the target database: "emrep"Execute "emcli get_jobs -job_id=FA66C1C4D663297FE0437656F20ACC84" to check the status of the job.Search for job name "CHANGE_PWD_JOB_FA66C1C4D662297FE0437656F20ACC84" on the Jobs home page to check job execution details. The subsequent job created will typically run quickly enough that a blackout is not needed, however if you submit a script with many targets to change, your job may run slower so adding a blackout to the script is recommended. $ ./emcli get_jobs -job_id=FA66C1C4D663297FE0437656F20ACC84 Name Type Job ID Execution ID Scheduled Completed TZ Offset Status Status ID Owner Target Type Target Name CHANGE_PWD_JOB_FA66C1C4D662297FE0437656F20ACC84 ChangePassword FA66C1C4D663297FE0437656F20ACC84 FA66C1C4D665297FE0437656F20ACC84 2014-05-28 09:39:12 2014-05-28 09:39:18 GMT-07:00 Succeeded 5 SYSMAN oracle_database emrep After implementing the above Metric Extension and using the EM CLI update_db_password verb, you will be able to stay on top of your DBSNMP password changes without experiencing an unplanned monitoring outage.  

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• Restoring databases to a set drive and directory

  - by okeofs

   Restoring databases to a set drive and directory Introduction Often people say that necessity is the mother of invention. In this case I was faced with the dilemma of having to restore several databases, with multiple ‘ndf’ files, and having to restore them with different physical file names, drives and directories on servers other than the servers from which they originated. As most of us would do, I went to Google to see if I could find some code to achieve this task and found some interesting snippets on Pinal Dave’s website. Naturally, I had to take it further than the code snippet, HOWEVER it was a great place to start. Creating a temp table to hold database file details First off, I created a temp table which would hold the details of the individual data files within the database. Although there are a plethora of fields (within the temp table below), I utilize LogicalName only within this example. The temporary table structure may be seen below:   create table #tmp ( LogicalName nvarchar(128)  ,PhysicalName nvarchar(260)  ,Type char(1)  ,FileGroupName nvarchar(128)  ,Size numeric(20,0)  ,MaxSize numeric(20,0), Fileid tinyint, CreateLSN numeric(25,0), DropLSN numeric(25, 0), UniqueID uniqueidentifier, ReadOnlyLSN numeric(25,0), ReadWriteLSN numeric(25,0), BackupSizeInBytes bigint, SourceBlocSize int, FileGroupId int, LogGroupGUID uniqueidentifier, DifferentialBaseLSN numeric(25,0), DifferentialBaseGUID uniqueidentifier, IsReadOnly bit, IsPresent bit,  TDEThumbPrint varchar(50) )    We now declare and populate a variable(@path), setting the variable to the path to our SOURCE database backup. declare @path varchar(50) set @path = 'P:\DATA\MYDATABASE.bak'   From this point, we insert the file details of our database into the temp table. Note that we do so by utilizing a restore statement HOWEVER doing so in ‘filelistonly’ mode.   insert #tmp EXEC ('restore filelistonly from disk = ''' + @path + '''')   At this point, I depart from what I gleaned from Pinal Dave.   I now instantiate a few more local variables. The use of each variable will be evident within the cursor (which follows):   Declare @RestoreString as Varchar(max) Declare @NRestoreString as NVarchar(max) Declare @LogicalName  as varchar(75) Declare @counter as int Declare @rows as int set @counter = 1 select @rows = COUNT(*) from #tmp  -- Count the number of records in the temp                                    -- table   Declaring and populating the cursor At this point I do realize that many people are cringing about the use of a cursor. Being an Oracle professional as well, I have learnt that there is a time and place for cursors. I would remind the reader that the data that will be read into the cursor is from a local temp table and as such, any locking of the records (within the temp table) is not really an issue.   DECLARE MY_CURSOR Cursor  FOR  Select LogicalName  From #tmp   Parsing the logical names from within the cursor. A small caveat that works in our favour,  is that the first logical name (of our database) is the logical name of the primary data file (.mdf). Other files, except for the very last logical name, belong to secondary data files. The last logical name is that of our database log file.   I now open my cursor and populate the variable @RestoreString Open My_Cursor  set @RestoreString =  'RESTORE DATABASE [MYDATABASE] FROM DISK = N''P:\DATA\ MYDATABASE.bak''' + ' with  '   We now fetch the first record from the temp table.   Fetch NEXT FROM MY_Cursor INTO @LogicalName   While there are STILL records left within the cursor, we dynamically build our restore string. Note that we are using concatenation to create ‘one big restore executable string’.   Note also that the target physical file name is hardwired, as is the target directory.   While (@@FETCH_STATUS <> -1) BEGIN IF (@@FETCH_STATUS <> -2) -- As long as there are no rows missing select @RestoreString = case  when @counter = 1 then -- This is the mdf file    @RestoreString + 'move  N''' + @LogicalName + '''' + ' TO N’’X:\DATA1\'+ @LogicalName + '.mdf' + '''' + ', '   -- OK, if it passes through here we are dealing with an .ndf file -- Note that Counter must be greater than 1 and less than the number of rows.   when @counter > 1 and @counter < @rows then -- These are the ndf file(s)    @RestoreString + 'move  N''' + @LogicalName + '''' + ' TO N’’X:\DATA1\'+ @LogicalName + '.ndf' + '''' + ', '   -- OK, if it passes through here we are dealing with the log file When @LogicalName like '%log%' then    @RestoreString + 'move  N''' + @LogicalName + '''' + ' TO N’’X:\DATA1\'+ @LogicalName + '.ldf' +'''' end --Increment the counter   set @counter = @counter + 1 FETCH NEXT FROM MY_CURSOR INTO @LogicalName END   At this point we have populated the varchar(max) variable @RestoreString with a concatenation of all the necessary file names. What we now need to do is to run the sp_executesql stored procedure, to effect the restore.   First, we must place our ‘concatenated string’ into an nvarchar based variable. Obviously this will only work as long as the length of @RestoreString is less than varchar(max) / 2.   set @NRestoreString = @RestoreString EXEC sp_executesql @NRestoreString   Upon completion of this step, the database should be restored to the server. I now close and deallocate the cursor, and to be clean, I would also drop my temp table.   CLOSE MY_CURSOR DEALLOCATE MY_CURSOR GO   Conclusion Restoration of databases on different servers with different physical names and on different drives are a fact of life. Through the use of a few variables and a simple cursor, we may achieve an efficient and effective way to achieve this task.

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• Screenshot Tour: Ubuntu Touch 14.04 on a Nexus 7

  - by Chris Hoffman

  Ubuntu 14.04 LTS will “form the basis of the first commercially available Ubuntu tablets,” according to Canonical. We installed Ubuntu Touch 14.04 on our own hardware to see what those tablets will be like. We don’t recommend installing this yourself, as it’s still not a polished, complete experience. We’re using “Ubuntu Touch” as shorthand here — apparently this project’s new name is “Ubuntu For Devices.” The Welcome Screen Ubuntu’s touch interface is all about edge swipes and hidden interface elements — it has a lot in common with Windows 8, actually. You’ll see the welcome screen when you boot up or unlock a Ubuntu tablet or phone. If you have new emails, text messages, or other information, it will appear on this screen along with the time and date. If you don’t, you’ll just see a message saying “No data sources available.” The Dash Swipe in from the right edge of the welcome screen to access the Dash, or home screen. This is actually very similar to the Dash on Ubuntu’s Unity desktop. This isn’t a surprise — Canonical wants the desktop and touch versions of Ubuntu to use the same code. In the future, the desktop and touch versions of Ubuntu will use the same version of Unity and Unity will adjust its interface depending on what type of device your’e using. Here you’ll find apps you have installed and apps available to install. Tap an installed app to launch it or tap an available app to view more details and install it. Tap the My apps or Available headings to view a complete list of apps you have installed or apps you can install. Tap the Search box at the top of the screen to start searching — this is how you’d search for new apps to install. As you’d expect, a touch keyboard appears when you tap in the Search field or any other text field. The launcher isn’t just for apps. Tap the Apps heading at the top of the screen and you’ll see hidden text appear — Music, Video, and Scopes. This hidden navigation is used throughout Ubuntu’s different apps and can be easy to miss at first. Swipe to the left or right to move between these screens. These screens are also similar to the different panels in Unity on the desktop. The Scopes section allows you to view different search scopes you have installed. These are used to search different sources when you start a search from the Dash. Search from the Music or Videos scopes to search for local media files on your device or media files online. For example, searching in the Music scope will show you music results from Grooveshark by default. Navigating Ubuntu Touch Swipe in from the left edge anywhere on the system to open the launcher, a bar with shortcuts to apps. This launcher is very similar to the launcher on the left of Ubuntu’s Unity desktop — that’s the whole idea, after all. Once you’ve opened an app, you can leave the app by swiping in from the left. The launcher will appear — keep moving your finger towards the right edge of teh screen. This will swipe the current app off the screen, taking you back to the Dash. Once back on the Dash, you’ll see your open apps represented as thumbnails under Recent. Tap a thumbnail here to go back to a running app. To remove an app from here, long-press it and tap the X button that appears. Swipe in from the right edge in any app to quickly switch between recent apps. Swipe in from the right edge and hold your finger down to reveal an application switcher that shows all your recent apps and lets you choose between them. Swipe down from the top of the screen to access the indicator panel. Here you can connect to Wi-Fi networks, view upcoming events, control GPS and Bluetooth hardware, adjust sound settings, see incoming messages, and more. This panel is for quick access to hardware settings and notifications, just like the indicators on Ubuntu’s Unity desktop. The Apps System settings not included in the pull-down panel are available in the System Settings app. To access it, tap My apps on the Dash and tap System Settings, search for the System Settings app, or open the launcher bar and tap the settings icon. The settings here a bit limited compared to other operating systems, but many of the important options are available here. You can add Evernote, Ubuntu One, Twitter, Facebook, and Google accounts from here. A free Ubuntu One account is mandatory for downloading and updating apps. A Google account can be used to sync contacts and calendar events. Some apps on Ubuntu are native apps, while many are web apps. For example, the Twitter, Gmail, Amazon, Facebook, and eBay apps included by default are all web apps that open each service’s mobile website as an app. Other applications, such as the Weather, Calendar, Dialer, Calculator, and Notes apps are native applications. Theoretically, both types of apps will be able to scale to different screen resolutions. Ubuntu Touch and Ubuntu desktop may one day share the same apps, which will adapt to different display sizes and input methods. Like Windows 8 apps, Ubuntu apps hide interface elements by default, providing you with a full-screen view of the content. Swipe up from the bottom of an app’s screen to view its interface elements. For example, swiping up from the bottom of the Web Browser app reveals Back, Forward, and Refresh buttons, along with an address bar and Activity button so you can view current and recent web pages. Swipe up even more from the bottom and you’ll see a button hovering in the middle of the app. Tap the button and you’ll see many more settings. This is an overflow area for application options and functions that can’t fit on the navigation bar. The Terminal app has a few surprising Easter eggs in this panel, including a “Hack into the NSA” option. Tap it and the following text will appear in the terminal: That’s not very nice, now tracing your location . . . . . . . . . . . .Trace failed You got away this time, but don’t try again. We’d expect to see such Easter eggs disappear before Ubuntu Touch actually ships on real devices. Ubuntu Touch has come a long way, but it’s still not something you want to use today. For example, it doesn’t even have a built-in email client — you’ll have to us your email service’s mobile website. Few apps are available, and many of the ones that are are just mobile websites. It’s not a polished operating system intended for normal users yet — it’s more of a preview for developers and device manufacturers. If you really want to try it yourself, you can install it on a Wi-Fi Nexus 7 (2013), Nexus 10, or Nexus 4 device. Follow Ubuntu’s installation instructions here.

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• OpenGL loading functions error [on hold]

  - by Ghilliedrone

  I'm new to OpenGL, and I bought a book on it for beginners. I finished writing the sample code for making a context/window. I get an error on this line at the part PFNWGLCREATECONTEXTATTRIBSARBPROC, saying "Error: expected a ')'": typedef HGLRC(APIENTRYP PFNWGLCREATECONTEXTATTRIBSARBPROC)(HDC, HGLRC, const int*); Replacing it or adding a ")" makes it error, but the error disappears when I use the OpenGL headers included in the books CD, which are OpenGL 3.0. I would like a way to make this work with the newest gl.h/wglext.h and without libraries. Here's the rest of the class if it's needed: #include <ctime> #include <windows.h> #include <iostream> #include <gl\GL.h> #include <gl\wglext.h> #include "Example.h" #include "GLWindow.h" typedef HGLRC(APIENTRYP PFNWGLCREATECONTEXTATTRIBSARBPROC)(HDC, HGLRC, const int*); PFNWGLCREATECONTEXTATTRIBSARBPROC wglCreateContextAttribsARB = NULL; bool GLWindow::create(int width, int height, int bpp, bool fullscreen) { DWORD dwExStyle; //Window Extended Style DWORD dwStyle; //Window Style m_isFullscreen = fullscreen;//Store the fullscreen flag m_windowRect.left = 0L; m_windowRect.right = (long)width; m_windowRect.top = 0L; m_windowRect.bottom = (long)height;//Set bottom to height // fill out the window class structure m_windowClass.cbSize = sizeof(WNDCLASSEX); m_windowClass.style = CS_HREDRAW | CS_VREDRAW; m_windowClass.lpfnWndProc = GLWindow::StaticWndProc; //We set our static method as the event handler m_windowClass.cbClsExtra = 0; m_windowClass.cbWndExtra = 0; m_windowClass.hInstance = m_hinstance; m_windowClass.hIcon = LoadIcon(NULL, IDI_APPLICATION); // default icon m_windowClass.hCursor = LoadCursor(NULL, IDC_ARROW); // default arrow m_windowClass.hbrBackground = NULL; // don't need background m_windowClass.lpszMenuName = NULL; // no menu m_windowClass.lpszClassName = (LPCWSTR)"GLClass"; m_windowClass.hIconSm = LoadIcon(NULL, IDI_WINLOGO); // windows logo small icon if (!RegisterClassEx(&m_windowClass)) { MessageBox(NULL, (LPCWSTR)"Failed to register window class", NULL, MB_OK); return false; } if (m_isFullscreen)//If we are fullscreen, we need to change the display { DEVMODE dmScreenSettings; //Device mode memset(&dmScreenSettings, 0, sizeof(dmScreenSettings)); dmScreenSettings.dmSize = sizeof(dmScreenSettings); dmScreenSettings.dmPelsWidth = width; //Screen width dmScreenSettings.dmPelsHeight = height; //Screen height dmScreenSettings.dmBitsPerPel = bpp; //Bits per pixel dmScreenSettings.dmFields = DM_BITSPERPEL | DM_PELSWIDTH | DM_PELSHEIGHT; if (ChangeDisplaySettings(&dmScreenSettings, CDS_FULLSCREEN) != DISP_CHANGE_SUCCESSFUL) { MessageBox(NULL, (LPCWSTR)"Display mode failed", NULL, MB_OK); m_isFullscreen = false; } } if (m_isFullscreen) //Is it fullscreen? { dwExStyle = WS_EX_APPWINDOW; //Window Extended Style dwStyle = WS_POPUP; //Windows Style ShowCursor(false); //Hide mouse pointer } else { dwExStyle = WS_EX_APPWINDOW | WS_EX_WINDOWEDGE; //Window Exteneded Style dwStyle = WS_OVERLAPPEDWINDOW; //Windows Style } AdjustWindowRectEx(&m_windowRect, dwStyle, false, dwExStyle); //Adjust window to true requested size //Class registered, so now create window m_hwnd = CreateWindowEx(NULL, //Extended Style (LPCWSTR)"GLClass", //Class name (LPCWSTR)"Chapter 2", //App name dwStyle | WS_CLIPCHILDREN | WS_CLIPSIBLINGS, 0, 0, //x, y coordinates m_windowRect.right - m_windowRect.left, m_windowRect.bottom - m_windowRect.top, //Width and height NULL, //Handle to parent NULL, //Handle to menu m_hinstance, //Application instance this); //Pass a pointer to the GLWindow here //Check if window creation failed, hwnd would equal NULL if (!m_hwnd) { return 0; } m_hdc = GetDC(m_hwnd); ShowWindow(m_hwnd, SW_SHOW); UpdateWindow(m_hwnd); m_lastTime = GetTickCount() / 1000.0f; return true; } LRESULT CALLBACK GLWindow::StaticWndProc(HWND hWnd, UINT uMsg, WPARAM wParam, LPARAM lParam) { GLWindow* window = nullptr; //If this is the create message if (uMsg == WM_CREATE) { //Get the pointer we stored during create window = (GLWindow*)((LPCREATESTRUCT)lParam)->lpCreateParams; //Associate the window pointer with the hwnd for the other events to access SetWindowLongPtr(hWnd, GWL_USERDATA, (LONG_PTR)window); } else { //If this is not a creation event, then we should have stored a pointer to the window window = (GLWindow*)GetWindowLongPtr(hWnd, GWL_USERDATA); if (!window) { //Do the default event handling return DefWindowProc(hWnd, uMsg, wParam, lParam); } } //Call our window's member WndProc(allows us to access member variables) return window->WndProc(hWnd, uMsg, wParam, lParam); } LRESULT GLWindow::WndProc(HWND hWnd, UINT uMsg, WPARAM wParam, LPARAM lParam) { switch (uMsg) { case WM_CREATE: { m_hdc = GetDC(hWnd); setupPixelFormat(); //Set the version that we want, in this case 3.0 int attribs[] = { WGL_CONTEXT_MAJOR_VERSION_ARB, 3, WGL_CONTEXT_MINOR_VERSION_ARB, 0, 0}; //Create temporary context so we can get a pointer to the function HGLRC tmpContext = wglCreateContext(m_hdc); //Make the context current wglMakeCurrent(m_hdc, tmpContext); //Get the function pointer wglCreateContextAttribsARB = (PFNWGLCREATECONTEXTATTRIBSARBPROC)wglGetProcAddress("wglCreateContextAttribsARB"); //If this is NULL then OpenGl 3.0 is not supported if (!wglCreateContextAttribsARB) { MessageBox(NULL, (LPCWSTR)"OpenGL 3.0 is not supported", (LPCWSTR)"An error occured", MB_ICONERROR | MB_OK); DestroyWindow(hWnd); return 0; } //Create an OpenGL 3.0 context using the new function m_hglrc = wglCreateContextAttribsARB(m_hdc, 0, attribs); //Delete the temporary context wglDeleteContext(tmpContext); //Make the GL3 context current wglMakeCurrent(m_hdc, m_hglrc); m_isRunning = true; } break; case WM_DESTROY: //Window destroy case WM_CLOSE: //Windows is closing wglMakeCurrent(m_hdc, NULL); wglDeleteContext(m_hglrc); m_isRunning = false; //Stop the main loop PostQuitMessage(0); break; case WM_SIZE: { int height = HIWORD(lParam); //Get height and width int width = LOWORD(lParam); getAttachedExample()->onResize(width, height); //Call the example's resize method } break; case WM_KEYDOWN: if (wParam == VK_ESCAPE) //If the escape key was pressed { DestroyWindow(m_hwnd); } break; default: break; } return DefWindowProc(hWnd, uMsg, wParam, lParam); } void GLWindow::processEvents() { MSG msg; //While there are messages in the queue, store them in msg while (PeekMessage(&msg, NULL, 0, 0, PM_REMOVE)) { //Process the messages TranslateMessage(&msg); DispatchMessage(&msg); } } Here is the header: #pragma once #include <ctime> #include <windows.h> class Example;//Declare our example class class GLWindow { public: GLWindow(HINSTANCE hInstance); //default constructor bool create(int width, int height, int bpp, bool fullscreen); void destroy(); void processEvents(); void attachExample(Example* example); bool isRunning(); //Is the window running? void swapBuffers() { SwapBuffers(m_hdc); } static LRESULT CALLBACK StaticWndProc(HWND wnd, UINT msg, WPARAM wParam, LPARAM lParam); LRESULT CALLBACK WndProc(HWND wnd, UINT msg, WPARAM wParam, LPARAM lParam); float getElapsedSeconds(); private: Example* m_example; //A link to the example program bool m_isRunning; //Is the window still running? bool m_isFullscreen; HWND m_hwnd; //Window handle HGLRC m_hglrc; //Rendering context HDC m_hdc; //Device context RECT m_windowRect; //Window bounds HINSTANCE m_hinstance; //Application instance WNDCLASSEX m_windowClass; void setupPixelFormat(void); Example* getAttachedExample() { return m_example; } float m_lastTime; };

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• I'm a contract developer and I think I'm about to get screwed [closed]

  - by kagaku

  I do contract development on the side. You could say that I'm a contract developer? Considering I've only ever had one client I'd say that's not exactly the truth - more like I took a side job and needed some extra cash. It started out as a "rebuild our website and we'll pay you $10k" type project. Once that was complete (a bit over schedule, but certainly not over budget), the company hired me on as a "long term support" contractor. The contract is to go from March of this year, expiring on December 31st of this year - 10 months. Over which a payment is to be paid on the 30th of each month for a set amount. I've been fulfilling my end of the contract on all points - doing server maintenence, application and database changes, doing huge rush changes and pretty much just going above and beyond. Currently I'm in the middle of development of an iPhone mobile application (PhoneGap based) which is nearing completion (probably 3-4 weeks from submission). It has not been all peaches and flowers though. Each and every month when my paycheck comes due, there always seems to be an issue of sorts. These issues did not occur during the initial project, only during the support contract. The actual contract states that my check should be mailed out on the 30th of the month. I have received my check on time approximately once (on time being about 2-3 days within the 30th). I've received my paycheck as late as the 15th of the next month - over two weeks late. I've put up with it because I need the paycheck. There have been promises and promises of "we'll send it out on time next time! I promise" - only to receive it just as late the next month. When I ask about payment they give me a vibe like "why are you only worried about money?" - unfortunately I don't have the luxury of not worrying about money. The last straw was with my August payment, which should have been mailed on August 30th. I received it on September 12th. The reason for the delay? "USPS is delaying it man! we sent it out on the 1st!" is the reason I got. When I finally got the check in the mail, the postage on the envelope was marked September 10th - the date it was run through the postage machine. I've been outright lied to, at this point. I carry on working, because again - I need a paycheck. I orchestrated the move of our application to a new server, developed a bunch of new changes and continued work on the iPhone app. All told I probably went over my hourly allotment (I'm paid for 40 hours a month, I probably put in at least 50). On Saturday, the 1st, I gave the main contact at the company (a company of 3, by the way - this is not some big corporation) a ring and filled him in on the status of my work for the past two weeks. Unusually I hadn't heard from him since the middle of September. His response was "oh... well, that is nice and uh.. good job. well, we've been talking within the company about things and we've certainly got some decisions ahead of us..." - not verbatim but you get the idea (I hope?). I got out of this conversation that the site is not doing very well (which it's not) and they're considering pulling the plug. Crap, this contract is going to end early - there goes Christmas! Fine, that's alright, no problem. I'll get paid for the last months work and call it a day. Unfortunately I still haven't gotten last months check, and I'm getting dicked around now. "Oh.. we had problems transferring funds, we'll try and mail it out tomorrow" and "I left a VM with the finance guy, but I can't get ahold of him". So I'm getting the feeling I'm not getting paid for all the work I put in for September. This is obviously breach of contract, and I am pissed. Thinking irrationally, I considered changing all their passwords and holding their stuff hostage. Before I think it through (by the way, I am NOT going to do this, realized it would probably get me in trouble), I go and try some passwords for our various accounts. Google Apps? Oh, I'm no longer administrator here. Godaddy? Whoops, invalid password. Disqus? Nope, invalid password here too. Google Adsense / Analytics? Invalid password. Dedicated server account manager? Invalid password. Now, I have the servers root password - I just built the box last week and haven't had a chance to send the guy the root password. Wasn't in a rush, I manage the server and they never touch it. Now all of a sudden all the passwords except this one are changed; the writing is on the wall - I am out. Here's the conundrum. I have the root password, they do not. If I give them this password all the leverage I have is gone, out the door and out of my hands. During this argument of why am I not getting paid the guy sends me an email saying "oh by the way, what's the root username and password to the server?". Considering he knows absolutely nothing, I gave him an "admin" account which really has almost no rights. I still have exclusive access to the server, I just don't know where to go. I can hold their data hostage, but I'm almost positive this is the wrong thing to do. I'd consider it blackmail, regardless of whether or not I have gotten paid yet. I can "break" something on the server and give them the whole "well, if you were paying me I could fix it!" spiel. This works from a "well he's not holding their stuff hostage" point of view, but what stops them from hiring some one else to just fix the issue at hand? For all I know the guys nephew is a "l33t hax0r" and can figure it out for free. I can give in, document as much as I can and take him to small claims court. This is breach of contract, I'm not getting paid. I have a case, right? ???? Does anyone have any experience in this? What can I do? What are my options? I'm broke, I can't afford a lawyer and I can barely afford not getting this paycheck. My wife doesn't work (I work two jobs so she doesn't have to work - we have a 1 year old) and is already looking at getting a part time job to cover the bills. Long term we'll be fine, but this has pissed me off beyond belief! Help me out, I'm about to get screwed.

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• JPA 2?EJB 3.1?JSF 2????????! WebLogic Server 12c?????????Java EE 6??????|WebLogic Channel|??????

  - by ???02

  2012?2???????????????WebLogic Server 12c?????????Java EE 6?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????Oracle Enterprise Pack for Eclipse 12c??WebLogic Server 12c(???)????Java EE 6??????3??????????????????????????????JPA 2.0??????????·?????????EJB 3.1???????·???????????????(???)???????O/R?????????????JPA 2.0　Java EE 6????????????????????Web?????????????3?????(3????)???????·????????????·????????????????????????????????JPA(Java Persistence API) 2.0???EJB(Enterprise JavaBeans) 3.1???JSF(JavaServer Faces) 2.0????3????????????????·???????????JPA??Java??????????????·?????????????O/R?????????????????????·???????????EJB?Session Bean??????????????????·??????????????????????JSF???????????????????????????????????????　??????JPA????Oracle Database??EMPLOYEES?????Java??????????????????????Entity Bean??????XML?????????????????????????XML????????????????????????????????????????????????????·?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????Java EE 6??????JPA 2.0??????????·????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????　?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????Oracle Enterprise Pack for Eclipse(OEPE)??????File????????New?-?Other???????　??????New??????????????????????????Web?-?Dynamic Web Project???????Next????????????????Dynamic Web Project?????????????Project name????OOW???????????Target Runtime????New Runtime?????????　???New Server Runtime Environment???????????????Oracle?-?Oracle WebLogic Server 12c(12.1.1)???????Next???????????????????????????WebLogic home????C:\Oracle\Middleware\wlserver_12.1???????Finish?????????????WebLogic Home????????????????????????Java home?????????????????????Finish??????????????????????Dynamic Web Project????????????????Finish??????????????????JPA 2.0??????????·??????　???????????????JPA 2.0???????????????·??????????????????Eclipse??Project Explorer?(??????·???)?????????OOW?????????????????????????????·???????????????Properties?????????????????·???·????????????????????????????Project Facets?????????????JPA??????(?????????????Details?????JPA 2.0?????????????????????)???????????????????Further configuration available?????????　???Modify Faceted Project??????????????????????????????????Connection????????????????????????????Add Connection?????????　??????New Connection Profile????????????????Connection Profile Type????Oracle Database Connection??????Next????????????　???Specify a Driver and Connection Details???????Drivers????Oracle Database 10g Driver Default???????????Properties?????????????????????SIDxeHostlocalhostPort number1521User nameHRPasswordhr　???????????Test Connection??????????????????Ping Succeeded!?????????????????????????????Finish???????????Modify Faceted Project????????OK????????????????Properties for OOW????????OK??????????????????　?????????Eclipse????????????????OOW?????????????????·???????????????JPA Tools?-?Generate Entities from Tables...???????　????Generate Custom Entities???????????????????????????????Schema????HR??????Tables????EMPLOYEES???????????Next????????????　???????????Next???????????Customize Default Entity Generation??????Package????model???????Finish?????????????JPQL??????????　?????????Oracle Database??EMPLOYEES??????????????????·????model.Employee.java?????????????????????????????????·?????OOW????Java Resources?-?src?-?model???????Employee.java????????????????????????????????·???Employee????(Employee.java)?package model; import java.io.Serializable; import java.math.BigDecimal; import java.util.Date; import java.util.Set; import javax.persistence.Column;<...?...>/**  * The persistent class for the EMPLOYEES database table.  *  */ @Entity  // ?@Table(name="EMPLOYEES")  // ?// Apublic class Employee implements Serializable { 　　　　　　　private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L; 　　　　　　@Id  // ?　　　　　　　@Column(name="EMPLOYEE_ID") 　　　　　　　private long employeeId; 　　　　　　　@Column(name="COMMISSION_PCT") 　　　　　　　private BigDecimal commissionPct; 　　　　　　　@Column(name="DEPARTMENT_ID") 　　　　　　　private BigDecimal departmentId; 　　　　　　　private String email; 　　　　　　　@Column(name="FIRST_NAME") 　　　　　　　private String firstName; 　　　　　　@Temporal( TemporalType.DATE)  //?　　　　　　　@Column(name="HIRE_DATE") 　　　　　　　private Date hireDate; 　　　　　　　@Column(name="JOB_ID") 　　　　　　　private String jobId; 　　　　　　　@Column(name="LAST_NAME") 　　　　　　　private String lastName; 　　　　　　　@Column(name="PHONE_NUMBER") 　　　　　　　private String phoneNumber; 　　　　　　　private BigDecimal salary; 　　　　　　　//bi-directional many-to-one association to Employee<...?...>} 　???????????????·???????????????????????????????????????????@Table(name="")??????@Table???????????????????????????????????????　?????????????????????????????????????·????????????????　?????????????????????????????SQL?Data??????????　???????????????A?????JPA?????????JPQL(Java Persistence Query Language)?????????????JPQL?????SQL???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????Employee.selectByNameEmployee??firstName????????????????????employeeId?????????　?????????????????????import java.util.Date;import java.util.Set;import javax.persistence.Column;<...?...>/**  * The persistent class for the EMPLOYEES database table.  *  */ @Entity  // ?@Table(name="EMPLOYEES")  // ?@NamedQueries({　　　　　　　@NamedQuery(name="Employee.selectByName" , query="select e from Employee e where e.firstName like :name order by e.employeeId")})<...?...>　?????????·??????OOW?-?JPA Content?-?persistent.xml??????Connection???????????????Database????JTA data source:???jdbc/test????????????????????????Java EE 6??????JPA 2.0???????????????????????????????????·??????????????????????????????????????SQL????????????????????????·????????????·??????????????XML??????????????????1??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????EJB 3.1????????·???????????EJB 3.1????????·?????????????????EJB 3.1?Stateless Session Bean?????·????????????????·???????????????????·???????????????????　EJB3.1?????JPA 2.0???????????·???????????????????????XML???????????????????????????????EJB 3.1?????????·????EJB??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????　????????EJB 3.1?Session Bean?????·????????????????????????????????????????????????????public List<Employee> getEmp(String keyword)firstName????????????Employee??????　????????????????????·???????????OOW????????????·???????????????New?-?Other???????????????????????????????????EJB?-?Session Bean(EJB 3.x)??????NEXT????????????????????Create EJB 3.x Session Bean?????????????Java Package????ejb???class name????EmpLogic???????????State Type????Stateless?????????No-interface???????????????????????Finish????????????　?????????Stateless Session Bean??????·?????EmpLogic.java????????????????????EmpLogic????·????????EJB?????????????Stateless Session Bean?????????@Stateless?????????????????????????????????????EmpLogic????(EmpLogic.java)?package ejb;import javax.ejb.LocalBean;import javax.ejb.Stateless;<...?...>import model.Employee;@Stateless@LocalBeanpublic class EmpLogic {　　　　　　　public EmpLogic() {　　　　　　　}}　??????????????????????????????????????·???????????????????????import??????????????????EmpLogic??????????????????????????·???????????????????????import????????(EmpLogic.java)?package ejb;import javax.ejb.LocalBean;import javax.ejb.Stateless;import javax.persistence.EntityManager;  // ?import javax.persistence.PersistenceContext;  // ?<...?...>import model.Employee;@Stateless@LocalBeanpublic class EmpLogic {　　　　　　@PersistenceContext(unitName = "OOW")  // ?　　　　　　private EntityManager em;  // ?　　　　　　　public EmpLogic() {　　　　　　　}}　?????????·???????JPA???????????????????·????????????????????????????CRUD???????????????????·????????????EntityManager???????????????????????????1????????????????·???????????????????????@PersistenceContext?????unitName?????????????persistence.xml????persistence-unit???name??????????????　???????EmpLogic?????·???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????EmpLogic????????·???????(EmpLogic.java)?package ejb;import java.util.List;  // ? import javax.ejb.LocalBean;import javax.ejb.Stateless;import javax.persistence.EntityManager;  // ? import javax.persistence.PersistenceContext;  // ? <...?...>import model.Employee;@Stateless@LocalBeanpublic class EmpLogic {　　　　　　　@PersistenceContext(unitName = "OOW")  // ? 　　　　　　　private EntityManager em;  // ? 　　　　　　　public EmpLogic() {　　　　　　　}　　　　　　@SuppressWarnings("unchecked")  // ?　　　　　　public List<Employee> getEmp(String keyword) {  // ?　　　　　　　　　　　　　StringBuilder param = new StringBuilder();  // ?　　　　　　　　　　　　　param.append("%");  // ?　　　　　　　　　　　　　param.append(keyword);  // ?　　　　　　　　　　　　　param.append("%");  // ?　　　　　　　　　　　　　return em.createNamedQuery("Employee.selectByName")  // ?　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　.setParameter("name", param.toString()).getResultList();  // ?　　　　　　}}　???EJB 3.1???Stateless Session Bean??????????　???JSF 2.0???????????????????????????????????????????????????JAX-RS????RESTful?Web??????????????????????

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• Hibernate + PostgreSQL : relation does not exist - SQL Error: 0, SQLState: 42P01

  - by tommy599

  Hello, I am having some problems trying to work with PostgreSQL and Hibernate, more specifically, the issue mentioned in the title. I've been searching the net for a few hours now but none of the found solutions worked for me. I am using Eclipse Java EE IDE for Web Developers. Build id: 20090920-1017 with HibernateTools, Hibernate 3, PostgreSQL 8.4.3 on Ubuntu 9.10. Here are the relevant files: Message.class package hello; public class Message { private Long id; private String text; public Message() { } public Long getId() { return id; } public void setId(Long id) { this.id = id; } public String getText() { return text; } public void setText(String text) { this.text = text; } } Message.hbm.xml <?xml version="1.0"?> <!DOCTYPE hibernate-mapping PUBLIC "-//Hibernate/Hibernate Mapping DTD 3.0//EN" "http://hibernate.sourceforge.net/hibernate-mapping-3.0.dtd"> <hibernate-mapping package="hello"> <class name="Message" table="public.messages"> <id name="id" column="id"> <generator class="assigned"/> </id> <property name="text" column="messagetext"/> </class> </hibernate-mapping> hibernate.cfg.xml <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?> <!DOCTYPE hibernate-configuration PUBLIC "-//Hibernate/Hibernate Configuration DTD 3.0//EN" "http://hibernate.sourceforge.net/hibernate-configuration-3.0.dtd"> <hibernate-configuration> <session-factory> <property name="hibernate.connection.driver_class">org.postgresql.Driver</property> <property name="hibernate.connection.password">bar</property> <property name="hibernate.connection.url">jdbc:postgresql:postgres/tommy</property> <property name="hibernate.connection.username">foo</property> <property name="hibernate.dialect">org.hibernate.dialect.PostgreSQLDialect</property> <property name="show_sql">true</property> <property name="log4j.logger.org.hibernate.type">DEBUG</property> <mapping resource="hello/Message.hbm.xml"/> </session-factory> </hibernate-configuration> Main package hello; import org.hibernate.Session; import org.hibernate.SessionFactory; import org.hibernate.Transaction; import org.hibernate.cfg.Configuration; public class App { public static void main(String[] args) { SessionFactory sessionFactory = new Configuration().configure() .buildSessionFactory(); Message message = new Message(); message.setText("Hello Cruel World"); message.setId(2L); Session session = null; Transaction transaction = null; try { session = sessionFactory.openSession(); transaction = session.beginTransaction(); session.save(message); } catch (Exception e) { System.out.println("Exception attemtping to Add message: " + e.getMessage()); } finally { if (session != null && session.isOpen()) { if (transaction != null) transaction.commit(); session.flush(); session.close(); } } } } Table structure: foo=# \d messages Table "public.messages" Column | Type | Modifiers -------------+---------+----------- id | integer | messagetext | text | Eclipse console output when I run it Apr 28, 2010 11:13:53 PM org.hibernate.cfg.Environment <clinit> INFO: Hibernate 3.5.1-Final Apr 28, 2010 11:13:53 PM org.hibernate.cfg.Environment <clinit> INFO: hibernate.properties not found Apr 28, 2010 11:13:53 PM org.hibernate.cfg.Environment buildBytecodeProvider INFO: Bytecode provider name : javassist Apr 28, 2010 11:13:53 PM org.hibernate.cfg.Environment <clinit> INFO: using JDK 1.4 java.sql.Timestamp handling Apr 28, 2010 11:13:53 PM org.hibernate.cfg.Configuration configure INFO: configuring from resource: /hibernate.cfg.xml Apr 28, 2010 11:13:53 PM org.hibernate.cfg.Configuration getConfigurationInputStream INFO: Configuration resource: /hibernate.cfg.xml Apr 28, 2010 11:13:53 PM org.hibernate.cfg.Configuration addResource INFO: Reading mappings from resource : hello/Message.hbm.xml Apr 28, 2010 11:13:54 PM org.hibernate.cfg.HbmBinder bindRootPersistentClassCommonValues INFO: Mapping class: hello.Message -> public.messages Apr 28, 2010 11:13:54 PM org.hibernate.cfg.Configuration doConfigure INFO: Configured SessionFactory: null Apr 28, 2010 11:13:54 PM org.hibernate.connection.DriverManagerConnectionProvider configure INFO: Using Hibernate built-in connection pool (not for production use!) Apr 28, 2010 11:13:54 PM org.hibernate.connection.DriverManagerConnectionProvider configure INFO: Hibernate connection pool size: 20 Apr 28, 2010 11:13:54 PM org.hibernate.connection.DriverManagerConnectionProvider configure INFO: autocommit mode: false Apr 28, 2010 11:13:54 PM org.hibernate.connection.DriverManagerConnectionProvider configure INFO: using driver: org.postgresql.Driver at URL: jdbc:postgresql:postgres/tommy Apr 28, 2010 11:13:54 PM org.hibernate.connection.DriverManagerConnectionProvider configure INFO: connection properties: {user=foo, password=****} Apr 28, 2010 11:13:54 PM org.hibernate.cfg.SettingsFactory buildSettings INFO: RDBMS: PostgreSQL, version: 8.4.3 Apr 28, 2010 11:13:54 PM org.hibernate.cfg.SettingsFactory buildSettings INFO: JDBC driver: PostgreSQL Native Driver, version: PostgreSQL 8.4 JDBC4 (build 701) Apr 28, 2010 11:13:54 PM org.hibernate.dialect.Dialect <init> INFO: Using dialect: org.hibernate.dialect.PostgreSQLDialect Apr 28, 2010 11:13:54 PM org.hibernate.engine.jdbc.JdbcSupportLoader useContextualLobCreation INFO: Disabling contextual LOB creation as createClob() method threw error : java.lang.reflect.InvocationTargetException Apr 28, 2010 11:13:54 PM org.hibernate.transaction.TransactionFactoryFactory buildTransactionFactory INFO: Using default transaction strategy (direct JDBC transactions) Apr 28, 2010 11:13:54 PM org.hibernate.transaction.TransactionManagerLookupFactory getTransactionManagerLookup INFO: No TransactionManagerLookup configured (in JTA environment, use of read-write or transactional second-level cache is not recommended) Apr 28, 2010 11:13:54 PM org.hibernate.cfg.SettingsFactory buildSettings INFO: Automatic flush during beforeCompletion(): disabled Apr 28, 2010 11:13:54 PM org.hibernate.cfg.SettingsFactory buildSettings INFO: Automatic session close at end of transaction: disabled Apr 28, 2010 11:13:54 PM org.hibernate.cfg.SettingsFactory buildSettings INFO: JDBC batch size: 15 Apr 28, 2010 11:13:54 PM org.hibernate.cfg.SettingsFactory buildSettings INFO: JDBC batch updates for versioned data: disabled Apr 28, 2010 11:13:54 PM org.hibernate.cfg.SettingsFactory buildSettings INFO: Scrollable result sets: enabled Apr 28, 2010 11:13:54 PM org.hibernate.cfg.SettingsFactory buildSettings INFO: JDBC3 getGeneratedKeys(): enabled Apr 28, 2010 11:13:54 PM org.hibernate.cfg.SettingsFactory buildSettings INFO: Connection release mode: auto Apr 28, 2010 11:13:54 PM org.hibernate.cfg.SettingsFactory buildSettings INFO: Default batch fetch size: 1 Apr 28, 2010 11:13:54 PM org.hibernate.cfg.SettingsFactory buildSettings INFO: Generate SQL with comments: disabled Apr 28, 2010 11:13:54 PM org.hibernate.cfg.SettingsFactory buildSettings INFO: Order SQL updates by primary key: disabled Apr 28, 2010 11:13:54 PM org.hibernate.cfg.SettingsFactory buildSettings INFO: Order SQL inserts for batching: disabled Apr 28, 2010 11:13:54 PM org.hibernate.cfg.SettingsFactory createQueryTranslatorFactory INFO: Query translator: org.hibernate.hql.ast.ASTQueryTranslatorFactory Apr 28, 2010 11:13:54 PM org.hibernate.hql.ast.ASTQueryTranslatorFactory <init> INFO: Using ASTQueryTranslatorFactory Apr 28, 2010 11:13:54 PM org.hibernate.cfg.SettingsFactory buildSettings INFO: Query language substitutions: {} Apr 28, 2010 11:13:54 PM org.hibernate.cfg.SettingsFactory buildSettings INFO: JPA-QL strict compliance: disabled Apr 28, 2010 11:13:54 PM org.hibernate.cfg.SettingsFactory buildSettings INFO: Second-level cache: enabled Apr 28, 2010 11:13:54 PM org.hibernate.cfg.SettingsFactory buildSettings INFO: Query cache: disabled Apr 28, 2010 11:13:54 PM org.hibernate.cfg.SettingsFactory createRegionFactory INFO: Cache region factory : org.hibernate.cache.impl.NoCachingRegionFactory Apr 28, 2010 11:13:54 PM org.hibernate.cfg.SettingsFactory buildSettings INFO: Optimize cache for minimal puts: disabled Apr 28, 2010 11:13:54 PM org.hibernate.cfg.SettingsFactory buildSettings INFO: Structured second-level cache entries: disabled Apr 28, 2010 11:13:54 PM org.hibernate.cfg.SettingsFactory buildSettings INFO: Echoing all SQL to stdout Apr 28, 2010 11:13:54 PM org.hibernate.cfg.SettingsFactory buildSettings INFO: Statistics: disabled Apr 28, 2010 11:13:54 PM org.hibernate.cfg.SettingsFactory buildSettings INFO: Deleted entity synthetic identifier rollback: disabled Apr 28, 2010 11:13:54 PM org.hibernate.cfg.SettingsFactory buildSettings INFO: Default entity-mode: pojo Apr 28, 2010 11:13:54 PM org.hibernate.cfg.SettingsFactory buildSettings INFO: Named query checking : enabled Apr 28, 2010 11:13:54 PM org.hibernate.cfg.SettingsFactory buildSettings INFO: Check Nullability in Core (should be disabled when Bean Validation is on): enabled Apr 28, 2010 11:13:54 PM org.hibernate.impl.SessionFactoryImpl <init> INFO: building session factory Apr 28, 2010 11:13:55 PM org.hibernate.impl.SessionFactoryObjectFactory addInstance INFO: Not binding factory to JNDI, no JNDI name configured Hibernate: insert into public.messages (messagetext, id) values (?, ?) Apr 28, 2010 11:13:55 PM org.hibernate.util.JDBCExceptionReporter logExceptions WARNING: SQL Error: 0, SQLState: 42P01 Apr 28, 2010 11:13:55 PM org.hibernate.util.JDBCExceptionReporter logExceptions SEVERE: Batch entry 0 insert into public.messages (messagetext, id) values ('Hello Cruel World', '2') was aborted. Call getNextException to see the cause. Apr 28, 2010 11:13:55 PM org.hibernate.util.JDBCExceptionReporter logExceptions WARNING: SQL Error: 0, SQLState: 42P01 Apr 28, 2010 11:13:55 PM org.hibernate.util.JDBCExceptionReporter logExceptions SEVERE: ERROR: relation "public.messages" does not exist Position: 13 Apr 28, 2010 11:13:55 PM org.hibernate.event.def.AbstractFlushingEventListener performExecutions SEVERE: Could not synchronize database state with session org.hibernate.exception.SQLGrammarException: Could not execute JDBC batch update at org.hibernate.exception.SQLStateConverter.convert(SQLStateConverter.java:92) at org.hibernate.exception.JDBCExceptionHelper.convert(JDBCExceptionHelper.java:66) at org.hibernate.jdbc.AbstractBatcher.executeBatch(AbstractBatcher.java:275) at org.hibernate.engine.ActionQueue.executeActions(ActionQueue.java:263) at org.hibernate.engine.ActionQueue.executeActions(ActionQueue.java:179) at org.hibernate.event.def.AbstractFlushingEventListener.performExecutions(AbstractFlushingEventListener.java:321) at org.hibernate.event.def.DefaultFlushEventListener.onFlush(DefaultFlushEventListener.java:51) at org.hibernate.impl.SessionImpl.flush(SessionImpl.java:1206) at org.hibernate.impl.SessionImpl.managedFlush(SessionImpl.java:375) at org.hibernate.transaction.JDBCTransaction.commit(JDBCTransaction.java:137) at hello.App.main(App.java:31) Caused by: java.sql.BatchUpdateException: Batch entry 0 insert into public.messages (messagetext, id) values ('Hello Cruel World', '2') was aborted. Call getNextException to see the cause. at org.postgresql.jdbc2.AbstractJdbc2Statement$BatchResultHandler.handleError(AbstractJdbc2Statement.java:2569) at org.postgresql.core.v3.QueryExecutorImpl$1.handleError(QueryExecutorImpl.java:459) at org.postgresql.core.v3.QueryExecutorImpl.processResults(QueryExecutorImpl.java:1796) at org.postgresql.core.v3.QueryExecutorImpl.execute(QueryExecutorImpl.java:407) at org.postgresql.jdbc2.AbstractJdbc2Statement.executeBatch(AbstractJdbc2Statement.java:2708) at org.hibernate.jdbc.BatchingBatcher.doExecuteBatch(BatchingBatcher.java:70) at org.hibernate.jdbc.AbstractBatcher.executeBatch(AbstractBatcher.java:268) ... 8 more Exception in thread "main" org.hibernate.exception.SQLGrammarException: Could not execute JDBC batch update at org.hibernate.exception.SQLStateConverter.convert(SQLStateConverter.java:92) at org.hibernate.exception.JDBCExceptionHelper.convert(JDBCExceptionHelper.java:66) at org.hibernate.jdbc.AbstractBatcher.executeBatch(AbstractBatcher.java:275) at org.hibernate.engine.ActionQueue.executeActions(ActionQueue.java:263) at org.hibernate.engine.ActionQueue.executeActions(ActionQueue.java:179) at org.hibernate.event.def.AbstractFlushingEventListener.performExecutions(AbstractFlushingEventListener.java:321) at org.hibernate.event.def.DefaultFlushEventListener.onFlush(DefaultFlushEventListener.java:51) at org.hibernate.impl.SessionImpl.flush(SessionImpl.java:1206) at org.hibernate.impl.SessionImpl.managedFlush(SessionImpl.java:375) at org.hibernate.transaction.JDBCTransaction.commit(JDBCTransaction.java:137) at hello.App.main(App.java:31) Caused by: java.sql.BatchUpdateException: Batch entry 0 insert into public.messages (messagetext, id) values ('Hello Cruel World', '2') was aborted. Call getNextException to see the cause. at org.postgresql.jdbc2.AbstractJdbc2Statement$BatchResultHandler.handleError(AbstractJdbc2Statement.java:2569) at org.postgresql.core.v3.QueryExecutorImpl$1.handleError(QueryExecutorImpl.java:459) at org.postgresql.core.v3.QueryExecutorImpl.processResults(QueryExecutorImpl.java:1796) at org.postgresql.core.v3.QueryExecutorImpl.execute(QueryExecutorImpl.java:407) at org.postgresql.jdbc2.AbstractJdbc2Statement.executeBatch(AbstractJdbc2Statement.java:2708) at org.hibernate.jdbc.BatchingBatcher.doExecuteBatch(BatchingBatcher.java:70) at org.hibernate.jdbc.AbstractBatcher.executeBatch(AbstractBatcher.java:268) ... 8 more PostgreSQL log file 2010-04-28 23:13:55 EEST LOG: execute S_1: BEGIN 2010-04-28 23:13:55 EEST ERROR: relation "public.messages" does not exist at character 13 2010-04-28 23:13:55 EEST STATEMENT: insert into public.messages (messagetext, id) values ($1, $2) 2010-04-28 23:13:55 EEST LOG: unexpected EOF on client connection If I copy/paste the query into the postgre command line and put the values in and ; after it, it works. Everything is lowercase, so I don't think that it's that issue. If I switch to MySQL, the same code same project (I only change driver,URL, authentication), it works. In Eclipse Datasource Explorer, I can ping the DB and it succeeds. Weird thing is that I can't see the tables from there either. It expands the public schema but it doesn't expand the tables. Could it be some permission issue? Thanks!

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• Problem to display 3D google map.

  - by nemade-vipin

  hello friends, I have implemented one Flex application in which I want to display 3D google map.In which I am getting the error the NUll object reference during map display. Here is my code:- import com.google.maps.controls.MapTypeControl; import adobe.utils.XMLUI; import mx.rpc.events.FaultEvent; import mx.controls.Alert; import generated.webservices.*; import mx.collections.ArrayCollection; import mx.controls.*; import generated.webservices.*; import com.google.maps.LatLng; import com.google.maps.Map3D; import com.google.maps.MapEvent; import com.google.maps.MapMouseEvent; import com.google.maps.services.GeocodingEvent; import com.google.maps.services.ClientGeocoder; import com.google.maps.overlays.Marker; import com.google.maps.InfoWindowOptions; import com.google.maps.MapOptions; import com.google.maps.MapType; import com.google.maps.View; import com.google.maps.controls.NavigationControl; import com.google.maps.geom.Attitude; import mx.controls.Alert; [Bindable] private var childName:ArrayCollection; [Bindable] private var childId:ArrayCollection; private var photoFeed:ArrayCollection; private var trackinginfochild:TrackingInfo; private var arrayOfchild:Array; private var newEntry:GetSBTSMobileAuthentication; private var trackinginfo:GetSBTSTrackingInfo; private var childObj:Child; private var UserId:int; private var lat:int; private var long:int; private var latlong:LatLng; public var user:SBTSWebService; public function authentication():void { // Instantiate a new Entry object. user = new SBTSWebService(); if(user!=null) { user.addSBTSWebServiceFaultEventListener(handleFaults); user.addgetSBTSMobileAuthenticationEventListener(authenticationResult); newEntry = new GetSBTSMobileAuthentication(); if(newEntry!=null) { newEntry.mobile=mobileno.text; newEntry.password=password.text; user.getSBTSMobileAuthentication(newEntry); } } } public function handleFaults(event:FaultEvent):void { Alert.show("A fault occured contacting the server. Fault message is: " + event.fault.faultString); } public function authenticationResult(event:GetSBTSMobileAuthenticationResultEvent):void { if(event.result != null && event.result._return>0) { if(event.result._return > 0) { UserId = event.result._return; loginform.enabled = false; getChildList(UserId); viewstack2.selectedIndex=1; } else { Alert.show("Authentication fail"); } } } public function getChildList(userId:int):void { var childEntry:GetSBTSMobileChildrenInfo = new GetSBTSMobileChildrenInfo(); childEntry.UserId = userId; user.addgetSBTSMobileChildrenInfoEventListener(sbtsChildrenInfoResult); user.getSBTSMobileChildrenInfo(childEntry); } public function sbtsChildrenInfoResult(event:GetSBTSMobileChildrenInfoResultEvent):void { if( event.result._return!=null) { arrayOfchild = event.result._return as Array; photoFeed = new ArrayCollection(arrayOfchild); childName = new ArrayCollection(); for( var count:int=0;count<photoFeed.length;count++) { childObj = photoFeed.getItemAt(count,0) as Child; childName.addItem(childObj.strName); } } } private function trackingInfo():void { for( var count:int=0;count user.getSBTSTrackingInfo(trackinginfo); } } } } private function getTrackingInfo(event:GetSBTSTrackingInfoResultEvent):void { if(event.result._return != null) { trackinginfochild = event.result._return as TrackingInfo; lat = trackinginfochild.dblLatitude; long = trackinginfochild.dblLongitude; latlong = new LatLng(lat,long); } } private function onMapPreinitialize(event:MapEvent):void { var myMapOptions:MapOptions = new MapOptions(); myMapOptions.zoom = 12; myMapOptions.center = latlong; myMapOptions.mapType = MapType.NORMAL_MAP_TYPE; myMapOptions.viewMode = View.VIEWMODE_PERSPECTIVE; myMapOptions.attitude = new Attitude(20,30,0); buslocation.setInitOptions(myMapOptions); buspath.setInitOptions(myMapOptions); } private function onMapReady(event:MapEvent):void { this.buslocation.addControl(new NavigationControl()); this.buslocation.addControl( new MapTypeControl()); } ]]> <mx:Move id="hideEffect" yTo="-500" /> <mx:Move id="showEffect" xFrom="500"/> <mx:Panel width="100%" height="100%" headerColors="[#000000,#FFFFFF]" hideEffect="{hideEffect}" showEffect="{showEffect}"> <mx:TabNavigator id="viewstack2" selectedIndex="0" creationPolicy="all" width="100%" height="100%"> <mx:Form label="Login Form" id="loginform" hideEffect="{hideEffect}" showEffect="{showEffect}"> <mx:FormItem label="Mobile NO:" creationPolicy="all"> <mx:TextInput id="mobileno"/> </mx:FormItem> <mx:FormItem label="Password:" creationPolicy="all"> <mx:TextInput displayAsPassword="true" id="password" /> </mx:FormItem> <mx:FormItem> <mx:Button label="Login" click="authentication()"/> </mx:FormItem> </mx:Form> <mx:Form label="Child List" id="childForm" hideEffect="{hideEffect}" showEffect="{showEffect}"> <mx:Label width="100%" color="blue" text="Select Child."/> <mx:RadioButtonGroup id="radioGroup" itemClick="trackingInfo()"/> <mx:Repeater id="fieldRepeater" dataProvider="{childName}"> <mx:RadioButton groupName="radioGroup" label="{fieldRepeater.currentItem}" value="{fieldRepeater.currentItem}"/> </mx:Repeater> </mx:Form> <mx:Form label="Child Information" hideEffect="{hideEffect}" showEffect="{showEffect}"> <mx:FormItem> <mx:DataGrid id="childinfo"> <mx:columns> <mx:DataGridColumn headerText="Child Name" dataField="strName"/> <mx:DataGridColumn headerText="School Name" dataField="strSchoolName"/> <mx:DataGridColumn headerText="Pick Up Point" dataField="strPickUpPointName"/> <mx:DataGridColumn headerText="Drop Down Point" dataField="strDropDownPointName"/> </mx:columns> </mx:DataGrid> </mx:FormItem> <mx:FormItem> <mx:Button label="click here to see bus location"/> </mx:FormItem> </mx:Form> <mx:Form label="Bus Location" hideEffect="{hideEffect}" showEffect="{showEffect}"> <maps:Map3D xmlns:maps="com.google.maps.*" mapevent_mappreinitialize="onMapPreinitialize(event)" id="buslocation" width="100%" height="100%" url="http://code.google.com/apis/maps/" key="ABQIAAAAXuX6aG-r_N0-tQNxUEV-vRSE8al1BQssMxLXJiP75kIjR3ssLxT3D52_u94hI-dMIkD72FmnK-P4og"/> </mx:Form> <mx:Form label="Bus path" hideEffect="{hideEffect}" showEffect="{showEffect}"> <maps:Map3D xmlns:maps="com.google.maps.*" mapevent_mappreinitialize="onMapPreinitialize(event)" id="buspath" width="100%" height="100%" url="http://code.google.com/apis/maps/" key="ABQIAAAAXuX6aG-r_N0-tQNxUEV-vRSE8al1BQssMxLXJiP75kIjR3ssLxT3D52_u94hI-dMIkD72FmnK-P4og"/> </mx:Form> </mx:TabNavigator> </mx:Panel> I am getting this error :- TypeError: Error #1009: Cannot access a property or method of a null object reference. at com.google.maps.geom::Geometry$/computeSeparatingAxes() at com.google.maps.geom::TileEnumerator/enumerateTiles() at com.google.maps.core::PerspectiveTilePane/computeOptimalSet() at com.google.maps.core::PerspectiveTilePane/render() at com.google.maps.core::PerspectiveTilePane/configure() at com.google.maps.managers::PerspectiveTileManager/updateView() at com.google.maps.managers::PerspectiveTileManager/initializePanes() at com.google.maps.managers::PerspectiveTileManager/onInitialize() at MethodInfo-190() at flash.events::EventDispatcher/dispatchEventFunction() at flash.events::EventDispatcher/dispatchEvent() at mx.core::UIComponent/dispatchEvent()[C:\autobuild\3.2.0\frameworks\projects\framework\src\mx\core\UIComponent.as:9298] at com.google.maps.wrappers::BaseEventDispatcher/dispatchEvent() at com.google.maps.wrappers::EventDispatcherWrapper/dispatchEvent() at com.google.maps.core::MapImpl/size() at com.google.maps.core::MapImpl/setSize() at com.google.maps.wrappers::IMapWrapper/setSize() at com.google.maps::Map/internalSetSize() at com.google.maps::Map/onUIComponentResized() at flash.events::EventDispatcher/dispatchEventFunction() at flash.events::EventDispatcher/dispatchEvent() at mx.core::UIComponent/dispatchEvent()[C:\autobuild\3.2.0\frameworks\projects\framework\src\mx\core\UIComponent.as:9298] at mx.core::UIComponent/dispatchResizeEvent()[C:\autobuild\3.2.0\frameworks\projects\framework\src\mx\core\UIComponent.as:7077] at mx.core::UIComponent/setActualSize()[C:\autobuild\3.2.0\frameworks\projects\framework\src\mx\core\UIComponent.as:6706] at mx.containers.utilityClasses::BoxLayout/updateDisplayList()[C:\autobuild\3.2.0\frameworks\projects\framework\src\mx\containers\utilityClasses\BoxLayout.as:219] at mx.containers::Form/updateDisplayList()[C:\autobuild\3.2.0\frameworks\projects\framework\src\mx\containers\Form.as:375] at mx.core::UIComponent/validateDisplayList()[C:\autobuild\3.2.0\frameworks\projects\framework\src\mx\core\UIComponent.as:6351] at mx.core::Container/validateDisplayList()[C:\autobuild\3.2.0\frameworks\projects\framework\src\mx\core\Container.as:2677] at mx.managers::LayoutManager/validateDisplayList()[C:\autobuild\3.2.0\frameworks\projects\framework\src\mx\managers\LayoutManager.as:622] at mx.managers::LayoutManager/doPhasedInstantiation()[C:\autobuild\3.2.0\frameworks\projects\framework\src\mx\managers\LayoutManager.as:695] at Function/http://adobe.com/AS3/2006/builtin::apply() at mx.core::UIComponent/callLaterDispatcher2()[C:\autobuild\3.2.0\frameworks\projects\framework\src\mx\core\UIComponent.as:8628] at mx.core::UIComponent/callLaterDispatcher()[C:\autobuild\3.2.0\frameworks\projects\framework\src\mx\core\UIComponent.as:8568] Please resolve my issue.

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• Process: Unable to start service com.google.android.gms.checkin.CheckinService with Intent

  - by AndyRoid

  I'm trying to build a Google map application but keep receiving this in my LogCat. I have all the permissions and meta-data set in my manifest, but am still dumbfounded by this error. Have looked everywhere on SO for this specific error but found nothing relating to com.google.android.gms.checkin A little bit about my structural hierarchy. MainActivity extends ActionBarActivity with three tabs underneath actionbar. Each tab has it's own fragment. On the gMapFragment I create a GPSTrack object from my GPSTrack class which extends Service and implements LocationListener. The problem is that when I start the application I get this message: I have all my libraries imported properly and I even added the google-play-services.jar into my libs folder. I also installed Google Play Services APKs through CMD onto my emulator. Furthermore the LocationManager lm = = (LocationManager) mContext.getSystemService(LOCATION_SERVICE); in my GPSTrack class always returns null. Why is this and how can I fix these issues? Would appreciate an explanation along with solution too, I want to understand what's going on here. ============== Code: gMapFragment.java public class gMapFragment extends SupportMapFragment { private final String TAG = "gMapFragment"; private GoogleMap mMap; protected SupportMapFragment mapFrag; private Context mContext = getActivity(); private static View view; @Override public View onCreateView(LayoutInflater inflater, ViewGroup container, Bundle savedInstanceState) { if (view != null) { ViewGroup parent = (ViewGroup) view.getParent(); if (parent != null) { parent.removeView(view); } } try { super.onCreateView(inflater, container, savedInstanceState); view = inflater.inflate(R.layout.fragment_map, container, false); setupGoogleMap(); } catch (Exception e) { /* * Map already there , just return as view */ } return view; } private void setupGoogleMap() { mapFrag = (SupportMapFragment) getFragmentManager().findFragmentById( R.id.mapView); if (mapFrag == null) { FragmentManager fragManager = getFragmentManager(); FragmentTransaction fragTransaction = fragManager .beginTransaction(); mapFrag = SupportMapFragment.newInstance(); fragTransaction.replace(R.id.mapView, mapFrag).commit(); } if (mapFrag != null) { mMap = mapFrag.getMap(); if (mMap != null) { setupMap(); mMap.setOnMapClickListener(new OnMapClickListener() { @Override public void onMapClick(LatLng point) { // TODO your click stuff on map } }); } } } @Override public void onAttach(Activity activity) { super.onAttach(activity); Log.d("Attach", "on attach"); } @Override public void onDetach() { super.onDetach(); } @Override public void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) { super.onCreate(savedInstanceState); } @Override public void onResume() { super.onResume(); } @Override public void onPause() { super.onPause(); } @Override public void onDestroy() { super.onDestroy(); } private void setupMap() { GPSTrack gps = new GPSTrack(mContext); // Enable MyLocation layer of google map mMap.setMyLocationEnabled(true); Log.d(TAG, "MyLocation enabled"); // Set Map type mMap.setMapType(GoogleMap.MAP_TYPE_NORMAL); // Grab current location **ERROR HERE/Returns Null** Location location = gps.getLocation(); Log.d(TAG, "Grabbing location..."); if (location != null) { Log.d(TAG, "location != null"); // Grab Latitude and Longitude double latitude = location.getLatitude(); double longitude = location.getLongitude(); Log.d(TAG, "Getting lat, long.."); // Initialize LatLng object LatLng latLng = new LatLng(latitude, longitude); Log.d(TAG, "LatLng initialized"); // Show current location on google map mMap.moveCamera(CameraUpdateFactory.newLatLng(latLng)); // Zoom in on google map mMap.animateCamera(CameraUpdateFactory.zoomTo(20)); mMap.addMarker(new MarkerOptions().position( new LatLng(latitude, longitude)).title("You are here.")); } else { gps.showSettingsAlert(); } } } GPSTrack.java public class GPSTrack extends Service implements LocationListener{ private final Context mContext; private boolean isGPSEnabled = false; //See if network is connected to internet private boolean isNetworkEnabled = false; //See if you can grab the location private boolean canGetLocation = false; protected Location location = null; protected double latitude; protected double longitude; private static final long MINIMUM_DISTANCE_CHANGE_FOR_UPDATES = 10; //10 Meters private static final long MINIMUM_TIME_CHANGE_FOR_UPDATES = 1000 * 60 * 1; //1 minute protected LocationManager locationManager; public GPSTrack(Context context) { this.mContext = context; getLocation(); } public Location getLocation() { try { //Setup locationManager for controlling location services **ERROR HERE/Return Null** locationManager = (LocationManager) mContext.getSystemService(LOCATION_SERVICE); //See if GPS is enabled isGPSEnabled = locationManager.isProviderEnabled(LocationManager.GPS_PROVIDER); //See if Network is connected to the internet or carrier service isNetworkEnabled = locationManager.isProviderEnabled(LocationManager.NETWORK_PROVIDER); if (!isGPSEnabled && !isNetworkEnabled) { Toast.makeText(getApplicationContext(), "No Network Provider Available", Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show(); } else { this.canGetLocation = true; if (isNetworkEnabled) { locationManager.requestLocationUpdates( LocationManager.NETWORK_PROVIDER, MINIMUM_TIME_CHANGE_FOR_UPDATES, MINIMUM_DISTANCE_CHANGE_FOR_UPDATES, this); Log.d("GPS", "GPS Enabled"); if (locationManager != null) { location = locationManager.getLastKnownLocation(LocationManager.GPS_PROVIDER); if (location != null) { latitude = location.getLatitude(); longitude = location.getLongitude(); } } } } } catch (Exception e) { e.printStackTrace(); } return location; } public void stopUsingGPS() { if (locationManager != null) { locationManager.removeUpdates(GPSTrack.this); } } public double getLatitude() { if (location != null) { latitude = location.getLatitude(); } return latitude; } public double getLongitude() { if (location != null) { longitude = location.getLongitude(); } return longitude; } public boolean canGetLocation() { return this.canGetLocation; } public void showSettingsAlert() { AlertDialog.Builder alertDialog = new AlertDialog.Builder(mContext); //AlertDialog title alertDialog.setTitle("GPS Settings"); //AlertDialog message alertDialog.setMessage("GPS is not enabled. Do you want to go to Settings?"); alertDialog.setPositiveButton("Settings", new DialogInterface.OnClickListener() { @Override public void onClick(DialogInterface dialog, int which) { // TODO Auto-generated method stub Intent i = new Intent(Settings.ACTION_LOCATION_SOURCE_SETTINGS); mContext.startActivity(i); } }); alertDialog.setNegativeButton("Cancel", new DialogInterface.OnClickListener() { @Override public void onClick(DialogInterface dialog, int which) { // TODO Auto-generated method stub dialog.cancel(); } }); alertDialog.show(); } @Override public void onLocationChanged(Location location) { // TODO Auto-generated method stub } @Override public void onStatusChanged(String provider, int status, Bundle extras) { // TODO Auto-generated method stub } @Override public void onProviderEnabled(String provider) { // TODO Auto-generated method stub } @Override public void onProviderDisabled(String provider) { // TODO Auto-generated method stub } @Override public IBinder onBind(Intent intent) { // TODO Auto-generated method stub return null; } } logcat 06-08 22:35:03.441: E/AndroidRuntime(1370): FATAL EXCEPTION: main 06-08 22:35:03.441: E/AndroidRuntime(1370): Process: com.google.android.gms, PID: 1370 06-08 22:35:03.441: E/AndroidRuntime(1370): java.lang.RuntimeException: Unable to start service com.google.android.gms.checkin.CheckinService@b1094e48 with Intent { cmp=com.google.android.gms/.checkin.CheckinService }: java.lang.SecurityException: attempting to read gservices without permission: Neither user 10053 nor current process has com.google.android.providers.gsf.permission.READ_GSERVICES. 06-08 22:35:03.441: E/AndroidRuntime(1370): at android.app.ActivityThread.handleServiceArgs(ActivityThread.java:2719) 06-08 22:35:03.441: E/AndroidRuntime(1370): at android.app.ActivityThread.access$2100(ActivityThread.java:135) 06-08 22:35:03.441: E/AndroidRuntime(1370): at android.app.ActivityThread$H.handleMessage(ActivityThread.java:1293) 06-08 22:35:03.441: E/AndroidRuntime(1370): at android.os.Handler.dispatchMessage(Handler.java:102) 06-08 22:35:03.441: E/AndroidRuntime(1370): at android.os.Looper.loop(Looper.java:136) 06-08 22:35:03.441: E/AndroidRuntime(1370): at android.app.ActivityThread.main(ActivityThread.java:5017) 06-08 22:35:03.441: E/AndroidRuntime(1370): at java.lang.reflect.Method.invokeNative(Native Method) 06-08 22:35:03.441: E/AndroidRuntime(1370): at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:515) 06-08 22:35:03.441: E/AndroidRuntime(1370): at com.android.internal.os.ZygoteInit$MethodAndArgsCaller.run(ZygoteInit.java:779) 06-08 22:35:03.441: E/AndroidRuntime(1370): at com.android.internal.os.ZygoteInit.main(ZygoteInit.java:595) 06-08 22:35:03.441: E/AndroidRuntime(1370): at dalvik.system.NativeStart.main(Native Method) 06-08 22:35:03.441: E/AndroidRuntime(1370): Caused by: java.lang.SecurityException: attempting to read gservices without permission: Neither user 10053 nor current process has com.google.android.providers.gsf.permission.READ_GSERVICES. 06-08 22:35:03.441: E/AndroidRuntime(1370): at android.app.ContextImpl.enforce(ContextImpl.java:1685) 06-08 22:35:03.441: E/AndroidRuntime(1370): at android.app.ContextImpl.enforceCallingOrSelfPermission(ContextImpl.java:1714) 06-08 22:35:03.441: E/AndroidRuntime(1370): at android.content.ContextWrapper.enforceCallingOrSelfPermission(ContextWrapper.java:572) 06-08 22:35:03.441: E/AndroidRuntime(1370): at imq.c(SourceFile:107) 06-08 22:35:03.441: E/AndroidRuntime(1370): at imq.a(SourceFile:121) 06-08 22:35:03.441: E/AndroidRuntime(1370): at imq.a(SourceFile:227) 06-08 22:35:03.441: E/AndroidRuntime(1370): at bwq.c(SourceFile:166) 06-08 22:35:03.441: E/AndroidRuntime(1370): at com.google.android.gms.checkin.CheckinService.a(SourceFile:237) 06-08 22:35:03.441: E/AndroidRuntime(1370): at com.google.android.gms.checkin.CheckinService.onStartCommand(SourceFile:211) 06-08 22:35:03.441: E/AndroidRuntime(1370): at android.app.ActivityThread.handleServiceArgs(ActivityThread.java:2702) AndroidManifest <manifest xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android" package="com.app" android:versionCode="1" android:versionName="1.0" > <uses-sdk android:minSdkVersion="14" android:targetSdkVersion="19" /> <uses-permission android:name="com.curio.permission.MAPS_RECEIVE" /> <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.CAMERA" /> <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.INTERNET" /> <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.ACCESS_COARSE_LOCATION" /> <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION" /> <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE" /> <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.ACCESS_WIFI_STATE" /> <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE" /> <uses-permission android:name="com.google.android.providers.gsf.permission.READ_GSERVICES" /> <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.ACCESS_MOCK_LOCATION" /> <uses-feature android:name="android.hardware.camera" android:required="true" /> <uses-feature android:glEsVersion="0x00020000" android:required="true" /> <application android:allowBackup="true" android:icon="@drawable/ic_launcher" android:label="@string/app_name" android:theme="@style/AppTheme" > <activity android:name="com.app.MainActivity" android:label="@string/app_name" > <intent-filter> <action android:name="android.intent.action.MAIN" /> <category android:name="android.intent.category.LAUNCHER" /> </intent-filter> </activity> <meta-data android:name="com.google.android.gms.version" android:value="@integer/google_play_services_version" /> <meta-data android:name="com.google.android.maps.v2.API_KEY" android:value="AI........................" /> </application>

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• Having an issue with overwriting an element of a file correctly (numeric)

  - by IngeniousHax

  This is an ATM style program, but currently it doesn't do exactly what I need it to do... I need to get the current balance, and when money is transferred from either checking or savings, it should add it to checking and subtract it from savings. which is does, but not correctly... Input example -=[ Funds Transfer ]=- -=[ Savings to Checking ]=- Account Name: nomadic Amount to transfer: $400 New Balance in Checking: $900 // original was 500 New Balance in Savings: $7.7068e+012 // this should now be 1100... Here is my code, it's a lot of code, but there are no errors, so throwing it into an IDE and compiling should be fairly quick for whoever would like to help. mainBankClass.h mainBankClass.h #ifndef MAINBANKCLASS_H #define MAINBANKCLASS_H #include <iostream> #include <fstream> #include <string> using namespace std; class Banking { protected: string checkAcctName, saveAcctName; // Name on the account int acctNumber[13]; // Account number float acctBalance, initSaveDeposit, initCheckDeposit, depAmt; // amount in account, and amount to deposit public: char getBalanceChoice(); // Get name on account for displaying relevant information char newAccountMenu(); // Create a new account and assign it a random account number void invalid(char *); // If an invalid option is chosen char menu(); // Print the main menu for the user. virtual float deposit(){ return 0; } // virtual function for deposits // virtual float withdrawal() = 0; // Virtual function for withdrawals void fatal(char *); // Handles fatal errors. Banking(); }; class Checking : public Banking { public: friend ostream operator<<(ostream &, Checking &); friend istream operator>>(istream &, Checking &); Checking operator <= (const Checking &) const; void newCheckingAccount(); void viewCheckingBalance(); void transferFromSaving(); float deposit() { return (acctBalance += depAmt); } }; class Saving : public Banking { public: friend ostream &operator<<(ostream &, Saving &); friend istream &operator>>(istream &, Saving &); Saving operator <= (const Saving &) const; void newSavingAccount(); void viewSavingBalance(); void transferFromChecking(); float deposit() { return (acctBalance += depAmt); } }; class checkAndSave : public Banking { public: void newCheckAndSave(); void viewBothBalances(); }; #endif bankAccount.cpp #include <iostream> #include <sstream> #include <string> #include <iomanip> #include <fstream> #include <time.h> #include "MainBankClass.h" /*****************************\ | BANKING CONSTRUCTOR | \*****************************/ Banking::Banking() { string acctName; // Name on the account acctNumber[13] = 0; // Account number acctBalance = 0; initCheckDeposit = 0; initSaveDeposit = 0; depAmt = 0; }; /********************************\ | The following code is to print the menu | | and recieve the users choice on what | | they want to do with the ATM | \********************************/ char Banking::menu() { char choice; system("cls"); cout << "\t\t -=[ Main Menu ]=- \n\n" << "\tA) Create New Account\n" << "\tB) View Account Balance\n" << "\tC) Transfer Funds From Checking To Savings\n" << "\tD) Transfer Funds From Savings To Checking\n" << "\tE) Exit\n" << "\n\n\tSelection: "; cin >> choice; cin.ignore(); choice = toupper(choice); while(!isalpha(choice)) { invalid("[!!] Invalid selection.\n[!!] Choose a valid option: "); cin >> choice; cin.ignore(); } return choice; } /*********************\ | Will read in account choic | | and display it for the user | \*********************/ char Banking::getBalanceChoice() { char choice; fstream saveFile("saving.dat", ios::in | ios::beg); system("cls"); cout << "\t\t -=[ View Account Balance ]=-\n\n"; cout << "A) View Checking Account\n" << "B) View Saving Account\n" << "C) View Checking \\ Saving Account\n" << endl; cout << "Choice: "; cin >> choice; choice = toupper(choice); if(!isalpha(choice)) fatal(" [!!] Invalid Choice"); return choice; } /***************************\ | Incase an invalid decision to made | | this throws the error message sent | | to it by the calling area | \***************************/ void Banking::invalid(char *msg) { cout << msg; } /*************************\ | Used if files can not be opened | | and exits with code 251: | | miscommunication with server | \*************************/ void Banking::fatal(char *msg) { cout << msg; exit(1); } /***************************\ | Create an account, either checking | | or savings, or both. | | Must should create a randomly | | generated account number that will | | correspond with each account. | \***************************/ /************************\ NOTE:: WILL BE UPDATED TO CONTAIN A PIN FOR ACCOUNT VERIFICATION *************************/ char Banking::newAccountMenu() { srand(time(NULL)); // Seed random generator with time initialized to NULL char acctChoice; // choice for the account type ofstream checkFile("checking.dat", ios::out | ios::app); // For saving checking accounts ofstream saveFile("saving.dat", ios::out | ios::app); // For saving savings accounts system("cls"); cout << "\t\t-=[ New Account Creation ]=-\n\n" << endl; cout << "A) Checking Account\n" << "B) Savings Account\n" << "C) Checking and Saving Account\n" << endl; cout << "New account type: "; cin >> acctChoice; acctChoice = toupper(acctChoice); cin.clear(); cin.sync(); return acctChoice; } /********************************************************************* ********************************************************************** CHECKING ACCOUNT CODE ********************************************************************** **********************************************************************/ // New Checking Account Creation void Checking::newCheckingAccount() { system("cls"); ofstream checkFile("checking.dat", ios::out | ios::app); // For saving checking accounts cout << "\t\t -=[ New Checking Account ]=- \n" << endl; cout << "Name of the main holder to be on the account: "; getline(cin, checkAcctName); cout << "Initial deposit amount: $"; cin >> initCheckDeposit; if(initCheckDeposit <= 0) { while(initCheckDeposit <= 0) { invalid("[!!] 0 or negative amount entered\nMaybe a typo?\n"); cout << "Deposit Amount: $"; cin >> initCheckDeposit; } } if(!checkFile) fatal("[!!] Fatal Error 251: Miscommunication with server\n"); checkFile << checkAcctName << endl; for(int j = 0; j < 13; j++) { acctNumber[j] = (rand() % 10); // Build a random checking account number checkFile << acctNumber[j]; } checkFile << endl; checkFile << initCheckDeposit << endl; checkFile.close(); } void Checking::viewCheckingBalance() { fstream checkFile("checking.dat", ios::in | ios::beg); string name; int i = 0; double balance = 0; system("cls"); cout << "\t\t -=[ View Checking Account ]=-\n\n" << endl; cout << "Account Name: "; cin.sync(); getline(cin, name); getline(checkFile, checkAcctName); while(name != checkAcctName && !checkFile.fail()) { i++; getline(checkFile, checkAcctName); } if(name == checkAcctName) { system("cls"); cout << "\t\t -=[ Checking Account Balance ]=-\n\n" << endl; cout << "Account Name: " << checkAcctName << "\n"; cout << "Account Number: "; for(int j = 0; j < 13; j++) { char input_number; stringstream converter; checkFile.get(input_number); converter << input_number; converter >> acctNumber[j]; cout << acctNumber[j]; } // if balance a problem, try the below commented out line // checkFile.ignore(numeric_limits<streamsize>::max(), '\n'); cout << endl; checkFile >> acctBalance; cout << "Balance: $" << fixed << showpoint << setprecision(2) << acctBalance << endl; } else fatal("[!!] Invalid Account\n"); checkFile.close(); getchar(); } void Checking::transferFromSaving() // Move funds FROM SAVINGS to CHECKING { system("cls"); string name; long checkPos = 0; long savePos = 0; float savingBalance = 0; string saveAcctName; int i = 0; cin.clear(); fstream saveFile("saving.dat", ios::in | ios::out | ios::beg); fstream checkFile("checking.dat", ios::in | ios::out | ios::beg); cout << "\t\t-=[ Funds Transfer ]=-" << endl; cout << "\t\t-=[ Savings to Checking ]=-" << endl; cout << "Account Name: "; cin.sync(); getline(cin, name); getline(checkFile, checkAcctName); while(name != checkAcctName && !checkFile.fail()) { i++; getline(checkFile, checkAcctName); } getline(saveFile, saveAcctName); while(name != saveAcctName && !saveFile.fail()) { i = 0; i++; getline(saveFile, saveAcctName); } if(name == checkAcctName) { cout << "Amount to transfer: $"; float depAmt = 0; cin >> depAmt; for(int j = 0; j < 13; j++) { char input_number; stringstream converter; checkFile.get(input_number); converter << input_number; converter >> acctNumber[j]; } checkPos = checkFile.tellg(); // if the file is found, get the position of acctBalance and store it in ptrPos checkFile.seekg(checkPos); checkFile >> acctBalance; savePos = saveFile.tellg(); saveFile.seekg(savePos); // sending the cursor in the file to ptrPos + 1 to ignore white space saveFile >> savingBalance; if(savingBalance < depAmt) // if checking account does not have enough funds, exit with NSF code fatal("[!!] Insufficient Funds\n"); acctBalance += depAmt; // can be changed to an overloaded operator savingBalance -= depAmt; // can be changed to an overloaded operator checkFile.seekp(checkPos); // go to position previously set above checkFile << acctBalance; // write new balance to checkFile saveFile.seekp(savePos); // same thing as above comment saveFile << savingBalance; // write new balance to saveFile cout << "New Balance in Checking: $" << acctBalance << endl; // will be removed later cout << "New Balance in Savings: $" << savingBalance << endl; // will be removed later aswell } else fatal("[!!] Linked accounts do not exist.\n"); // if account is not found saveFile.close(); checkFile.close(); } /******************************************************** ******************************************************** SAVING ACCOUNT CODE ********************************************************* *********************************************************/ void Saving::newSavingAccount() { system("cls"); ofstream saveFile("saving.dat", ios::out | ios::app); // For saving savings accounts cout << "\t\t -=[ New Savings Account ]=- \n" << endl; cout << "Name of the main holder to be on account: "; getline(cin, saveAcctName); cout << "Deposit Amount: $"; cin >> initSaveDeposit; if(initSaveDeposit <= 0) { while(initSaveDeposit <= 0) { invalid("[!!]0 or negative value entered.\nPerhaps a typo?\n"); cout << "Deposit amount: $"; cin >> initSaveDeposit; } } if(!saveFile) fatal("[!!] Fatal Error 251: Miscommunication with server\n"); saveFile << saveAcctName << endl; for(int j = 0; j < 13; j++) { acctNumber[j] = (rand() % 10); saveFile << acctNumber[j]; } saveFile << endl; saveFile << initSaveDeposit << endl; saveFile.close(); } void Saving::viewSavingBalance() { string name; int i = 0; fstream saveFile("saving.dat", ios::in | ios::beg); cin.clear(); system("cls"); cout << "\t\t -=[ View Saving Account ]=-\n\n" << endl; cout << "Account Name: "; cin.sync(); getline(cin, name); getline(saveFile, saveAcctName); while(name != saveAcctName && !saveFile.fail()) { i++; getline(saveFile, saveAcctName); } if(name == saveAcctName) { system("cls"); cout << "\t\t -=[ Saving Account Balance ]=-\n\n" << endl; cout << "Account Name: " << saveAcctName << "\n"; cout << "Account Number: "; for(int j = 0; j < 13; j++) { char input_number; stringstream converter; saveFile.get(input_number); converter << input_number; converter >> acctNumber[j]; cout << acctNumber[j]; } // if balance a problem, try the below commented out line // checkFile.ignore(numeric_limits<streamsize>::max(), '\n'); cout << endl; saveFile >> acctBalance; cout << "Balance: $" << fixed << showpoint << setprecision(2) << acctBalance << endl; } else fatal("[!!] Invalid Account\n"); saveFile.close(); getchar(); } // NEED TO WORK ON THIS PORTION TOMORROW AND MONDAY, ADD OVERLOADED OPS FOR ASSIGNMENT!!!!!!! void Saving::transferFromChecking() // This is to take money FROM checking and ADD IT TO SAVING { system("cls"); string name; long savePos = 0; long checkPos = 0; float checkingBalance = 0; string checkAcctName; int i = 0; cin.clear(); fstream saveFile("saving.dat", ios::in | ios::out | ios::beg); fstream checkFile("checking.dat", ios::in | ios::out | ios::beg); cout << "\t\t-=[ Funds Transfer ]=-" << endl; cout << "\t\t-=[ Checking to Savings ]=-" << endl; cout << "Account Name: "; cin.sync(); getline(cin, name); getline(saveFile, saveAcctName); getline(checkFile, checkAcctName); while(name != saveAcctName && name != checkAcctName && !saveFile.fail() && !checkFile.fail()) { i++; getline(saveFile, saveAcctName); getline(checkFile, checkAcctName); } if(name == saveAcctName) { cout << "Amount to transfer: $"; float depAmt = 0; cin >> depAmt; for(int j = 0; j < 13; j++) { char input_number; stringstream converter; saveFile.get(input_number); converter << input_number; converter >> acctNumber[j]; } savePos = saveFile.tellg(); // if the file is found, get the position of acctBalance and store it in ptrPos saveFile.seekg(savePos); saveFile >> acctBalance; checkPos = checkFile.tellg(); checkFile.seekg(checkPos); // if file is found, store current position of the cursor to ptrPos checkFile >> checkingBalance; if(checkingBalance < depAmt) // if checking account does not have enough funds, exit with NSF code fatal("[!!] Insufficient Funds\n"); // Can also place overloaded op here acctBalance += depAmt; // can be changed to an overloaded operator checkingBalance -= depAmt; // can be changed to an overloaded operator saveFile.seekg(savePos); // go to position previously set above saveFile << acctBalance; // write new balance to saveFile checkFile.seekg(checkPos); // same thing as above comment checkFile << checkingBalance; // write new balance to checkFile cout << "New Balance in Savings: $" << acctBalance << endl; // will be removed later cout << "New Balance in Checking: $" << checkingBalance << endl; // will be removed later aswell } else fatal("[!!] Linked accounts do not exist.\n"); // if account is not found saveFile.close(); checkFile.close(); } /******************************************** ******************************************** CHECK AND SAVE CODE ********************************************** **********************************************/ void checkAndSave::newCheckAndSave() { system("cls"); ofstream saveFile("saving.dat", ios::out | ios::app); // For saving savings accounts ofstream checkFile("checking.dat", ios::out | ios::app); // For saving checking accounts cout << "\t -=[ New Checking & Saving Account ]=- \n" << endl; cout << "Name of the main holder to be on account: "; getline(cin, checkAcctName); saveAcctName = checkAcctName; cout << "Checking Deposit Amount: $"; cin >> initCheckDeposit; if(initCheckDeposit <= 0) { while(initCheckDeposit <= 0) { invalid("[!!] 0 or negative amount entered\nMaybe a typo?\n"); cout << "Deposit Amount: $"; cin >> initCheckDeposit; } } cout << "Saving Deposit Amount: $"; cin >> initSaveDeposit; if(initSaveDeposit <= 0) { while(initSaveDeposit <= 0) { invalid("[!!]0 or negative value entered.\nPerhaps a typo?\n"); cout << "Deposit amount: $"; cin >> initSaveDeposit; } } if(!saveFile || !checkFile) fatal("[!!] Fatal Error 251: Miscommunication with server\n"); checkFile << checkAcctName << endl; saveFile << saveAcctName << endl; for(int j = 0; j < 13; j++) { acctNumber[j] = (rand() % 10); checkFile << acctNumber[j]; saveFile << acctNumber[j]; } saveFile << endl; saveFile << initSaveDeposit << endl; checkFile << endl; checkFile << initCheckDeposit << endl; checkFile.close(); saveFile.close(); } void checkAndSave::viewBothBalances() { string name; int i = 0; fstream checkFile("checking.dat", ios::in | ios::beg); fstream saveFile("saving.dat", ios::in | ios::beg); system("cls"); cin.clear(); cout << "\t-=[ Saving & Checking Account Balance ]=-\n\n" << endl; cout << "Account Name: "; cin.sync(); getline(cin, name); getline(checkFile, checkAcctName); saveAcctName = name; /**********************\ | Checking Account portion | | of the checking & savings | | overview | \**********************/ while(name != checkAcctName && !checkFile.fail()) { i++; getline(checkFile, checkAcctName); } system("cls"); if(name != checkAcctName && checkFile.fail()) invalid("\n\n[!!] No Checking Account Found\n"); cout << "\t\t -=[ Checking Account ]=- \n" << endl; cout << "Account Name: " << checkAcctName << "\n"; cout << "Account Number: "; for(int j = 0; j < 13; j++) { char input_number; stringstream converter; checkFile.get(input_number); converter << input_number; converter >> acctNumber[j]; cout << acctNumber[j]; } // if balance a problem, try the below commented out line // checkFile.ignore(numeric_limits<streamsize>::max(), '\n'); cout << endl; checkFile >> acctBalance; cout << "Balance: $" << fixed << showpoint << setprecision(2) << acctBalance << endl; /*********************\ | Saving Account portion | | of the checking & saving | | overview | \*********************/ getline(saveFile, saveAcctName); while(name != saveAcctName && !saveFile.fail()) { i++; getline(saveFile, saveAcctName); } if(name != saveAcctName && saveFile.fail()) invalid("\n\n[!!] No Saving Account Found\n"); if(name == saveAcctName) { cout << "\t\t -=[ Saving Account ]=-\n\n" << endl; cout << "Account Name: " << saveAcctName << "\n"; cout << "Account Number: "; for(int j = 0; j < 13; j++) { char input_number; stringstream converter; saveFile.get(input_number); converter << input_number; converter >> acctNumber[j]; cout << acctNumber[j]; } // if balance a problem, try the below commented out line // checkFile.ignore(numeric_limits<streamsize>::max(), '\n'); cout << endl; saveFile >> acctBalance; cout << "Balance: $" << fixed << showpoint << setprecision(2) << acctBalance << endl; } if(name != saveAcctName && name != checkAcctName && saveFile.fail() && checkFile.fail()) fatal("[!!] No Accounts Have Been Found\n"); checkFile.close(); saveFile.close(); getchar(); } Main.cpp #include <iostream> #include "MainBankClass.h" using namespace std; int main() { Banking bank; Checking check; Saving save; checkAndSave CanS; char choice; choice = bank.menu(); // Call the banking menu switch(choice) { case 'A': choice = bank.newAccountMenu(); switch(choice) { case 'A': check.newCheckingAccount(); break; case 'B': save.newSavingAccount(); break; case 'C': CanS.newCheckAndSave(); break; default: system("cls"); bank.fatal("[!!] Invalid option\n"); break; } break; /***********************************************/ case 'B': choice = bank.getBalanceChoice(); switch(choice) { case 'A': check.viewCheckingBalance(); break; case 'B': save.viewSavingBalance(); break; case 'C': CanS.viewBothBalances(); break; default: bank.fatal("Invalid decision\n"); break; } /*************************************************/ break; case 'C': check.transferFromSaving(); break; case 'D': save.transferFromChecking(); break; case 'E': system("cls"); cout << "\t\t-=[ Disconnecting From System ]=-\n"; cout << "\t\t\t Thank you" << endl; cout << "\t\t Have a nice day!" << endl; exit(1); break; default: system("cls"); bank.invalid("\n\n\n\n\t\t [+] Invalid Selection \n\t\t[+] Disconnecting From System \n\t\t\tGood-bye \n\n\n\n\n\n\n"); exit(1); break; } return 0; }

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• o write a C++ program to encrypt and decrypt certain codes.

  - by Amber

  Step 1: Write a function int GetText(char[],int); which fills a character array from a requested file. That is, the function should prompt the user to input the filename, and then read up to the number of characters given as the second argument, terminating when the number has been reached or when the end of file is encountered. The file should then be closed. The number of characters placed in the array is then returned as the value of the function. Every character in the file should be transferred to the array. Whitespace should not be removed. When testing, assume that no more than 5000 characters will be read. The function should be placed in a file called coding.cpp while the main will be in ass5.cpp. To enable the prototypes to be accessible, the file coding.h contains the prototypes for all the functions that are to be written in coding.cpp for this assignment. (You may write other functions. If they are called from any of the functions in coding.h, they must appear in coding.cpp where their prototypes should also appear. Do not alter coding.h. Any other functions written for this assignment should be placed, along with their prototypes, with the main function.) Step 2: Write a function int SimplifyText(char[],int); which simplifies the text in the first argument, an array containing the number of characters as given in the second argument, by converting all alphabetic characters to lower case, removing all non-alpha characters, and replacing multiple whitespace by one blank. Any leading whitespace at the beginning of the array should be removed completely. The resulting number of characters should be returned as the value of the function. Note that another array cannot appear in the function (as the file does not contain one). For example, if the array contained the 29 characters "The 39 Steps" by John Buchan (with the " appearing in the array), the simplified text would be the steps by john buchan of length 24. The array should not contain a null character at the end. Step 3: Using the file test.txt, test your program so far. You will need to write a function void PrintText(const char[],int,int); that prints out the contents of the array, whose length is the second argument, breaking the lines to exactly the number of characters in the third argument. Be warned that, if the array contains newlines (as it would when read from a file), lines will be broken earlier than the specified length. Step 4: Write a function void Caesar(const char[],int,char[],int); which takes the first argument array, with length given by the second argument and codes it into the third argument array, using the shift given in the fourth argument. The shift must be performed cyclicly and must also be able to handle negative shifts. Shifts exceeding 26 can be reduced by modulo arithmetic. (Is C++'s modulo operations on negative numbers a problem here?) Demonstrate that the test file, as simplified, can be coded and decoded using a given shift by listing the original input text, the simplified text (indicating the new length), the coded text and finally the decoded text. Step 5: The permutation cypher does not limit the character substitution to just a shift. In fact, each of the 26 characters is coded to one of the others in an arbitrary way. So, for example, a might become f, b become q, c become d, but a letter never remains the same. How the letters are rearranged can be specified using a seed to the random number generator. The code can then be decoded, if the decoder has the same random number generator and knows the seed. Write the function void Permute(const char[],int,char[],unsigned long); with the same first three arguments as Caesar above, with the fourth argument being the seed. The function will have to make up a permutation table as follows: To find what a is coded as, generate a random number from 1 to 25. Add that to a to get the coded letter. Mark that letter as used. For b, generate 1 to 24, then step that many letters after b, ignoring the used letter if encountered. For c, generate 1 to 23, ignoring a or b's codes if encountered. Wrap around at z. Here's an example, for only the 6 letters a, b, c, d, e, f. For the letter a, generate, from 1-5, a 2. Then a - c. c is marked as used. For the letter b, generate, from 1-4, a 3. So count 3 from b, skipping c (since it is marked as used) yielding the coding of b - f. Mark f as used. For c, generate, from 1-3, a 3. So count 3 from c, skipping f, giving a. Note the wrap at the last letter back to the first. And so on, yielding a - c b - f c - a d - b (it got a 2) e - d f - e Thus, for a given seed, a translation table is required. To decode a piece of text, we need the table generated to be re-arranged so that the right hand column is in order. In fact you can just store the table in the reverse way (e.g., if a gets encoded to c, put a opposite c is the table). Write a function called void DePermute(const char[],int,char[], unsigned long); to reverse the permutation cypher. Again, test your functions using the test file. At this point, any main program used to test these functions will not be required as part of the assignment. The remainder of the assignment uses some of these functions, and needs its own main function. When submitted, all the above functions will be tested by the marker's own main function. Step 6: If the seed number is unknown, decoding is difficult. Write a main program which: (i) reads in a piece of text using GetText; (ii) simplifies the text using SimplifyText; (iii) prints the text using PrintText; (iv) requests two letters to swap. If we think 'a' in the text should be 'q' we would type aq as input. The text would be modified by swapping the a's and q's, and the text reprinted. Repeat this last step until the user considers the text is decoded, when the input of the same letter twice (requesting a letter to be swapped with itself) terminates the program. Step 7: If we have a large enough sample of coded text, we can use knowledge of English to aid in finding the permutation. The first clue is in the frequency of occurrence of each letter. Write a function void LetterFreq(const char[],int,freq[]); which takes the piece of text given as the first two arguments (same as above) and returns in the 26 long array of structs (the third argument), the table of the frequency of the 26 letters. This frequency table should be in decreasing order of popularity. A simple Selection Sort will suffice. (This will be described in lectures.) When printed, this summary would look something like v x r s z j p t n c l h u o i b w d g e a q y k f m 168106 68 66 59 54 48 45 44 35 26 24 22 20 20 20 17 13 12 12 4 4 1 0 0 0 The formatting will require the use of input/output manipulators. See the header file for the definition of the struct called freq. Modify the program so that, before each swap is requested, the current frequency of the letters is printed. This does not require further calls to LetterFreq, however. You may use the traditional order of regular letter frequencies (E T A I O N S H R D L U) as a guide when deciding what characters to exchange. Step 8: The decoding process can be made more difficult if blank is also coded. That is, consider the alphabet to be 27 letters. Rewrite LetterFreq and your main program to handle blank as another character to code. In the above frequency order, space usually comes first.

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