:::Dots and nets::. Microsoft Developer Channel

Microsoft® Tech·Ed Middle East 2010

2010-03-04T02:21:00.000-08:00

Oh..at last i got the opprotunity to attend the Tech-Ed 2010 MENA. The even was very successfull, being attended by professionals from across Midde East and Africa.

I have got the wonderful chance to meet Joel and Shahid Gaglani (once again). Joel as always done sessions with smiles and Shahid was not lined up for the session (unfortunately).

The other exciting figures of the event are Scott Hanselman and Micheal Noel!. Scott is excellent in his work, his session was awesome!...You are the man!.. You made the Asp.net MVC simpler to me.

Noel, you are the ocean of knowledge. You have the stuff to speak!

The very interested tracks were on MVC and SharePoint!

Active Directory and .Net

2009-11-04T21:13:00.000-08:00

Excellent resource for programming AD (LDAP) in .Net

http://www.dotnettreats.com/tipstricks/adnet.aspx

Open Source IDE for .Net (Free...)

2009-06-07T21:54:00.000-07:00

The open source IDE for .net (Free Tool)
http://www.icsharpcode.net/OpenSource/SD/Default.aspx

Microsoft Search Engine - Bing

2009-06-05T23:45:00.003-07:00

Microsoft has formally launched its new "decision engine" called Bing,
Try www.bing.com

How to return value from window.showModalDialog to parent window in javascript ?

2009-05-19T12:47:00.001-07:00

Here is the example

Function to open dialog window from parent window

function showFleetDialog()
{
var oReturnValue = window.showModalDialog("/abc/page.aspx", this, "dialogWidth:800px;dialogHeight:500px;resizable:yes;");
if(oReturnValue != null)
document.getElementById('<%= txtFleetNo.ClientID %>').value = oReturnValue.FleetCode;
return false;
}

Function to retun value from dialog window
function closeThisWindow(fleetCode, fleetId)
{
var o = new Object();
o.FleetCode = fleetCode;
o.FleetId = fleetId;
window.returnValue = o;
window.close();
}

</dotnetSoldier>

Failed to decrypt the Web.config in asp.net

2009-04-22T22:09:00.000-07:00

After encrypting the appSettings in web.config file using the command

aspnet_regiis -pef "appSettings" "c:\<appfolder>"
you may recieve the following error

"Failed to decrypt using provider 'RsaProtectedConfigurationProvider'. Error message from the provider: The RSA key container could not be opened."

or the site will not work since it cannot read/decrypt the web.config contents (connection string or any similiar data).

Resolution
This is because your ASP.NET application identity does not have access to the .NET Framework configuration key store. To give rights use the following command

aspnet_regiis -pa "NetFrameworkConfigurationKey" "<application pool identity account>"

Hope this helps..

Millions effected with windows worm - Conficker, Kido or Downadup

2009-01-19T20:12:00.000-08:00

The worm Conficker was discovered in October 2008. Anti-virus firm F-Secure estimates there are now 8.9m machines infected.

According to Microsoft, the worm works by searching for a Windows executable file called "services.exe" and then becomes part of that code. It then copies itself into the Windows system folder as a random file of a type known as a "dll". It gives itself a 5-8 character name, such as piftoc.dll, and then modifies the Registry, which lists key Windows settings, to run the infected dll file as a service.

Once the worm is up and running, it creates an HTTP server, resets a machine's System Restore point (making it far harder to recover the infected system) and then downloads files from the hacker's web site.

Anti-virus firm F-Secure says that the worm uses a complicated algorithm to generate hundreds of different domain names every day, such as mphtfrxs.net, imctaef.cc, and hcweu.org. Only one of these will actually be the site used to download the hackers' files. On the face of it, tracing this one site is almost impossible.

Once the worm is running on the computer, it makes it very hard for users to restore their machine to a safe point before their operating system was infected, and automatically starts to download more malicious programs, that further compromise the PC, from hackers’ websites.

It’s using multiple replication mechanisms, including USB sticks, so if someone got an infection from one company and then takes his USB stick to another firm, it could infect that network too.

Computers users are advised to ensure their anti-virus software, operating system and firewall is up to date, and that they have installed a Microsoft patch designed to combat the problem, MS08-067, which is available from the Microsoft site.

Read More from BBC...

Get GridViewRow in button click event in GridView control

2009-01-09T12:36:00.001-08:00

When we use template field columns with buttons in gridview, we may need to access the row number to find the datakeys in the button click event. And here is the code how it looks like..

protected void lnkBtnCheckIn_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
LinkButton lnkButton = sender as LinkButton;
GridViewRow row = lnkButton.Parent.Parent as GridViewRow;
int fleetMovemetId = 0;
int.TryParse(Gridview1.DataKeys[row.RowIndex].Values[1].ToString(), out fleetMovemetId);
}

Njoy..

DataFormatString in GridView control

2009-01-09T04:15:00.000-08:00

Here is the DataFormatString for date as 02-Jan-2009 02:10 PM in gridview in asp.net

<asp:boundfield headertext="C.I. Date & Time" datafield="checkin_datetime" htmlencode="false" dataformatstring="{0: dd-MMM-yyyy hh:mm tt}" />

-::HTH::-

Error in Asp.Net : "Redirect URI cannot contain newline characters"

2009-01-09T02:54:00.000-08:00

While you send the error message as query string to an error page using response.redirect method in asp.net, you may come across the following error.
To get through, you should use URLEncode and URLDecode alone or with combination of HTMLEncode and HTMLDecode.

Eg:-
Response.Redirect(@"~/errorpage.aspx?.err=" + Server.UrlEncode(exception.Message) + "&.src=" + Server.UrlEncode(exception.Source));

File v/s BLOB storage in applications

2008-12-30T01:49:00.000-08:00

This is my one of the old articles on File storage in applications. May help some readers..
http://www.codeproject.com/KB/database/File_Vs_Blob_Storage.aspx

BLOB Storage in SQL Server. How to store and retrive BLOBS in asp.net application

2008-12-30T01:46:00.001-08:00

I have written an article on how to work on BLOB objects in asp.net and sql server. This may help the novice application developers.

http://www.codeproject.com/KB/database/Store_and_manipulat_BLOBs.aspx

-:HTH:-

How to improve site performance by compressing ViewState ?

2008-12-30T01:33:00.000-08:00

Here is an article that describes how to improve aspnet site peroformance by compressing viewstate. Worth reading...http://www.dotnetbips.com/articles/22d33d11-1a75-42c8-bbf6-ca1a345d3fcf.aspx

Best ASP.NET FAQ for interviews

2008-12-30T01:30:00.001-08:00

Here are some useful links...

http://www.syncfusion.com/faq/aspnet/

http://www.aspnetfaq.com

http://www.planet-source-code.com/vb/scripts/ShowCode.asp?txtCodeId=4081&lngWId=10

http://www.techinterviews.com/?p=193

http://blogs.crsw.com/mark/articles/254.aspx

Shopping Cart Web Template

2008-12-30T01:24:00.000-08:00

Here is a nice shopping cart web template..Take it up from there...
http://demo.x-cart.com

:)

Another free CSS web template

2008-12-30T01:23:00.000-08:00

This will help the beginners to start with the simple site design and layouts..
Grab it..
http://www.free-css-templates.com

Mini icons for your web applications....

2008-12-30T01:19:00.000-08:00

Here are some nice icons which we can use it inside the controlsa and for CSS while developing web applications...

http://icons.primail.ch/

Digg it....

Disaster Recovery in SharePoint Products and Technologies 2003

2008-12-30T01:09:00.000-08:00

The below informations will help you a lot when you start managing the SharePoint server farm of your organization since failure is not an option for us (IT) !

This URL points to a page on TECHNET that may interest you:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc750142.aspx

How to perform a disaster recovery operation of Windows SharePoint Services 2.0 Companyweb and Windows SharePoint Services 2.0 databases?
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/827701

Move SharePoint sites across server farm
http://blogs.msdn.com/priyo/archive/2006/03/24/559896.aspx

I thought this Help and How-to article from Microsoft(R) Office Online might interest you. "Back up, restore, or move a SharePoint site"

-::HTH::-

Ajax pre-loader image online generator

2008-12-30T01:07:00.000-08:00

Here we go!...http://www.ajaxload.info/
You can have your own ajax pre-loader...build your own styles..

Ziyad

Here is a joke!

2008-12-30T01:01:00.000-08:00

Long back, a person who sacrificed his sleep, forgot his family, forgot his food, Forgot laughter were called "Saints", But now they are called.. "IT professionals"

Happy Holidays !

2008-12-29T04:44:00.000-08:00

Dear readers,
I wish you all Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and Happy Holidays !

Rgds, Z

Tool to generate CSS Menu, CSS Button, CSS Page Layout, etc. and free template

2008-12-29T04:35:00.000-08:00

Hey developers, here is the nice tool to create your own CSS driven menu, web page layout, button and nice site template for free...

http://www.cssportal.com/

Hope this will help us in our work...

How to render RDLC (local report) as excel in asp.net ?

2008-12-28T09:25:00.001-08:00

Here we go - to render the rdlc local report in asp.net web application

public static void GenerateExcelFromLocalReport()
{
//get your report datasource from the database
IDataReader iReader = GetReportDataSourceReader();
LocalReport report = new LocalReport();
report.ReportPath = HttpContext.Current.Server.MapPath("~/reports
/rdlc/MyReport.rdlc");
report.DataSources.Add(new ReportDataSource("DataSource1", iReader));
ReportParameter[] parameters = new ReportParameter[3];
parameters[0] = new ReportParameter("Filter1", "Filter1's value"));
parameters[1] = new ReportParameter("Filter2", "Filter2's value");
parameters[2] = new ReportParameter("Footer", "Footer's value");
report.SetParameters(parameters);
//
//code to render report as excel document
string encoding = String.Empty;
string mimeType = String.Empty;
string extension = String.Empty;
Warning[] warnings = null;
string[] streamids = null;
//
byte[] byteArray = report.Render("Excel", null, out mimeType,
out encoding, out extension, out streamids, out warnings);
//
HttpContext.Current.Response.ContentType = "application/vnd.ms-excel";
HttpContext.Current.Response.AddHeader("Content-Disposition",
"attachment; filename=MyExcel.xls");
HttpContext.Current.Response.AddHeader("Content-Length",
byteArray.Length.ToString());
HttpContext.Current.Response.ContentType = "application/octet-stream";
HttpContext.Current.Response.BinaryWrite(byteArray);
HttpContext.Current.Response.End();
}

-::HTH::-

How to generate or render .pdf document from local report (rdlc) with parameters ?

2008-12-28T09:07:00.000-08:00

Here is the code to render the rdlc (local report) as pdf document in asp.net web application.

public void GeneratePDFFromLocalReport()
{
//get your report datasource from the database
IDataReader iReader = GetReportDataSourceReader();
LocalReport report = new LocalReport();
report.ReportPath =
HttpContext.Current.Server.MapPath("~/reports/rdlc/MyReport.rdlc");
report.DataSources.Add(new ReportDataSource("DataSource1", iReader));
ReportParameter[] parameters = new ReportParameter[3];
parameters[0] = new ReportParameter("Filter1", "Filter1's value"));
parameters[1] = new ReportParameter("Filter2", "Filter2's value");
parameters[2] = new ReportParameter("Footer", "Footer's value");
report.SetParameters(parameters);
//
//code to render report as pdf document
string encoding = String.Empty;
string mimeType = String.Empty;
string extension = String.Empty;
Warning[] warnings = null;
string[] streamids = null;
//
byte[] byteArray = report.Render("PDF", null,
out mimeType, out encoding, out extension, out streamids, out warnings);
//
HttpContext.Current.Response.ContentType = "Application/pdf";
HttpContext.Current.Response.AddHeader("Content-Disposition",
"attachment; filename=MyPDF.pdf");
HttpContext.Current.Response.AddHeader("Content-Length",
byteArray.Length.ToString());
HttpContext.Current.Response.ContentType = "application/octet-stream";
HttpContext.Current.Response.BinaryWrite(byteArray);
HttpContext.Current.Response.End();
}

-::HTH::-

Error while binding databound control in asp.net. "Eval(), Bind() can only be used in the context of a databound control"

2008-10-17T01:51:00.000-07:00

Did you ever get a message "Databinding methods such as Eval(), XPath(), and Bind() can only be used in the context of a databound control" while binding a databound control ?

If you ask me this question, my answer is Yes, i did receive the above message when i tried binding a dropdownlist template column inside the gridview control in asp.net 2.0. I was surprised seeing the message hitting me all the rack and was curious to see the issue in detail.
I had already done the binding of template column (drop down) in the row item created event.

Upong further investigarion i came to know that there is a difference between <%#Eval("field_name") %> and <%# Databinder.Eval("filed_name") %>

In the Eval(), ASP.net resolves the object to which databinding is done where as in the Databinder.Eval() since we give the target object manually, ASP.net has nothing to resolve.

So the resolution is use <%# Databinder.Eval("filed_name") %> instead <%# Eval("field_name") %>

Cannot create/shadow copy when that file already exists

2008-09-19T03:22:00.004-07:00

Cannot create/shadow copy < your assembly file dll > when that file already exists

When you compile the web projects in visual studio 2005/2008, you may receive the above message.

And in order to get rid of this, you can either kill the process aspnet_wp.exe using the task manager

or add the following tag in the web.config inside system.web tag.

Although the former resolution is just a temperory fix, the later one will fix this issue for that

project permanantly.

-::-

Javascript to limit characters (length) in Text Area or Multiline TextBox

2008-09-15T01:36:00.001-07:00

Bind the below function to keypress event as below

txtJustification.Attributes.Add("onkeypress", "return limitText('" + txtJustification.ClientID + "', 3000);");

function limitText(limitField, limitNum)
{
var obj = document.getElementById(limitField);
if (obj.value.length > limitNum){return false;} else return true;
}

Hope this helps

MDI Child Window always on top - Winforms

2008-09-15T01:29:00.000-07:00

As MDI Child winform cannot be shown on top by using "BringToFront" or "TopLevel=true" properties. This could be achieved only by setting the property frm.Owner = frmMDI

Hope this helps

OnClientClick and Form Validation in Asp.net

2008-09-15T01:23:00.001-07:00

When we use OnClienClick script for a button in asp.net, you can notice that all the associated validation controls (validation group) will fail to validate. This happens because the OnClientClick script overrides form validation script.

To fix this, here is the work around.Add the below code in Page Load event

Button1.Attributes.Add("onclick", "if(confirm('do this ?') == false) return false;");

This will execute the client script and then executes the form validations scripts before post back.

Hope this helps

ASP.NET Menu control not being rendered properly in Google Chrome

2008-09-05T04:10:00.001-07:00

Today i tried installing the Google Chrome in my laptop machine. Although it is light and nice in look and rich in features (as usual from Google), it showed some weired behaviour when i open my online applications. Especially the ASP.Net Menu Control was not rendered as is to be.

It does not display the child nodes on hover and when we click any menu item, it then refresh the page with child nodes...

Cause & Resolution

The reason for this weird behaviour is just because the way the menus are rendered in chrome is different from IE and Fire Fox (FF). The recent chrome browser render the <a> component as <div> and <span> . If you look into the view source, you may notice that the menu structure as below.
<div id="ctl00_mainMenu">
<span><a class="ctl00_mainMenu_1" href="Test1.aspx">Menu1</a></span>
<span><a class="ctl00_mainMenu_1" href="Test2.aspx">Menu2</a></span>
<span><a class="ctl00_mainMenu_1" href="Test3.aspx">Mwnu3</a></span>
</div>
It is because of both Internet Explorer and Firefox render the ASP.NET Menu control as <table>--<a> mark up.
However, the rendered mark up for the latest beta version of Google Chrome will be like the following code, the <table> and <a> become to <div> and <span> :
And the best resolution for the subject issue is to ASP.NET 2.0 CSS Friendly Control Adapters 1.0. This adapter will render the ASP.NET Menu in Google Chrome properly
-::-

Import Excel into Dataset

2008-08-13T20:59:00.000-07:00

To make mass data entry, we seldom use the excel imports in application. This saves time and effort involved in the task. Here is the demonstration how to.?

1. Upload th excel file into Application Server (IIS Site Folder)

FileUpload1.SaveAs(Server.MapPath("~/xcel/") + FileUpload1.FileName);

2. Connect excel sheet, read data and import into a dataset.

DataSet myDataset = new DataSet();
string strConn = @"Provider=Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0;
Data Source=" + FilePath + @";
Extended Properties=""Excel 8.0;HDR=Yes;IMEX=1""";
OleDbConnection conn = new OleDbConnection(strConn);
conn.Open();
DataTable DTable = conn.GetOleDbSchemaTable(OleDbSchemaGuid.Tables, null);
//here the code will read sheet from spreadsheet with any name --generic
OleDbDataAdapter myData = new OleDbDataAdapter
(@"SELECT * FROM [" +
DTable.Rows[0]["TABLE_NAME"].ToString() + "]", conn);
//
myData.Fill(myDataset);

That is the end. The code is not restricted or limited to any name of the sheet in the excel spread sheet. ....

-::-

CSS text-align:center not working in FireFox (FF)

2008-08-01T13:51:00.000-07:00

The CSS style for any component text-align:center will not work in FireFox (FF) browser. The work around is to have the CSS defined as follows. If you defined the below CSS for body, it will work in both IE and FF. You have to defined both CSS for the body as defined below (one after another) to have cross browser compatibiltiy. It will not work if you asssing only text-align: -moz-center;

body
{
text-align: center;
}

body
{
text-align: -moz-center;
}

-::-

Javascript to accept only numeric values

2008-07-29T06:07:00.001-07:00

Here is the javascript code to accept only numeric values in textboxes. This has to binded to
"onkeypress" event.

function onlyInteger(evt)
{
evt = window.event;
var charCode = evt.keyCode;
if (charCode > 31 && (charCode <> 57)) {
status = "This field accepts numbers only.";
return false;
}
status = "";
return true;
}
-::-

SQL Server 2005 Express DTS Wizard - Export/Import Utiltity

2008-03-25T08:41:00.000-07:00

Download Export / Import DTS package for SQL Server 2005 Express Edition from here

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/info.aspx?na=46&p=16&SrcDisplayLang=en&SrcCategoryId=&SrcFamilyId=d09c1d60-a13c-4479-9b91-9e8b9d835cdc&u=http%3a%2f%2fdownload.microsoft.com%2fdownload%2f4%2f4%2fd%2f44dbde61-b385-4fc2-a67d-48053b8f9fad%2fSQLServer2005_DTS.msi

How to apply CSS / themes for AJAX Tab Container control

2008-03-17T04:19:00.000-07:00

Here we go!
http://mattberseth.com/blog/2007/09/more_sample_ajaxcontroltoolkit.html

-::-

Error Creating Control - Formdigest1. Failure decoding embedded permission set object

2008-03-11T22:48:00.000-07:00

When you try to host an asp site in different apps server to query the sharepoint engine 2003, you may recieve the error

"Error Creating Control - Formdigest1. Failure decoding embedded permission set object"

while using the Formdigest control.

Formdigest controls is to be used in the pages of web application where in you query and update the sharepoint data via object ibrary. Formdigest validates the security of the page while submitting a request.

Resolution
To make it work, the web apps should be deployed in the same site, i mean in the same context.

-::-

How to enable inline coding in MOSS 2007 or WSS 3.0 Custome aspx pages ?

2008-03-11T04:02:00.000-07:00

By default, the inline code would throw error in custom defined aspx pages in MOSS / WSS 3.0. To make it work, add the following lines of code in the web.config.

<PageParserPaths>
<PageParserPath VirtualPath="/<>/*" CompilationMode="Always" AllowServerSideScript="true" IncludeSubFolders="true" />
</PageParserPaths>

The "PageParserPaths" tags would be already existing in web.config. All you need to do is to add the code in between to specify your folders to execute the C# script.

- :: -

How to pass array from ASP.Net to Javascript?

2007-08-12T22:42:00.000-07:00

There are scenarios where we have to pass list of values as arrray from ASP.Net to client side (Javascript). And we don't have a clear cut method to accomplish this.

To acheive this do as follows:-

Prepare the string of values seperated by commas, say string ArrayString = 'Hythem', 'Apple','Banana'
Create the array while passing the values to the javascript

See the code below:-

string ArrayString = 'Hythem', 'Apple','Banana';
ntxtAmt.Attributes.Add("onkeyup", "javascript:testme(new Array(" + ArrayString + ");");

-::-

How to retrieve the blob object in WinForms to physical location with "Binary Streaming" enabled ?

2007-07-21T23:08:00.000-07:00

See the snippet below, how it works!!

SqlConnection Conn = new SqlConnection("<>");
SqlCommand Cmd = new SqlCommand("select docobject, filetype,docname from documents where docid = 23", Conn);
Cmd.CommandType = CommandType.Text;
Conn.Open();
SqlDataReader Reader = Cmd.ExecuteReader(CommandBehavior.CloseConnection);
//
string DocumentName = null;
FileStream FStream = null;
BinaryWriter BWriter = null;
//
//
//
byte[] Binary = null;
const int ChunkSize = 100;
int SizeToWrite = 0;
MemoryStream MStream = null;
//
while (Reader.Read())
{
DocumentName = Reader["docname"].ToString();
// Create a file to hold the output.
FStream = new FileStream(@"c:\" + DocumentName, FileMode.OpenOrCreate, FileAccess.Write);
BWriter = new BinaryWriter(FStream);
Binary = (Reader["docobject"]) as byte[];
SizeToWrite = ChunkSize;
MStream = new MemoryStream(Binary);
//
for (int i = 0; i < Binary.GetUpperBound(0) - 1; i = i + ChunkSize)
{
if (i + ChunkSize >= Binary.Length) SizeToWrite = Binary.Length - i;
byte[] Chunk = new byte[SizeToWrite];
MStream.Read(Chunk, 0, SizeToWrite);
BWriter.Write(Chunk);
BWriter.Flush();
}
BWriter.Close();
FStream.Close();
}
FStream.Dispose();
}

Add image to ASP.Net 2.0 Menu navigation control

2007-07-10T20:25:00.000-07:00

To give more beautiful for intranet systems / sites, we may need icons/images to be displayed along with the menu caption.

To map image with a site map node, add a custom property, say, "menuImage" in the sitemapnode tag as below

<siteMapNode url="~/pages/wemployee.aspx" title=":: Employees" description="" menuImage="~/Images/viewdetail.gif" />

Now, in the code behind, add the code below:-

protected void Menu1_MenuItemDataBound(object sender, MenuEventArgs e)
{
e.Item.ImageUrl = ((SiteMapNode)e.Item.DataItem)["menuImage"];
}

Infact, you can have a harcoded image path as well.

HTH
-::-

"Error in File < Path..>\ASPNET\LOCALS~1\Temp\Employees {BBE0A87A-CFF9-4682-A6AD-B0E256CF4793}.rpt:" Crystal Report error in ASP.Net 2.0

2007-07-03T00:16:00.000-07:00

Did you ever encounter with this error saying
"Error in File C:\DOCUME~1\..\ASPNET\LOCALS~1\Temp\Employees {BBE0A87A-CFF9-4682-A6AD-B0E256CF4793}.rpt: Get page number for group failed" while working with Crystal Report in ASP.Net 2.0 ?

This error will occur when you try a postback in the .net page by a tree node click or so. And the reason behind is while postback, report is not able to find the data.

Resolution
To avoid this error, enable the caching by making the prOperty of CrystalReportSource "Enable Caching = true".

HTH
-::-

HTML printing with custom page format

2007-06-19T00:38:00.000-07:00

You may always noticed that whenever we try to print a web page with a click on "Print Friendly" or "Print" or "Print Preview", the page will open up a pop up window with a different simple layout with no extravaganzas, say buttons, advertisements, etc.

This is simply achieved with CSS. The solution is as follows.

Defined two sets of CSS for the page targeting "Print" and "Screen". See the example below.

<style type="text/css">
@media screen{
body {color:Red; }
td{font-size:14px;}
.noprint{display:block !important;}

}

@media print {
body {fcolor:Blue;}
td{font-size:7px;}
.noprint{display:none;}
}
</style>

and the page is

<form id="form1" runat="server">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<table id="tblParent" style="width: 90%">
<tr class="noprint">
<td>
This is just a demonstration of how to make HTML printing</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
</td>
</tr>
<tr class="noprint">
<td style="text-align: right">
<a href="#" onclick="window.print()">Print</a> <a href="#" onclick="window.close()">Close</a>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>
Employee Informations</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<asp:Repeater ID="Repeater1" runat="server">
<ItemTemplate>
<table id="tblEmployee" style="width: 100%">
<tr>
<td style="width: 5%;">
</td>
<td style="width: 30%;">
</td>
<td style="width: 5%;">
</td>
<td style="width: 60%;">
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
</td>
<td align="left">
Last Name</td>
<td>
:</td>
<td align="left">
<%# Eval("LastName") %>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
</td>
<td align="left">
First Name</td>
<td>
:</td>
<td align="left">
<%# Eval("firstname") %>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
</td>
<td align="left">
Title</td>
<td>
:</td>
<td align="left">
<%# Eval("title") %>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
</ItemTemplate>
</asp:Repeater>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
</div>
</form>

Here the section of the page with class .noprint is displayed while displaying on the "screen" and hidden while printing, say buttons and other items

-::-

URL rewriting in ASP.Net 2.0! Purpose and how to?

2007-06-17T03:55:00.000-07:00

URL rewriting is the process of intercepting an incoming Web request and automatically redirecting it to a different URL.

Creating data-driven ASP.NET websites often results in a single Web page that displays a subset of the database's data based on querystring parameters. For example, in designing an e-commerce site, one of your tasks would be to allow users to browse through the products for sale. To facilitate this, you might create a page called displayCategory.aspx that would display the products for a given category. The category's products to view would be specified by a querystring parameter. That is, if the user wanted to browse the Widgets for sale, and all Widgets had a had a CategoryID of 5, the user would visit: http://yousite.com/displayCategory.aspx?CategoryID=5.
There are two downsides to creating a website with such URLs. First, from the end user's perspective, the URL http://yousite.com/displayCategory.aspx?CategoryID=5 is a mess. Usability expert Jakob Neilsen recommends that URLs be chosen so that they:

Are short.
Are easy to type.
Visualize the site structure.
"Hackable," allowing the user to navigate through the site by hacking off parts of the URL.

I would add to that list that URLs should also be easy to remember. The URL http://yousite.com/displayCategory.aspx?CategoryID=5 meets none of Neilsen's criteria, nor is it easy to remember. Asking users to type in querystring values makes a URL hard to type and makes the URL "hackable" only by experienced Web developers who have an understanding of the purpose of querystring parameters and their name/value pair structure.

A better approach is to allow for a sensible, memorable URL, such as http://yoursite.com/products/Widgets. By just looking at the URL you can infer what will be displayed—information about Widgets. The URL is easy to remember and share, too. I can tell my colleague, "Check out yoursite.com/products/Widgets," and she'll likely be able to bring up the page without needing to ask me again what the URL was. (Try doing that with, say, an Amazon.com page!) The URL also appears, and should behave, "hackable." That is, if the user hacks of the end of the URL, and types in http://yoursite.com/products, they should see a listing of all products, or at least a listing of all categories of products they can view.

How to configure URL rewriting in asp.net 2.0?
Add the following code in web.config with proper mapping informations.

<?xml version="1.0" ?">
<configuration xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/.NetConfiguration/v2.0">
<system.web">
<urlmappings enabled="true"">
<add url="~/Autos.aspx" mappedurl="~/Default.aspx?category=autos">
<add url="~/Games.aspx" mappedurl="~/Default.aspx?category=games">
</urlmappings>
</system.web>
</configuration>

Now, add the mapping in the ISAPI filter of IIS.
Say, if you use the extention ".mspx", add the extension to the ISS pointing to C:\WINDOWS\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727\aspnet_isapi.dll. That means, whatever request with extension .mspx should be handled by aspnet worker thread.

HTH

"The server instance specified was not found" error message when you perform an operation on a virtual server in Windows SharePoint Services

2007-06-03T20:29:00.000-07:00

In Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services, when you use the Stsadm.exe command-line tool to perform an operation on a virtual server by using its host name, or try access a site by URL using SharePoint Object Library, or when you create a custom Web application that uses the Windows SharePoint Services object model to perform an operation on a virtual server by using its host name, you may receive the following error message:

The server instance specified was not found. Please specify the server's address and port.

eg:-

SPSite MySite = new SPSite(http://spsite);
String SiteURL = MySite.Url.ToString ();

Cause
This may occur due to the fact that virtual server of the site is assigned a specific IP address (instead of "All Unassgined" configuration) and server name is mapped in Domain Control (DNS). In these cases, WSS will not query DNS to resolve the host name since the hostname is not mapped in the metabase.

Resolution

Assign a host header name to the IP address that is configured for the virtual server in IIS. By doing so, Windows SharePoint Services can map the virtual server to the host name. To assign a host header name for a virtual server in IIS, follow these steps:

Start Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager.
Expand ServerName, and then expand Web Sites.
Right-click the Web site that you want, and then click Properties.
Click the Web Site tab, and then under Web site identification, click Advanced.
Under Multiple identities for this Web site, click Add.
In the Add/Edit Web Site Identification dialog box, specify an IP address, TCP port, and host header value, and then click OK
Click OK, and then click OK.

If the IP address of the virtual server in IIS is set to All Unassigned, perform the operation on the virtual server by using the server name.
Perform the operation on the virtual server by using the IP address that is assigned to the virtual server.

-::-

Error on security tab : Could not find stored procedure 'dbo.aspnet_CheckSchemaVersion' in ASP.Net 2.0 Web Administration Tool

2007-06-01T07:46:00.000-07:00

Error while configuring ASP.Net 2.0 membership provider with Web Administration tool

You may receive the following error while configuring the .net 2.0 membership provider.

Error on security tab : Could not find stored procedure 'dbo.aspnet_CheckSchemaVersion' in ASP.Net 2.0 Web Administration Tool

Resolution

You must have to create the SQL schema in the database you're going to use for membership. To do this, you can run aspnet_regsql from the v2.0 directory. That'll open up a wizard and walk you through the steps to create the SQL stored procs and such that are needed for the security and membership stuff

-::-

How to handle hidden columns/values in gridview 2.0?

2007-05-31T00:28:00.000-07:00

Introduction

It is always a "Fact" that we are not supposed to disclose any confidential data to the browser, whether it is a primary key or not. At the same time we may need those values for further processing of the page logic. In datagrid (.net 1.1), we always used to get the hidden values in the viewstate and we can make use of those values in client side script.

Resolution

However, the situation is changed now!. Due to security breach, microsoft has come up with new term "DataKeys" in order to hide the hidden fields forever (from rendering). You cannot see the hidden column values in View State. At the sametime, you can have multiple datakeys for a particular gridview control. Doing so, you can extract the values of those fields against each row, but only from code behind as it is not rendered in the browser.

You can access the values as below :

GridView.DataKeys[i].Values[j].ToString()
where 'i' represent the rownumber and 'j' represent the index of DataKeys (defined).

-::-

Is cross database referential integrity possible ?

2007-03-14T03:12:00.001-07:00

Cross database referential integrity is not possible in SQL. Hence deletion of any master data stored in one database will make orphan the related data in other databases (transaction db). Also, if cross – database constrain is possible, then it is more or less similar to saying that you can have PK-FK relation for databases. i.e., you cannot drop a database when there are some PK records for some FK records in the other database. Right? Any thought? Let me know if you find any thing!!

And as per the third party tool, remote-keys this could be achieved. But it is more like a work around, achieving the same programmatically (DDL statements in triggers)

Hence to my knowledge, it is not possible in SQL where as the feature is available in SYBASE. Any different thought ?

What developer says?

http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms189799.aspx#

http://www.thescripts.com/forum/thread584690.html

What Third Party says?

http://www.remote-keys.com/product.aspx

-::-

IE Web User Controls deployment in SharePoint 2003 - How to?

2007-02-21T23:44:00.000-08:00

Although Microsoft has stopped support for MS IE Web Controls, we would use it when we need some conrols like TreeView in .Net 1.1 - say sharepoint 2003

Steps
1. Add the controls in .ascx (used for web parts)
2. While deploying, copy the Microsoft.Web.UI.WebControls.dll to the bin of WSS root
3. Deploy the above dll in GAC (if required)
4. Run the Build.Bat file from C:\Program Files\IE Web Controls (installation folder). While doing this, care should be taken for CSC.exe location - either run it from VS.Net Command prompt (after switiching to the above location) or include the path of CSC.exe in the "Environment Variables" of system. This will generate a \build\Runtime folder with script file required for the controls
5. Copy the above folder to the root of WSS
6. Exclude the path for the above folder, say webctrl_client (only type the folder name as it is in the root folder) by configuring the virutal server (use SharePoint Central Administration page)

Now it will work!!

-::-

How do we generate XSD in VS.Net for reporting from a stored procedure containing #temp tables (local) ?

2007-02-20T11:35:00.000-08:00

In many scenarios we may have to use local temp tables in procedures instead of functions returning tables. Always, temp tables are best in performance. When there is any temp table involved in an sp, say for reporting, VS.Net will not allow you to generate a typed dataset (.xsd) out of that.

Resolution

1. Comment the lines containting temp tables in sp
2. Generate .xsd file in .net IDE
3. Uncomment the comments

Yeah!!! It worked

-::-

How to consume a Share Point web service in ASP.Net web ?

2007-02-12T23:12:00.000-08:00

It is always an appreciable effort if we consume an existing system as primary reference instead of storing same data here and there

Follow the steps below:

1. Add web reference in the IDE with URL of SPS site
2. Create a proxy class with WSDL.exe utility (available in the VS.Net Tools menu)
Go to command prompt and type as below
wsdl /out: c:\ProxyClass.cs http://server:90/_vti_bin/lists.asmx
Find more options of wsdl here
3. Consume the webservice via proxy class (shouled be added to the project)
4. Now you should get all the published methods in web service via proxy class

-::-

Crystal Report prompts for report parameters in VS.Net 2005 after being upgraded (VS.Net 2003)

2007-02-11T11:31:00.000-08:00

I got parameter prompts when i run my windows application after upgrading to framework 2.0. The application was built on .net 1.1 and was running successfully

Resolution

Pass the parameter after binding the report document to the report viewer component as below. (I passed it before binding to CRV component in .net 2003)

rptDoc.SetDataSource(ds.Tables[0]);
crv.ReportSource = rptDoc;
rptDoc.SetParameterValue("BRAND", Application.ProductName);

-::-

Configuration Error - Unrecognized attribute 'xmlns' web.config - ASP.net 2.0

2007-02-10T06:25:00.001-08:00

When you try running a ASP.net 2.0 web application, you may receive a web.config error as "Unrecognized attribute 'xmlns'"

Line 1: <?xml version="1.0"?>
Line 2:
Line 3: <configuration xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/.NetConfiguration/v2.0">
Line 4:

Reason
Your system/server must be running more than one version of .net framework

Resolution
1. Choose Start -> Control Panel -> Administrative Tools -> Internet Information Services
2. Expand the nodes until you can see your virtual directory
3. Right-click on the virtual directory and click Properties
4. Select the ASP.NET tab
5. Under the ASP.NET version, choose 2.0.50215.0
6. Click OK.

VS.Net 2005 Templates not found after applying the patch VS80-KB915364-X86-ENU

2007-02-07T10:29:00.000-08:00

You might have surprised seeing no templates when you open the VS2005 IDE after installing the patch VS80-KB915364-X86-ENU

Resolution

Regenerate the templates by running 'devenv /installvstemplates' or reinstall
Visual Studio.
Note: Action requires Administrator privileges.

-::-

SQL Server 2000 installation fails with "...previous program installation..." error message

2007-02-07T10:18:00.000-08:00

When you install SQL Server 2000, this error message may occur:

"A previous program installation created pending file operations on the installation machine. You must restart the computer before running setup."

Resolution
1.Run the Windows Registry Editor
2.Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\
CurrentControlSet\Control\SessionManager
3.Delete the pendingfilerenameoperations key

Now it should work!!

-::-

File upload size limitation in control

2007-02-06T22:17:00.000-08:00

You may receive surprise results when you try to upload a file of size more thatn 4mb with <asp:FileUpload> control

You may not realize it, but there is a limit to the size of a file that can be uploaded using this technique. By default, the maximum size of a file to be uploaded to the server using the FileUpload control is around 4MB. You cannot upload anything that is larger than this limit.

To change this size limit, you make some changes in either the web.config (found in the ASP.NET 2.0 configuration folder at C:\WINDOWS\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727\CONFIG) or your application's web.config file.

In the web.config file, find or add a node as following inside System.Web tag:

<httpRuntime
executionTimeout="110"
maxRequestLength="4096"
requestLengthDiskThreshold="80"
useFullyQualifiedRedirectUrl="false"
minFreeThreads="8"
minLocalRequestFreeThreads="4"
appRequestQueueLimit="5000"
enableKernelOutputCache="true"
enableVersionHeader="true"
requireRootedSaveAsPath="true"
enable="true"
shutdownTimeout="90"
delayNotificationTimeout="5"
waitChangeNotification="0"
maxWaitChangeNotification="0"
enableHeaderChecking="true"
sendCacheControlHeader="true"
apartmentThreading="false" />

By default, this is set to 4096 kilobytes (KB). Simply change this value to increase the size of the files that you can upload to the server. If you want to allow 10 megabyte (MB) files to be uploaded to the server, set the maxRequestLength value to 11264, meaning that the application allows files that are up to 11000 KB to be uploaded to the server.

-::-

How to embed WMP in asp.net pages and how can we redirect the request when the movie ends

2007-02-05T23:28:00.000-08:00

You can either user <img> or <object> to embed movies in *.aspx. But to capture the events, you should use the later

Use the below <object tag> to embed WMP in .aspx / html pages
<object id="VIDEO" width="100%" height="100%"
classid="CLSID:6BF52A52-394A-11d3-B153-00C04F79FAA6"
type="application/x-oleobject">
<param name="URL" value="http://localhost/QaQcTraining/movies/start.wmv" />
<param name="SendPlayStateChangeEvents" value="True" />
<param name="AutoStart" value="True" />
<param name="uiMode" value="none" />
<param name="windowlessVideo" value="True" />
<param name="stretchToFit" value="true" />
</object<

Now, use the below script to capature the events of WMP
<script language=jscript FOR = VIDEO EVENT = playStateChange(NewState) type=text/jscript>
// Test for the player current state, display a message for each.
switch (NewState){
case 1:
//myText.value = "Stopped";
//alert('stoped');
location.href="qform.aspx";
//redirecting to different page after the movie plays
break;

case 2:
//myText.value = "Paused";
//alert('paused');
break;

case 3:
//myText.value = "Playing";
//alert('playing');
break;

// Other cases go here.

default:
//alert('def');
//myText.value = "";
}
</script>

SQL2000 Enterprise Manager not working after installing SQL2005 version in the same box

2007-01-28T03:28:00.000-08:00

When you install both versions together, one after another and try opeining the Enterprise Manager, you may recieve a message as below

snap-in failed to initialize
Name:
CLSID: {00100100-1816-11d0-8eF5-00AA0062c58F}

Resolution
Try reregistering sqlmmc.dll
ie.regsvr32 C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\80\Tools\Binn\sqlmmc.dll

-:-:-

How to implement AJAX in Share Point 2003 ?

2007-01-24T02:51:00.000-08:00

There is no straightaway thing to accomplish this. Although Microsoft has released its AJAX toolkit, it is only compatible with .net framework 2.0 while SP2003 is built on .net framework 1.1. To get around this, we have to go for some javascript libraries.
Anthem.net is the best best to achieve. This is basically an open source with rich control functionality built on the top of microsoft's standard web controls. It supports both versions of .net frameworks as well.
To get the ajax functionality for a set of controls in a web page, add anthem panel and embed all standard web controls within it.

Configuration

To get the functionality for a set of controls in the web page, use Anthem Panel control and embed the controls within it. Or else use individual Anthem Controls.

<anthem:panel id="MenuPanel" runat="server" AddCallBacks="true" AutoUpdateAfterCallBack="true"
TextDuringCallBack="Please wait..." width="100%">

In the above configuration, "Please wait..." would be displayed in the control's Text portion while callback happens (TextDuringCallBack). For example, on button click, button text will change to "Please wait.." and remain till callback finishes. AutoUpdateAfterCallBack ensures that controls are refreshed after callback.
While porting the anthem technology to SP server, there are times when the callback updates doesn't happen properly. In that case, in the button click events (triggering events), add MenuPanel.UpdateAfterCallBack=true;

Now develop the webpart and call the webpages as .ascx.

It works great! Enjoy!

Opacity property of WinForms is not working

2006-08-30T00:37:00.000-07:00

The Opacity property of WinForm will not work for MDI Child forms due to some problems in form paintings. Infact, it is designed ONLY for top level windows.

Read @ http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/vbcon/html/vbtskCreatingMDIChildForms.asp

Integrate SQL Reporting Service 2005 with Sharepoint Portal 2003 with Web Part

2006-08-20T00:15:00.000-07:00

Reporting Service rendering web part for share point is available at %\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\90\Tools\Reporting Services\SharePoint when SQL Reporting Service 2005 is installed.

Install the above web part in share point with stsadm.exe. It consists of two web parts, Report Explorer and Report Viewer. Report Explorer is basically for listing the reports available in the reporting service in the specified folder (configuration of web part) and Report Viewer web part is for rendering report. Drag both web part in one of the sharepoint pages

Configuration
Enter the report manager url in the "Report Manager URL" property of Report Explorer web part.
Enter the folder name in the "Startpath" property of Report Explorer web part so that it will list only those reports in that folder. (It can remain empty)

In design mode of the page, go to properties of Report Viewer web part and select
Connections - > Get report from -> Report Explorer.

Now, click one of the reports in the Report Explorer web part listing and find the report rendered in the report viewer web part

Zm

SQL Reporting Service 2005 Express and Business Intelligence Development Studio - How to install and configure ?

2006-08-19T23:44:00.000-07:00

SQL Reporting Service 2005 Express is available when you install the SQL Server 2005 Express Edition with Advanced Services SP1 edition. This is frely downloadable at http://msdn.microsoft.com/vstudio/express/sql/download/. Keep the servicing component selected while installing.

To install the Business Intelligence Development Studio, download Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Express Edition Toolkit SP1 from the same URL http://msdn.microsoft.com/vstudio/express/sql/download/

Display Mail Inbox, Tasks and Calendar from MS Outlook in Sharepoint Sites with web parts

2006-08-16T00:10:00.000-07:00

You can do this in two better ways.

1. Drag "Content Editor Web Part" and paste the following script into the Source Editor

<object classid="clsid:0006F063-0000-0000-C000-000000000046" id="ViewCtlFolder" width="100%" height="400px" codetype= "application/x-oleobject"
codebase="http://activex.microsoft.com/
activex/controls/office/outlctlx.CAB#ver=9,0,0,3203">
<param name="Namespace" value="MAPI">
<param name="Folder" value="Inbox">
<param name="Restriction" value="">
<param name="DeferUpdate" value="0">
</object>

2. Create a generic web part using VS.Net and rewrite the function RenderWebPart like below

protected override void RenderWebPart(HtmlTextWriter output)
{
string str = "--above written script--";
output.Write(str);
}

Note that, to view Calender or Tasks instead of inbox, you can replace the term "Inbox" in the script with corresponding item.

Zm

How to install SQL Server Business Intelligence Development Studio along with SQL 2005 Express and SQL 2005 Reporting Service

2006-08-14T05:01:00.000-07:00

SQL Server 2005 Reporting Service is version dependant on SQL Server. If you install SQL 2005 Express, you can only install express edition of SQL Server 2005 Reporting Service (RS).

Business Intelligence Development Studio is the default report designer of SQL Reporting Serivce. It is an addin for VS.Net 2005 with templates for "Report Projects"

How to install the express editions ?

Downlaod SQL Server 2005 Express with Advanced Service (this includes the reporting services) and install. While installing keep the item "Reporting Service" checked
Download SQL Server 2005 Express Toolkit ( http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=3c856b93-369f-4c6f-9357-c35384179543&DisplayLang=en). The kit includes the business intelligent development studio
Now, go to Start - Settings - Control Panel and click Add remove programs
Click the "Change" button of MS SQL Server 2005
Click the link "To install a new component, click here"
Locate the new .exe file of Express Toolkit by clicking the "Browse" button
Proceed the installations with "Next" button clicks.

-Zm

Not able to connect Sql Server 2005 Express remotely

2006-08-14T04:10:00.000-07:00

"An error has occurred while establishing a connection to the server. When connecting to SQL Server 2005, this failure may be caused by the fact that under the default settings SQL Server does not allow remote connections. (provider: Named Pipes Provider, error: 40 - Could not open a connection to SQL Server) "

By default, when you install Sql Server 2005 Express Edition, it will not allow the applications or clients to connect remotely as like OracleXE. This causes the sytem to throw the above error message.

To enable the remote connection,

Go to Start - Programs - Microsoft SQL Server 2005 - Configuration Tools - SQL Server Surface Area Configuration
Click the link "Surface Area Configuration for Services and Connections"
Now expand the tree SQLEXPRESS - Database Engine - Remote Connections in the "View by Instance" tab
Select "Local and remote connections" and "Using both TCP/IP and named pipes" and apply the changes

~Zm

Body onLoad() event in content pages - ASP.net 2.0

2006-08-08T00:11:00.000-07:00

How we can use the onLoad() event in ASP.Net 2.0 content pages ?

Simple !.
A content page is basicall a page inherited from a MasterPage (.master) in .net framework 2.0. This can be adhieved by either two ways.

1. Javascript function override

Add body onLoad() event in the master page and override the function used in the event in the inherited content pages.

Say,

in master page
<html>
<head>
<script language=" javascript" type=" text/javascript">
function testonload(){ //an empty function
var x = 'empty';
}
</script>
</head>

.
..
...
....
.....

in content page

<asp:content id="Content1" runat="Server" contentplaceholderid="ContentPlaceHolder1">
<script language="javascript" type="text/javascript">
function testonload(prodid, div) {
//client script logic goes here..!!
}
</script>

2. Bind client script to body in code behind

Give an id to the body tag of the masgter page and add runat="server" sot that it is available in the code behind.

Now in content pages, add the following code in the page_load event

HtmlGenericControl body = (HtmlGenericControl)Page.Master.FindControl("bodyMaster");
body.Attributes.Add("onload", "toggle('parameters');");

Keep coding,

Service-oriented architecture (SOA)

2006-07-23T04:24:00.000-07:00

A service is a function that is well-defined, self-contained, and does not depend on the context or state of other services

The technology of Web Services is the most likely connection technology of service-oriented architectures. Web services essentially use XML to create a robust connection.

The following figure illustrates a basic service-oriented architecture. It shows a service consumer at the right sending a service request message to a service provider at the left. The service provider returns a response message to the service consumer. The request and subsequent response connections are defined in some way that is understandable to both the service consumer and service provider. A service provider can also be a service consumer.

Sharepoint - an application development platform!!!

2006-07-20T00:45:00.000-07:00

Do you think Sharepoint an engine for just document sharing and versioning? Oooooops..!!
A big no……It is a lot more than that. Apart from using InfoPath to make feeder forms for sharepoint web services, you can make it use as a platform for systems applications development.

.net Web Parts

To customize the sharepoint sites with user-defined business process flows and workflows, user should develop custom web parts on .net technologies. It is basically similar to an application development on .net with more or less constraints and standards.
For example, if the user wants the SP to display the logged in user name, he needs to write a web part to display it in the pages. There web part templates comes into picture. It is freely downloadable from Microsoft web site and it is a plug-in to the VS.Net 2003.

Choosing between a User Control or Web Part for SharePoint

2006-07-19T22:33:00.000-07:00

I generally recommend that users don't write Web Parts unless they have to. That confuses a lot of people since most people believe that you have to write Web Parts if you want to do work with SharePoint. This is only partially true.
SharePoint will only display Web Parts on a page. However, there are publicly available shims that allow you to write user controls and have them be displayed as a Web Part. From Share Point’s point of view, the shim is a Web Part. From the point of view of the user control, the shim is simply a control in .NET that is including the user control.
When faced with a decision on how to get content into a SharePoint Web Part on a portal, the question becomes when should you use a user control and when should you use a Web Part. In order to understand this decision, we must first understand the strengths and weaknesses of each approach.

The Power of User Controls

The ability to employ user controls as a part of a SharePoint deployment is very powerful. It takes a technology that developers are already familiar with (or should be familiar with) and is supported by tools and brings it to SharePoint.
AdvantagesThere are three primary advantages to user controls when dealing with SharePoint. They are: familiarity, reusability, and development speed.

· Familiarity
One of the keys to development is managing the degree of change that the team is put through as it transitions from technology to technology. Part of managing that change is minimizing it where possible. This is one of the reasons that user controls are such a good solution for many organizations. User controls are a core ASP.NET construct, they are something that developers are likely already familiar with — or at least aware of.
This familiarity increases the knowledge reuse coming into the project, which keeps morale high, improves productivity, and improves reuse of the experience after the SharePoint project.

· Reusability
Another way user controls are advantageous is that they can be used with other ASP.NET-based solutions. They aren't explicitly tied to SharePoint. If for some reason in the future you decide that SharePoint isn't the right platform for the solutions you're building — or you decide you need to reuse the technology in another non-SharePoint project — you have that capability.

· Development Speed
Direct support by Visual Studio for a visual interface for user controls — as opposed to manually adding in controls through code — is a great advantage in development speed. Having a visual look and feel instantly available makes the process go faster.

Debugging is faster too, as you can construct testing harnesses that fully exercise and instrument the user control. Web Parts are essentially only runable from within SharePoint. This means that you must deal with all of the SharePoint infrastructure while trying to debug.

ASP.NET 2.0 Web Parts and their ability to be used with SharePoint hold promise, but since right now the story of SharePoint and ASP.NET 2.0 is still not perfect, it's more of a future consideration than a potential solution for today.
Maintenance is also easier and faster with User Controls, primarily because they are easier to understand and debug. The net of this is that developing with user controls is substantially faster than developing a Web Part for everything but the most trivial implementations.

Disadvantages
The picture isn't completely rosy or there wouldn't be much discussion about whether to do a user control or a Web Part. There are some places where user controls may not be a great fit.

· Performance
While the overhead of shimming a user control into a SharePoint site may be trivial for most sites, an extremely large site may have to consider the performance impact of having multiple Web Parts actually coming from user controls.
As a practical matter, most people won't be in a situation where the performance difference between user controls and Web Parts will really matter. However, it is still one of the major objections raised by larger organizations to using user controls for their SharePoint development.

· Deployment
The story for deploying user controls is a bit messy. Single compiled DLLs for entire ASP.NET Web sites mean dumping a series of DLLs in to the bin directory or having all of your user controls in one massive project. Although this problem is substantially mitigated with ASP.NET 2.0, it's still an issue for deployments today.
Adding more difficulty is the deployment mechanism created for SharePoint, which doesn't work well with the structure created by the most popular shim — SmartPart. The net result is that deploying user controls can take a different procedure than even deploying your Web Parts. While this is a challenge, it is one that can be relatively easily overcome by some process and tools.

The Performance of Web Parts

For most people, the default answer is to build Web Parts for SharePoint — there are plenty of articles on how to do it, including a few of mine. They have the distinct advantage of being the "stock" answer to the problem. And in some cases they are the best answer for the job.

The primary advantage for creating a Web Part is that everything is available. You can manipulate the tool bar; you can change everything about the way the Web Part behaves. With a user control shim you have limited abilities to reach outside of the container that you're in.

Other than that, the user control's strengths are the Web Part's weaknesses. It's unfamiliar. It's not reusable. It is more difficult to develop and debug. Similarly, the user controls weaknesses are the Web Parts strengths. Web Parts are the best performers. Web Parts have a structured deployment mechanism supported by the core infrastructure.

In most organizations the core advantage for Web Parts turns out to be their performance over user controls. As mentioned above, this is rarely a real concern; rather it is a conditioned response to be concerned with the scalability of the platform. In terms of real performance the difference is fairly minor.

Making the Evaluation

Because the basic understanding of the differences isn't enough, this section dives into some of the other considerations, which emphasizes various strengths or weaknesses of various approaches.

Visual Construction
One of the most popular reasons why I move the bar from creating a user control to creating a Web Part is when the familiarity and development speed benefits of a user control are neutralized. This typically happens when the entire output of the Web Part (or area on the page) is built dynamically. The benefit of the user interface for a user control becomes useless. The familiarity with the concepts fades to the background as the output of the user control becomes more dynamic than normal.

For instance, if you're rendering a set of links or doing replacements on a string to be output, what advantages does a user control really have? The answer is not much, if any. In these cases, it may be better to build a Web Part, which has fewer "moving parts," rather than trying to shoehorn the content into a user control.

Coupling
One of the benefits of a user control is that it can be transported from SharePoint and used in other ASP.NET applications. However, what happens if the user control is tightly coupled to SharePoint. If it has a reference to the Microsoft.SharePoint.dll, then it's no longer reusable outside of SharePoint. So the reusability advantage disappears when you need to make direct use of SharePoint features. In these cases, if the user interface is simple, it may just make sense to be coded as a Web Part. Web Parts are necessarily coupled to SharePoint, therefore the additional coupling to SharePoint is immaterial. When building a replacement Web Part, which controls links on a list page, we made the decision to build a Web Part rather than a user control because the Web Part was deeply integrated into SharePoint. The Web Part applies additional criteria to the visibility of some of the related links — such as 'Alert Me.' Building a user control would not have helped reusability and would have been equally challenging to debug.

Performance
Although I generally believe that performance is too often on developers' minds there are times when performance is an issue to be considered. Generally speaking, the cost of a server and the associated software to run it is trivial in comparison to the cost of developing the solution. With a server being had for less than $5,000 and $5,000 not really even covering the full cost of a developer for a few weeks, it rarely makes sense to focus on performance.

There are, however, obvious places where it makes sense to care about performance. Items that are on every single page are good candidates to be Web Parts. Even with a low overall site volume, a Web Part that is on every page will generate a fair amount of volume, so performance is a valid concern.

For instance, we have a replacement for the Content Editor Web Part. The Web Part's primary function is to allow for relative paths and to enhance caching capabilities. It was done as a Web Part because it exists at least twice on every page — once for the header and again for the footer. This "core" component was pushed towards the side of performance even though it may have been just as easy or easier to develop as a user control.

A Better Mousetrap
The final consideration is that Web Parts lend themselves to a configuration-based design pattern. In other words, you create a generic component to fetch content from a URL rather than creating separate Web Parts for each URL to be fetched. This configuration-based approach is very helpful in reducing code duplication and improving the overall solution.

With SmartPart, there is still a problem with managing how information is pushed down to the user control. The solution is to create your own user control wrapper or to subclass SmartPart to add the ability to push in properties from SharePoint, the query string, and even a form post. This allows you to leverage SharePoint features without creating a coupling between the user controls and SharePoint.

For instance, a user control can expose a public property that accepts the identifier for the current record. The shim has the ID for the current record from the SharePoint properties for the site and notices it available as a public property on the user control. It can push the ID into the public property of the user control. This allows the user control to remain free of SharePoint coupling and still leverage a configuration based approach

Conclusion
Most of the time the assumption is that you have to write a SharePoint Web Part to get functionality in SharePoint is wrong. More frequently, it is appropriate to develop ASP.NET user controls and leverage them in SharePoint through shim technologies like SmartPart