Chinh Do

Once in a while I come across a new product that solves a problem so elegantly that I just have to ask myself, why didn’t think of this before? It’s been very cold recently in the East Coast and when it gets very cold, my house’s gas heating system goes completely nuts. If I set the thermostat desired temperature to 70 degrees, the temperature in the bedroom will be in the roasting 80’s. The temperature differential depends how how cold it is outside, so I can’t just simply set the thermostat to a specific offset and forget either. I constantly need to get up in the middle of the night to adjust the thermostat downstairs when it gets cold outside. Why do I have to do this? I guess nobody told my house that we are in the 21st century.

So, the first thing I thought of is a remote control for the thermostat. Well, no surprise, they do make them. Apparently, my problem is fairly common for two-story homes with a single HVAC system. This Lux TX9000RF Programmable Thermostat with Remote looked very promising to me. A product like this would allow adjusting the thermostat temperature from anywhere in the house.

That still requires some work however. Hmm… what if there is a thermostat that can read the current temperature from a remote sensor? Bingo: they make those too. There are not many to be found, and after searching around, I decided to go for the  Honeywell YTHX9321R5003 Prestige HD Thermostat Kit and I’ve been very happy with the result so far. This kit is expensive, but very well made and it works as advertised. It also looks very nice. The kit includes the thermostat, a remote control/sensor, and an outdoor sensor. This kit is in Honeywell Pro Install line, which means it’s sold mainly through HVAC contractors and installers. I found the installation process only slightly more complicated than a regular programmable thermostat. The only thing you need to watch out for is that this thermostat requires a 24vac Common wire (commonly black in color), which may not be available in your setup. If that is the case, then you will need to run/fish a new wire from your furnace – a pretty big job.

Now with this cool new gadget hooked up and everything humming, all I have to do is bring the remote with me to the bedroom and push the button on it named “Read temp from this device” and I am set for the night. If I ever want to tweak the temperature for some reason, I can do it right there with the remote. If only everything else was this easy!

I found out the hard way that mvn (Maven) on Windows always return a success code of true, which means you cannot use the return code ($?) to check whether the mvn command succeeded or failed. Why they decided to break this seemingly basic program contract is a mystery. A work-around is to scan the mvn output and look for specific strings such as “BUILD SUCCESSFUL”.

Here’s how:

function InvokeAndCheckStdOut($cmd, $successString, $failString) {
    Write-Host "====> InvokeAndCheckStdOut"
    $fullCmd = "$cmd|Tee-Object -variable result" 

    Invoke-Expression $fullCmd
    $found = $false
    $success = $false
    foreach ($line in $result) {
      if ($line -match $failString) {
       $found = $true
       $success = $false
       break
      }
      else {
       if ($line -match $successString) {
        $found = $true
        $success = $true
        #"[InvokeAndCheckStdOut] FOUND MATCH: $line"
        break
       }
       else {
        #"[InvokeAndCheckStdOut] $line"
       }
      }
    }

    if (! $success) {
      PlayWav "${env:windir}\Media\ding.wav"
      throw "Mvn command failed."
    }

    Write-Host "InvokeAndCheckStdOut <===="
}

function InvokeMvn($cmd) {
    InvokeAndCheckStdOut $cmd "BUILD SUCCESSFUL" "BUILD FAILED"
}

InvokeMvn "mvn clean install"

See Also

• Tee-Object and Invoke-Expression in PowerShell

The PowerShell Tee-Object Cmdlet allows you to send command output to a file or a variable, and display it in the console at the same time. This is very useful for those instances where you need to parse the text output of a command. I had a hard time getting it to work with Invoke-Expression. After trying different things, I finally found the solution. To get Tee-Object to work with Invoke-Expression in PowerShell 1, include the Tee command in the Invoke-Expression command like this:

Invoke-Expression "mvn clean install | Tee –variable result”

The following, which I guess is what most people try first, doesn’t work (at least in PowerShell V1). I guess because you are storing the result of the “Invoke-Expression” command itself into the variable instead of “mvn clean install”.

    Invoke-Expression "mvn clean install” | Tee -variable result

Wrapping Invoke-Expression in parenthesis (see below) works, but has a drawback: the output is not written to Standard Out until the whole command finishes.

    (Invoke-Expression "mvn clean install”) | Tee -variable result

$tempFile = [IO.Path]::GetTempFileName()

An empty file created immediately when you call this method. Remember to clean it up when are you done!

Did you know that 7-Zip can open and extract ISO archives? I had to install OneNote today from the MSDN ISO and I didn’t have an virtual drive/ISO mounting tool installed on my work PC. So I tried to open the ISO in 7-Zip and it opened it just fine. All I then had to do was to extract the files to a temp folder and did the install from there.

I used to shop at Circuit City a lot and I kind of miss it now that it’s gone. I live in Richmond’s West End where there used to be two big Circuit City stores within a few miles of each others. Today I got an email from CircuitCity.com and it looks like the web site now has a new owner.

A few months ago when they were having the liquidation sale at one of their headquarter buildings, I came in, bought a few things, and took a few pictures. Having gone through a dotcom bust earlier in my career, the site actually looked eerily familiar.

Here’s a method to convert a generic List<T> to a DataTable. This can be used with ObjectDataSource so you get automatic sorting, etc.

/// <summary>
/// Convert a List{T} to a DataTable.
/// </summary>
private DataTable ToDataTable<T>(List<T> items)
{
    var tb = new DataTable(typeof (T).Name);

    PropertyInfo[] props = typeof (T).GetProperties(BindingFlags.Public | BindingFlags.Instance);

    foreach (PropertyInfo prop in props)
    {
        Type t = GetCoreType(prop.PropertyType);
        tb.Columns.Add(prop.Name, t);
    }

    foreach (T item in items)
    {
        var values = new object[props.Length];

        for (int i = 0; i < props.Length; i++)
        {
            values[i] = props[i].GetValue(item, null);
        }

        tb.Rows.Add(values);
    }22/

    return tb;
}

/// <summary>
/// Determine of specified type is nullable
/// </summary>
public static bool IsNullable(Type t)
{
    return !t.IsValueType || (t.IsGenericType && t.GetGenericTypeDefinition() == typeof(Nullable<>));
}

/// <summary>
/// Return underlying type if type is Nullable otherwise return the type
/// </summary>
public static Type GetCoreType(Type t)
{
    if (t != null && IsNullable(t))
    {
        if (!t.IsValueType)
        {
            return t;
        }
        else
        {
            return Nullable.GetUnderlyingType(t);
        }
    }
    else
    {
        return t;
    }
}

• 1/22/2010 – Fix to support Nullable types.

Is anyone else experiencing a problem with Visual Studio 2008 Intellisense with jQuery and jqModal?

It seems that jqModal (a jQuery plugin for modal dialogs) is breaking jQuery Intellisense on my Visual Studio 2008 setup. Without a reference to jqModal.js, jQuery Intellisense works fine:

As soon as I add the reference to jqModal.js, the Intellisense stops working with this error:

Warning    1    Error updating JScript IntelliSense: …\scripts\jquery-1.3.2-vsdoc.js: ‘jQuery.support.htmlSerialize’ is null or not an object @ 1430:4

Workaround

To work around the problem, generate the script include tag dynamically so that the JavaScript Intellisense engine doesn’t see the jqModal reference at design time.

<head runat="server">

    <title>My Web</title>

    <asp:Literal ID="LitJqModalScript" runat="server"></asp:Literal>

    <script src="../scripts/jquery-1.3.2.js" type="text/javascript"></script>

</head>

protected override void OnLoad(EventArgs e)

{

    base.OnLoad(e);

    LitJqModalScript.Text = @"<script src=""../scripts/jqModal.js"" type=""text/javascript""></script>";

}

In my opinion, the top three hardware items that help maximize programmer productivity are sufficient RAM, multiple monitors, and a fast multi-core CPU. For RAM, try to have at least 2GB for Visual Studio development, especially if you have additional applications such as Resharper, a local SQL Server instance, IIS, etc. Remember that on Windows XP or Vista 32-bit, the maximum usable RAM is limited to about 3.2 GB or so.

My current company-provided laptop, which I must perform most programming activities on, is a Core 2 Duo 2.4 Ghz. It is satisfactory for what I am doing. Given the choice however, I would go for a quad-core CPU desktop. Desktop usually has faster drives, better video cards, etc. And the additional cores allow for smooth multitasking and better performance when using virtual machines.

Plenty of RAM and multiple fast CPU cores will keep the waiting down to a minimum. Now you need to give yourself the ability to see all of those things that you have going on. Research has demonstrated that multiple monitors increase productivity. For most programmers, I would recommend two monitors. Adding that second monitor is a relatively inexpensive affair. Most laptops or desktop video cards has built-in support for a second monitor so all you have to do is getting that second LCD, which cost very little these days compared to three years ago. The third monitor and beyond is where things start to get complicated. You either have to install a second video card, or use a second PC/laptop in conjunction with a software application named MaxiVista. Unless you have spare monitors sitting around, I think the return on investment starts to diminish greatly beyond two monitors.

Another way to use that third or fourth monitor is to simply attach them to additional computers. Sure, you won’t be able to control all those monitors with the same mouse and keyboard but this setup is not without advantages:

• When the first computer is rebooting or not responding, you still have a fully functioning computer.
• The screens on the second computer are not using CPU/memory resources on the first computer.

My 5-Monitor Setup

I work from home most of the time and on my desk, there are five monitors, hooked up to three laptops. I know… it’s over the top but it’s not like I bought all of these laptops/monitors specifically for this setup. The second laptop is my personal laptop. The third one is another old personal laptop that would otherwise would be sitting around gathering dust. I might as well put them all to use. Here’s how the monitors are arranged:

The main laptop is hooked up to monitor #1, an ASUS 24″ running at 1920×1080 resolution and monitor #2, the main laptop’s built-in 15.4-inch LCD running at 1680×1050. I spend most of my time on these two monitors. The ASUS 24″ is great for programming/debugging and is where I normally park Visual Studio 2008 or Rational Software Architect. If you can get one with more vertical resolution (such as 1920×1200), that’s even better.

The extra width on the main monitor allows me to permanently open supporting panes like Solution Explorer that I otherwise would configure to “auto hide”. Note where I have my Start menu: on the right edge of the main monitor. This gives me more vertical space so I can see more code without scrolling. The additional benefits are that more opened windows can fit on the task bar, and that I don’t have to move the mouse as much to access the start menu.

The built-in laptop monitor (#2) is where I have miscellaneous supporting windows such as rolling logs, instant messaging client, email client, documents, etc.

For taking notes, I use Microsoft OneNote and since it’s not installed on my company PC, I use my own laptop for it. This laptop is monitor #3, sitting to the left of the main monitor. Monitors #4 and #5 are used once in a while to display server logs, various server telnet and remote desktop connections, and anything I don’t need to control often.

Update 2/25/2008 – Synergy

Rohan kindly pointed out to me a free keyboard/mouse sharing utility called Synergy. You should give this a try if you have multiple computers on your desk. Synergy lets you use a single keyboard/mouse to control multiple computers, running multiple operating systems. Additional features include clipboard sharing, screen saver, and single password login. The configuration is not the most intuitive but once you have everything set up correctly, it works like a charm.

I now can control all three laptops and 5 monitors with one mouse/keyboard combo! Very nice.

.NET/C# Programming

• Thread synchronization: Wait and Pulse demystified. By Nick Butler.
• Use a shortened GUID for file names and request strings. ShortGuid – A shorter and url friendly GUID class in C#. By Dave Transom.
• Top Ten Tips to Using XPath and XPointer. By John E. Simpson.
• Client-side caching for script methods access in ASP.NET AJAX, by Jeffrey Zhao.
• A very nice two-part introduction to jQuery, by Rick Strahl.
• A COMPARISON OF MICROSOFT’S C# PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE TO SUN MICROSYSTEMS’ JAVA PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE. By Dare Obasanjo.
• Silverlight
  • Silverlight 2 End to End Tutorial: Building a Digg Search Client, by Scott Guthrie.
  • Fluid Canvas in Silverlight, by neo.
• WCF
  • Performance Improvement for WCF Client Proxy Creation in .NET 3.5 and Best Practices. By Wenlon Dong.
  • A comprehensive guide to using MsmqIntegrationBinding with MSMQ 3.0 in WCF. By Simon Evans.
  • If your WSE 3.0 Mutual Certificate Authentication web service runs very slowly, try setting establishSecurityContext to true.

PowerShell

• PowerShell Community Extensions has very useful cmdlets such as Get/Set-Clipboard, Write-GZip, Start-Process, Select-Xml and many others.
• John D. Cook’s PowerShell Cookbook has lots of useful PowerShell recipes.

Apps and Tools

• Microsoft Windows SteadyState (free) is great for maintaining public-access computers.

Other Stuff

• Anatomy of a malware scam – The evil genius of XP Antivirus 2008. By Jesper M. Johansson. If you’ve had to help your relatives and friends clean up after XP Antivirus 2008/2009, read this very detailed analysis of the malware.