After seeing that the new WordPress 2.3.1 release had tagging support in for Windows Live Writer, I was curious as to what Live Writer actually was. Turns out it is a desktop application for authoring blog posts that can be published to a variety of different blogs, including WordPress.
I thought I’d download it and give it a go. So I’ve been using it for, well, since I started writing this post.
If you allow it, it will take a look at the theme you are using so you can author your posts and view them styles as they would appear on the blog. You can also view in a plain layout, view the html source, or preview the post how it’s going to look in you blog, as mentioned above. Just on a side note about the HTML, Microsoft don’t tend to have a good history of creating HTML editors that actually put out good code. It seems they’re learning from their past mistakes, for now at least, the code produced here is pretty good.
Tags are added as Keywords in the properties box of a post as well as choosing the categories and other settings for the post.
Publishing is straight forward using the aptly titled Publish button on the toolbar. This will send the post off to your blog and publish it. You also have options for saving the draft locally or publishing the post as draft to your blog.
First impressions are good, I don’t totally see the reasons yet for having something like this, unless you have multiple blogs in which case it would save time logging into different blogs to post. I’m sure I’ll see other benefits after I’ve used it a while.
Loading data into Oracle table requires the use of the sqlldr executable. To load data I create two files, one a CSV file containing the data to import and a control (.ctl) file containing the command information to pass to sqlldr.exe.
The Control File
load data
infile 'addresses.csv'INTOTABLE myschema.mytable fields terminated BY","
optionally enclosed BY'"'(
NAME
,TELEPHONE
,ADDRESS
,LAST_UPDT DATE'dd-Mon-yyyy HH:MI:SS PM')
Notice that I’ve put a format on the date, I’ve had problems with dates if I don’t give the format for the date when importing. Save this file locally as addresses.ctl
The Data File
"Matt","3094785","55 My Street","25-Oct-07"
"Ricardo","354102","12 Easy Road","10-Mar-06"
........
Save this file as addresses.csv as declared in the control file. The file should be sve in the same directory as the control file.
To import the data, open a command prompt window and type the following:
That should import all the data into oracle. A relevant log file will be created as well as a bad file for rows that could not be imported. I tend to create a batch file to execute so I don’t have to remember the syntax for sqlldr.
If things go wrong
As stated above, I’ve had problems with date formatting before when importing. I’ve also come across issues with field terminations. By default CSV exports tend to be terminated by a comma (,) but I tend to use a semi colon (;) I’ve had less problems using this method.
Exporting Crystal Reports from a report displayed in the browser can be a pain, not least because it’s long winded, but also that I primarily use Firefox and the report rendering in anything other than IE is a joke.
For a while I have been trying to work out how I could export Crystal Reports in various formats such as Excel and PDF without having to render the report in the web browser first. Some of our customers wanted the data to put into their spreadsheet application so they could manipulate the data to their hearts content and I wanted to still use the power of Crystal Reports as it meant that the people who are good at writing the reports could do it and save me the work.
I’d seen it done in Crystal 8 but had not seen anything that pulled it all together in XI. I think I was looking a little too hard, the solution was in fact pretty straight forward.
The method employed is pretty similar to the post I made on displaying Crystal Reports in the browser, with only a couple of exceptions.
Firstly, you don’t need to employ the ReportViewer control as the report is not being rendered to the browser.
// Declare variablesprivate ReportDocument document1 =new ReportDocument();private TableLogOnInfos infos1 =new TableLogOnInfos();private TableLogOnInfo info2 =new TableLogOnInfo();private ConnectionInfo info1 =new ConnectionInfo();// default export type
ExportFormatType expFormat =new ExportFormatType();
expFormat = ExportFormatType.PortableDocFormat;// load the report
document1.Load(Request.PhysicalApplicationPath+ “myReport.rpt”);// Add the parameters
document1.SetParameterValue(“param1″, “value1″);
document1.SetParameterValue(“param2″, “value2″);//Set the login info for the database
info1.ServerName= ConfigurationSettings.AppSettings[“server_name”];
info1.DatabaseName= ConfigurationSettings.AppSettings[“database_name”];
info1.UserID= ConfigurationSettings.AppSettings[“user_id”];
info1.Password= ConfigurationSettings.AppSettings[“password”];
Tables tables1 = document1.Database.Tables;//Apply login info to the reportforeach(CrystalDecisions.CrystalReports.Engine.Table table1 in tables1){
info2 = table1.LogOnInfo;
info2.ConnectionInfo= info1;
table1.ApplyLogOnInfo(info2);}// Export the document
HttpResponse Response = HttpContext.Current.Response;
document1.ExportToHttpResponse(expFormat,Response,true,”Exported Report”);
document1.Close();
Having tried for a while to find the right information for displaying Crystal Reports properly inside a web page using Crystal Report Viewer I finally managed to pull the information together into a solution that works; well for me anyway.
It’s worth mentioning that I don’t use the Crystal Reports extensions for Visual Studio, I have Crystal Server running on the box. I can’t see how this method wouldn’t work through the Visual Studio extensions.
Code Infront
Register the assembly in the top of your aspx page
// declare the variablesprotected CrystalReportViewer crReport1;private ReportDocument document1 =new ReportDocument();private TableLogOnInfos infos1 =new TableLogOnInfos();private TableLogOnInfo info2 =new TableLogOnInfo();private ConnectionInfo info1 =new ConnectionInfo();// load the report
document1.Load(Request.PhysicalApplicationPath+"myReport.rpt");// Add the parameters
document1.SetParameterValue("param1", "value1");
document1.SetParameterValue("param2", "value2");//Set the login info for the database
info1.ServerName= ConfigurationSettings.AppSettings["server_name"];
info1.DatabaseName= ConfigurationSettings.AppSettings["database_name"];
info1.UserID= ConfigurationSettings.AppSettings["user_id"];
info1.Password= ConfigurationSettings.AppSettings["password"];
Tables tables1 = document1.Database.Tables;//Apply login info to the reportforeach(CrystalDecisions.CrystalReports.Engine.Table table1 in tables1){
info2 = table1.LogOnInfo;
info2.ConnectionInfo= info1;
table1.ApplyLogOnInfo(info2);}// Bind the report
crReport1.ReportSource= document1;
crReport1.DataBind();
You also need to remember to close the document after it has been rendered to free up memory. This should ideally be done in the Page_Unload method. See this post on MSDN for more information on why it should be placed in Page_Unload.
Update: While I was copying this post across from the original document I had it in, I was searching for the links to the files and I came across a post on THECRUMB.COM which states from subversion 1.4 whereby you can install the service without the need for a wrapper. You can bypass those steps if you like.
I’ve used Subversion for years and didn’t really want to move to Visual SourceSafe. Subversion does everything I need it to and I’ve never felt the need to move and be locked in to anything else. Unfortunately running windows meant I needed to find a way of installing Subversion on a windows box and running it as a server, I didn’t want to run Apache just for the sake of it. So here it is, my install technique for installing, running and managing repositories on Windows. One point to make, is that this guide uses Tortoise SVN to manage the repository. I could probably have done it just as easily from the command line but I have Tortoise installed so why make life hard.
Download and install the latest version of SVN setup.
Create a directory on the c: drive to hold the repository (i.e c:\svnrepo)
Extract SVNService.exe to the same directory as svnserve.exe
Install SVNService as a service using the following command SVNService -install -d -r c:\svnrepo
Start the service from Windows Manage Computer
Creating a repository
Create folder inside your SVN Repository (c:\svnrepo) in this example we’ll create folder called test.
Right click on the parent folder and got to TortoiseSVN > Import
In the URL box at the top enter the path to the repository, i.e. svn://<server>/test
This will import the 3 folders into the chosen repository.
Adding a Project to a repository
If you already have some files for a project that you have started that you wish to import into your new repository, please follow these steps.
Browse to the parent folder of the files you wish to install.
Right click this folder and choose TortoiseSVN > Import.
This time we want to import the file into the main trunk, so the path to the repository will be svn://<server>/test/trunk
Checking out the repository.
Now we have the project imported into SVN we need to check out a local copy to work on.
Browse to the parent directory of where you want to checkout the project to.
Right click and choose SVN Checkout
This will bring up the Checkout window. Enter the URL of the Repository in the top box (remember we want to checkout the trunk so this needs to go at the end). The checkout directory will default to the directory we clicked in 2, add the name of the subdirectory you wish to check the files out to at the end.
Click OK, if the directory you specified does not exist you will be prompted to create the directory, do so.
All the files will be checked out into the folder you specified. There will also be hidden folders beginning with .svn created in the directories, DO NOT delete these as they are used by Subversion. You can now work on your local copy.
Use the tabs to navigate across the different shot types.
The up/down arrows will increment/decrement the amount of each type.
Totals will be displayed at the bottom.
Use the reset button to reset all amount to zero
The new Preston Stotz weigh roughly the same as normal shot in their respective sizes.
Pocket PC version
I created a Pocket PC version originally so I could use it on my Orange M500. I’ve since used it on devices running Windows Mobile 5 & 6 and it works fine. Please feel free to download and use as you wish. I originally posted a reference to this on my fishing blog.
I would welcome any feedback, especially any recommendations for future developments.
Having used windows Mobile powered HTC phones for the last few years I don’t think I’d ever go back to a small screen ‘normal’ mobile phone. I’d been following some reviews on the HTC Touch since it was announced in June and was looking forward to seeing it in the flesh.
Having a wander down the local high street on Tuesday I happened to pop into the local Orange shop and there it was in the Flesh. Well it was just the dummy but when the assistant asked if I wanted to see it, I’m sure she could see me drooling.
Once she returned that was it, I was hooked. But I still had 4 months left on my contract and it was going to cost me to upgrade. I decided to leave it while the upgrade was free. At work that afternoon I could think of nothing else and by 4:30, I was back in the shop. I could live with the upgrade fee, I’d get it back selling my M600, I just needed to have the phone.
I’ve had it nearly two days no, first impressions? Very, very nice. It’s by far the smallest smartphone I’ve ever seen. The touchFlo screen, although a little gimmicky and doesn’t extend to much below the hood is very neat.
The scroll facility is very neat and the new screen means I can do pretty much everything without the stylus. I can even press the OK button with my thumb which I would have never been able to do with any of my old devices.
Everyone who has seen it has commented on how sexy looking it is, and I’d find it very hard to disagree. Once Ihave used it for a few week, hopefully I’ll get the time to write a more thorough review but in the meantime I’d seriously recommend you take a look.
Earlier a colleague asked if I knew a way to open a document that had been created in an obscure program (his words) called Star Office. I did set off explaining to him what it actually was and how the document format he was referring to was created to an open standard but then realised we (he) live in a Microsoft world here and it wasn’t really worth the effort.
Anyway, I didn’t want to install Open Office on this machine just so I could convert one document. After recalling a conversation I had only two days ago I was heading over to PortableApps.com to download OpenOffice.org Portable, coincidence or what?
After downloading and installing to my 2GB USB drive, I fired up Writer. I was expecting the load time to be quite long but it fired up very quickly. I’m sure if it was plugged into USB 1.1 it would have almost not been worth it but I am mightily impressed by what I see.
Given that I can now take this with me wherever I want and open a whole manner of document formats, I’d highly recommend it to anyone.
I originally found this information on a post at TechTarget, I wanted to reference the commands here in case the original article disappears. The original article is a lot more in depth and includes different scenarios, I recommend you read this before you start.
Roger, my travelling partner rang me to see if I wanted to fish with their work match at Lodge Farm, just outside Bawtry. Having a match their on the 24th would give me a bit of time to try some stuff out under match conditions without the fear of blowing out and losing money. Although they let me on thismatch, I won the last first and only other match I fished on the Chesterfield Canal where they did let me enter the pools. So now I’m barred from going in it, oh well!!As most of the lads have to work in the early morning before the match it start time is in the afternoon, usually starting around 12. This meant I could have a late set off after some breakfast. I was hoping to write that I’d had a well deserved lie in but our 10 month old son put paid to that waking us up at the crack of dawn. Roll on the winter months and darks nights.
Not having the pressure of being in the pools and so having nothing to fish for in terms of a league, I’d set out to fish two methods, the pellet waggler and paste close in. Most of this pond is very deep even close in but I had a weed bed straight in front of me extending 5 or 6 metres. The depth at the side of the reeds 5 metres out was around 2 foot, which is where I decided to fish the paste. Even though it was up to the side of the reeds the bottom was very clean and gently sloping away.
The pellet wag was setup using a 3SSG custom waggler made by Dave Brittain, the initial trace was set to 18″ deep though I had spare hooklengths made up shallow if required.
At the all in I baited the paste rig, plopped it in and began to feed the pellet waggler line with around half a dozen 6mm pellets about every 30 seconds. Indications came on the paste straight away and it wasn’t long before I was into a nice f1 of a couple a pound. I wasn’t feeding anything else on the paste line just the paste on the hook, striking it off every minute to keep feed going into the swim. Fish were coming pretty regularly for the next couple of hours, with the fish being on average 2-3lb.
All the while I was feeding the pellet wag line and as I wasn’t fishing in the match as such I decided to give it a go. First chuck brought a fish and a few more followed over the next hour then it went dead. I decided to rest the swim and come back on he paste line. Luckily the fish were sill there although it took a while to get them feeding confidently.
I was told we were fishing until 5 so I’d made arrangements to be home and out for 6:30 but when 5 came and no whistle, I was getting worried. I wasn’t informed but we’d been given permission to fish until 6. As I’d made plans I had to pack up and shoot off with probably around 70lb in the nets with an hour to go.
90lb won the match fishing the floating pole from further along our bank, while the other bank struggled. I don’t think I would have been far off given how I was catching. Oh well, roll on our match next week.
Having used windows Mobile powered HTC phones for the last few years I don’t think I’d ever go back to a small screen ‘normal’ mobile phone. I’d been following some reviews on the