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Michael Desmond, Editor in Chief, Visual Studio Magazine Who We Are Every year we survey our readership to better understand who we’re serving, and set the direction of our coverage in VSM and on the VisualStudioMagazine.com Web site. What did we learn this year? We already knew that our readers are experienced working programmers (79 percent with 10-plus years on the job) engaged with a March 2011 // Volume 21 // No. 3 wide range of programming platforms, languages and frameworks. On the FEATURES language front, 46 percent of surveyed readers reported working primarily in C#, 14 Build Big-Data Apps in SQL Azure with Federation Get ready to scale out SQL Azure databases beyond today’s 50GB limit with the while 26 percent said their fi rst language is Transact-SQL and ADO.NET elastic sharding features, which are coming in the VB.NET. Nine percent rely most on C/C++, 2011 SQL Azure Federation Community Technology Previews. BY ROGER JENNINGS while only 4 percent work mainly with native Visual Basic 6 (or earlier). 22 Take Unit Testing to the Next Level When it comes to tools and platforms, How to map unit tests to requirements in Visual Studio 2010 to get an overall view of the requirements coverage—as opposed to code coverage—that the tests provide. some interesting things came to light. For BY JEFF LEVINSON instance, 64 percent of respondents reported already working with Visual 32 LANGUAGE LAB Studio 2010—more than those who use Visual Studio 2008 or Visual Studio 2005. ON VB PAGE 32 Also interesting was the prevalence of Web Get Started with Visual Basic Development for Windows Phone 7 development: 66 percent of respondents Dive into Windows Phone 7 development and app design with sample code work with ASP.NET. However, only 34 for a Windows Phone Pivot application. percent reported working with Silverlight. BY JOE KUNK We also asked readers to tell us what ASK KATHLEEN PAGE 42 specifi c topic interested them most in Delve into ASP.NET MVC 3 2011. Two topics drew higher levels of Kathleen Dollard answers your questions about the new Razor view engine, interest than all others: Microsoft dependency injection and extending parts of the framework. development tools/frameworks and BY KATHLEEN DOLLARD programming languages. Behind those we found a second tier of interest in Web DEPARTMENTS development and data-access technolo- 6 Letters to the Editor gies, followed by a third tier of interest in programming methodologies (including 8 DevDisasters Agile), mobile development and Epoch Billing System BY MARK BOWYTZ (THEDAILYWTF.COM) third-party development tools. Was it a surprise that hot-button topics VSTOOLBOX, VSINSIDER 9 DevInsights like Windows Phone 7 and Windows Azure/ VSToolbox: ComponentOne Studio for ASP.NET AJAX PAGE 9 cloud-based development didn’t score VSToolbox: Agile Development with Telerik TeamPulse PAGE 10 higher? Not entirely. I expect these nascent VSInsider: Copy and Paste PAGE 12 platforms will gain importance over time. What issues and topics would you most COLUMNS like to see covered in Visual Studio Magazine? E-mail me at [email protected]. 3 Frameworks BY MICHAEL DESMOND 48 Redmond Review BY ANDREW J. BRUST
VisualStudioMagazine.com · March 2011 · VISUAL STUDIO MAGAZINE 3 Online Contents
Get the complete picture —the latest dev news, analysis and how-to content—at REDDEVNEWS.COM ADTMAG.COM VisualStudioMagazine.com Amazon Beanstalk Obscuring Azure Skies? NetBeans Dumps Ruby on Rails and our partner sites BY ANDREW J. BRUST BY JOHN K. WATERS With the release of Amazon Beanstalk, VSM Version 7.0 of the NetBeans IDE won’t in the Redmond columnist Brust fi nds that the cloud offerings support Ruby on Rails, the NetBeans Developer Network. from Amazon and Microsoft are moving into community announced. The move has each others’ territory. He breaks down the industry watchers questioning the future of competitive position of Windows Azure. NetBeans under Oracle Corp. management.
EASY FINDIT RedDevNews.com/Brust0311 ADTmag.com/WatersA0311 What we once called FindIT codes are now easy URLs. You’ll see these embedded Living Large with Windows Phone 7 What Does the Future of Java Hold? throughout Visual Studio Magazine so you can BY KATHLEEN RICHARDS BY JOHN K. WATERS access any additional information quickly. Simply type in VisualStudioMagazine.com/ Microsoft shipped 2 million copies of the The future of Java under the stewardship of followed by the FindIT code into your URL Windows Phone 7 OS in the fourth quarter, Oracle Corp. will be shaped by that address field. (Note that all URLs do not have any and Microsoft says that in January the company’s business model, say Forrester spaces, and they are not case-sensitive.) Microsoft Marketplace surpassed 6,500 apps Research Inc. analysts. Sun Microsystems and 24,000 registered developers. What Inc. used free Java to sell its hardware, but should Microsoft do to turn its newly minted Oracle—primarily a software company—is mobile platform into a bona fi de hit? likely to see Java in a different light.
RedDevNews.com/Richards0311 ADTmag.com/WatersB0311
VISUALSTUDIOMAGAZINE.COM Microsoft and Open Source Interoperability Java Exploits up in 2010, Cisco Says BY KURT MACKIE BY JOHN K. WATERS Visual Studio 2010 Feature Pack 2 Gianugo Rabellino is the newly appointed The Cisco Systems 2010 Annual Security BY MICKEY GOUSSET senior director of Open Source Communities Report states that in January 2010, Java Visual Studio 2010 Feature Pack 2 is a at Microsoft, tasked with evangelizing the exploits accounted for 1.5 percent of cumulative update for MSDN subscribers company’s open source and interoperability Web malware blocked by the company’s that delivers new testing features for Visual efforts. His work involves collaborating with ScanSafe software. By November, that Studio 2010, including Silverlight 4 app worldwide businesses and communities that number had jumped to 7 percent, testing and a new Coded UI Test Editor. specialize in open source software solutions. according to the company.
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Working with Software Factories in C# 4 ID Statement Visual Studio Magazine (ISSN 1537-002X) is published monthly by 1105 Media, Inc., 9201 Oakdale Avenue, Ste. 101, Chatsworth, CA 91311. Periodicals postage paid at Chatsworth, CA 91311-9998, and at additional mailing offi ces. Complimentary BY PATRICK STEELE subscriptions are sent to qualifying subscribers. Annual subscription rates payable in U.S. funds for non-qualifi ed subscribers are: Software factories can streamline activities U.S. $35.00, International $60.00. Annual digital subscription rates payable in U.S. funds for non-qualifi ed subscribers are: U.S. $25.00, International $25.00. Subscription inquiries, back issue requests, and address changes: Mail to: Visual Studio Magazine, P.O. Box by automatically generating code. Learn 2166, Skokie, IL 60076-7866, email [email protected] or call toll free (888) 768-8759, fax number 847-763-9564. Interna- how C# 4 takes advantage of software tional calls 847-763-9135. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Visual Studio Magazine, P.O. Box 2166, Skokie, IL 60076-7866. Canada Publications Mail Agreement No: 40612608. Return Undeliverable Canadian Addresses to Circulation Dept. or XPO Returns: factory patterns and how abstract- and P.O. Box 201, Richmond Hill, ON L4B 4R5, Canada. delegate-based factories can make for Copyright Statement © Copyright 2011 by 1105 Media, Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A. Reproductions in whole or more fl exible application code. part prohibited except by written permission. Mail requests to “Permissions Editor,” c/o Visual Studio Magazine, 230 California St. Suite 302, San Francisco, CA 94111. VisualStudioMagazine.com/Steele0311 Legal Disclaimer The information in this magazine has not undergone any formal testing by 1105 Media, Inc. and is distributed without any warranty expressed or implied. Implementation or use of any information Platform Questions: Silverlight vs. ASP.NET contained herein is the reader’s sole responsibility. While the information has been reviewed for accuracy, there is no guarantee that the same or similar results may be achieved in all environments. Technical BY PETER VOGEL inaccuracies may result from printing errors and/or new developments in the industry. Practical ASP.NET author Vogel dives into Corporate Address 1105 Media, 9201 Oakdale Ave. Ste 101, Chatsworth, CA 91311 www.1105media.com the debate about the relative value of Silverlight as a Web development platform, Media Kits Direct your Media Kit requests to Matt Morollo, VP Publishing, 508-532-1418 (phone), 508-875-6622 (fax), [email protected] now that Microsoft has thrown its weight behind HTML5 as the platform for universal Reprints For single article reprints (in minimum quantities of 250-500), e-prints, plaques and posters contact: PARS International Phone: 212-221-9595 E-mail: [email protected] www.magreprints.com/QuickQuote.asp Web applications. List Rental This publication’s subscriber list, as well as other lists from 1105 Media, Inc., is available for rental. For more information, VisualStudioMagazine.com/Vogel0311 please contact our list manager, Merit Direct. Phone: 914-368-1000; E-mail: [email protected]; Web: www.meritdirect.com.
4 VISUAL STUDIO MAGAZINE · March 2011 · VisualStudioMagazine.com Untitled-1 1 2/9/11 10:36 AM Check out our events at VSLive.com We’ll be in Vegas, at Microsoft HQ and in Orlando in 2011
Letters VisualStudioMagazine.com March 2011 • Volume 21 • No. 3
Editorial Staff Vice President, Doug Barney Editorial Director In January, On VB columnist Joe Kunk wrote a column for the Visual Studio Magazine Editor in Chief Michael Desmond Executive Editor Kathleen Richards Web site entitled “To Comment or Not to Comment.” This article evoked some spirited Managing Editor Wendy Gonchar debate about the costs and benefits of commenting code. Most respondents Associate Managing Editor Katrina Carrasco vigorously supported commenting, but a few offered a counter argument. Tools Editor Peter Vogel
Comments are a clue as to what the developer was thinking when he wrote the Contributing Editors Andrew J. Brust, Ken Cox, Kathleen Dollard, comment. As long as you keep that in mind, comments are useful to have. But I’d Roger Jennings, Joe Kunk, Jeff Levinson, Bill McCarthy, Karl E. Peterson, rather not duplicate info in a comment that’s already evident in the code. Sparse, Patrick Steele, Bill Wagner value-added comments are good. Comments for the sake of comments are bad! Art Staff Arnold Creative Director Scott Shultz Rolling Meadows, Ill. Art Director Joshua Gould Production Staff I’ve seen places where comments have been useful: for example, if you change Director, Print Production Jenny Hernandez-Asandas Production Coordinator Serena Barnes code in a way that looks obvious but something unexpected will happen. However, in general, comments clutter the code that’s written by experts for experts to read. Online/Digital Media Director, Online Media Becky Nagel My guess is that for every time a comment has added to my understanding, there Executive Editor, New Media Michael Domingo have been an equal number of comments that clouded my knowledge of what Site Administrator Shane Lee was actually going on. I almost never read the comments until I have an under- Designer Rodrigo Muñoz standing of what the code is doing. Advertising/Sales Garth VP, Publishing Matt Morollo Regional Sales Manager Chris Kourtoglou New Zealand National Accounts Director William Smith Microsoft Account Manager Danna Vedder
President Henry Allain For every time a comment has Vice President, Publishing Matt Morollo Director of Marketing Michele Imgrund added to my understanding, there have been Online Marketing Director Tracy Cook an equal number of comments that clouded President & Neal Vitale my knowledge of what was actually going on. Chief Executive Offi cer Senior Vice President Richard Vitale & Chief Financial Offi cer Executive Vice President Michael J. Valenti While no one can be completely against comments, I kind of fall into the anti-comment Senior Vice President, Abraham M. Langer camp. I’m a Smalltalk programmer and, to my mind, most Smalltalk code typically Audience Development has too few comments—where too few means practically none. But in Smalltalk & Digital Media Vice President, Christopher M. Coates we (mostly) get away with this because Smalltalk is a good-quality object-oriented Finance & Administration language and object-oriented languages tend to result in more readable code. Vice President, Erik A. Lindgren Information Technology Also, Smalltalk uses named method parameters. Named method parameters make & Application Development code much easier to follow and make comments much less necessary. I’ve never Vice President, Carmel McDonagh Attendee Marketing understood why most of the object-oriented languages that came after Smalltalk Vice President, David F. Myers abandoned named parameters in favor of C-style argument lists. Event Operations Ralph Chairman of the Board Jeffrey S. Klein
Calgary, Alberta, Canada REACHING THE STAFF Staff may be reached via e-mail, telephone, fax, or mail. A list of editors and contact information is also available online at VisualStudioMagazine.com. E-mail: To e-mail any member of the staff, please use the following form: [email protected]. Irvine Offi ce (weekdays, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. PT) Visual Studio Magazine wants to hear from you! Send us your thoughts Telephone 949-265-1520; Fax 949-265-1528 about recent stories, technology updates or whatever’s on your mind. 16261 Laguna Canyon Road, Suite 130, Irvine, CA 92618 E-mail us at [email protected] and be sure to include Framingham Offi ce (weekdays, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. ET) Telephone 508-875-6644; Fax 508-875-6633 your first and last name, city and state. Please note that letters may be 600 Worcester Road, Suite 204, Framingham, MA 01702 edited for form, fit and style. They express the views of the individual Corporate Offi ce (weekdays, 8:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. PT) authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the VSM editors or Telephone 818-814-5200; Fax 818-734-1522 1105 Media Inc. 9201 Oakdale Avenue, Suite 101, Chatsworth, CA 91311
Visual Studio Magazine The opinions expressed within the articles and other contents 6 VISUAL STUDIO MAGAZINE · March 2011 · VisualStudioMagazine.com herein do not necessarily express those of the publisher. Install LEADTOOLS to eliminate months of research and programming time while maintaining high levels of quality, performance and functionality. LEADTOOLS provides developers easy access to decades of expertise in color, grayscale, document, medical, vector and multimedia imaging development.
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{ SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT GONE WRONG }
Epoch Billing System
Everybody in the IT department was quite happy—even a little surprised—with how well the outsourced project to replace Caught off guard, Jeff just stared at the legacy billing system was progressing. Well, actually, the project managers the function for a good 10 minutes, trying to figure weren’t all that surprised. Over the past four it out. When he did, it hit him like a ton of bricks. months, they’d pumped out reams of specs and design documents, often boasting that their level of planning hadn’t been seen private static int convertDate management team, just out of curiosity, to since the Apollo missions. So, for them, the (int day, int month, int year) see if the fi x had been made. To his surprise, fact that everything was turning out as { it hadn’t been addressed—nor would it designed spoke volumes about the success be any time soon. Apparently the “bug” of their planning and processes. int[] months = new int[] {0,31,59,90,120,151, was downgraded to a feature request 181,212,243,273,304,334}; because—in the eyes of the project New Billing Code managers—if an application functioned Jeff and the other developers who were return (((year - 1970) * DAY * 365) + (((year as it was designed, there wasn’t a need to stuck supporting the existing billing - 1970)/4) * DAY) + (months[month - 1] go back in and change it. VSM system until the big cutover (still a few * DAY) + ((day-1) * DAY)); months away) wanted to see what this } super system looked like under the hood. Caught off guard, Jeff just stared After all, because they were expected to at the function for a good 10 support the new system once it came minutes, trying to fi gure it out. When online, shouldn’t they at least have an he did, it hit him like a ton of bricks. understanding of how the underlying Rather than using the built-in C# date code worked? functions, the developer had opted to The developers made their case for convert a date into its Unix Epoch—the months before the project managers gave number of seconds elapsed since Jan. 1, up on their “it’s not done yet” rhetoric and 1970—and work from there. reluctantly handed over a few modules that Jeff had to admit, the solution was a they’d deemed bug-free. little bit genius. Unfortunately, it wasn’t When Jeff got his hands on the code, a fi t because the new system was one line in particular caught his eye: running on a Windows server. So Jeff did int strElapsedDays = (convertDate(intDay1, his duty and raised the matter with the intMonth1, intYr1) - convertDate(intDay2, project management team so it could intMonth2, intYr2)) / DAY; be added to the bug-fi x queue for the offshore team. Unusual Process Weeks later, Jeff followed up with Knowing that C# had built-in functions to one of the members of the project easily determine the span of days between two dates, Jeff thought the approach was a little strange. Once he tracked down Tell Us Your Tale convertDate, things got even weirder: public const int DAY = 86400; Mark Bowytz is a contributor to the popular Web site The Daily WTF (thedailywtf.com). He has public const int WEEK = 604800; more than a decade of IT experience and is currently a systems analyst for PPG Industries. Have you experienced the darker side of development? E-mail your tale to Executive Editor Kathleen public const int YEAR = 31449600; Richards at [email protected].
8 VISUAL STUDIO MAGAZINE · March 2011 · VisualStudioMagazine.com 0211vsm_GrapeCity_Insert.indd 1 1/11/11 2:45 PM 0211vsm_GrapeCity_Insert.indd 2 2/4/11 3:12 PM
ComponentOne Studio Enterprise for ASP.NET AJAX VSToolbox ComponentOne LLC Web: componentone.com Phone: 800-858-2739 ComponentOne Studio Price: $895.00 (standard), $1,195.00 (with Platinum Support) for ASP.NET AJAX Quick Facts: A suite of ASP.NET ComponentOne delivers a solid set of business-related controls with all the functionality controls targeting the fundamentals of creating Web Forms developers need, but the reporting tools make this suite unique. Pros: A complete set of business- related controls that would meet the BY PETER VOGEL formats, and there’s also a designer— needs of most ASP.NET developers; In reviewing control suites, it would be available from the control’s SmartTag—that excellent support for reporting
nice to have some hard metrics to use to includes presets for the most common Cons: Overall a smaller package ASP.NET Components compare them. But even something as data-entry tasks you’ll want to support. than others; omits some more obvious as the number of controls is hard The suite includes both a Calendar esoteric controls to quantify. The ComponentOne suite adds control and a Scheduling control. I also about three-dozen controls to your Visual liked the suite’s Window control for Studio toolbox—about a half-dozen less creating client-side dialog windows (read In a world that depends increasingly on than, for instance, the Telerik ASP.NET more on this in my ToolTracker blog). client-side code, all of the ComponentOne suite. But ComponentOne has a Gauge Unlike most suites, ComponentOne controls have a flexible client-side object control that Telerik does not—and the includes a complete reporting solution: A model. You add client-side event handlers ComponentOne control can display as a report designer and a ReportViewer by selecting the event you want from the dial, a slider or one of 12 other presets. So control. ReportViewer supports importing control’s Properties window. The control does the ComponentOne Gauge control Crystal, SQL Server Reporting Services and then writes out the skeleton of the handler count as one control or 12? Access reports to create new ComponentOne and drops you into it in Source View, where In the end, it’s what controls you’ll reports. Because the object model for you have access to the full power of the actually use and how productive those ComponentOne ASP.NET reports is the Visual Studio editor. (By comparison, other controls make you that count. For instance, same as the model for Windows Client control suites pop up a custom editor that you can use the ASP.NET Validator reports, you can transfer code between the locks you out of Visual Studio.) Along with controls to ensure that your users enter the two environments. For more customized the Window control, I’ll be looking at the right data. Or you can just drop one of the document generation, a PDF control suite’s JavaScript support in general in the ComponentOne dedicated edit controls (which you won’t find in other suites) lets ToolTracker blog. (one each for date, numeric, currency and you generate documents from your It doesn’t seem to be possible to integrate percent entry) on your form. For more application, including adding attachments. the suite’s Help information into the Visual flexibility, you can use the suite’s You can even encrypt your PDF docu- Studio Help system—you’ll have to visit the MaskedInput control. The MaskedInput ments, making them a good choice for ComponentOne Web site to read the control supports a wide variety of input distributing private data. documentation (or download the PDF file). This is a package aimed squarely at the business developer: Controls that you’ll use on almost every project. These are great controls with excellent functionality, and they’re designed to make developers more productive. There aren’t many of the more exotic controls that you’ll see in other packages. My concern is that, for roughly the same cost—and giving up the PDF control—I could get a package that includes a Cloud control for tag-based navigation, a Captcha control, or a spell checker. If I’m building business applica- tions rather than a social-media tool, do I need those controls? I suspect that I don’t, and it’s just my inner geek crying out for The ComponentOne ReportDesigner interface is similar to those of other major reporting tools. new toys. But I’d still want them. VSM
VisualStudioMagazine.com · March 2011 · VISUAL STUDIO MAGAZINE 9
Telerik TeamPulse
VSToolbox Telerik Inc. Web: telerik.com Phone: 888-365-2779 Supporting Agile Development Price: $249 (Free Community Edition available, limited to one with Telerik TeamPulse project and five users) TeamPulse provides economical support for teams implementing the Quick Facts: A Web-based Agile methodology, but it doesn’t integrate with Visual Studio. Silverlight application that supports Agile development teams throughout the project lifecycle BY PETER VOGEL on your computer with specific options set Pros: Easy to install and use; Communicating and sharing information and open ports. You must also have some per-user pricing; easy to customize;
Tools is critical to the Agile development version of SQL Server installed—I used bidirectional integration with Team process—especially if all team members SQL Server Express. On my computer I Foundation Server and stakeholders aren’t in the same had all of the prerequisites, but the Cons: No integration with Visual Agile Development Development Agile building. So, for information to be shared, installation guide doesn’t assume that—the Studio; assumes specific Agile team members need to record that steps to address any options you might be practices (for instance, user stories information somewhere accessible to the missing are described in the user manual. for requirements gathering) whole team. Time spent recording After that you need to go to the TeamPulse information is, of course, time spent away site on your computer (available from Start from application development. menu) and activate your license. Be aware This is where TeamPulse comes in—by that you’ll need the e-mail and password ToolTracker reducing the pain involved in recording, for an account on the Telerik site. Then accessing and sharing information. Once you’re ready to go. Tools for Parallel Processing you’ve installed TeamPulse on your I found the UI intuitive, but it does Parallel processing is moving from computer, you have a Silverlight-enabled assume that you’re familiar with Agile an interesting “nerd thing” to a core Web site that supports the standard tasks terms, such as “Table Stakes.” After I development tool. In a ToolTracker in the Agile development process. stopped looking for a Save button (entries interview, Stephen Forte—chief TeamPulse understands Agile projects, are auto-saved), it took only a few seconds strategy offi cer at Telerik—said from gathering ideas and requirements to figure out how to enter or review data. I multicore development would through planning, scheduling and activity didn’t have to refer to the Help guide, “hands down” have the biggest tracking. TeamPulse also includes a Best though I may need to in future uses. impact on developers. Microsoft has Practices Analyzer, a rules-based tool for The bad news is there’s no integration since delivered Parallel LINQ (PLINQ) automatically checking the quality of your with Visual Studio. There is, however, and the Task Process Library (TPL). TeamPulse content. bidirectional synchronization with Team But where are the third-party There are a number of prerequisites for Foundation Server. Another plus: the tools? In November 2010, Progeneric installing TeamPulse: IIS must be installed price point is relatively low (per-user Systems Inc. launched its .NET pricing), even before Template Library, which builds on volume discounts. top of the TPL. But the company’s When just having products are described in such everyone in the same general terms—and without any room stops working, sample code—that it’s hard to you should consider determine what, exactly, it’s selling. integrating the Telerik, meanwhile, is exploring TeamPulse product using PLINQ in its RadGridView for into your team’s Windows Presentation Foundation Agile practices. VSM to speed up querying. That may be where PLINQ meets the toolspace— Peter Vogel (peter.vogel@ not tools for parallel processing, but phvis.com) is the tools rather tools that take advantage of editor for Visual Studio it. Even there, the toolspace is still Magazine and a principal immature: It requires some in PH&V Information additional code to make PLINQ TeamPulse takes advantage of Silverlight to deliver an intuitive UI Services, specializing in work with the RadGridView. —P.V. with an Office-like ribbon at the top that works in most browsers. ASP.NET development.
10 VISUAL STUDIO MAGAZINE · March 2011 · VisualStudioMagazine.com DESIGN Design Applications That Help Run the Business
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Untitled-6 1 11/10/10 11:41 AM
VSInsider BY MARK MICHAELIS
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solutions already on the market before Visual Developers who lack the time or resources Studio Team Build was released. Similar to research and maintain a host of third-party solutions included CruiseControl.NET in solutions often feel the same way. open source and TeamCity for purchase. Given the prevalence of available solutions, Entering New Markets often for free, why would Microsoft develop Then there’s the allure of new business. There similar proprietary solutions to solve are many cases where Microsoft duplicates Microsoft & Microsoft Open Source (seemingly) the same problems? functionality available from third-party or open source solutions in order to gain a Make It Microsoft foothold in a new market. Let’s face it, there are cases where Microsoft’s Visual Studio Team Build is one such control over Visual Studio development example. When Visual Studio Team System and the languages it supports enables the emerged as a solution for application company to simply do things better. lifecycle management (ALM), there was no In the object-relational mapping space, significant contender that offered automated On occasion I’ve been surprised that it wasn’t until there were fundamental build, project tracking and collaboration, Microsoft has put significant effort into language features in the form of LINQ that source code control, client-side developer developing features and functionality developers began to experience a fully tooling, and a reporting module that already available within the developer object-oriented API that interfaced with spanned the overall solution. Visual Studio ecosystem. Frequently, the functionality is the relational database. Through the Team System provided just such an offering, even available for free via open source, so combination of LINQ and the Entity along with the integration across its parts there doesn’t really seem to be a “market” Framework, mapping a strongly typed, that allowed them to work together. that Microsoft is trying to enter or gain a object-oriented programming API on top Although virtually all of the individual business advantage in. And yet, Microsoft of a relational database became possible. categories of tools included with Visual invests significant time and money in And, because developers outside of Studio Team System were available from creating functionality similar to what’s Microsoft have essentially no ability to alternative sources, none provided the already available—frequently even using the modify the C# language, only Microsoft integration between the tool sets. In choosing open source implementation as a reference could create a broad solution that penetrated to build Visual Studio Team Build as part for requirements of what to do (or not to do). the core of the language and integrated of Visual Studio Team System— even when Let’s consider a few examples. When the with Visual Studio so comprehensively. there were competing third-party solutions— Entity Framework was released, NHibernate Microsoft frequently chooses to duplicate Microsoft was intentionally entering the (open source) and LLBLGen Pro, among what might already be available in open ALM space with its own offering. others, were well-established players in the source and third-party solutions simply There are, of course, numerous reasons market. Ironically, Microsoft itself released because it’s in a position to do it better. why Microsoft would reproduce functionality LINQ to SQL at the same time as the Entity There’s also the benefit of being already available from third parties or open Framework, but later ended development built-in. For many developers, installing source solutions. But most of those reasons on the technology. third-party software—especially open boil down to three themes: Microsoft is in Or consider Visual Studio Unit Testing, source software—is considered a security a unique position to accomplish work that which was launched despite well-established risk and is prohibited by IT. These developers others can’t, deployment of a Microsoft open source alternatives, including NUnit, are clamoring for basic, best-practice solution is a customer requirement, or a XUnit and MbUnit. There were also software development processes and tooling market opportunity has compelled third-party unit testing solutions like (such as Visual Studio Unit Testing), Microsoft to move into a new space. VSM TestDriven.NET and Resharper. which are built into Visual Studio and Finally, MSBuild fairly closely duplicated require no additional deployment or Mark Michaelis started IntelliTechture Corp. and the functionality and approach provided by configuration work. Developers like these serves as chief technical architect and trainer. He’s NANT (open source). Similarly, when it celebrate when Microsoft provides its own been a Microsoft MVP for C#, Visual Studio Team came to creating an unattended build server, solution to something that’s perhaps System and the Windows SDK since 1996. In 2007, there were and continue to be numerous already freely available. he was recognized as a Microsoft regional director.
12 VISUAL STUDIO MAGAZINE · March 2011 · VisualStudioMagazine.com DEVELOP Rich Business Intelligence Applications in WPF and Silverlight
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Untitled-6 1 11/10/10 10:57 AM VSM COVER STORY
Build Big-Data Apps in SQL Azure with Federation Get ready to scale out SQL Azure databases beyond today’s 50GB limit with the Transact-SQL and ADO.NET elastic sharding features, which are coming in the 2011 SQL Azure Federation Community Technology Previews. BY ROGER JENNINGS
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Untitled-1 1 1/11/11 1:39 PM COVER STORY Sharding Databases
Microsoft recommends that you scale out your SQL Azure databases by partitioning them horizontally into smaller instances, called shards, running on individual SQL Azure database instances, and group the shards into federations.
An urban myth that relational databases and Sharding increases database capacity and query performance, because each added SQL Azure database brings its own memory and SQL can’t achieve Internet-scale of terabytes—or virtual CPU. Microsoft Software Architect Lee Novik first described petabytes—has fostered a growing “NoSQL” developer SQL Azure sharding details in his “Building Scale-Out Applications community and a raft of new entity-attribute- with SQL Azure” session (bit.ly/i7EfJf) at the Microsoft Professional Developers Conference 2010, held last October in Redmond. value, also known as key value, data stores. The Horizontal partitioning isn’t new to SQL Server. Horizontally Microsoft SQL Azure team gave credence to the partitioning SQL Server 7.0 and later tables to multiple files and myth by limiting the maximum size of the initial filegroups improves performance by reducing average table and index size. Placing each filegroup on an individual disk drive Business Edition of the cloud database to just speeds T-SQL queries. Partitioning also streamlines backup and 10GB. SQL Azure adds a pair of secondary data maintenance operations by reducing their time-window length. replicas to assure high availability, and the team SQL Server 2005 automated the process with the CREATE PAR- TITION FUNCTION command, which lets you automatically map cited performance issues with replication as the the rows of a table or index into specified partitions based on the early size-limiting factor. values of a specified column. You design a CREATE PARTITION SCHEME to determine how to assign partitioned files to filegroups. Today, you can rent a 50GB SQL Azure database for $499.95 per SQL Server partitioned views make rows of all partitions appear as month, but the SQL Azure Team isn’t talking publicly about future a single table; distributed partitioned views enable partitioning scale-up options. Instead, Microsoft recommends that you scale data across multiple linked servers, not just filegroups, for scaling out your SQL Azure databases by partitioning them horizontally out. SQL Server 2000 introduced updateable distributed views with into smaller instances, called shards, running on individual SQL distributed transactions, and SQL Server 2000 SP3 used OLE DB to Azure database instances, and group the shards into federations. optimize query-execution plans for distributed partitioned views. A group of linked servers that participates in distributed partitioned views is called a “federation.” The partitioning Table 1. Sample Values of a sys.federation_member_columns View for column, whose values determine the partition to which Orders_Federation from SalesDB the row belongs, must be part of the primary key and can’t be an identity, timestamp or default column. The following abbreviated system view specifies partitioning 100,000 Customer records into 50 Federation Members numbered 51 through 100 with sequential bigint New Taxonomy Federation Key values starting at 1. If the Federation Root name is SalesDB, the Scaling out SQL Azure with federated database instances Federation Members will be named SalesDB_51 through SalesDB_100. follows a pattern similar to that for on-premises SQL federation_id member_id federation_key_name range_low range_high Server, but is subject to several important limitations. For example, SQL Azure doesn’t support linked servers, - 9,223,372,036, 1 51 CustomerID 2000 854,775,807 CREATE PARTITION FUNCTION, CREATE PARTI- TION SCHEME, cross-database joins, distributed 1 52 CustomerID 2000 4000 (cross-database) transactions, OLE DB or the T-SQL 153 CustomerID 4000 6000 NewSequentialID function. These restrictions require architectural changes for SQL Azure federations, starting 1 … CustomerID … … with this new taxonomy: 1 100 CustomerID 98000 NULL ■ Federation consists of a collection of all SQL Azure database instances that contain partitioned data For this example, range_low values are inclusive and range_high values are exclusive having the same schema. The T-SQL script in “How to the given Federation Member. NULL represents the maximum bigint value +1. to Create a Federation with Customers, Orders and Bigint values range from -2^63 (-9,223,372,036,854,775,808) to 2^63-1 (9,223,372,036,854,775,807) so negative CustomerID values (if present) would parti- OrderItems Tables” (p. 17) shows a T-SQL script to tion into SalesDB_51 and values > 100,000 would fall into SalesDB_100. Starting create an Orders_Federation with a schema based member_id values at 51 enables future sharding with negative Federation Key values on three tables of the Northwind sample database. to Federation Members SalesDB_01 to SalesDB_50. Random uniqueidentifier (GUID) ■ Federation Members comprise the collection of values require accommodating the entire domain of a 128-bit integer, 00000000- SQL Azure databases that contain related tables 0000-0000-0000-000000000000 to FFFFFFFF-FFFF-FFFF-FFFF-FFFFFFFFFFFF. An with partitioned data, called Federated Tables. A advantage of GUID Federation Keys is that they eliminate hotspots in a shard holding Federation Member also can contain replicated recently entered records. Note that this information is preliminary and might change lookup tables (Products) that provide supplementary before the version 1 CTP releases. data that’s not dependent on the Federation Key.
16 VISUAL STUDIO MAGAZINE · March 2011 · VisualStudioMagazine.com Untitled-7 1 2/22/11 12:53 PM Untitled-7 1 2/22/11 12:53 PM COVER STORY
Scaling out SQL Azure with federated database instances follows a pattern similar to that for on-premises SQL Server, but is subject to several important limitations.
■ Federation Key is the primary key value (CustomerID) that and OrderItems). AU clusters can’t be separated in the parti- determines how data is partitioned among Federated Tables, tioning (sharding) process or when moving data between each of which must contain the Federation Key in their pri- Federation Members. mary key, which can be a big integer (bigint, a 64-bit signed ■ Federation Root is the initial database that contains metadata integer) or GUID (uniqueidentifier) data type. For example, for specifying the Partitioning (sharding) Method, range of the Orders and OrderItems tables have composite primary valid values for the Federation Key, and minimum/maximum keys (OrderID + CustomerID and OrderID + ProductID + Federation Key value ranges for each Federation Member. CustomerID, respectively). ■ Partitioning Method determines whether the Federation Key ■ Atomic Unit (AU) is a cluster of a single parent table (Custom- is generated by the application or the data tier. For this article’s ers) row and all related rows of its dependent tables (Orders example, the data tier uniqueidentifier data type provides
How to Create a Federation with Customers, Orders and OrderItems Tables
Here’s a preview of a T-SQL script to create -- Create a federated Orders table PRIMARY KEY NONCLUSTERED (ProductID) a traditional (Northwind-style) sample sales CREATE TABLE Orders( GO orders schema with federated Customers, CustomerID uniqueidentifier NOT NULL, Orders and OrderItems tables and a OrderID uniqueidentifier NOT NULL, -- Create a federated OrderItems table. Products reference table (not federated) for OrderDate datetime NOT NULL) CREATE TABLE OrderItems( sharding. The script has been tested (with -- ... Additional non-key fields CustomerID uniqueidentifier NOT NULL, Federation-specific and SQL Azure-specific FEDERATE ON (CustomerID) OrderID uniqueidentifier NOT NULL, keywords commented) in SQL Server 2008 GO ProductID uniqueidentifier NOT NULL, R2 Management Studio: OrderItemDate datetime NOT NULL, -- Connect to 'master'. /* Note that CustomerID, the federation key, must be -- ... Additional non-key fields CREATE DATABASE SalesDB (EDITION='BUSINESS', part of all unique indexes but not non-unique CONSTRAINT FK_OrderItems_Orders_Customers MAXSIZE=50GB) indexes. SQL Azure requires a clustered index on FOREIGN KEY (OrderID, CustomerID) each table, but clustered indexes on REFERENCES Orders(OrderID, CustomerID), -- Connect to 'SalesDB' and create Federation. uniqueidentifier CONSTRAINT FK_OrderItems_Products FOREIGN KEY CREATE FEDERATION Orders_Federation (RANGE columns cause a performance hit from page (ProductID) REFERENCES Products(ProductID)) uniqueidentifier) splitting. FEDERATE ON (CustomerID) GO */ GO CREATE CLUSTERED INDEX IX_OrderDate /* Connect to 'Order_Federation' federation member ON Orders(OrderDate) CREATE CLUSTERED INDEX IX_OrderItemDate ON covering CustomerID = 0. */ ALTER TABLE Orders ADD CONSTRAINT PK_Orders OrderItems(OrderItemDate) USE FEDERATION Orders_Federation(00000000-0000-0000- PRIMARY KEY NONCLUSTERED (OrderID, CustomerID) ALTER TABLE OrderItems ADD CONSTRAINT PK_OrderItems 0000-000000000000) WITH RESET GO PRIMARY KEY NONCLUSTERED GO (OrderID, CustomerID, ProductID) /* Create a reference (replicated, not federated) GO -- Create Customers Products table. */ The preceding code was adapted from CREATE TABLE Customers( CREATE TABLE Products( code found in a posting by Cihan Biyikoglu, CustomerID uniqueidentifier NOT NULL, ProductID uniqueidentifier NOT NULL, Microsoft program manager for SQL Azure. CompanyName nvarchar(50) NOT NULL) SupplierID uniqueidentifier NOT NULL, The SQL Azure team had not released the -- ... Additional non-key fields ProductName nvarchar(50) NOT NULL, SQL Azure Federation version 1 Community FEDERATE ON (CustomerID) Package nvarchar(50) NOT NULL) Technology Preview (CTP) at publication. GO -- ... Additional non-key fields Post-version 1 CTPs are expected to sup- GO port Federation Keys of the bigint data CREATE CLUSTERED INDEX IX_Customers type. See Biyikoglu’s Dec. 11, 2010, posting, ON Customers(CompanyName) CREATE CLUSTERED INDEX IX_Products_Product- “How to scale out an app with SQL Azure ALTER TABLE Customers ADD CONSTRAINT PK_Customers Name_Package Federations … The Quintessential Sales DB PRIMARY KEY NONCLUSTERED (CustomerID) ON Products(ProductName, Package) with Customer and Orders” (bit.ly/e8eB3L), GO ALTER TABLE Products ADD CONSTRAINT PK_Products for more information. —R.J.
VisualStudioMagazine.com · March 2011 · VISUAL STUDIO MAGAZINE 17 COVER STORY Sharding Databases
The SQL Azure team wants to manage scaling federations out and in, as well as leveling the sizes of Federation Member databases.
Preview (CTP) of version 1 in 2011. The current plan is for the CTP 1 Listing 1. Connecting to the Federation Root Database to support partitioning by uniqueidentifier FederationKey values only; // Create a Connection to the Federation Root a post-CTP 1 drop will add bigint FederationKeys (see Table 1, p. 16). SqlGuid fedKeyValue = customerId; SqlConnection connection = new SqlConnection(@"Server=tcp:sqlAzureURI; New T-SQL Key Words for Scripting SQL Azure Federation Database=SalesDB;User ID=mylogin@myserver; The following new T-SQL syntax will support SQL Azure Federations Password=mypassword") in the version 1 CTP (see “How to Create a Federation with Customers, connection.Open(); Orders and OrderItems Tables,” p. 17): // Route to the Specific Customer’s Atomic Units CREATE FEDERATION Federation_Name(Federation_Key_Name RANGE uniqueidentifier) SqlCommand command = connection.CreateCommand()) DROP FEDERATION Federation_Name command.CommandText = CREATE TABLE Table_Name FEDERATE ON (Federation_Key_Name) "USE FEDERATION Orders_Federation(" + fedKeyValue.ToString() + ") WITH RESET"; USE FEDERATION Federation_Name (Fed_Key_Value) WITH FILTERING=ON command.ExecuteNonQuery(); USE FEDERATION Federation_Name (Fed_Key_Value) WITH FILTERING=OFF ALTER FEDERATION Federation_Name SPLIT AT(Fed_Key_Value) random 128-bit (16-byte) GUID values, which balance additions ALTER FEDERATION Orders_Federation DROP AT(Fed_Key_Value) across multiple Federation Members. Sequential bigint values The FILTERING=ON option restricts the visibility of AUs to the are easier to read, but require a feature similar to the SQL specific cluster specified by Fed_Key_Value; FILTERING=OFF Server Denali Sequence object to generate identity values that makes all AUs in the Federation Member visible for bulk opera- are unique over multiple Federated Tables. tions. The ALTER FEDERATION … SPLIT AT Fed_Key_Value The SQL Azure Team plans to release SQL Azure Federation fea- instruction lets you balance the size of Federation Members that tures in piecemeal fashion starting with a Community Technology have grown substantially larger than the average by moving AUs
How to Get Data from the Appropriate Atomic Unit in a Federation Member
SQL Azure Federations version 1 Commu- // Route to Specific Customer (customerId=@customerId1)", connection); nity Technology Preview (CTP) will include using (SqlCommand command = connection. detailsDataAdapter.SelectCommand.Parameters.Add( a sample ADO.NET sharding library and CreateCommand()) "@customerId1", SqlDbType.UniqueIdentifier); code examples to manipulate federated { detailsDataAdapter.SelectCommand.Param- data. The following procedure creates an command.CommandText = eters[0].Value ADO.NET DataSet from an Atomic Unit "USE FEDERATION Orders_Federation(" + = customerId; consisting of the Customers record and fedKeyValue.ToString() + ") WITH RESET"; detailsDataAdapter.Fill(data, "OrderItems"); all Orders and OrderItems records for the command.ExecuteNonQuery(); customer specified by the customerId } connection.Close(); parameter. The only code that differs from connection.Dispose(); that for populating DataSets from conven- // Populate data from Orders table to the DataSet. tional SQL Azure tables is within the using SqlDataAdapter masterDataAdapter = ... block in lines 19 and 20: new SqlDataAdapter(@"SELECT * FROM Orders WHERE } private void GetData(SqlGuid customerId) (customerId=@customerId1)", connection); The preceding code was adapted from { masterDataAdapter.SelectCommand.Parameters.Add( code found in a posting by Cihan Biyikoglu, SqlGuid fedKeyValue = customerId; "@customerId1", SqlDbType.UniqueIdentifier); Microsoft program manager for SQL Azure. masterDataAdapter.SelectCommand.Param- The SQL Azure team had not released the // Create a Connection to the Federation Root eters[0].Value = SQL Azure Federation version 1 Community SqlConnection connection = customerId; Technology Preview (CTP) at publication. new SqlConnection(@"Server=tcp:sqlAzureURI; masterDataAdapter.Fill(data, "Orders"); Post-version 1 CTPs are expected to sup- Database=SalesDB;User ID=mylogin@myserver; port Federation Keys of the bigint data Password=mypassword") // Add data from the OrderItems table to the type. See Biyikoglu’s Dec. 11, 2010 posting, connection.Open(); DataSet. “How to scale out an app with SQL Azure SqlDataAdapter detailsDataAdapter = Federations … The Quintessential Sales DB // Create a DataSet. new SqlDataAdapter(@"SELECT * FROM with Customer and Orders” (bit.ly/e8eB3L), DataSet data = new DataSet(); OrderItems WHERE for more information. —R.J.
18 VISUAL STUDIO MAGAZINE · March 2011 · VisualStudioMagazine.com Untitled-5 1 2/2/11 1:18 PM COVER STORY Sharding Databases
The Microsoft Azure Marketplace DataMarket is a classic big-data application, so it’s a good bet that Pablo Castro and his WCF Data Services team are hard at work updating the RESTful OData API.
greater than Fed_Key_Value into a new Federation Member. SPLIT ■ Multicolumn Federation Keys to enable federation on, for AT and DROP AT operations work with AUs exclusively. example, CustomerID+AccountID. The version 1 CTP ADO.NET sharding library will include sample Java developers have had the Hibernate.Shards library for several Microsoft .NET Framework-based code for connecting to the Federa- years; it’s now matured to version 3.0.0 beta 2 on the JBoss.org Web site. tion Root, which automatically routes the connection to the appropriate Developer Oren Eini, more commonly known by the alias “Ayende Federation Member based on information from the sys.federation_ Rahien,” rejuvenated the NHibernate Shard project for .NET last member_columns view, and retrieves AUs as ADO.NET DataSets. fall. SharpFellow blogger John Rayner demonstrated NHibernate Here’s the generic code for instructions that open a connection to a Shards with SQL Azure and provided source code in his “Sharding Federation Member whose member_id specified by dbname_postfix: into the Cloud” post (tinyurl.com/4kmvs6p). Rayner wrote in his post: SqlConnection cn = new “NHibernate.Shards is an extension to the well-known O/RM, which SqlConnection("Server=tcp:servername.db.windows.net;" + allows a logical database to be partitioned across multiple physical "Db=SalesDB_" + dbname_postfix + databases and servers. It’s a port of the Hibernate.Shards project, as ";User ID=username;Password=password;" + with lots of things in NHibernate. I thought it would be interesting "Trusted_Connection=False;Encrypt=True"); to see how well it worked against SQL Azure. It turned out to be not cn.Open(); interesting at all ... just plain easy!” ... Microsoft has most of its object/relational mapping (O/RM) eggs The code in Listing 1 (p. 18) automatically routes the connection to in the Entity Framework basket. You can expect the teams that own the appropriate Federation Member for a particular FederationKey data connectivity to SQL Server and SQL Azure—including the value by connecting to the Federation Root database and executing ADO.NET Team that’s responsible for Entity Framework—to expand a T-SQL USE FEDERATION FederationName(FederationKey) instruc- their repertoire to handle SQL Azure Federation. The Microsoft tion (see “How to Get Data from the Appropriate Atomic Unit in a Azure Marketplace DataMarket is a classic big-data application, so Federation Member,” p. 18). it’s a good bet that Pablo Castro (a Microsoft software architect in At this point, you can issue parameterized select queries with the SQL Server Group) and his WCF Data Services team are hard CommandText such as SELECT * FROM Orders WHERE at work updating the RESTful OData API. Synchronizing SQL (CustomerId=@customerId). Note that SQL Azure supports USE Azure Federations across datacenter boundaries (geolocations) and FEDERATION but not USE DatabaseName instructions. with on-premises SQL Server databases will keep Liam Cavanagh .NET projects based on CTP version 1 that require rows from (Microsoft senior program manager for SQL Azure Data Sync and more than one shard to populate a DataSet from a SELECT query Microsoft Sync Framework) and his team busy for at least a few will require client-side code that executes UNION ALL queries to months. Watch these groups’ blogs closely for signs of progress on aggregate the AUs. Obtaining aggregate values such as SUM(), Federation-enabled connectivity for SQL Azure. AVG(), MIN(), MAX() and COUNT() with CTP version 1 also Don’t believe everything you hear from the “NoSQL” crowd about will require multiple queries that increment accumulator variables the demise of SQL databases for big data. Microsoft intends to protect with values from individual Federation Members. its database turf in the cloud from naysayers who claim it won’t scale past 50GB. The company’s approach is to automate the sharding Automagical Online Partitioning and Other New Features process and its management for scaling out and back in to minimize A primary SQL Azure selling point is minimizing—and ultimately human intervention. Get ready to take advantage of SQL Azure eliminating—all common physical database management tasks by Federations by downloading the CTP 1 as soon as it’s available, and subscribers. The SQL Azure team wants to manage scaling federations then plan your route to high-scalability relational data nirvana. out and in, as well as leveling the sizes of Federation Member databases. Credits: Thanks to Cihan Biyikoglu, program manager for SQL According to Lev Novik and other SQL Azure team members, CTP Azure, for providing important technical insights about SQL Azure versions later than version 1 will add at least the following features Federations and the forthcoming CTPs; visit his “SQL Azure—Your to SQL Azure Federations: Data in the Cloud” blog (bit.ly/giiVdS) for up-to-date information on ■ A new ALTER FEDERATION Federation_Name MERGE (Fed_ SQL Azure Federation developments. You’ll find additional references Key_Value) instruction to enable repartitioning when scale-down to his posts, as well as other sharding approaches for SQL Azure, is appropriate for reducing database subscription expense. Hibernate and NHibernate, in the OakLeaf Systems Resource Links ■ Auto repartitioning to enable SQL Azure to manage reparti- for SQL Azure Federations and Sharding Topics (bit.ly/hINRbX) post. VSM tioning the federated databases online with SPLIT and MERGE operations based on a policy you specify, such as Federated Roger Jennings is the principal developer and writer for OakLeaf Systems and Table size or query execution time. the author of more than 30 books about Windows NT and Windows Server ■ Fan-out queries so that a single query will be able to process 2000, SQL Server, Microsoft Access, ADO.NET data connectivity and Web results gathered across many Federation Members. services. He’s the curator of the OakLeaf Systems blog and a contributing editor ■ Schema management to allow multiversion schema deployment for Visual Studio Magazine, and he occasionally writes for RedDevNews.com. and management across Federation Members. Jennings is a member of the Microsoft Partner Network.
20 VISUAL STUDIO MAGAZINE · March 2011 · VisualStudioMagazine.com Untitled-5 1 2/2/11 1:18 PM FEATURE Take Unit Testing to the Next Level
How to associate unit tests with requirements in Visual Studio 2010. BY JEFF LEVINSON
Many teams today use Agile techniques such as Test-Driven Why does this matter? Unit tests are tra- Development (TDD), eXtreme Programming or just a heavy use of ditionally used to verify methods without regard for the functionality the methods are unit testing to verify functionality. One of the gaps in unit testing is part of. However, as unit tests are relied on the ability to map unit tests to requirements to get an overall view of more heavily, it’s helpful to be able to show how many unit tests were written and exe- the requirements coverage (as opposed to code coverage) that the cuted against each requirement. The problem unit tests provide. with doing this is that unit tests are code: Consider the following situation: Your application has 10 requirements that need to be They don’t actually map to a requirement built. There are 100 unit tests that cover all of the methods in your application, giving you and in fact are completely independent of 100 percent coverage of your code. But in terms of providing information on the require- any given requirement. So, what can you do? ments coverage, who knows? Maybe you’ve covered nine of the requirements many times Team Foundation Server (TFS) provides over, but one requirement only has one test that relates to it. the first (that I know of) capability of asso- ciating any automated test—not just unit tests, but load tests and generic tests—with a requirement. This gives you a complete understanding of how many functional tests versus unit tests were created and executed for any given requirement. This article will show you how to do this. As an added benefit of using this tech- nique, functional testers can actually execute the unit tests created by developers as part of automated test runs and modify the data used by the unit tests as needed— without having to ask the developers to make changes. These tests can also be added to test plans and reported on like ILLUSTRATION BY RYAN ETTER RYAN BY ILLUSTRATION Figure 1. The Create Unit Tests dialog. any other functional tests.
22 VISUAL STUDIO MAGAZINE · March 2011 · VisualStudioMagazine.com Untitled-5 1 2/2/11 1:19 PM FEATURE Unit Testing
As unit tests are relied on more heavily, it’s helpful to be able to show how many unit tests were written and executed against each requirement.
For the purposes of this how- to article, I’ll be using a simple calculator application that does basic addition, subtraction, mul- tipli cation and division. The class that I’ll be unit testing is the CalcMath class and in particular the PerformOp method. Note that there are some bugs in this class, but this article doesn’t Figure 2. The Test List Editor. address finding those. Click OK. Call the new test project “SimpleCalcTests” and click Creating Basic Unit Tests Create. This will create a new project that’s automatically added to At this point there are no unit tests associated with the solution, so the solution and a test method that calls the PerformOp method let’s add a few here. There are several ways to add unit tests in shown in Listing 1 (note that a DeploymentItem attribute may also Visual Studio, so we’ll create them directly from the method we be generated, but for the current purposes this can be deleted). want to test. Now modify the method so it looks like this: Open the CalcMath class, right-click within the PerformOp [TestMethod()] method and select Create Unit Tests. This will display the Create public void PerformOpAddTest() Unit Tests dialog, as shown in Figure 1 (p. 22). { CalcMath target = new CalcMath (); double expected = 12; double actual; target.PerformOp(Op.Add, 7); Prerequisites and Setup actual = target.PerformOp(Op.Equals, 5); There are two parts to this article: associating unit tests with Assert.AreEqual(expected, actual); test cases and executing those unit tests through Microsoft Test } Manager. In order to complete all of the steps in this hands-on Unit tests should be short, simple, to the point and easy to read— walkthrough, you must have the following installed and because you might have to debug why your test failed, and the failure configured (all of this is pre-configured for you on the Microsoft might be in the test itself. As you can see, this method adds seven trial Virtual PC for Visual Studio 2010): and five together and the expected result is 12. ■ Team Foundation Server 2010 Now add three additional unit tests for subtraction, multiplication ■ Team Foundation Server Power Tools and division. The result is shown in Listing 2 (p. 26). ■ Visual Studio 2010 Ultimate (includes Microsoft Test Manager) You can view the Test List Editor by double-clicking the Simple- ■ Team Build Calc.vsmdi file in the Solution Folder or select Test | Windows | Test ■ Test Controller and at least one Test Agent List Editor. Figure 2 shows the Test List Editor window. At this point, feel free to execute the unit tests to verify that they The Project Setup work. Check the All Loaded Tests checkbox shown in the left panel 1. Download the scripts and source code from VisualStudioMagazine.com/Levinson0311 Listing 1. Generated PerformOp Test Method 2. Open the Visual Studio Command Prompt by clicking Start ///
24 VISUAL STUDIO MAGAZINE · March 2011 · VisualStudioMagazine.com Untitled-5 1 2/2/11 1:20 PM FEATURE Unit Testing
Unit tests should be short, simple, to the point and easy to read—because you might have to debug why your test failed, and the failure might be in the test itself.
to the requirements. This will give you full traceability from unit tests to requirements and vice versa. There are two ways to accomplish the first step—either through the TCM command- line tool or through the Test List Editor. Both ways are described here, but you only need to walk through one of these ways to do it. Let’s start with associating unit tests with test cases via the Test List Editor. It’s a simple two-step process, but you must do this for each test one at a time, versus using the TCM command-line tool, which Figure 3. The tcm testcase /import command results. lets you associate multiple unit tests with test cases: of Figure 2, and click the run button located on the toolbar at the top. 1. Right-click the PerformOpAddTest Finally, check the entire solution into TFS. 2. Select Create Test Case from Test that will create the Test Case At this point you have four unit tests, which you’d like to be work item associated with each of the four requirements in your project. Repeat these steps for each of the other unit tests. Now, let’s perform the same operation, but using the TCM Associating Unit Tests with Requirements command-line tool. Do the following: The next step is to associate these unit tests with the requirements. 1. Open the Visual Studio Command Prompt by clicking Start | This is a two-part process that involves first generating the test cases All Programs | Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 | Visual Studio and linking them with the unit tests, and then linking the test cases Tools | Visual Studio Command Prompt (2010) 2. Navigate to the debug folder, which contains the compiled test Listing 2. Adding Test Methods case assembly (SimpleCalcTests.dll) 3. Enter the following command: [TestMethod()] tcm testcase /import /collection:http://
26 VISUAL STUDIO MAGAZINE · March 2011 · VisualStudioMagazine.com Untitled-5 1 2/2/11 1:20 PM FEATURE Unit Testing
A good use of unit tests is executing them every time the build runs, such as when using Continuous Integration, which is a best practice to help ensure high quality.
4. Click the Save disk icon (on the toolbar) or select File | Save All. 5. Right-click the newly created build definition (by default this should be named “SimpleCalculator”) from the Builds node in Team Explorer and select Queue New Build. At this point the build should exe- cute and complete with all four unit tests running successfully.
Unit Testing with Microsoft Test Manager The next step is to allow the testers to be able to execute the unit tests as part of their testing process. The rea- son this is critical is because testing done by the developers is done at the method level. By using Microsoft Test Manager, the testers are effec- tively executing the tests against the Figure 4. The Plan tab and Properties page after configuration. requirements and thereby associating the test results with the requirements 3. Enter the ID number noted in Step 1 in the Work item IDs that they’re testing. field and click OK. A quick note before I proceed. This operation assumes that you 4. Click Save Work Item on the Test Case. have a configured Test Controller, which is registered with your Repeat these steps for each test case. collection. It also assumes that you have a configured Test Agent, At this point, automated test results that are generated through which is registered with the Test Controller. If this is not the case, Microsoft Test Manager or command-line test runs (with the refer to the “Installing and Configuring Visual Studio Agents and publish option set) will associate the test results with a particular Test and Build Controllers” MSDN library article (tinyurl.com/4ss5wsb) requirement. Microsoft Test Manager must be used at some point for instructions on how to install and configure the Controller to set up a test suite. Now, I’ll show you the entire process. and Agent. 1. Open Microsoft Test Manager (Start | All Programs | Microsoft Create an Automated Build Visual Studio 2010 | Microsoft Test Manager). In order to make this work, you must first create an automated 2. Enter the server name (this is the full URL of the server, such build. If you’re not using automated builds, now is a good time to as http://
28 VISUAL STUDIO MAGAZINE · March 2011 · VisualStudioMagazine.com Untitled-5 1 2/2/11 1:21 PM FEATURE Unit Testing
Using TFS, you can take testing against requirements one step further: You can data-drive the unit tests using the Test Case as the data source.
12. Configure the Automated Test Settings to use an auto- mated test environment. 13. Switch to the Test tab, Run Tests page. 14. Select any suite and then a test and click Run. When you’re done configuring the Properties page, it should look like the one shown in Fig- ure 4 (p. 28). During the test run you’ll see the test run details page. Note that you can actually queue a number of runs. You don’t have to wait for one run to be com- pleted before the next run starts. Wait for two hours (at most) and Figure 5. The Stories Overview report. run the Stories Overview report, shown in Figure 4. First add the DataSource attribute—and be sure and you’ll see the results of your test cases against the requirement to set the URL for your TFS instance and project, and set the Test in Figure 5. Case ID (878 in Listing 2) to be that of the Test Case in your system. 5. Next, update the expected value with a call to the data source. Test Cases as the Data Source for Data-Driven Unit Tests 6. Finally, update the two calls to the PerfomOp method with a Using TFS, you can take testing against requirements one step call to the data source. further: you can data-drive the unit tests using the Test Case as the Please note that the figures in Table 1 are demo values. In actual data source. This approach eliminates the need to have a separate, testing you’d use a spread of values, including boundary values or version-controlled Excel file, text file or other artifact and allows other values that are likely to cause a bug, as shown in Listing 3. you to store the test data for a particular test with that test case. When you re-execute the unit test either from Visual Studio or 1. In Microsoft Test Manager, open the PerformOpAddTest test through Microsoft Test Manager, the unit test will now pull its data case in order to edit it. from the test case work item. This is a handy way to maintain the 2. In the Test Steps section, in the first row in the Action column, data used by the test case and allows testers to easily update the enter the following text and then press enter: @first, @second, data being used by the unit test. It also allows for testers to perform @expected. even more comprehensive regression testing and have those test 3. This causes the parameters section of the test steps to be results linked to the actual requirements. enabled with three columns: “first,” “second” and “expected.” In this article I’ve shown you some simple techniques to associate Fill in these values as shown in Table 1 (p. 28). unit tests with test cases and, by extension, requirements. In doing 4. Next, edit the PerformOpAddTest method so that it looks like that so, end users get a comprehensive view of how well their application is being tested—even to the unit-test level, which is a view most end users never see. In addition, when developers use this simple tech- Listing 3. Modifi ed PerformOpAddTest nique, testers can execute unit tests without ever opening a Visual [TestMethod()] Studio solution. They can also update the data used by the test case [DataSource( "Microsoft.VisualStudio.TestTools.DataSource.TestCase", if the situation warrants it—and do all this without going back to the "http://tfs2010:8080/tfs/DefaultCollection;UnitTestDemo", developers. Using these techniques and tools, you should be able to "878", improve the quality and maintainability of your applications. VSM Microsoft.VisualStudio.TestTools.UnitTesting.DataAccessMethod.Sequential)] public void PerformOpAddTest() { Jeff Levinson recently completed his fourth book, “Software Testing with CalcMath target = new CalcMath(); Visual Studio 2010” (Addison-Wesley Professional, 2011), which takes a double expected = Convert.ToDouble(TestContext.DataRow["expected"]); comprehensive look at testing applications using Visual Studio 2010 and double actual; target.PerformOp(Op.Add, Convert.ToDouble(TestContext.DataRow["first"])); Microsoft Test Manager 2010. actual = target.PerformOp(Op.Equals, Convert.ToDouble(TestContext.DataRow["second"])); GO ONLINE Assert.AreEqual(expected, actual); Download the sample code for this article at } VisualStudioMagazine.com/Levinson0311
30 VISUAL STUDIO MAGAZINE · March 2011 · VisualStudioMagazine.com Untitled-1 1 1/13/11 9:48 AM
IN THIS SECTION: On VB · 32 // Ask Kathleen · 42 /////////////
{ ON VB }
Get Started with Visual Listing 1. XAML for a Simple Four-Page Pivot Application Basic Development for Layout in MainPage.xaml Windows Phone 7
32 VISUAL STUDIO MAGAZINE · March 2011 · VisualStudioMagazine.com { ON VB }
Touch Input: Windows Phone 7 supports both touch and Listing 2. XAML for a Simple Web Browser gestures. It recognizes up to four simultaneous touch points and in MainPage.xaml recognizes gestures such as tap, double-tap, pan, flick, pinch,
VisualStudioMagazine.com · March 2011 · VISUAL STUDIO MAGAZINE 33 Untitled-9 2 2/15/11 1:10 PM Untitled-9 3 2/15/11 1:11 PM
{ ON VB }
listed in the application manifest match the list generated by Listing 5. Detecting the Page Orientation this tool. For more information, see “How to: Use the Capability in MainPage.Xaml.vb Detection Tool for Windows Phone” at tinyurl.com/4joogju. Private Sub MainPage_OrientationChanged(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As Microsoft.Phone.Controls.OrientationChangedEventArgs) _ Handles MyBase.OrientationChanged Picking a Project Type 'Single line format used for brevity - not recommended There are five Visual Basic Windows Phone 7 project types Select Case e.Orientation available by default: Case PageOrientation.Landscape : tbPLmode.Text = "Landscape" ■ Case PageOrientation.LandscapeLeft : tbPLmode.Text = "Landscape Left" Windows Phone Application is a single-page application with Case PageOrientation.LandscapeRight : tbPLmode.Text = "Landscape Right" no pre-built code. Case PageOrientation.None : tbPLmode.Text = "None" 'Should never happen ■ Windows Phone Class Library is an empty Public Class file. Case PageOrientation.Portrait : tbPLmode.Text = "Portrait" ■ Windows Phone Databound Application shows XAML Case PageOrientation.PortraitDown : tbPLmode.Text = "Portrait Down" Case PageOrientation.PortraitUp : tbPLmode.Text = "Portrait Up" binding connecting the Views to the Model to show separation End Select of data from the UI, with a drill-down detail page. It binds End Sub to a XAML file under the SampleData folder named MainViewModelSampleData.xaml. should not be less than 4.5 mm. Try to surround the hit target ■ Windows Phone Panorama Application uses the Panorama Windows Phone Windows Visual Basic for Basic for Visual with space but keep a minimum of 2 mm between targets. control that gives the multipage slide effect where the visible ■ Make sure your application remains readable under both the page is simply a view onto a much wider single page. default dark background and also under the light background. ■ Windows Phone Pivot Application is the project for creating Switch the background theme using the Settings menu in the an app using the Pivot control. I suspect this project will be emulator. See Figure 1 for an example of a Web page running commonly used for navigation in multipage business under both backgrounds. applications, so I’ll use it for the sample application. ■ Allow users to get to your main application screen without a The Pivot application screens are easily created in MainPage. login unless it’s a secured app for internal use. Marketplace xaml as a series of
36 VISUAL STUDIO MAGAZINE · March 2011 · VisualStudioMagazine.com LEARN TODAY. DEVELOP TODAY. MOVE YOUR LIBRARY TO THE CLOUD
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Untitled-4 1 2/3/11 11:02 AM { ON VB }
Figure 2. The Keyboard (KB) and Portrait/Landscape (PL) sample application pages.
refreshed within a code-behind loop. The solution is to implement a timer, as shown in Listing 6 of the code download for this article. Application state can be saved to the equivalent of Session State when suspended. Because it’s unknown if the user will ever resume the application, it’s recommended that any persistent settings be saved as well. In this sample application, the needed variables are saved individually. In a larger application, I recommend using a single class to hold all the needed application settings; serialize it as an XML document when suspended. See Listing 7 in the code download for this article to implement the state management needed for TS.
Going Further To explore the Windows Phone 7 further, see “Mike’s Mega List of Windows Phone 7 Resources” at tinyurl.com/2cdmtyd for an extensive list of available resources. Application development on Windows Phone 7 feels comfort- able and familiar to me as a .NET developer. I’m confident you’ll have the same experience. There are many examples that I wasn’t able to cover in this article; watch the On VB column for future articles on Visual Basic development with Windows Phone 7. After two months with my Windows Phone 7, I’m pleased with it as a user. The performance is snappy, the battery life is good and the usability is fantastic. While Windows Marketplace doesn’t have the number of apps that the iPhone App Store does, that can quickly change if talented .NET developers get excited about developing for the platform. I hope you do. VSM
Joe Kunk is a Microsoft MVP in Visual Basic, three-time president of the Greater Lansing User Group for .NET, and a developer for Dart Container Corp. of Mason, Mich. He has been developing software for more than 30 years and has worked in the education, government, financial and manufacturing industries. He coauthored the book “Professional DevExpress ASP.NET Controls” (Wrox Programmer to Programmer, 2009). Reach him at [email protected].
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{ ASK KATHLEEN }
Delve into ASP.NET MVC 3 close template logic with curly brackets and expressions with Kathleen Dollard answers your questions about the new parentheses in C# Razor templates. This results in clean syntax. Razor view engine, dependency injection and extending parts The opening of the default Index.cshtml from the Web of the framework. application MVC 3 project (with Razor selected as the view BY KATHLEEN DOLLARD engine) illustrates the two most important constructs: @{ Q: What’s new in ASP.MVC 3? ViewBag.Title = "Home Page"; A: Microsoft released the latest version of its Model-View-Controller } (MVC) framework in January. The source code for the Web application framework, which is based on ASP.NET and the
@ViewBag.Message
Microsoft .NET Framework 4, is available under the Microsoft The first @ indicates a Razor code block. The curly brackets are Public License (Ms-PL). ASP.NET MVC 3 offers significant required so that Razor can distinguish between setting the title of improvements in three key areas: view creation, client-side support the ViewBag and outputting the title followed by = “Home Page” ASP.NET MVC 3 MVC ASP.NET and extensibility. Extensibility deserves a column of its own, so I’ll The expression that outputs the message doesn’t require a closing focus on the other features in this month’s column. ASP.NET MVC 3 bracket because Razor recognizes the < as a return to HTML. can be installed side-by-side with ASP.NET MVC 2. Within the code block, all C# rules apply, including the semicolon The MVC view you create inside Visual Studio 2010 (earlier line delimiter. When the @ sign is followed by keyword, the curly versions are not supported) is a template that’s executed by a view brackets aren’t needed and Razor is able to determine what code to engine to create .NET Framework-based code. This code is later execute, and what to output as literals: run by your server to produce HTML output (see Figure 1). Previous @foreach (var item in Model) { versions of ASP.NET MVC offered a single view engine supporting@ViewData("Message")
languages do this with an open and close construct surrounding In all cases, Visual Studio helps by highlighting the Razor either the literal—or more commonly—the expressions and code delimiters in bright yellow and the Razor code with a pale blue logic. But Razor is not a general-purpose templating language—it background (with standard Visual Studio colors) so you can tell expects C# or Visual Basic syntax for expressions and code logic what will be executed and what will output as literals. embedded within HTML. Because it assumes this language context Sometimes, Razor inference may not represent your intent for a it can imply intent, use a single opening delimiter (the @ sign) and, complex expression. When this occurs, simply surround your in many cases, recognize the block close and return to literal expression with parentheses in either C# or Visual Basic. The first output. When Razor can’t imply intent, you can explicitly open and line outputs “2 + 2” and the second outputs “4”: @{var x = 2; }@x + 2
@(x + 2)
42 VISUAL STUDIO MAGAZINE · March 2011 · VisualStudioMagazine.com { ASK KATHLEEN }
Occasionally Razor may interpret content as code. This MVC 3 supplies two new action filters: –HTTPNotFoundResult and happens if the content doesn’t start with an HTML tag and lies HTTPStatusCodeResult. Also, the RedirectResult has a Permanent within a code block. You can explicitly switch from code to property and the default controller has a new RedirectPermanent markup with the @: character sequence: method. The permanent redirect issues a 301 redirect, rather than @foreach (var item in Model) the non-permanent 302 redirect. { Asynchronous JavaScript and XML (AJAX) improvements @: Item name: @item.FirstName include automatic model binding to JavaScript Object Notation } (JSON) data. This allows incoming JSON parameters to be filled If you need to include comments or comment-out code, you behind the scenes by the default model binder. MVC already had a can use the @*: JSON result to manage outgoing JSON data. @* comment *@ Controllers now support output caching of child actions. Child One of the best Razor features is one you may not notice. The actions allow you to compose action output from several team did a great job of determining whether you’re working in code potentially reusable components. Caching at this granular level or HTML and offering the appropriate context-based IntelliSense. can significantly reduce the server load and improve performance The Visual Basic and C# templates illustrate two different in some pages. approaches to ViewData that work in both languages. ViewBag is The .NET Framework 4 data annotations namespace got a new and simply a version of ViewData that’s of dynamic type. boatload of new data annotation attributes. ASP.NET MVC 3 Simultaneous use of the two styles won’t confuse MVC, though I leverages these attributes, allowing richer declarative validation. doubt your teammates would appreciate it. The ViewBag allows These new attributes include DisplayAttribute, UIHintAttribute the simpler, non-quoted syntax, although neither version has any and EditableAttribute. The default model metadata provider, type safety or IntelliSense. DataAnnotationsModelMetadataProvider, uses these attributes in ASP.NET MVC 3 MVC ASP.NET While Razor is not a general-purpose generation language, you creating model metadata, which can be used to make decisions in can use it outside of MVC and can find a good explanation of this views and for server-side and client-side validation. usage on Rick Strahl’s blog (tinyurl.com/4hejbmh). If your templates Web development is moving toward the declarative style of are known at compile time, preprocessed text templates are HTML5. Instead of requiring JavaScript code in the page to probably easier to use. provide the client-side experience, HTML5 offers a standard set of Your Razor view is derived from the generic System.Web.M- attributes to declare the intended behavior and allow common vc.WebViewPage class; however, you don’t need to specify this code libraries to do the real work. This approach of avoiding code explicitly in your view. If you specify nothing, your view will derive from the dynamic version of the base class. More often, you’ll use the @model directive to indicate the type of your model, which may be either a type for simple data or one of the IEnumerable types for list data: @model IEnumerable
VisualStudioMagazine.com · March 2011 · VISUAL STUDIO MAGAZINE 43
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in the page is called unobtrusive JavaScript and is supported by IoC containers. It’s consistent with the MVC philosophy of deep MVC 3. Unobtrusive JavaScript makes cleaner, smaller HTML. extensibility that you can use any dependency-injection tool. I also But the real benefit is the declarative approach that removes think that in version 1, the MEF probably didn’t feel quite ready when library dependencies from your HTML. This allows you to switch the team began ASP.NET MVC 3 planning (no ExportProvider JavaScript libraries in the future with relative ease. in the .NET 4 MEF, for example). The teams are talking to each The current hot JavaScript library is jQuery. Microsoft adds other, so this isn’t a “left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is jQuery validation in ASP.NET MVC 3. The company is contributing doing” scenario. to the jQuery library and two significant future plug-ins: one for The MEF offers a couple of benefits for MVC-dependency templating and one for localization. resolution. Directory discovery is a simple approach appropriate on a server that avoids one more point of configuration. Catalogs Dependency Inversion shared across nested composition containers ensure discovery ASP.NET MVC offered many extension points in earlier versions of happens only once while retaining shared parts reused only the framework. MVC 3 adds a couple of new extensibility points and across the session. You can create a prioritization system—and provides better dependency inversion through the IDependency- even add prioritization to an existing system—through a custom Resolver interface. This interface can be implemented for individual catalog and export composition metadata. The lack of generic Dependency Inversion (DI) tools. It presents a consistent interface instantiation in this version of the MEF is not a hindrance in to the application. MVC because MVC generally uses a factory pattern, allowing you ASP.NET MVC 3 MVC ASP.NET Improvements to view helpers (Html.Helpers) and to the to easily instantiate concrete type-specific generics outside the scaffolding templates also appear in MVC 3. The best way to MEF infrastructure. explore these and other features is experimentation with the new A unique feature of the MEF is that retrieval is not type-based version. MVC 3 also introduces NuGet—a free, open source but export part-based, and parts can be Lazy and contain export package manager—as a common way of distributing MVC metadata. This is extremely helpful because it means factories and components, although it’s not limited to MVC. providers have whatever extra information you need to make decisions before any return value is instantiated. Q: When Microsoft added dependency inversion to the ASP.NET MVC 3 framework, why didn’t the developers use the Managed Q: I’m using MVC and I have a flag that indicates whether the Extensibility Framework (MEF)? Is the MEF dead? form that I’m storing as a hidden input element is dirty. A setting A: One aspect of the extensibility features in MVC 3 is use of a via JavaScript indicates whether my records are dirty. I bring the dependency resolver, similar to a service locator or an Inversion of form data back to the server and let MVC build the parameter Control (IoC) container. The dependency resolver is optional and object. The parameter object contains the dirty flag, but it’s generalized; you can create a wrapper for the IoC container of your always set to dirty. Can you tell me why this is happening and choice. I can’t speak for Microsoft, but I’ll tell you why I think this how to fix it? was a good decision. A: I assume you’re setting the dirty flag in the property setters of The MEF is a good dependency-inversion tool and works well the object. Because the default model binding uses those property as a dependency resolver for MVC. The MEF is not dead, and the setters, they’re setting your dirty flag. There are a few approaches MEF team has been doing interesting things, which you can see in to solving this problem. I think the simplest and most elegant the ongoing CodePlex drops. approach leverages the MVC load process using a “model binder.” The .NET Framework 4 version of the MEF was version 1. A lot of small improvements appear in the existing and upcoming Custom Model Binder CodePlex drops, including a better debugging story, ExportFactory The MVC infrastructure, including the data-load process, is an in the .NET version, and improvements to the internal codebase. excellent example of the power of composition, inversion and the The big feature that’s missing is the ability to instantiate a part Open/Closed principle. The Open/Closed principle says that from an open generic. That functionality should appear in drops objects should be open for extension but closed to modification. around March. The MEF is alive and well and I’m excited about You want all the great load behavior you get now, except you want the upcoming version. to fix a specific problem. You can do this with a targeted extension So, why doesn’t MVC use it? People are familiar with the many that drops your logic into just the right place as a custom model well-established IoC containers embedded in existing systems. It binder. Model binders will probably be the first place most would’ve been an enormous mistake if the ASP.NET MVC team programmers will extend the ASP.NET MVC framework. had thumbed their noses at this installed base by forcing MEF Internally, the MVC framework uses reflection to determine the usage, and introducing the unnecessary complexity of multiple parameters on your action methods. It then asks a model binder to
When Razor can’t imply intent, you can explicitly open and close template logic with curly brackets and expressions with parentheses in C# Razor templates.
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load the object via the BindModel method, which is the only } method on the IModelBinder interface. Model binders are specific } to the types they bind, and the MVC framework restricts the This code assumes that you’re either retrieving a specific type search to appropriate binders. (in place of bizObject) or retrieving objects based on an interface Prior to ASP.NET MVC 3, you explicitly registered the binders that includes the InstanceState property, allowing it to be set. I’m along with the types they bound. This story changed a bit in using a flagged enum for instance state to combine indications of MVC 3, which introduced a ModelBinderProvider. The whether the record was modified, created or deleted to show how framework collects all the ModelBinderProviders—both to manage a value more complex than a Boolean. statically registered and returned from the dependency In addition to fixing serialization issues, model binders can resolver—and asks each provider to return a model binder. As isolate the client-side and server-side abstractions. For example, soon as a provider returns a non-null value, the search process the popular jqGrid has short and vague argument names, such as terminates and that ModelBinder is used. Providers from the “sidx” for the sort column—which incidentally will generally not be dependency resolver are evaluated first, followed by statically an actual index but rather the name of the sort column. How registered binders. If you don’t supply a provider, and there’s a confusing is that! You can use a model binder to translate to a registered ModelBinder, it will be used. Regardless of how the better name and have a single point of change should you move to model binder is retrieved, it has the single job of supplying a fully a different grid. populated instance of the type. The compositional approach of ASP.NET MVC extends to value ASP.NET MVC 3 MVC ASP.NET Inheriting from the default model binder lets you delegate the providers. You can write your own value providers, which can bulk of the work to the existing framework class. The BindModel offer default information for complex objects (simple defaults can method received the controller context and the binding context as be included in the parameter list of your action method); interpret parameters. The controller context provides access to the session information offered in the request; and retrieve information from environment and the request. The binding context provides sources entirely outside the request and session, such as a value information about the parameter requested via the model from Web config or a calculated value. metadata system of MVC. You’ll generally work with the model name of the binding context: Q: Every time I start debugging an ASP.NET MVC app through public class BizObjectModelBinder : DefaultModelBinder the development server and I have a Razor view open and selected { in Visual Studio, I get this error: public override objectBindModel(ControllerContext controllerContext, Unable to cast object of type 'ASP._Page_Views_Shared_SimpleSearch_cshtml' ModelBindingContext bindingContext) to type 'System.Web.IHttpHandler'. { If I close the Web page and then select a tab in Visual Studio that var name = bindingContext.ModelName; doesn’t contain a Razor view, I can start the application. Calling the base class BindModel method retrieves the A: If the Start Action for your Web project is Current Page, Visual requested type loaded with the majority of its data: Studio will try to open the Razor file as an HTML file. It will then var bizObject = base.BindModel(controllerContext, bindingContext) as fail because your file isn’t all valid HTML. You can check this IBizObject; setting on the Web tab of your Web project’s property dialog. Set While you could directly access the request object, it would the Start Action to Specific Page with an empty page. require a lot of ugly parsing and break the single-responsibility There are two web.config files in an MVC project. One is principle. This class should know about the translation of located in the project root and the other is located in the Views data—from the abstraction of the request and environment to the folder. The web.config located in the Views folder should have abstraction of the target object—and nothing else. MVC wraps this setting: request access, and potentially access to other information, in
46 VISUAL STUDIO MAGAZINE · March 2011 · VisualStudioMagazine.com emement1);ent1); a areaSeriesreaSerieies.A Add(seriesElement2);Add(se(s rriesElement2t2);) areaSeriesareaSeries.Ad Add(seriesElement3);A d(seriesElement3); //// AddAdd seriesseries to the plot areaarea plotAreaplotArea.S Serieseries.Ad Add(areaSeries);d(areaSeries); //page//page.El Elementsemenem ts.A Add(dd(d newne LayoutGrid()LaLayyoutGrid() ); /// AddAdd thethe pagepage elementselements to the page AddEAAddEA s, 240, 0); AddEAN1AN 3SupSup5(pa5(p ge.Elemeentnts, 480, 0); AdddUPCVersionA(page.Elemene ts, 0, 135); AddUPCVersionASup2(page.Elements, 240, 135); AdddUPCd CVerssionAo Sup5((page.Elemennts,t 480, 135); AddEAN8(page.Elements, 0, .Elements, 480, 270);; AddddUUPCVersionE(papage.Elementts, 0, 405); AddUPCVersionESuE p2(page.Elements, 240, 405); AddUPCVersionESup5(pageage.Elelemments, 48800, 4405); // AAdd the page tot the document document.Pages.Add(pa CaptionAndRectanga lee(elemeements, “EAN/JA/JAN 13 Bar Codde”, x, y, 204, 99); BarCode barCode = new Ean13(“123456789012”, x, y + 21); barCode.XX+ +=+ ((2004 - baarCoode.GettSymbolWidth()h ) / 2; elements.Add(barCode); } private vo dRectangle(elemente s,, “EANEAN/JAN 13 Bar Code, 2 digit supplement”, x, y, 204, 99); BarCode barCode = new Ean13Sup2(“12 234556789678 0121212”, x, y + 211); barCoode.X += (204 - barCode.GetSymbolWidth()) / 2; elements.Add((barC ts, float x, float y)y { AddCaCaptionAndRectanangle(elements, “EAN/JAN 13 Bar Code, 5 digit supplement”, x, y, 204, 99); ( g[ ] g) BaB rrCode barrCode = new Ean13SupS 5(“12345678901212345”, x, y + 21); ba s.Add(barCode); } pprivatete vooid AddUPCVPCVersiers onA(Group elements, float x, float y) {Add{ CaptionAndRectangle(elements,{ “UPC Versionio A Baar CCoode”, x, y, 204, 99);; BarCoode barCode = new UpcVersionA(“12345678901”, xx, y + s.Add(barCode); } pprivatete vooid AddUPCVPCVersiers onASup2(Group elements, float x, floato y) { AddCaptionAndRectangle(elementm p ““UPCC Version E Bar Code, 2 digit supplement”, x, y, 204,4 99); BarCoodeod 21) ; barCode.X += (2( 04 - babarCode.GeetSymbymbolWidth()) / 2; elements.Add(barCode);e } private void AddUPCVVersionASSuup5( g g ( p p ) Group elements,n float x, flfloaflo t digit supplement”,t” xx, y, 2004, 99); BarCode bbarCode = new UpcVep rsionASuAS p5(“12343 567890112345”, x, y + 21); barCarCode.Xde.X [ ] += (204 - barCode.GetSymbom olWidth()) / 22; ele t x, float y) { AddCaptionnAndRAnd ectangle(eleelemments, “EAN/JANN 8 Bar Code”, x,x y, 204,0 99); BarCode barCode = new Ean8(n8 “1 [ ] 2345670”, x, y + 21); OpenFileileDiala og fileDie aloloog = g.Filter = “Adobeob PDPDF filees (*.pdf)|*.pdf|Alll Files (*.*)|*.*”; if (fileDieD alog.SShowDiialog() == DialogResult.OK) { pdfVf ieweewer.OpOpen p y y yyp (fifileDialog.FilleName, “”); } SaveveFileDialog saveFileileDDialoog = neneww Sav Dialog.Filter = “AdoAdobe PDF files (*.pdff)|*.pdpdf|A|All Files (*.*)|*.*”;”; iff (saveFFileDialolog.Showh Dialog() ==DialoalogResRee ult..OK) { pdfVView High h SecuSec rity sec urit y new w High h Secu u rity y (“O Ow nerP assw ord” , “U“ serPassw ord” ) .SSaveAsve (saveFieFileDia printer = pdfViewer.Per rinterr; prip nter.PriintWiW thDialog(); } elsee { MesssageBox.SShoww(“Please open a fifile to printrin ”)”); }OpenFin le y ppy DDialoog fileDieD alog = new OpenFileDDialog(); fileDiaDialog.og Tittle = “Opepen Filel D les (*.*)|*.*|Addobee PDF fileses (*.p*.pdf)|*.pddf”; ifi (fifileDialog.ShowwDialalog() === DialogResult.ult OK) { DynamicPDFViewewerClass testees = y y neew DynammiccPDFViewerClass((); PPDFPrinter pprintererr = tet st.OpenFFileFo = File.ReadAAllBytes(@”C:\M:\MyDyDoc.pdff”); //u// sing System.Runntimme.IntntteropServicces;GCHandled gch=GCH= CHaananddle.Aloc(conteents, p GCHandleTTypee.Pinnedd);) IIntntPtr coconton entsIntPtr = g tents.Lengthh, “”); AddCaCaptioonAndReectanglan ee(pageElementts, “BBBookkmark Pagee Elemeent:”, x, y);; pagpaa eEeEleemeents.Add(newtesw t ( p p ) Bookmaark(“Bookmarked Textt”, x + 5, y ++2 20, pparentre OutlO ine));) pa 215, 10, Fonnt.TTimemesRomanma , 10)); } prriivate vooid AddCiircle(GGroup paageElemeennts,nts float x,x floafloatyt y) { //Add/A s a circlt to the papageg p ( p p ) Eleemenmentenents AddCapCa tiont AndRdRectae Add(new Cirrcle(x + 112.5f5f, y + 50f, 1007.5f, 300f, RgbColoolor.RRRed, RgbbColor.Bluee, 2, LineL eStyylyle.Dae DashLas L rge))); } pprivate void AdA d p () FormatteeddTexxtAreea(Groupp paageElements, flfloaat x, flfloat y) { // Adds a formatted textte a micPDFPDF/b>&tm; GGenerator v66.0 for ..NETNET has a forrmattted tetext t arrea paage “ + “eleemment. This prroviddes rich fororm } atting suppupport for texext that appap eears in the doocumment. You have “ + “completlete cocontrolol ovever 8 paragraph left indentattionn, righht indenentation, aligliggnnment, allollowing orphaan linnes, aand white “ + “spaace prereservata ion; 6 foont propropeerties:e Thiss is a very simplee HTMLHT strs ingin inclinc udinud ng a T ;peXd`ZG;=Ç:fdgi\_\ej`m\G;=Jfclk`fej]fi%E KIPFLIG;=JFCLK@FEJ=I<<KF;8P nnn%;peXd`ZG;=%Zfd&\mXcfiZXcc/''%-/(%,''/s"(+('%..)%/-)' Untitled-3 1 12/7/10 3:17 PM BY ANDREW J. BRUST Microsoft, Windows Azure and Assisted Transitions I’ve been working on a big Windows Azure research project recently, symmetry with SQL Server. I’ve also discussed how the Professional and it’s got me thinking. For well over a year now, developers have Developers Conference 2010 Windows Azure announcements—for been inundated with cloud messaging and evangelism. The marketing, things like the Extra Small Instance, AppFabric Caching, SQL Azure news and analysis make the on-premises model sound completely Reporting, the VM Role and SQL Azure Connect VPN access—build passé, and yet cloud development is still far from common. on that symmetry and serve to further ease the transition from As with any big shift in technology, a lot is at stake for developers. corporate datacenter to cloud. No one wants to make signifi cant investments of money, attention But it’s only with some signifi cant hands-on research of late that and free time on something that will be a mere fl ash in the pan—or I’ve really grown to appreciate just how important all of this is. even a stable, yet niche, technology. We’ve been here before, with the launch of microcomputers, the Déja Knew advent of client/server databases, the growth of GUI technologies, Here’s my take: Doing Windows Azure development feels like the fl ight to object-oriented programming, the shift from 16-bit to starting a new job, but in the same line of work. You use the same 32-bit APIs, the emergence of the Web, the move to managed code tools and techniques in your work, and draw on the same and more. Each of these technology shifts brought huge burdens in experience to do your job. Put another way: You’ll still know the learning, capital investment, application rewrites and more. I’m ropes and you’ll maintain your confi dence. afraid the cloud-computing model—for all its benefi ts—will impose This works on the business side, too. Windows Azure services are another round of these cyclical burdens. being integrated into MSDN subscriptions and corporate Enterprise Agreements, just like conventional software licenses. Windows Azure Getting There from Here, and Vice Versa training comes from the same Microsoft and partner channels— For Microsoft developers, though, there’s good news here. When it even the same trainers—that you already know. You’ll keep your comes to easing these generational transitions, when it comes to account reps and your partner account managers, and you’ll likely bridging the gaps they introduce, when it’s necessary to create new keep your consulting providers, too. But you’re still getting the cloud, development environments that work intuitively for the experts in not just a bunch of on-premises stuff hosted on a virtual machine. the older ones, Microsoft really shines. Think about it: When Does Microsoft have a self-interest in maintaining this continuity? Windows reached prominence, Visual Basic gave QuickBASIC Of course. Change and retooling is expensive for Microsoft, as would developers a chance at bat. When SQL Server came out, we could be jettisoning the value and stability of the on-premises server platform query it with the APIs we used with Access. When the Web became Redmond has built over the last decade and more. That doesn’t prominent, Active Server Pages let us use Visual Basic to program it. compromise the effi cacy of Windows Azure, though—in fact, it helps Successive versions of Visual Studio made ensuing changes more assure it. Microsoft needs a platform that’s competitive, complete approachable, too. and mitigates disruption. So do you. After signifi cant hands-on work These transitioning aids are often themselves transitional: Not so with Windows Azure, I can safely say that’s exactly what you get. VSM many people use DAO against SQL Server anymore, and lots of people do their Web development in C# instead of Visual Basic. Our Andrew J. Brust is founder and CEO of Blue Badge Insights, an analysis, new code doesn’t look like our old code, but with Microsoft, we had strategy and advisory firm, as well as CTO for Tallan, a Microsoft National a path to get from old to new, and it was pretty smoothly paved. Systems Integrator. Brust is a Microsoft Regional Director and MVP, and This tradition continues. I’ve written about the value of the coauthor of “Programming Microsoft SQL Server 2008” (Microsoft Press, consistency of Windows Azure with on-premises Windows Server 2008). Catch Brust speaking at Visual Studio Live! 2011 in Las Vegas in April. and the Microsoft .NET Framework; I’ve applauded SQL Azure and its For more info, go to VSLive.com/LV. Doing Windows Azure development feels like starting a new job, but in the same line of work. 48 VISUAL STUDIO MAGAZINE · March 2011 · VisualStudioMagazine.com Untitled-1 1 1/12/11 10:03 AM Untitled-11 1 1/7/11 4:08 PM