MSDN Flash - Volume 11, Number 18: August 27, 2007

Article
07/06/2017

From the Editor

Like any team activity, team-based software development requires a focus on best practices, as well as flexibility to innovate. Visual Studio Team Foundation Server is designed to help teams collaborate regardless of the organizational, physical, or geographical boundaries that separate them. The product offers so much flexibility that developers continue to ask for advice and guidance on how best to use Team Foundation Server (TFS). And, indeed, there are proven best practices, now available online and in print from the good folks in Microsoft patterns & practices. Download the Team Development with Visual Studio Team Foundation Guide and learn how to get the most out of TFS. This is no little pocket guide; it's more than 500 pages full of insights from the field that you can tailor for your specific scenarios.

There's also a new video available on Team Foundation Server. Part of the "How Do I?" video series, "How Do I: Use .NET Code to Customize Coded Web Tests?" shows how to use .NET Framework code to customize coded Web tests to record a series of HTTP requests that validate the functionality of a Web site in Visual Studio Team System.

And now you can download the August CTP of Visual Studio Team System code name "Rosario". This is the release that follows Visual Studio Team System 2008 , and the August CTP provides the earliest glimpse of the work in progress. The "Rosario" release will deliver key advances for software development teams in the areas of business relevance and quality focus.

Another helpful download now available is the 2007 Office System: Microsoft SDK for Open XML Formats. The 2007 Microsoft Office system introduces a new file format, based on XML, called Open XML Formats. The new versions of Word, Excel and PowerPoint all use these formats as the default file format. This SDK is built on top of the System.IO.Packaging API and provides strongly typed part classes to manipulate Open XML documents.

Finally, check out the Expression Blend 2 August 2007 Preview now available for download. This preview enables designers to create Silverlight 1.0 experiences and share the same project file and code against the design using Visual Studio. Also new in this free trial preview are XAML editor improvements, a make user control, new build options, a storyboard picker, and new object manipulation capabilities.

And the Zune winner is...
Congratulations to Joshua Jensen of Ogden, Utah. Joshua had the winning entry in the drawing for the Zune as part of our quarterly MSDN Flash Subscriber Survey. Stay tuned during the fall when the survey once again goes live. Your responses help guide our editorial decisions.

Thanks for reading.
Editor, MSDN Flash

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Visual Studio 2008 Beta 2 Now Available for Download

Visual Studio 2008 enables developers and development teams to create great connected applications on the latest platforms, including the Web, Windows Vista, the 2007 Office System, SQL Server 2008, and Windows Server 2008. Register and download Visual Studio 2008 today and receive a set of technical resources to help you get the most out of your evaluation experience.

Visual Studio 2008 Beta 2
Additional resources to help you get the most out of your evaluation experience:

What's New in Visual Studio Team System 2008

Learn about all the many new and enhanced features of Visual Studio Team System 2008 and how to use them.

Write Quality Code with Visual Studio Team System 2008

Learn the principles and procedures for improving code quality.

Guide: Team Development with Visual Studio Team System

Learn how to improve the effectiveness of your team-based software development, and find guidance and insights you can tailor to your specific scenarios.

Windows Server 2008 Evaluation
Additional resources to help you get the most out of your evaluation experience:

What Can I Do with Windows PowerShell? A Task-Based Guide to Windows PowerShell Cmdlets

Cmdlets are the heart and soul of Windows PowerShell, Microsoft's new command shell/scripting language. This series provides a task-based introduction to Windows PowerShell cmdlets. Rather than focusing on the individual cmdlets themselves, the emphasis is on the tasks you can carry out using those cmdlets.

Managing IIS 7 with Windows PowerShell

Join Bill Staples, Product Unit Manager for IIS 7, and Jeffrey Snover, MMC and Windows PowerShell Architect, as they discuss the new features of Windows Server, IIS 7, and Windows PowerShell. See how much easier it is to manage an IIS 7 single box or an IIS 7 Web farm with Windows PowerShell.

TechNet Virtual Labs: Writing Scripts with Windows Powershell

In this TechNet Labcast, the Scripting Guys walk you through the process of creating a Windows PowerShell script, along the way filling you in on the mysteries of the For Each loop and the allure of using the .NET Framework.

Spotlight on Silverlight

Light up the Web with Microsoft Silverlight at MSDN Events

Connect with like-minded coders at this free, half-day of learning from MSDN Events. Learn all about Silverlight from a developer's perspective, including how to build rich, interactive applications using the developer IDE of choice, Visual Studio, as well as Microsoft's powerful new designer tool, Expression Blend. Also includes sessions on Windows Communication Foundation and using LINQ with Visual Studio 2008.

Books

Check out the Silverlight Developer Center

Spotlight on Windows Communication Foundation (WCF)

Building an Effective Messaging Infrastructure with WCF at MSDN Events

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Books

Check out the Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) Developer Resources Site

Spotlight on Visual Studio 2008 and LINQ

Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 Web Seminar Series for ISV Developers

September 10 - 13, 10:00 A.M. Pacific Time
Attend this 4-part Web seminar series and learn about the exciting new technologies that will dramatically improve your development experience.

New Thinking in Data with LINQ and Visual Studio 2008 at MSDN Events

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News for Students

Bill Hill: Digital Democracy and the Declaration of Digital Independence
Bill Hill, one of Channel 9's favorite Microsoft personalities, has posted a video blog entry about digital democracy. What is digital democracy? Tune in and enjoy!

Build a Bluetooth-enabled Screen Locker in Under Three Hours
Jerry Brunning posted a great tutorial at Coding4Fun showing you how to build an application that locks your workstation when you walk out of range with your phone.

Channel 8 Updates
Channel8 has some great new content from Imagine Cup to GameFest!

• Meet Team Malta, Team Great Britain, and others on Channel8

• Learn about XNA Game Studio 2.0

• Take a video tour of Visual Studio 2008 Express Beta 2

Dream, Build, Play Winners Announced at XNA Gamefest
XNA has been enabling everyone from enthusiasts to hardcore programmers to create games. The winners of the Dream, Build, Play contest were announced at the conference, and more features (such as Xbox Live network API, compatibility with all versions of Visual Studio 2005, and more) were made public. Check "Playing people's dreams with XNA Game Studio" for more information.

Office 2007 Tips and Tricks - Document Inspector
Chris Bowen shows you how to use the Document Inspector feature to cleanse annotations, history, comments, and other fluff out of Office documents that have been around the block a few times.

Enter the Halo 3 for 3 Sweepstakes
The Xbox Newsletter has got three rounds of Halo 3 prizes, and three chances to win big - including all the Halo gear you could ask for. The prizes get bigger and better with each round, so be sure to register for a chance to win in all three rounds.

Government Resources

Microsoft Developer Conferences
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Developer Webcasts
Learn about the latest Microsoft development tools for Public Sector developers! And be sure to check out this month's upcoming webcast schedule.

Visit the Public Sector Developer Blog

Web Resources

Vista Certification Workshop 2-Part Web Seminar

September 12 - 13, 10:00 A.M. Pacific Time
This two-hour Web seminar will describe how to analyze applications to make sure they adhere to new guidelines for deployment, security, reliability, and stability.

Access 2007 Runtime Now Available

Deploying Access 2007 Runtime-Based Solutions

Learn how to use the Package Solution Wizard to build and distribute solutions that include the Microsoft Office Access 2007 Runtime.

Outlook 2007 Primary Interop Assembly Reference

This reference provides help for extending the Outlook 2007 Developer Reference from the COM environment to the managed environment, and focuses how to use the PIA.

Book Excerpt: Getting Started with Office Business Applications (Part 1 of 2)

This book highlights the breadth of approaches developers can take for extending line-of-business information to information workers in the familiar, usable format of the Microsoft Office interface.

Book Excerpt: Getting Started with Office Business Applications (Part 2 of 2)

In this section, we'll describe the breadth of approaches that can be used to extend and integrate LOB systems and Microsoft Office.

ISV Innovation Briefings Presents: Windows Server 2008 Web Seminar Gift Card Giveaway

September 14, October 1 - 5, 10:00 A.M. Pacific Time
The first 100 partners who register, view, and fill out a survey for all 6 Innovation Briefings Windows Server 2008 Web seminars (1 Intro Web seminar and 5 Deep Dive Web seminars) will receive a US$50 Best Buy Gift Card at the end of the promotional period.

OBA Web Seminar Series Promotional Giveaway

September 17 - 21, 10:00 A.M. Pacific Time
The first 100 partners who register, attend, and fill out our survey for all 5 OBA Web seminars will receive an Office Business Application (OBA) book at the end of the promotional period.

Check out "The Ingenuity Showcase and Contest"

We're looking around the globe for inspiring stories of passionate people developing innovative software solutions that make a difference. If you know of an ISV using Microsoft technology to create a world-changing application for healthcare, education or clean technology, tell them to submit their solution for a chance to get their story told.

Integrating Siebel CRM with Office SharePoint Server 2007

Use Web services to build an integration solution between SharePoint Server 2007 and Siebel CRM 7.8.

Office Developer Visual How-tos

• Create and Edit Custom Document Information Panels from SharePoint Server 2007
5 easy steps to creating and editing a custom Document Information Panel from the SharePoint Server 2007 user interface.

• Build Simple Master Pages for Windows SharePoint Services 3.0
Use SharePoint Designer 2007 to build simple master pages for Windows SharePoint Services 3.0.

• Build Simple Custom Approval Workflows with InfoPath 2007 Forms
Interact programmatically with the InfoPath 2007 forms that are displayed to the user during the various stages of the workflow life cycle.

• Build Custom Field Types in Windows SharePoint Services 3.0
Learn to use Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 with Extensions for Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 to build custom field types.

• Build Custom Activities for Use in SharePoint Designer 2007
Use the Office SharePoint Designer 2007 workflow designer to create custom activities.

Prove Your Visual Studio 2005 Expertise: Get Certified

Showcase your technical and job-specific skills by becoming a Microsoft Certified Professional Developer.

Free 2007 Microsoft Office System E-Learning for Developers

See how you can incorporate Office SharePoint Server 2007 and Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 into your existing infrastructure. Free for a limited time.

Free Windows Vista Developer E-Learning Clinics

Get started with these free clinics and take advantage of the new skills that you'll gain to build more engaging and compelling user interfaces.

Get Visual Studio 2005 Training From the Experts

Learn more about Visual Studio 2005 from industry experts in your area. Special offers good for a limited time.

Microsoft Unified Communications for ISVs

August 27 - 30, 2:00 P.M. Pacific Time
Learn how using Microsoft Exchange Server 2007, Microsoft Office Live Meeting, Microsoft Office Communications Server, and Microsoft Office Communicator 2007 can help your clients work together dynamically - anywhere, anytime, and with anyone.

Security for Developers

DREAD and the PHB

DREAD stands for damage, reliability, exploitability, affected users, and discoverability of a vulnerability. PHB stands for pointy-haired boss.

DREADful

Case Studies, KB Articles, & How-tos

Records Management Solution Demonstrates the Power of SharePoint as a Development Platform

Applied Information Sciences (AIS) developed the DoD 5015 Records Center add-on pack as a cost-effective solution for standards-compliant records management. By using only the object model and capabilities native to SharePoint Server 2007 and the .NET Framework, AIS demonstrated the power of the 2007 Microsoft Office system as an extensible development platform.

How to publish a Web service in Universal Description, Discovery and Integration (UDDI), and how to use the service in Visual Studio 2005 and in Office InfoPath

Solution Upgrade Gives Grocery Chain Faster Performance, Real-Time Inventory Control

Disco S.A.'s automatic replenishment system manages the company's entire distribution system, giving managers at Disco up-to-the-minute information on inventory in every store. An upgrade to SQL Server 2005 achieved significant performance gains.

Hospital Moves to Electronic Records and Reduces Records Delinquency by 84 Percent

CaroMont Health's SQL Server-based clinical information system reduced records requests by 30%, analysis times by 50%, its medical records delinquency rate by 84%, unbilled accounts receivables by 50%, and photocopying costs by US$100,000 annually.

An ASP.NET Web application that uses SSL generates an exception after you install security bulletin MS07-040

Cumulative update package 4 for SQL Server 2005 Service Pack 2

Error message when you visit an ASP.NET 2.0 Web site: "InvalidOperationException: Failed to map the path '/<Application_Name>/ App_GlobalResources/'"

MS07-043: Vulnerability in OLE Automation could allow remote code execution

FIX: You receive an error message when you use the Visual FoxPro OLE DB Provider in a SQL Server Integration Services application or in an ASP.NET application

More KB Articles and How-tos...
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Visual Studio 2005 and Visual Studio .NET KB Articles

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FIX: The Visual Studio 2005 IDE may respond very slowly or may stop responding when you drag a DataGridView control to a Windows-based form

FIX: Error message when you compile a project in Visual Studio .NET 2003: "BC31091 Import of type '<unknown>' from assembly or module '<unknown>' failed"

The "RFX_Date" function returns a value of "December 30, 1899" when you run the function on a date/time data type field in a Visual C++ .NET Framework application

FIX: Error message when you use the XML editor in a Visual C++ 2005 project that contains read-only files: "The file project_name.vcproj, which you attempted to edit, is read-only on disk"

.NET Framework KB Articles

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FIX: You may receive a System.IO.FileNotFoundException exception when you browse a .NET Framework 2.0 ASP.NET Web application

FIX: A RemotingException exception occurs when you compile a large Web site project that is built on the .NET Framework 2.0 by using the ASP.NET Compilation tool

FIX: Blocking problems may occur when you use SQL Server to store ASP.NET session state information for a Web site that experiences high loads

FIX: A .NET Framework 1.1 application that uses the AxHost class to host ActiveX controls crashes or throws exceptions

The debugger may stop responding when mixed-mode debugging a debuggee that uses more than 63 thread local storage slots

SQL Server and Data Access KB Articles

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FIX: Error message when the Distribution Agent tries to apply the snapshot to the subscriber in SQL Server 2005: "Must declare the scalar variable "@Variable""

FIX: Error message when you run a query that fires an INSTEAD OF trigger in SQL Server 2005 Service Pack 2: "Internal Query Processor Error The query processor could not produce a query plan"

FIX: Error message when you run a SQL Server 2005 Integration Services package that contains a Script Component transformation: "Insufficient memory to continue the execution of the program"

FIX: Error message when you run a query that is associated with a parallel execution plan in SQL Server 2005: "SQL Server Assertion: File: <lckmgr.cpp>, line=10850 Failed Assertion = 'GetLocalLockPartition () == xactLockInfo->GetLocalLockPartition ()'"

FIX: Error message when you run a stored procedure that references tables after you upgrade a database from SQL Server 2000 to SQL Server 2005: "A time-out occurred while waiting for buffer latch"

FIX: Error message when you run a SQL Server 2005 Integration Services package that contains an FTP task: "An error occurred in the requested FTP operation"

FIX: Error message when you try to update the index key columns of a non-unique clustered index in SQL Server 2005: "Cannot insert duplicate key row in object 'ObjectName' with unique index 'IndexName'"

FIX: An access violation may occur, and you may receive an error message, when you query the sys.dm_exe_sessions dynamic management view in SQL Server 2005

FIX: The performance of insert operations against a table that contains an identity column may be slow in SQL Server 2005

FIX: The population operation may be very slow when you populate a full-text index that uses a column that is the varchar data type in SQL Server 2005

FIX: You receive a System.InvalidCastException exception when you run an application that calls the Server.JobServer.Jobs.Contains method on a computer that has SQL Server 2005 Service Pack 2 installed

Partner News

Announcing Crystal Reports Viewer XI

Share Crystal Report files with anyone, anytime, anywhere. Complimentary viewer enables full drill-down and navigation of .rpt files.

Free Trial of WebGrid.NET Enterprise 6.0

Now even more powerful with Pivot Charting and Classic Paging functionalities.

Dundas Gauge for SharePoint Now Available

Dundas Gauge for SharePoint gives you the ability to display your KPIs in an exciting new way. Together with Dundas Chart for SharePoint, you have the ability to add dynamic, advanced dashboards to SharePoint 2007, all without using Visual Studio.

QuickLearn Offers Discounted Classes for Conference Attendees
Once again QuickLearn will be a sponsor of the Microsoft SOA and Business Process Conference in Redmond, and we will be offering a 35% discount to attendees of the conference. The discount is available for each of the classes scheduled during the week prior to and the week following the conference (October 29 - November 2). Contact Ginny Simmons for the promotional code.

• BizTalk Server 2006 Deep Dive (5 days)
October 22, Microsoft Campus, Redmond

• Updating Your Skills For BizTalk Server 2006 R2 (3 days)
October 24, QuickLearn Classroom, Redmond

• Building Enterprise SOA Solutions (5 days)
November 5, QuickLearn Classroom, Redmond

• Windows Communication Foundation QuickStart (5 days)
November 5, Computer Classrooms, Kirkland

• Windows Workflow Foundation QuickStart (5 days)
November 5, Computer Classrooms, Kirkland

International Events

Enter the Ingenuity Point Showcase and Contest

Entries due October 31, 2007, or April 30, 2008
Do you have an innovative application that is making a positive impact on the world in the area of clean technology, healthcare, or education?

Microsoft TechEd Developers

5 - 9 November, Barcelona, Spain
Gain hands-on experience with the newest and coolest development tools and acquire the skills you need to build more streamlined, scalable, and secure applications.

MSDN Events

Meet Your Fellow Masters with MSDN Events

Connect with like-minded coders at this free, half-day of learning from MSDN Events.

• Session 1: New Thinking in Data with LINQ and Visual Studio 2008
Learn the architecture of LINQ and the C# and Visual Basic extensions for writing queries within the development tool you're already comfortable with.

• Session 2: Building an Effective Messaging Infrastructure with WCF
Learn how to build and configure services in WCF using a variety of real-world scenarios as examples.

• Session 3: Light up the Web with Microsoft Silverlight
Learn all about Silverlight from a developer's perspective, including how to build rich, interactive applications using the developer IDE of choice, Visual Studio, as well as Microsoft's powerful new designer tool, Expression Blend.