A Stray Alien

Globe Tattoo:Constantly Switches Between 3G and HSDPA

2012-02-23T01:42:00.000-08:00

Problem
Globe Tattoo constantly switches rapidly between 3G and HSDPA which means you end up with a poor connection.

Solution
Run this BATch file in the background which keeps Globe constantly attached to "HSDPA Globe"

cd\
:start
ping -n 1 -l 1000 google.com.au
ping -n 1 -w 1000 10.0.0.0
ping -n 2 127.0.0.1
ping -n 1 -w 1000 10.0.0.0
goto start

Did I solve your problem? Buy me a virtual beer by clicking one Google advert. Thanks!

.

Joomla:You Add a DOCX File But a ZIP File Downloads Instead

2012-02-21T23:50:00.001-08:00

Problem
You upload a DOCX file into Joomla but upon clicking it from the actual site, a ZIP file is downloaded instead.

Solution
This is a MIME issue at the CPanel level. To fix, go to CPanel and find the "MIME Types" option probably under "Advanced". Click MIME Types. In "MIME Type" enter application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document

In "Extension(s)" enter docx
Press "Add" button

Did I solve your problem? Buy me a virtual beer by clicking one Google advert. Thanks!

.

Globe Tattoo: "You can't connect before register an available network."

2012-02-15T15:52:00.000-08:00

Problem
You've bought a Globe Tattoo prepay USB stick but when you try to connect using the Globe Tattoo Broadband software, you receive the error message: "You can't connect before register an available network."

Solution

In the Tattoo software, go to Tools / Options
Choose "Network" on the tree
Make sure "Network Type" setting is "3G Only"
Click "Registration Mode" tab
Choose "Manual search and register" radio button
Press "REFRESH" button
Choose a GLOBE operator then "Register" button
This has to be done each time the USB key is plugged in.
Note: If I am lucky enough to connect to Globe HSDPA then I get a good consistent download of 350KB/s (yes, KiloBYTES)

Did I solve your problem? Buy me a virtual beer by clicking one Google advert. Thanks!

IIS:Unable to Generate a Temporary Class

2011-11-22T02:56:00.000-08:00

Problem
Your ASP.NET application reports
"Unable to generate a temporary class (result=1)"

Solution
In IIS set your Application Pool for your app to be the appropriate .NET framework and set Application Pool=DefaultAppPool

Did I solve your problem? Buy me a virtual beer by clicking one Google advert. Thanks!

.

PrestaShop:Changing Domain Name on your PrestaShop install

2011-09-30T18:11:00.000-07:00

Problem
You've installed Prestashop and set it up but realised you have to change the Prestashop domain name

Solution

Updating your database
Log into cPanel, then go to "PHPMyAdmin" and log into your PrestaShop database. Go to the table "ps_configuration" and locate the records for PS_SHOP_DOMAIN and PS_SHOP_DOMAIN_SSL. Change these to the new domain name. Check the configuration table for any other entries that contain the old domain name and change accordingly.

Updating your config settings
Via FTP or the file manager in cPanel, modify the PHP file /config/settings.inc.php. Look for the entry for PS_BASE_URI__ and modify as necessary. For a shop located in the root, it should read:
?123 // <![CDATA[ define('__PS_BASE_URI__', '/'); //

Updating SEO-friendly URLs
Delete (or rename) the .htaccess file on your site.
In your PrestaShop admin, you now need to re-generate the SEO URLs with the new domain name. Log into your PS admin, then go to "tools->generate->generate .htaccess".

Enabling SSL
If your site has a full SSL Certificate, then you can also enable this via your PrestaShop admin under "Preferences page -> Enable SSL: Yes".
Note that PrestaShop won't work with our Shared SSL as the SEO URLs rewrite rules don't work with the server paths. For PS shops, you either need to have a Dedicated IP & your own Full SSL Certificate or you need to disable SSL.

Did I solve your problem? Buy me a virtual beer by clicking one Google advert. Thanks!

.

FTPExtended features supported

2011-09-15T20:19:00.000-07:00

Problem
Trying to connect via FTP stops on the following message, then unable to connect:
211-Extended features supported:

Solution
I changed a few settings at the same time so I don't know exactly which one solved the problem, but I solved it like this:
- Goto the Properties for the connection in SmartFTP
- Open "FTP" in the tree
- Click "Connection" on the tree
- In the "Connection" page, set "Send FEAT" to "Disable"; set "Mode" to "Active Mode (PORT)"; set "Force PASV IP" to "Enable". Everything else is set to default

Did I solve your problem? Buy me a virtual beer by clicking one Google advert. Thanks!

.

Visual Studio 2010 Serial Number

2011-08-27T02:30:00.000-07:00

Problem
You quickly need Visual Studio 2010 on your live server to very infrequently debug rare issues but without paying for a licence.

Solution

(Full solution here: http://www.viprasys.org/vb/1886411-post2.html)

Download and Install Visual Studio 2010 Ultimate trial from Microsoft site: http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=12187

Once installed, go to Control Panel -> Programs and Features, locate and highlight Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 Ultimate installation, and click on Uninstall/Change button.

A Visual Studio setup maintenance screen should be shown. After clicking Next button, an option to enter a valid serial number to upgrade product license is available. Enter the key YCFHQ9DWCYDKV88T2TMHG7BHP, and click on Activate button. No re-installation required.

Note: Obviously, purchase Visual Studio for your main dev environment. This is for those rare situations where you quickly need to debug an issue that is only occurring on your server.

Did I solve your problem? Buy me a virtual beer by clicking one Google advert. Thanks!

.

Photoshop:Create a Transparent Gradient

2011-08-19T08:24:00.000-07:00

Problem
You need to create a transparent gradient for an image in Photoshop

Solution

Create a photoshop file with two layers - one blank and the other containing the image to be made transparent.
Select the image's layer.
Click the Add layer mask icon at the bottom of the layers palette.
A layer mask is created in the image layer.
Select the gradient tool and apply a black/white gradient to the image layer

Did I solve your problem? Buy me a virtual beer by clicking one Google advert. Thanks!

Joomla:Insert an iframe into a Joomla Article

2011-08-15T00:55:00.000-07:00

Problem
You need to insert an iframe into a Joomla Article

Solution

Go to Admin Page => Extensions=>Modules Manager=> New and then Choose wrapper
Fill out the usual iFrame parameters on the right-hand-side in "Module Parameters"
On the left-hand-side where it asks for "Details", go to the field "Position" and TYPE something into the box (don't choose from the dropdown). e.g. type "user201"
Go back to your article
Enter this into the appropriate area of your article: {loadposition user201}

Did I solve your problem? Buy me a virtual beer by clicking one Google advert. Thanks!

Windows Explorer:Thumbnail View Not Showing Filename

2011-04-16T21:28:00.000-07:00

Problem
Windows Explorer shows thumbnails but not displaying filename.

Solution
Go to a folder with thumbnails. Go to "View" and select "Tiles". Go back to "View" and this time hold SHIFT key while selecting Thumbnails view. Filenames in Windows Explorer thumbnail view will now always show.

Did I solve your problem? Buy me a virtual beer by clicking one Google advert. Thanks!

.

Center a Div in IE

2011-02-19T19:27:00.000-08:00

Problem
You can center an HTML Div in every browser except IE.

Solution

As far as I'm aware, you have to create two divs. Make everything in the outer div centered and make the inner div left aligned.

<div style="width:100%;background-color:#ff0000;text-align:center;">
<div style="width:300px; margin:0 auto;background-color:#00ff00;text-align:left">
YOUR CONTENT HERE
</div>
</div>

Did I solve your problem? Buy me a virtual beer by clicking one Google advert. Thanks!

.

How To Connect To Your Previous RDP Session

2011-01-23T22:21:00.000-08:00

Problem
You somehow lost RDP connection to your Windows Server 2003 machine but when you try to connect to the old session, Windows 2003 instead starts a new second session.

Solution
To connect back to the old previous RDP session without starting a new one, try the following:

1) Save an RDP file with the connection details on your desktop with Remote Desktop Connection (e.g. MyServer.rdp)
2) Create a BATch file on your desktop containing the following script:
C:\WINDOWS\system32\mstsc.exe "C:\Documents and Settings\YOUR_USER_NAME\Desktop\MyServer.rdp" /Console

Remember to switch "YOUR_USER_NAME" for whatever your username is on your local PC, and "MyServer.rdp" to whatever you named your RDP file on the desktop.

Running the batch file will reconnect you to your previous RDP session.

Did I solve your problem? Buy me a virtual beer by clicking one Google advert. Thanks!

.

CheapDomain.com.au Does Not Forward Emails

2011-01-21T01:35:00.000-08:00

Problem
You setup email forwarding with CheapDomain.com.au but it doesn't work

Solution
CheapDomain.com.au can not handle forwarding to certain non-popular email extensions such as .NAME (e.g. John@Smith.name). Give CheapDomain.com.au a simple standard email address to forward to such as a .COM
Did I solve your problem? Buy me a virtual beer by clicking one Google advert. Thanks!

.

Failure Notice with New Godaddy Email Accounts

2010-12-29T21:14:00.000-08:00

Problem
You setup a new free email account with GoDaddy and all seems well until you try to send an email to it. Your test email to your new email account bounces with an error similar to:
"failure notice" from MAILER-DAEMON@smtpauth11.prod.mesa1.secureserver.net
"Remote host said: 550 #5.1.0 Address rejected"

Solution
This appears to be a long-standing problem with GoDaddy and Asia Pacific. When you setup your free email with GoDaddy, you would been given the option to host in United States, Europe, or Asia-Pacific (AP). If you setup with Asia Pacific, your email account will not work and you will receive the above problem.

You have to wipe your email account and start again. Use another "Free email with domain" Credit but this time choosing "United States" from the "Setup Free Account" instead of "Asia Pacific".

Did I solve your problem? Buy me a virtual beer by clicking one Google advert. Thanks!

.

Silverlight:Silverlight Works In IE but Blank Page in Firefox

2010-10-25T21:21:00.000-07:00

Problem
Your Silverlight works nicely in Internet Explorer but only displays a blank white page in Firefox (and maybe Chrome)

Solution
There is nothing wrong with the Silverlight application. The problem simply involves how Firefox treats the DIV tag with sizing in the HTML file that launches the XAP file. Without going into detail, my solution is to use the following HTML to wrap your XAP:

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd">
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" >
<head>
    <title>http://astrayalien.blogspot.com/</title>
    <style type="text/css">
    html, body
    {
     height: 100%;
     overflow: auto;
    }
    body {
     padding: 0;
     margin: 0;
    }
    #silverlightControlHost {
    height: 100%;
     text-align:center;
    }
    </style>
    <script type="text/javascript" src="Silverlight.js"></script>
    <script type="text/javascript">
        function onSilverlightError(sender, args) {
            var appSource = "";
            if (sender != null && sender != 0) {
              appSource = sender.getHost().Source;
            }

            var errorType = args.ErrorType;
            var iErrorCode = args.ErrorCode;
            if (errorType == "ImageError" || errorType == "MediaError") {
              return;
            }
            var errMsg = "Unhandled Error in Silverlight Application " + appSource + "\n" ;
            errMsg += "Code: "+ iErrorCode + "    \n";
            errMsg += "Category: " + errorType + "       \n";
            errMsg += "Message: " + args.ErrorMessage + "     \n";
            if (errorType == "ParserError") {
                errMsg += "File: " + args.xamlFile + "     \n";
                errMsg += "Line: " + args.lineNumber + "     \n";
                errMsg += "Position: " + args.charPosition + "     \n";
            }
            else if (errorType == "RuntimeError") {
                if (args.lineNumber != 0) {
                    errMsg += "Line: " + args.lineNumber + "     \n";
                    errMsg += "Position: " + args.charPosition + "     \n";
                }
                errMsg += "MethodName: " + args.methodName + "     \n";
            }
            throw new Error(errMsg);
        }
    </script>
</head>
<body>
    <form id="form1" runat="server" style="height:100%">
    <div id="silverlightControlHost">
        <object data="data:application/x-silverlight-2," type="application/x-silverlight-2" width="100%" height="100%">
    <param name="source" value="YOUR_SILVERLIGHT_APPLICATION_FILENAME_HERE.xap"/>
    <param name="onError" value="onSilverlightError" />
    <param name="background" value="white" />
    <param name="minRuntimeVersion" value="4.0.50401.0" />
    <param name="autoUpgrade" value="true" />
    <a href="http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=149156&v=4.0.50401.0" style="text-decoration:none">
      <img src="http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=161376" alt="Get Microsoft Silverlight" style="border-style:none"/>
    </a>
     </object><iframe id="_sl_historyFrame" style="visibility:hidden;height:0px;width:0px;border:0px"></iframe></div>
    </form>
</body>
</html>

Did I solve your problem? Buy me a virtual beer by clicking one Google advert. Thanks!

.

SQL Server:Stored Procs Rounding Decimals

2010-05-29T00:19:00.000-07:00

Problem
SQL Server Stored Procedures are rounding decimal numbers to the nearest whole number.

Solution
In your stored procedure, change the input parameter from just 'decimal' to 'decimal(9,3)' or whatever the exact length of your decimal field.

Did I solve your problem? Buy me a virtual beer by clicking one Google advert. Thanks!.

C# WCF:Found Multiple X.509 Certificates

2010-04-08T04:18:00.000-07:00

Problem
While using secure WCF, you receive the error message:

Found multiple X.509 certificates using the following search criteria: StoreName 'My', StoreLocation 'LocalMachine', FindType 'FindBySubjectName', FindValue 'Whatever'. Provide a more specific find value.

Solution
To see a list of your certificates, perform the following:

- Command prompt
- type: mmc
- File / Add Remove Snap-In
- Press "Add" button
- Select "Certicates"
- Press "Add"
- Select "Computer Account"
- Next
- Select "Local Computer"
- "Finish"
- "Close" popup
- "OK" (on "Add/Remove Snap-in" window)
- In the tree, open up Console Root / Certificates (Local Computer) / Personal
- Select "Certificates" node
- You'll see multiple records of your certificate
- Delete all but one of your certificate entries

Did I solve your problem? Buy me a virtual beer by clicking one Google advert. Thanks!
.

C# ASP.NET:"The assembly with display name 'VJSharpCodeProvider' failed to load"

2010-04-06T00:49:00.000-07:00

Problem
You are using C# yet you receive an error message regarding Visual J#:

The assembly with display name 'VJSharpCodeProvider' failed to load in the 'LoadFrom' binding context of the AppDomain with ID 2. The cause of the failure was: System.IO.FileNotFoundException: Could not load file or assembly 'VJSharpCodeProvider, Version=2.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a' or one of its dependencies. The system cannot find the file specified.
File name: 'VJSharpCodeProvider, Version=2.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a'

Solution
I searched high and low to find where VJSharpCodeProvider was being referenced but to no avail. I deduced that AJAX Toolkit wanted J# so in the end I solved the problem by installing the Visual J# Version 2.0 runtime available here.

Did I solve your problem? Buy me a virtual beer by clicking one Google advert. Thanks!
.

SQL Server:Transfer a Few Tables

2010-03-23T00:57:00.000-07:00

Problem
You need to transfer just a few tables, including data, from a database on one machine to a database on another. The only available weapon is "SQL Server Management Studio EXPRESS", and you don't have enough time to research other programs.

Solution

This is my solution though I'm sure there are better ways.

Firstly, we are going to create a new database on the source machine and only copy the tables we are interested in. This is achieved thus:

In SQL Server Management Studio Express create a brand new empty database, e.g. "CopyOfMyDatabase"

Run this script for each table you want to copy. Note that the table structure will also get created for you for free:

SELECT * INTO CopyOfMyDatabase.dbo.TableYouAreInterestedIn FROM MyOriginalDatabase.dbo.TableYouAreInterestedIn

Once all your tables are copied across to "CopyOfMyDatabase", backup "CopyOfMyDatabase" to a BAK file on disk

Secondly, we are going to import the BAK file to your destination machine:

Copy the BAK file to your other machine (the Destination machine)

In SQL Server Management Studio Express, RESTORE the BAK file to a new database which will create a database called "CopyofMyDatabase"

Finally, we are going to bring across the data into our final database, "MyDestinationDatabase":

Delete the tables of interest from your Destination Database (backup database first)

Run this script for each table you want to copy:

SELECT * INTO MyDestinationDatabase.dbo.TableYouAreInterestedIn FROM CopyOfMyDatabase.dbo.TableYouAreInterestedIn

Remember to delete the BAK files and "CopyOfMyDatabase" from both machines.

Did I solve your problem? Buy me a virtual beer by clicking one Google advert. Thanks!
.

SQL Server:Timeout Expired

2010-03-23T00:50:00.000-07:00

Problem
Running a query in "SQL Server Management Studio" results in the error message "Timeout expired"

Solution

In SQL Server Management Studio, choose TOOLS / OPTIONS

Left-click "Designers" in the tree

In the option "Override connection string time-out value for table", change it to something huge like 600 or more.

Did I solve your problem? Buy me a virtual beer by clicking one Google advert. Thanks!
.

SQL Server:Reduce Size of LDF File

2010-03-23T00:41:00.000-07:00

Problem
The LDF log file for your SQL Server database is too large and you want to delete it.

Solution

Select your database

Right-click and select Tasks / Detach

Press OK

Use Windows Explorer to navigate to the log file folder and rename or delete your LDF file (e.g. MyDatabase.ldf)

Right-click Databases

Attach / Add

Add your database, highlight the log file and click the 'Remove' button. This means you only attach your MDF file

Did I solve your problem? Buy me a virtual beer by clicking one Google advert. Thanks!
.

C# ASP.NET:FileUpload & "Internet Explorer Cannot Display the Webpage"

2010-01-28T22:11:00.000-08:00

Problem
A form which uses the FileUpload control displays the error message "Internet Explorer cannot display the webpage" when you attempt to upload a file.

Solution
There is an automatic 4 megabyte limit imposed upon the FileUpload control. To allow larger files to be uploaded, a change is required to your Web.Config file. In the <system.web> section of Web.Config, add this line: <httpRuntime maxRequestLength="10000">
10000 will allow the user to upload files up to around 10 megabytes.

Did I solve your problem? Buy me a virtual beer by clicking one Google advert. Thanks!
.

SQL Server:SELECT with NULL Never Returns Rows

2009-12-16T21:54:00.000-08:00

Problem
Performing a SELECT with a NULL field always returns no data. For example:
SELECT * FROM customer WHERE surname=null
will never return any records even where there is null surname data.

Solution
The ANSI_NULLS setting needs to be set to OFF before running your SQL:
SET ANSI_NULLS OFF
SELECT * FROM customer WHERE surname=null
The above will now return all customers who do not have a surname.

Did I solve your problem? Buy me a virtual beer by clicking one Google advert. Thanks!
.

Flash:Disable Flash For Specific Sites

2009-12-15T13:10:00.000-08:00

Problem
Certain websites download too much Flash video/junk to your machine whilst you are browsing the site.

Solution
For Internet Explorer, add the website to the Restricted Zone (Tools / Internet Options / Security Options / Restricted Sites / Sites). Add the entire site (e.g. http://www.smh.com.au)

For Firefox, download an add-on called 'no script' (I have not tried this one)

Did I solve your problem? Buy me a virtual beer by clicking one Google advert. Thanks!
.

SQL Server:Removing a Log File

2009-09-06T21:20:00.001-07:00

Problem
The SQL Server 2005 log file for a particular database is large and requires removal.

Solution

Launch and login to SQL Management Studio
Right-click database
Click Detach
Tick 'Update Statistics'
Tick 'Drop Connections'
Click OK
Find Log file and delete it
Right-click server in SQL Management Studio
Click Attach
Click Add
Locate MDF
Select LDF file in bottom grid
Click Remove
Click OK

Did I solve your problem? Buy me a virtual beer by clicking one Google advert. Thanks!
.

SQL Server:Import Foreign Characters from DAT File

2009-08-21T17:41:00.000-07:00

Problem
Importing data into SQL Server 2005 from a DAT file loses the special foreign characters from foreign words such as Agnières-en-Dévoluy

Solution
The field types in the SQL table can remain as varchar (no need for nvarchar). To import foreign characters, you must specify 'Widechar' as your DataFileType and a CodePage. For example:

BULK INSERT yourtable FROM 'c:\yourdata.dat'
WITH (
DATAFILETYPE = 'widechar',
FIELDTERMINATOR='',
CODEPAGE = '1252')

Did I solve your problem? Buy me a virtual beer by clicking one Google advert. Thanks!
.

C# ASP.NET: Setting Minimum Length for TextBox

2009-06-27T19:07:00.000-07:00

Problem
You need the user to enter a minimum length number of characters for an ASP.NET textbox.

Solution

Use a RegularExpressionValidator
Set ControlToValidate to the textbox
Set ValidationExpression to \S{8,20} (minlength 8 characters; maxlength 20)

Did I solve your problem? Buy me a virtual beer by clicking one Google advert. Thanks!
.

SVN:Tortoise Import Fails At Random

2009-04-15T19:53:00.000-07:00

Problem
When importing files into the SVN repository, some files will upload but then you receive the error message “at least one property change failed”. SVN rolls back the uploads and removes your files from the repository. It fails after a certain number of megabytes have been uploaded.

Solution
This is due to an old version of the SVN server where a bug exists in Neon. If your I.T department won't update the SVN server, try this:
Do NOT use the standard “Import…” method. Instead, launch Tortoise Repo-Browser and drag directories from Windows Explorer in to Repo-Browser directly. Ignore the warning and continue. Repo-Browser will appear to hang, potentially for several hours if the upload is large. Do not interrupt Repo-Browser. Though it looks dead it is in fact busy uploading the files.

Did I solve your problem? Buy me a virtual beer by clicking one Google advert. Thanks!
.

C# ASP.NET:Control Loses Css After Adding RunAt="server"

2009-04-14T22:39:00.000-07:00

Problem
In your markup, you add a simple RUNAT="server" to your control only to see the control disappear or lose it's css style

e.g. Changing div id="OrangeBox" to div id="OrangeBox" runat="server" will cause your div to stop using the CSS.

Solution
The reason is that C# ASP.NET changes the DIV's ID on-the-fly once the RUNAT/server attribute is applied. "OrangeBox" will get renamed to something like "ctl00_OrangeBox" which means the CSS lookup reference is now broken as there won't be a corresponding "ctl00_OrangeBox" entry in your CSS file.

The solution is to stop using ID to link to your CSS and instead add a specific CLASS attribute to your DIV.

This will work:
div id="OrangeBox" runat="server" class="OrangeBox"

Change your CSS from:
#OrangeBox{ ...style code...}
to
DIV.OrangeBox{ ...style code...}

ASP.NET will still rename the ID but the CSS uses the CLASS attribute which won't get renamed. You can still access your ID from C# (e.g. OrangeBox.Visible=false)

Did I solve your problem? Buy me a virtual beer by clicking one Google advert. Thanks!
.

Photoshop:Creating a TGA/Targa Graphic with Background Transparency

2009-02-16T18:55:00.000-08:00

Problem
Saving a TGA (Targa) file in Photoshop CS2 removes any background transparency and replaces it with white.

Solution

Choose Select / Load Selection, press OK
Click the Channels tab
Press the little arrow in the circle. A dropdown menu will appear.
Choose New Channel, press OK
The whole graphic will go black but you'll see the selection lines.
Choose the Paint Bucket tool and choose White foreground
Fill the inside of the selection with pure white
Go to the Layers tab and select the layer.
Now deselect (CTRL+D)
Save as 32-bit TGA format.

Please note that when you load this TGA file back into Photoshop, it will still display with a pure white background. This is a problem with Photoshop. The actual TGA graphic has a proper transparent background and will display ok in most other applications (apart from Internet Explorer)

Did I solve your problem? Buy me a virtual beer by clicking one Google advert. Thanks!
.

C# ASP.NET:User can hit Back button after FormsAuthentication.SignOut()

2009-01-21T22:23:00.000-08:00

Problem
When using the ASP.NET Membership API, your code logs the user out the system with FormsAuthentication.SignOut() yet the user can still hit the browsers Back button and go to the previous (now unauthorised) page.

Solution
Do not delete the forms authentication cookie but expire it. Use the following code to safely log a user out your system:

Session.Abandon();
Session.Contents.RemoveAll();
Session.Clear();
FormsAuthentication.SignOut();
HttpContext.Current.User = null;
// Important: This will clear the cookie cache so user can't hit back button
Response.Cookies[FormsAuthentication.FormsCookieName].Expires = DateTime.Now;
FormsAuthentication.RedirectToLoginPage();

Additionally, stop the user typing in the URL of a different unauthorised page which has been cached by placing the following code in all your ASPX PageLoad methods (or easier still, put it in the Master Page OnLoad)

Response.Cache.SetCacheability(HttpCacheability.NoCache);

Did I solve your problem? Buy me a virtual beer by clicking one Google advert. Thanks!
.

C# WCF:WCF Service Stops Responding

2009-01-19T22:41:00.000-08:00

Problem
Your WCF service stops responding after a constant number of successful calls. If you wait long enough, the following error message is received:

The request channel timed out while waiting for a reply after 00:01:00. Increase the timeout value passed to the call to Request or increase the SendTimeout value on the Binding. The time allotted to this operation may have been a portion of a longer timeout.

Solution
You must close the connection to the WCF server on each use. Rather than using this code:

QuoteServiceClient clientQuotes = new QuoteServiceClient();
clientQuotes.GetSomeData();

Do this instead:

using (QuoteServiceClient clientQuotes = new QuoteServiceClient())
{
clientQuotes.GetSomeData();
}

Did I solve your problem? Buy me a virtual beer by clicking one Google advert. Thanks!
.

C# ASP.NET:System.Threading.ThreadAbortException

2009-01-19T21:37:00.000-08:00

Problem
The debugger or output window gives you the following runtime errors:

A first chance exception of type 'System.Threading.ThreadAbortException' occurred in mscorlib.dll

An exception of type 'System.Threading.ThreadAbortException' occurred in mscorlib.dll but was not handled in user code

Solution
You are most likely using Response.Redirect or Server.Transfer in your code. Fix the issue by passing false in the Response.Redirect e.g. Response.Redirect("YourPage.aspx", false); or calling Server.Execute instead of Server.Transfer

Did I solve your problem? Buy me a virtual beer by clicking one Google advert. Thanks!
.

C#:Floating Point Errors with Double

2009-01-07T23:05:00.000-08:00

Problem
Performing simple arithmetic with a double type sometimes causes unexpected answers. A recent example was the calculation 7358.0 * 0.1 which should have returned 735.8 but instead returned 735.80000000000007

Solution
Do not use double. Use decimal.

Did I solve your problem? Buy me a virtual beer by clicking one Google advert. Thanks!
.

C# WCF:The underlying connection was closed

2009-01-04T21:33:00.000-08:00

Problem
When attempting to return a DataTable type via WCF, your client receives the error message The underlying connection was closed: The connection was closed unexpectedly.

Solution
Any number of issues can generate this message but the one that worked for me was setting a name for the DataTable within your WCF service method.

This won't work: return new DataTable();
This will work: return new DataTable("Name");

Remember to Update your web reference afterwards.

Did I solve your problem? Buy me a virtual beer by clicking one Google advert. Thanks!
.

QTP:Calling a C# DLL from QTP

2008-12-22T21:51:00.000-08:00

Problem

You quickly need the power of C# but from within QTP (HP QuickTest Professional) (or VBScript), maybe for calling encrypted WCF or for any other reason. You have to use QTP because a gun is being held to your head by the customer but you'd prefer to use a C# .NET DLL

Solution

Build Box

Create a new C# Class Library

Create a strong name key for your machine
sn -k myKey.snk

Copy myKey.snk to the same folder as your source code

Right-click on your project name under Solution Explorer and choose Properties

Under the Application tab, press the Assembly Information... button

Check Make assembly COM-Visible

Click the Signing tab and check Sign the assembly

Under Choose a strong name key file, select Browse... and navigate to myKey.snk

You need a constructor for your class which takes no parameters and has the same name as your class.

using System;

namespace AStray
{
public class Alien
{
private string sydneySuburb;

// Totally Vital: Default constructor with no parameters so can be accessed from COM
public Alien()
{
}

public string GetSydneySuburb()
{
return sydneySuburb;
}

public void SetSydneySuburb(string newSydneySuburb)
{
sydneySuburb = newSydneySuburb;
}
}
}

(sorry about indentation - Blogger.com sux at this)

Client Box

Copy the DLL from your server to the client

Register the assembly with regasm. To achieve this, navigate to c:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727 (or equivalent framework/location)
regasm /register c:\YOUR PATH\ YOUR DLL

Put the DLL into the GAC. You need to use GACUTIL.exe and there is a version which matches your .NET Framework version. The correct version of GACUTIL.exe may not exist on your client PC even if the .NET framework runtime is on there. Copy the entire directory and subdirectories (might be overkill, but worked for me) from your server c:\Program Files\Microsoft SDKs\Windows\v6.0A\Bin to somewhere on the client.
gacutil /i c:\YOUR PATH\YOUR DLL

Remember to run regasm and gacutil whenever you recompile the DLL

Within QTP, run the following test VBScript:

dim oAStrayAlien
set oAStrayAlien = CreateObject("AStray.Alien")
if err.number <> 0 then
msgbox "Error number " & Err.number & " creating AStrayAlien because " & Err.description
else
msgbox "DLL found: " & Cstr(not(oAStrayAlien is nothing))
oAStrayAlien.SetSydneySuburb "Bondi"
msgbox "Sydney Suburb: " & oAStrayAlien.GetSydneySuburb
end if

Did I solve your problem? Buy me a virtual beer by clicking one Google advert. Thanks!
.

IIS:Calling Web Service returns "The page cannot be found"

2008-12-21T17:58:00.000-08:00

Problem
A web service application can be called from the local machine via localhost but not from a different machine which receives the error "The page cannot be found".

Solution
In IIS, select Web Service Extensions in the tree on the left, select ASP.NET v2.0.50727 (or your equivalent ASP.NET version) and press the Allow button.

Did I solve your problem? Buy me a virtual beer by clicking one Google advert. Thanks!
.

Infragistics:Rotating Axis Labels

2008-12-11T17:14:00.000-08:00

Problem
When using Infragistics ASP.NET UltraChart, the axis labels appear behind the chart when you set the orientation angle to 45 degrees:
Solution
This is a quirky one. In the charts visual designer, expand Axis / X / Labels and set Orientation to Custom, set OrientationAngle to 225 then set Flip to True. This will give you a 45 degree rotation (!) If setting this via C# code, try:

yourChart.Axis.X.Labels.OrientationAngle = 225;
yourChart.Axis.X.Labels.Flip = true;
yourChart.Axis.X.Labels.Orientation = Infragistics.UltraChart.Shared.Styles.TextOrientation.Custom;

Did I solve your problem? Buy me a virtual beer by clicking one Google advert. Thanks!
.

Dynamics CRM:Viewing Imported Custom Entity Generates "Guid should contain 32 digits"

2008-12-03T13:41:00.000-08:00

Problem
When I export any custom entity, no matter how simple it may be, from my dev environment to our server I get an error message when I attempt to view that entity. Even if I create a basic entity and keep all defaults (i.e. I just give it a name), then export from my dev box, import to the server, and publish, I still end up with the same error message. Therefore, there are no lookup fields or anything smart in the entity. I have attempted to import into an existing CRM instance and even created a brand new CRM instance. Error:

Microsoft CRM Error Report:
Error Description:
An unhandled exception occurred during the execution of the current web request. Please review the stack trace for more information about the error and where it originated in the code.

Error Details:Exception of type 'System.Web.HttpUnhandledException' was thrown.

Full Stack:[FormatException: Guid should contain 32 digits with 4 dashes (xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx).] at System.Guid..ctor(String g) at Microsoft.Crm.Application.Controls.AppGrid.set_ViewId(String value) at Microsoft.Crm.Web.EntityHomePage.ConfigurePage() at Microsoft.Crm.Application.Controls.AppUIPage.OnPreRender(EventArgs e) at System.Web.UI.Control.PreRenderRecursiveInternal() at System.Web.UI.Page.ProcessRequestMain(Boolean includeStagesBeforeAsyncPoint, Boolean includeStagesAfterAsyncPoint)
[HttpUnhandledException: Exception of type 'System.Web.HttpUnhandledException' was thrown.] at System.Web.UI.Page.HandleError(Exception e) at System.Web.UI.Page.ProcessRequestMain(Boolean includeStagesBeforeAsyncPoint, Boolean includeStagesAfterAsyncPoint) at System.Web.UI.Page.ProcessRequest(Boolean includeStagesBeforeAsyncPoint, Boolean includeStagesAfterAsyncPoint) at System.Web.UI.Page.ProcessRequest() at System.Web.UI.Page.ProcessRequestWithNoAssert(HttpContext context) at System.Web.UI.Page.ProcessRequest(HttpContext context) at ASP.analysttitandev__root_homepage_aspx.ProcessRequest(HttpContext context) at System.Web.HttpApplication.CallHandlerExecutionStep.System.Web.HttpApplication.IExecutionStep.Execute() at System.Web.HttpApplication.ExecuteStep(IExecutionStep step, Boolean& completedSynchronously

Alternatively, you may receive the error message: "You do not have sufficient privileges to open this Lookup dialog box", and you may also notice the icon next to your entity does not appear.

Solution
I haven't found a full solution yet, even after asking on the Microsoft Dynamics forums, but I have come up with my own workaround. It's not nice but gets your system up-and-running again and that's all that counts when you've got a deadline to hit! After importing your entities, do the following:

Go to Customization / Customize Entities
Edit the problem entity
Add a new attribute, give it any old name, then Save and Close
Reselect the attribute you just created and delete it
Save and Close your Entity
Hit Publish

You should now be able to view your entity. You have to do the above steps for each and every one of your custom entities, remembering to publish between each entity you change.

Did I solve your problem? Buy me a virtual beer by clicking one Google advert. Thanks!
.

Dynamics CRM:Can not Launch Deployment Manager

2008-12-01T19:39:00.000-08:00

Problem
When launching Deployment Manager, you receive the error message "Only the Deployment Administrators are able to use Deployment Manager. You are not a Deployment Administrator."

Solution
This is nothing to do with Active Directory. In Deployment Manager (Start / All Programs / Microsoft Dynamics CRM) , there is a list of Deployment Administrators. Any one of these people can make you a Deployment Administrator from within Deployment Manager if you ask politely.

If you do not know who the Deployment Administrator is, see my other post entitled How to find out who is Deployment Administrator

Did I solve your problem? Buy me a virtual beer by clicking one Google advert. Thanks!
.

Dynamics CRM:How to find out who is Deployment Administrator

2008-12-01T19:33:00.000-08:00

Problem

You can't launch Deployment Manager but need to track down who the Deployment Administrators are so one of them can add you to the Deployment Administrators list.

Solution

Open SQL Server Management Studio
Expand database MSCRM_CONFIG
Open table SystemUser
The list of people appear who you can hassle to get you added as a Deployment Administrator from within Deployment Manager

Did I solve your problem? Buy me a virtual beer by clicking one Google advert. Thanks!
.

Dynamics CRM:Removing Comma from an Int Field

2008-12-01T15:44:00.000-08:00

Problem
When using an Int field to store a year, a comma is appearing in the number e.g. '1995' is displaying as '1,995'

Solution

Edit the entity's Form
Choose "Form Properties"
Edit the "OnLoad" event
Paste the following code and change field to your field name:

if (crmForm.all.new_yearofcompletion!=null && crmForm.all.new_yearofcompletion.DataValue!=null)
{
crmForm.all.new_yearofcompletion.value = crmForm.all.new_yearofcompletion.DataValue;
}

Save all those changes and go back to your form
Select your int/date field
Choose "Change Properties"
Select "Events" tab
Select "onChange" and "Edit"
Paste the exact same code as above into this event

Did I solve your problem? Buy me a virtual beer by clicking one Google advert. Thanks!
.

C# ASP.NET:Membership Provider Exception once Published

2008-11-24T22:08:00.000-08:00

Problem
When using the Membership Provider, after publishing to your live website,
you may receive the following exception:

"The 'System.Web.Security.SqlMembershipProvider' requires a database
schema compatible with schema version '1'. However, the current
database schema is not compatible with this version. You may need to
either install a compatible schema with aspnet_regsql.exe (available in
the framework installation directory), or upgrade the provider to a
newer version"

Solution
You will need to re-run the SQL to regenerate the membership schema. The SQL files can be found in local directory c:\windir\Microsoft.NET\2.0xxxxxx\*.sql. Run the SQL files against your live website database.

Did I solve your problem? Buy me a virtual beer by clicking one Google advert. Thanks!
.

Infragistics:System.Security.SecurityException when Published

2008-11-24T21:49:00.000-08:00

Problem
My C# ASP.NET application (with Infragistics) works fine on my local dev PC but falls over when published to my website with a Security Exception error message along the lines of "System.Security.SecurityException: That assembly does not allow partially trusted callers."

Solution
The problem occurs because the website is a partial trust environment and Infragistics normally requires additional rights to perform certain operations. Search your local drive Infragistics directory for a zip file containing the word "APTCA", an example would be C:\Program Files\Infragistics\NetAdvantage for .NET 2007 Vol. 3 CLR 2.0 \ASP.NET\APTCA\20073_ASP.NET_CLR2x_APTCA_Signed.zip

Use the Infragistics files in this zip file instead of the default Infragistics DLLs.

Click here for a full APTCA explanation from Infragistics.

Did I solve your problem? Buy me a virtual beer by clicking one Google advert. Thanks!
.

Dynamics CRM:Adding a New Report - "An error has occurred"

2008-11-24T20:50:00.000-08:00

Problem
When you try to add a new report via Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0, you receive the following error message: An error has occurred. Try this action again.

Solution
The issue is that the data source of the report is a SHARED DATA SOURCE. Fix this by going to Visual Studio, then:

Open the report in Report Designer.
On the Data tab, click the lookup button to the right of the Dataset list.
Click the lookup button to the right of the Data Source list.
Click to clear the Use shared data source reference check box.
Click Edit to the right of the Connection box.
Fill in connection info

Did I solve your problem? Buy me a virtual beer by clicking one Google advert. Thanks!
.

AJAX Toolkit:StackOverflowException error message

2008-11-24T20:42:00.000-08:00

Problem
While using a control from the Ajax Toolkit, you receive an error complaining of a "StackOverflowException".

Solution 1
You have a mis-spelling in a reference to another component. e.g. In the CalendarExtender, you may have mis-spelt the TargetControlID or PopupButtonID

Solution 2
In the CalendarExtender, PoupButtonID is spelt correctly but is pointing to a generic HTML image control rather than a full-on ASPX ImageButton control

Did I solve your problem? Buy me a virtual beer by clicking one Google advert. Thanks!
.

AJAX Toolkit:CalendarExtender Dates Displaying in mm/dd/yyyy Format

2008-11-24T20:28:00.000-08:00

Problem
Dates within a text box used by the CalendarExtender are always displaying in mm/dd/yyyy format even though I want to display with the current users date preference

Solution
Add the following to your ASPX PAGE tag:
Culture="auto" UICulture="auto"

Add the following to your SCRIPT MANAGER tag:
EnableScriptGlobalization="true" EnableScriptLocalization="true"

Did I solve your problem? Buy me a virtual beer by clicking one Google advert. Thanks!
.