Six Foot Coder

Friday, April 10, 2015

Getting Certified in Oracle

Oracle Certification Program
http://education.oracle.com/pls/web_prod-plq-dad/db_pages.getpage?page_id=50

Oracle Database Certification
http://education.oracle.com/pls/web_prod-plq-dad/ou_product_category.getFamilyPage?p_family_id=32&p_mode=Certification

Study Guides
http://www.oracle.com/partners/en/most-popular-resources/certified-specialist-study-guide-322505.html
http://www.oracle.com/partners/en/knowledge-zone/database/oracle-database-11g/db12c-exam-study-guide-2202720.pdf
http://www.amazon.com/Oracle-Database-Fundamentals-Guide-1Z0-061/dp/0071820280/

Videos
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-rCbe1MMG4&list=PLL_LQvNX4xKzVcg_GoRzjeM_veo8CI15A
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NLsJQCvKXY&list=PLL_LQvNX4xKwbz1aJe0RofbT9YeJH9huQ
http://www.pluralsight.com/courses/oracle-database-12c-fundamentals
http://www.pluralsight.com/courses/oracle-database-12c-installation-upgrade
http://www.pluralsight.com/courses/oracle-database-12c-disaster-recovery
http://www.pluralsight.com/courses/oracle-plsql-fundamentals
http://www.pluralsight.com/courses/oracle-plsql-fundamentals-part2
http://www.pluralsight.com/courses/oracle-plsql-transactions-dynamic-sql-debugging

Oracle Quick References
http://docs.oracle.com/cd/E11882_01/server.112/e41085.pdf
http://www.digilife.be/quickreferences/QRC/ORACLE%20Server%208i%20Quick%20Reference%20Card.pdf
http://www.digilife.be/quickreferences/QRC/ORACLE%20Server%20Architecture.pdf
http://www.cheat-sheets.org/saved-copy/oracle_sql_reference.pdf

Friday, February 13, 2015

Using Jasmine with Visual Studio

Jasmine Overview

Jasmine is a JavaScript unit testing framework similar to MS Test or NUnit. Jasmine requires four references to get it to work:

Jasmine.js
Jasmine-html.js
Jasmine.css
boot.js

Let's test the following JavaScript:

function ExtractNumbers(text) {

if (!text)

return text;

return text.replace( /\D+/g, '');

}

Here is the test that you would write in Jasmine:

describe("Common tests", function() {

it("ExtractNumbers method should extract numbers from a string", function () {

expect(ExtractNumbers("Logan 5, Francis 7")).toBe("57");

});

I have created a JSFiddle to demonstrate:

http://jsfiddle.net/gfinzer/dgrwtc6k/4/

Using Jasmine with Visual Studio and MS Test

Follow these steps to create a Jasmine project with Visual Studio:

1. Create a blank web project (not a class library like you would do for MS Test or NUnit)

2. Create a similar folder structure for the JavaScript files you wish to test.

3. Add the JavaScript files as links in your project

4. You will need to manually download Jasmine from GitHub and put the files in the Scripts folder since there is no recent Nuget package.

5. Under Tools -> Extensions and updates, Visual Studio Gallery. Search and Install Chutzpah Test Adapter for the Test Explorer which is a JavaScript test runner for Visual Studio. Also install Chutzpah Test Runner Context Menu Extension. Chutzpah works with QUnit, Jasmine, and Mocha testing frameworks.

6. Add a JavaScript file that will be used for the tests. Add a reference at the top to the JavaScript file you wish to test by simply dragging and dropping the file to the top. Here is an example:

/// <reference path="../../UI/Scripts/Common.js" />

describe("Common tests", function() {

it("ExtractNumbers method should extract numbers from a string", function () {

expect(ExtractNumbers("Logan 5, Francis 7")).toBe("57");

});

Using Jasmine with Resharper

Follow the same steps above for Resharper except Chutzpah is not required for Resharper. Resharper works out of the box with QUnit and Jasmine to run JavaScript tests.

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Using QUnit with Visual Studio

QUnit Overview

QUnit is a JavaScript unit testing framework similar to MS Test or NUnit. In order for QUnit to work, you need a reference to QUnit.js and also a QUnit.css file.

Given the following JavaScript:

function ExtractNumbers(text) {
if (!text)
return text;

return text.replace( /\D+/g, '');
}

Here is a corresponding QUnit test:

QUnit.test( "ExtractNumbers", function( assert ) {
assert.equal( ExtractNumbers("Logan 5, Francis 7"), "57", "Passed!" );
});

I have created a JSFiddle to demonstrate:
http://jsfiddle.net/gfinzer/tmdn2nfj/6/

Using QUnit with Visual Studio and MS Test

Follow these steps to create a QUnit project with Visual Studio:
1. Create a blank web project (not a class library like you would do for MS Test or NUnit)
2. Create a similar folder structure for the JavaScript files you wish to test.
3. Add the JavaScript files as links in your project
4. Add a NuGet package reference to QUnit
5. Under Tools -> Extensions and updates, Visual Studio Gallery. Search and Install Chutzpah Test Adapter for the Test Explorer which is a JavaScript test runner for Visual Studio. Also install Chutzpah Test Runner Context Menu Extension. Chutzpah works with QUnit, Jasmine, and Mocha testing frameworks.
6. Add a JavaScript file that will be used for the tests. Add a reference at the top to the JavaScript file you wish to test by simply dragging and dropping the file to the top. Here is an example:

/// <reference path="../../UI/Scripts/Common.js" />

QUnit.test("ExtractNumbers", function (assert) {
assert.equal(ExtractNumbers("Logan 5, Francis 7"), "57", "Passed!");

});

Using QUnit with Resharper

Follow the same steps above for Resharper except Chutzpah is not required for Resharper. Resharper works out of the box with QUnit and Jasmine to run JavaScript tests.

Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Developer Conferences for 2015

Here is the list of developer conferences for the Midwest and the major U.S. national conferences. If you would like your conference listed. Please contact me and I will add it.

CodeMash V2.0.1.5

Jaunary 6-9, Sandusky, Ohio
Conference Only – Thursday and Friday: $300
Conference + Single Precompiler – Wednesday through Friday: $450
Conference + Double Precompiler – Tuesday through Friday: $600
http://codemash.org/

KalamazooX

March 14, Kalamazoo, Michigan
Price $50
http://kalamazoox.org/

CocoaConf

March 27-28, Chicago, IL
Conference Only: $550
Conference + Workshop: $700
http://cocoaconf.com

Code PaLOUsa

Pricing: $50
April 27-30, Louisville, KY, USA
http://www.codepalousa.com/

Visual Studio Live

March 16-20, 2015, Las Vegas, Nevada
June 1-4, 2015, Austin, TX
June 15-18, 2015, San Fransisco, CA
August 10-14, Redmond, WA
September 28-Oct 1, Brooklyn, NY
November 16-20, Orlando, FL
http://vslive.com

Build 2015

April 29-May 1, 2015, San Francisco, CA
Previous Pricing for 2014: $2095
http://www.buildwindows.com/

StirTrek

Price $75
May 1, 2015, Columbus, Ohio
http://www.stirtrek.com/

Microsoft Ignite

May 4-8, Chicago, IL
Expo Only Pass: $300
Day Pass: $500
Full Conference Pass $2,220
http://ignite.microsoft.com

GoTo Conference

Pricing $950 to $2700 depending upon when you register and how many workshop days
May 11-12, Chicago IL
http://gotocon.com/chicago-2015/

Dev Intersection

Pricing $1595 to $2942 depending upon when you register and how many pre-conference days
May 18-24, Scottsdale, AZ
http://devintersection.com

QCon

June 8-12 New York, NY
Price $1500 to $2300 depending upon how early you register
https://qconnewyork.com/

PyOhio

Free
http://www.pyohio.org/

Codestock 2015

Sometime in July, Knoxville, Tennessee
No Pricing Announced Yet: ~$100
http://www.codestock.org/

Agile 2015

August 3-7, Washington DC
Price $1999
http://agile2015.agilealliance.org/

That Conference

August 10-12, 2015, Wisconsin Dells, WI
No price announced this year. Last years price was: $349
Tickets go on sale starting May 13, 2015 at 8:10am!
http://www.thatconference.com/

devLink

Sometime in August, Chattanooga, Tennessee
No price announced this year. Last years price was: $~100 to ~200
http://www.devlink.net/

Midwest Tech Fest (formerly Central Ohio Day of .NET)

Early Fall, Columbus, Ohio
No price announced this year. Last years price was: $0 to $10
http://mwtechfest.com/
https://www.facebook.com/MidWestTechFest
https://twitter.com/MidwestTechFest

Dev Connections

September 14-17, Las Vegas, NV
Essentials: $1299
All Access : $2099
http://www.devconnections.com/

CloudDevelop

Sometime in October, Columbus, Ohio
No price announced this year. Last years price was: $20
http://clouddevelop.org/

Columbus Code Camp

Sometime in October, Columbus, Ohio
Free
http://columbuscodecamp.com/

M3 Mobile Conference

Sometime in November, Columbus, Ohio
No price announced this year. Last years price was: $125 -$250
http://www.m3conf.com

St Louis Day of .NET

Sometime in November, Columbus, Ohio
No price announced this year. Last years price was: $300
http://stldodn.com

Dog Food Conference

Sometime in November, Columbus, OH
No price announced yet. Last year was $50
http://www.dogfoodcon.com

Free PluralSite Subscription with MSDN

Microsoft has announced a free subscription to PluralSite with MSDN. It includes 30 courses. After signing up, you can upgrade for a full subscription for 15% off.

Use this link:
https://msdn.microsoft.com/subscriptions/pluralsight30

Here are the courses included:

Applied Windows Azure
Architecting Applications for the Real World in .NET
ASP.NET MVC 5 Fundamentals
Asynchronous C# 5.0
Building a Site with Bootstrap, AngularJS, ASP.NET, EF and Azure
Building an Intelligent System: From Embedded to Cloud
Building Web Apps & Services with Entity Framework and Web API
C# Generics
Defensive Coding in C#
Enterprise WPF with XAML and C# from Scratch
Getting Started With Release Management for Visual Studio 2013
Hack-proofing Your ASP.NET Web Applications
IntelliTrace
Introduction to Visual Studio 2013 - Part 1
Introduction to Visual Studio 2013 - Part 2
Lessons from Real World .NET Code Reviews
Mastering Visual Studio 2013
Microsoft Fakes Fundamentals
Microsoft Test Manager 2013
Migrating Internet Applications to Azure
Mobilize Your ASP.NET Web Forms
Plan, Create, and Deploy to Azure With Visual Studio Online
Real World Scrum With Team Foundation Server 2013
Security and Encryption in SQL Server 2012 and 2014
SharePoint 2013 Fundamentals
Team Foundation Server 2013 New Features
VB.NET Fundamentals
Visual Studio Data Tools for Developers
Visual Studio LightSwitch 2012 and 2013
Windows Azure Infrastructure as a Service Essentials

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Running Software with No Admin Rights

Sometimes you are given a machine where you don't have local admin rights. While it is understandable to lock down PCs to prevent viruses and licensing issues it can greatly hinder work. The PortableApps platform gives you the ability to run the applications that you need without installing anything or violating any license agreements. All the programs are free.

Here are some great free developer tools that run on the Portable Apps Platform
Notepad++
SharpDevelop
Paint.Net
PicPick (This is like Snag It)
Filezilla
Chrome
Firefox
Zim Desktop Wiki
Expresso
WinMerge
Database Browser
Baretail
Skype
TweetDeck
ILSpy
ImgBurn
CamStudio
7Zip
Team Viewer

These are commercial programs that have Portable App Versions or can be run from the Portable Apps menu.
Beyond Compare
Directory Opus
RazorSQL
RoboForm

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Pointing out an awesome developer tool

At StirTrek I found out about an awesome developer tool that I would like to point out.

I had the privilege of hearing about it directly from Anthony vander Hoorn which is one of the creators of Glimpse. Glimpse is a tool for debugging your ASP.NET MVC or ASP.NET Web Forms site from a high level. It has two major features:

1. It tracks all the requests for a page from the GUI all the way to the back end. It has tabs for the different layers.
2. It describes all the environment information. At nearly all the clients that I have worked for, the developer has access to the development site. However for QA and Production Sites, usually a systems administrator group has full access and developers have no access. Did everything get deployed correctly with your 1057 step deployment script? Really you don't know for sure. Glimpse helps answer that question. It also helps with targeting which layer has performance issues from the GUI all the way to the back end.

After seeing it in action and talking to some of my developer friends, it seems that I have been living in a cave. Glimpse is something every developer should know about.

The Glimpse Core is available on NuGet. There are also 67 plug ins for the tool.