My i - .NET Newsletter
The articles in this month's issue of My i -- .NET spring from reader comments and questions. A programmer in South Africa points out a nifty .NET feature for storing and retrieving persistent settings in "Share (and Save) Your Settings." I answer an Ohio reader's question about list boxes in "Getting the List." If you have article ideas or seek solutions to problems, please let us know.
May 20, 2008 - My i - .NET Newsletter
So little time? Not to worry. Before you invest in a code-profiling tool, "roll your own" to find out which sections of your code are taking the most time. In "It's About Time," you'll discover that it only takes minutes. Also in this issue of My i - .NET, I describe a way to share data by adding publicly accessible properties.
Got a question or article idea? Please let us know.
March 18, 2008
I enumerate the benefits of .NET enumerations in this month's issue of My i-.NET. They're easy to learn and simple to use -- a winning combination for your code. I also focus on Visual Studio's SharedView, an application that lets you share your desktop with others. Please speak up if you have questions as you integrate your System i and Windows platforms.
January 15, 2008
Have you wished for an application that would give you more processing/searching speed when you download job logs? Here I show you a solution that goes beyond what System iNavigator has to offer. Also in this issue of My i-.NET, I take a peek at two helpful posts on Visual Studio's "Start Page." Please let us know if you have System i/Windows integration questions
December 18, 2007
If you appreciate useful gifts, you'll enjoy reading about how to use the Toolstrip and the MenuStrip to help convert green-screen 5250 panels to Window forms. Also in this issue of My i-.NET, we explain how to install Visual Studio Express 2008 from a DVD image file. With the new year approaching, let us know what topics are on your wish list as you integrate your System i and Windows platforms.
November 13, 2007
By creating a pop-up menu in a DataGridView, you can develop applications to replace green-screen programs. I share my experiences in this issue of My i - .NET. You can also read how to use a parameter array in your method designs. What information would help you as you integrate your System i and Windows platforms? Let us know.
October 16, 2007
The good news, as I've reported in the past, is that you can use the SqlDataSource web control to do neat things. The good news, as I'm reporting in this issue of My i - .NET, is that you can use an ObjectDataSource control in its place to accomplish even more neat things. Also this month, you can check out a great way to call programs and APIs from .NET.
Got a question or an idea about integrating System i and Windows platforms? Let us know.
September 18, 2007
You're doing some .NET web programming. You need to know how to get a subfile-type display with paging up and at 'em. You've come to the right place. In this month's issue of My i - .NET, I'll show you how the GridView ASP.NET control provided in Visual Studio 2005 can rescue you with functionality akin to what's available with System i subfile support. Also, if it's September, it's time to go back to school -- in this case to Microsoft's E-Learning classes. Read here about the no-charge and low-charge offerings available.
Please let us know what other kinds of articles would help you as you integrate your System i and Windows platforms.
August 21, 2007
Continuing a series of articles showing RPG to .NET equivalency examples, this month's My i-.NET Newsletter tackles near equivalents between RPG arrays and Visual Basic and C# arrays. Also, I share two quick tips for the SQL Server 2005 Express Edition that will help you enable TCP/IP and install SQL Server Management Studio Express.
Questions? Comments? Ideas? Let us know.
July 17, 2007
If you're like me, one of the things that frustrates you about learning another programming language is finding equivalents for commonly used features of your primary language. To help, I'm launching a series of articles showing RPG to .NET equivalency examples. See the first entry in this issue of My i - .NET. Also, if it's summer, it must be time to build "Sandcastles."
Questions? Comments? Let us know.
June 19, 2007
Developing an extensive website with a common look and feel doesn't have to take a village of framesets, include files, and cutting/pasting. In this issue of My i - .NET, I focus on the Master Page solution offered by ASP.NET 2.0 that lets you describe a page that contains the common items and designate placeholders within that page for the dynamic content. The advantages are cool. Also this month, I talk about keeping up with state-of-the-art technologies.
What do you want to talk about as you integrate your System i and Windows platforms? Let us know.
May 15, 2007
To select or not to select? It's relatively easy to use SQL SELECT statements to convert data into .NET applications for Windows or web forms. For added benefits, you may want to think about using stored procedures to run your SQL. Read this issue of My i - .NET for the why and how. Also in this issue, we invite you to check out the Code Project website for user-submitted articles and developer e-mail that can help you integrate your System i and Windows platforms.
Let us know what else you want to know.
April 17, 2007
It's okay to "CLOBber" your data as long as your goal is to store stream files in database columns to make them more manageable. In this issue of the My i-.NET Newsletter,
you'll learn how to become a happy CLOB tester who can help corral and control data by managing it through your SQL database. Also on the April menu, you'll find info on a website featuring connection strings that work with different databases and other data sources.
Give us a shout and let us know what other topics you'd like to read about as you integrate your System i and Windows platforms.
March 20, 2007
You may think you can't create ASP.NET web forms in minutes, but you can. The magic words: SqlDataSource and DataBound Controls. Grab them from the Visual Studio ASP.NET Toolbox and watch them write code for you. The buy-in price is low, the gratification is immediate, and you may find that you can get some user-worthy applications up and running quickly.
There's still another magic word in this issue of the My i-.NET newsletter: Partial. If you are working on oversized classes, this keyword can clean up your glue code by splitting your overload into source files.
Are there other magic words you'd like to learn about as you integrate your System i and Windows platforms? Please let us know.
February 20, 2007
Seeking a simple technique to directly call System i programs? This month's issue of the My i-.NET newsletter will give it to you. That's not all — you can also find out about two useful Visual Studio 2005 IntelliSense features: Add Using and Generate Method Stub.
Hey — We're at your service. Please let us know the hot topics you would like to read more about as you integrate your System i and Windows platforms.
January 16, 2007
Did you know that Visual Studio .NET makes it simple to develop web service consumer applications? Read this month's issue of the My i-.NETnewsletter to better understand how to fit some of the available web services into your application infrastructure. Also, tune in to how easy it is to use "Using."
Please let us know what topics you would like to read about as you integrate your System i and Windows platforms
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December 19, 2006
You may not know it, but you're just a snippet away from creating snippets of code in your .NET applications. Check out this issue of My i-.NET to learn what Visual Studio 2005 can generate for you.
Also, read on to get fit in the new year with .NET/System i training. Learn to flex those programming muscles with a little help from Microsoft and the System iNetwork.
Please let us know what you'd like to know about System i/Windows platform integration.
November 14, 2006
So you know how to deploy ASP.NET web apps using IIS. Read this issue of My i-.NET to learn how to verify that IIS is installed and ready to roll, how to create a virtual directory to keep your web app happy, and how to shoot code to the IIS server. Also, check out my experience using the C# to VB.NET Translator service.
Please let us know what other topics interest you as you integrate your System i and Windows platforms.
October 17, 2006
What can data queues do for you? For starters, they can help you easily create .NET client/server applications. Why choose data queues over other options? They are far easier to develop and offer more flexibility. Read this issue of My i - .NET for the how and why. Also, check out my responses to reader concerns about System i SQL performance with .NET applications. What might be confusion could actually be an opportunity.
What's up with you as you integrate your System i and Windows platforms? Please let us know what questions are on your mind.
September 19, 2006
The good news is that you don't always need to use a database provider to develop .NET applications to work with your System i. The good news if that you can use rediscovered iSeries Access tools to create useful programs without having to write a lot of code. The bad news? There just isn't any. Read this issue of My i - .NET to find out why.
Also in this edition, I'll answer a reader inquiry and discuss why .NET Web applications are not deployed to work directly on your System i.
What questions do you have as you integrate your System i and Windows platforms? Please let us know what kinds of articles would be helpful to you.
August 15, 2006
Bugged by the bugs of debugging your programs? An exterminator has come to your rescue! By using the tracing features that IBM provides with iSeries Access for Windows, you can track down information to help you zap the errors lurking in your applications. To discover how easy it is, be sure to read this issue of My i-.NET. Also this month, you will learn about the resources available at the new IIS.NET Web site and discover how a Danish company found a one-stop system to eliminate the cost of running multiple monitoring tools.
By the way, what's on your mind as you integrate your System i and Windows platforms? Let us know (cpelkie@iseriesnetwork.com) what kinds of articles would appeal to you.
July 18, 2006
What can external stored procedures do for you and your System i? To start, they help client programs call System i programs when there is no other readily available technique. In this issue of My i-.NET, we show how .NET applications can call System i programs through the stored procedure call mechanism used in the .NET provider. As a bonus, we'll help you track fixes for the IBM Data Providers.
What do you want to learn about how to integrate Windows technologies with your System i? Let us know.
Meanwhile, do you have any hot tips on programming (RPG, CL, Java, Cobol, SQL, etc.), systems and work management, performance, security, and so on? If you do, please contact Vicki Hamende (vhamende@pentontech.com) for guidelines about how to enter a tips contest for the December issue of iSeries NEWSmagazine. You'll receive $60 for each tip accepted for publication, and if yours is the hottest tip in its category, you'll receive double! The deadline is August 14th.
June 20, 2006
Web services are hot! In this issue of My i - .NET, we explain how to develop a Web service with your System i using Microsoft Visual Studio 2005. We also answer the question of how to use the Microsoft OLE DB Provider for DB2. Keep joining us each month for more hands-on info about how to integrate Windows technologies with your System i. Please let us know if there are specific topics you'd like to read about.
May 16, 2006
How can you develop .NET applications that work with DB2 UDB on System i? Read on. In this issue of My i-.NET, we present connectivity options available from data providers that let you run SQL statements and get results back to your .NET applications. We also introduce the advantages of using NDoc to render classy MSDN-style documentation. Stay tuned for more on how to incorporate .NET technologies with your System i and how to integrate other Microsoft products such as SQL Server 2005 into your environment. Please let us know specific System i/Windows interoperability topics you'd like to read about. See you next month!
April 18, 2006
Welcome to the first monthly issue of My i - .NET. In this newsletter we'll be presenting articles and tips on how to effectively incorporate Microsoft .NET technologies with your System i. In addition to using the .NET Framework, we will also look at integrating other Microsoft products such as SQL Server 2005 into your environment.
As you read our newsletter, I hope you'll find solutions that will complement your System i. Both IBM and Microsoft have devoted considerable effort to ensuring that the pairing of Windows and System i will be successful. As you learn more about what these companies provide, you'll be better equipped to decide how to create answers for your business needs.
Feel free to contact us with any suggestions you have about topics you'd like to see covered. We look forward to having you as a regular reader. Thank you for spending time with us.