Ronda Pederson's Facebook profile

Showing entries as of Thursday, July 24, 2008
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    What is past is prologue.
    —Shakespeare

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    Fun

     
       |  Total Summary Rows in Datagrid with DataItem
    [ ]

    There are a gazillion ways to create a summary row in the footer of a datagrid. I think this is one of the slicker, faster ways. Using the dataitem enables you to use friendly names and variables throughout - so when you have many many columns it makes it a lot easier to keep track and manage.

    Declare some integers for holding the values



    Private MonthlyGoal As Integer = 0
    Private FiscalYrYTD As Integer = 0

    In your Databound event add up the values:

    Public Sub dgAttainment_ItemDataBound(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As DataGridItemEventArgs)

    If e.Item.ItemType = ListItemType.Item Or _
    e.Item.ItemType = ListItemType.AlternatingItem Then

    ‘add the items as you bind each row
    ‘Intellisense will not have the datafield name when you choose
    ‘e.item.dataitem but just add it anyways – it is the datafield
    ‘that you have used in your datagrid column

    MonthlyGoal += e.Item.DataItem.MonthlyGoal
    FiscalYrYTD += e.Item.DataItem.FiscalYrYTD

    ElseIf (e.Item.ItemType = ListItemType.Footer) Then

    ‘put the added values into the appropriate column in the footer

    e.Item.Cells(6).Text = FormatCurrency(MonthlyGoal, 2)
    e.Item.Cells(9).Text = FormatCurrency(FiscalYrYTD, 2)

    end if

    End Sub
    posted at 08:43 AM | |

       |  Domains for Sale
    [ ]

    After supporting these domains for years - planning on eventual development - I am curious as to whether there is any interest that would be worth selling them. Below are the domains I am considering selling if anyone is interested in making an offer.

    www.ItsABigDeal.com
    This would be an excellent site for bargains, closeouts, special purchases - online auctions.
    www.acreageagent.com
    www.acreagefinder.com
    www.collincountyacreage.com
    www.dfwacreage.com
    www.homeswithacreage.com
    Real estate sites - some of them are regional specific - some generic with a national appeal.

    www.dfwnetwork.com
    www.dfwclothing.com
    www.dfwcoffee.com
    www.dfwplanners.com
    www.dfwacreage.com
    What can I say..... Dallas specific Domains - kinda self-explanatory

    Books!
    www.fratboybooks.com
    Possible tagline - (ummmm barely used!)
    www.utbookbargain.com

    Clothing
    www.popularFootwear.com
    www.popularhandbags.com
    www.dfwclothing.com

    Miscellaneous
    www.UltimateSpaces.com
    I was thinking --- remodeling - design - but it could be used for many things
    www.Sick101.com
    Bad Jokes? or Medical Reference?

    I have more that I will post... but this is a start!
    posted at 06:24 AM | [1] |

       |  You are making it too difficult.
    [ ]

    About 2 years ago my mailbox was getting overwhelmed with the mail I get from listservers. It seemed I was getting overwhelmed with lack of time to read the posts but couldn't bring myself to just delete the incomng unread mail. I moved all of my lists except one to my gmail account, which has been a godsend, and it has greatly helped with my time management. I kept one listserver in my regular inbox - 'sqlqueriesnocode'. This morning I was thumbing through the entries that came yesterday and saw this one - the subject was "join sql server and oracle table on openquery select statement". The poster showed his tables and his query that was not working and was asking for help. I read it quickly - assumed I had no input on a sql/oracle query (it also was rather confusing) and moved on to the next post.

    Then I saw Arnie Rowlands answer and it changed my attitude about a lot of things in just a moment. It changed my attitude about the tasks I am facing today, including a job interview. I have to share this post with you. The first line of Arnie's response was "You are making it too difficult." The answer was a very simple join. I think many times I tend to focus on 'that which I don't know' instead of 'that which I do know'. I believe it is a matter of attitude that could make such a monumental difference in the way we approach everything. I could have answered this post had I possessed a different attitude towards the content. Facing my first job interview in several years I have been focused on all of the skills that I don't have, the things I don't understand and negating the things I do know, the things I don't even have to think about anymore. This was a great realization for a Monday and frankly may have an impact on my approach to everything that is to come ~ R
    posted at 05:03 AM | [1] |

       |  Community Server
    [ ]

    WOW.... those guys at telligent are really on the ball. I installed community server for my hometown and haven't advertised it yet but it looks like it is truly going to rock!

    I installed it here http://downtowncleburne.com/cs/Default.aspx but plan on changing the URL soon

    I am trying to get some folks in the area to add some commentary before I start exploring avenues for disseminating it to the public. Take a look and please feel free to send me any comments regarding Forums/Blogs or other content.

    I am looking forward to seeing how receptive the public is to this project.

    Cheers,

    Ronda
    posted at 06:54 PM | [3] |

       |  SQL Dupes
    [ | ]

    I saw a post on one of my lists today for retrieving only duplicate records and it reminded me of how valuable Pentons article has been to me over the years.
    One of the issues we almost always encounter when dealing with other peoples data (it could not happen to us directly because we always have excellent DB design) is dealing with duplicate records. David Pentons 'analyzing duplicate records' script is too lengthy to paste here but check it out when you get a chance: Analyzing Duplicate Records

    posted at 12:06 PM | [1] |

       |  Populate a DropDown List from SQL Query
    [ ]

    'Declare your connection, command and SQL
    Dim myConnection As SqlConnection
    Dim myCommand As SqlCommand
    Dim strSQL As String
    'Assign your values
    'I have concatenated the partnumber with the product name for ease of the user
    strSQL = "select item_id,part_number,(part_number + '-' + productname) as theitem FROM products "
    myConnection = New SqlConnection(conString)
    myCommand = New SqlCommand(strSQL, myConnection)
    'Open your connection
    myConnection.Open()
    'My dropdownlist is named drpProducts
    drpProducts.DataSource = myCommand.ExecuteReader()
    'Use the values from the SQL to populate the text and value fields of dropdown
    drpProducts.DataTextField = "theitem"
    drpProducts.DataValueField = "item_ID"
    drpProducts.DataBind()
    'Give your dropdownlist a default value
    drpProducts.Items.Insert(0, "Choose Item")
    'Close your connection
    myConnection.Close()
    posted at 06:27 AM | |

       |  ExecuteScaler to populate a label
    [ ]

    Easy example of using ExecuteScaler to populate a single value


    'Declare your connection & command objects along with your SQL String
    Dim myConnection As SqlConnection
    Dim myCommand As SqlCommand
    Dim strSQL As String
    'Build your SQL and populate your other values
    strSQL = "select myPrice FROM myproducts where itemid= " & drpProducts.SelectedItem.Value
    myConnection = New SqlConnection(conString)
    myCommand = New SqlCommand(strSQL, myConnection)
    'Open your connection
    myConnection.Open()
    'Assign your retrieved value to an object
    lblItemPrice.Text = myCommand.ExecuteScalar()
    'Close your connection
    myConnection.Close()
    posted at 06:20 AM | |

       |  I'm gonna BLOG about YOU!
    [ | ]

    It happens every time I have EXCEPTIONAL customer service. And isn't that the factor that makes the difference in most comparable products. It all boils down to people. Quick response when frustrated with a product brings a certain type of joy that is incomparable. Quite likely good customer service makes such an impact because we have all spent countless hours of our lives on hold, only to get a rude, incompetent person on the other end who has never used the product. I don't use the term "exceptional customer service" lightly. It must have all of the factors - patience with what may often be just a user error, competence with the product in question, timely response; because whether they are patient and competent if they do not reply in a timely manner then your initial frustration only grows. Of course when we speak of exceptional customer service I must preface this with the fact that the product must be supportable - in other words it must be an exceptional product to warrant a mention in this blog.

    ASP.Net Email is a phenomenal product. Aleviating many of the automation nightmares we often encounter when dealing with mass mail. We utilize the product for retrieving XML files (sent from Yahoo) to a mail box to parse them and push them into our SQL. The support team has stuck with me through 2 server moves (mailenable and smartermail) and the response time is AWESOME. They offer support lists as well as individual support at no cost and I can't say I have been more pleased with a product for quick install, quick configuration and seamless integration.

    Threat Sentry - from PrivacyWare is another one of 'those' products that has changed my peace of mind. It is an intrusion detection system that smoothly integrates with IIS and notifies me when hackers are testing my security. Not only does it notify me via email but it blocks them based on criteria I have set up. The support team again merits an EXCEPTIONAL rating and I can't praise it enough.

    A Tale of Two Gates - Automated gates... while this might be a limited audience I have to tell you guys about my recent 'gate experience'. My mother has an automated gate for 2 years. She has had more downtime then uptime and replaced the mother board TWICE. So when I put in a wrought iron fence and decided to spring for an automated gate it was a clear decision that whatever gate I went with it would not be the brand she chose. I got lucky and wound up with an US Automatic gate. Saturday morning my gate stopped working - okay this happens for a variety of reasons - the motherboard has a reset switch, testing lights that trouble shoot the problem, various DIP switch settings to manipulate the gate, etc... I downloaded the manual (Grateful that it was available to download because I have no idea where my originial copy is - ALL manufacturers should offer PDF downloads of manuals!). I then proceeded to trouble shoot according to manual instructions. Nothing! So for kicks on Saturday morning I emailed the support team from the website. 15 minutes later someone calls me - at home - on SATURDAY morning! He spent an hour on the phone with me until we identified what we believed was the issue (a bad charger - resulting in a bad backup battery). He then told me HE WOULD check back with me. I had different priorities for Saturday so when he called I was not around - I had decided to deal with it on Monday. Guess what? 8:00 Monday morning HE CALLED me again. You just don't find that kind of support from most manufacturers and of course once we were ready to get off the phone I paid him the highest compliment "I'm gonna BLOG about YOU!"

    posted at 07:14 AM | |

       |  Busier than a ...
    [ | ]

    It has been SO long since I have blogged I had to look up my admin page to create this entry. I bought a new house - which is going to be awesome after a LOT of work. It is 1930's rock cottage right in the midst of town on an acre of land with all kinds of kitschy out buildings and character. I still have a house in Dallas to sell - thus am making two house payments right now if anyone is thinking of relocating - I am becoming more and more negotiable as the weeks roll by.

    Oh on the subject of remodeling - I offer a tidbit of wisdom -- NEVER buy cheap sandpaper when sanding wood floors. Always spring for the most expensive stuff

    I came across a rollover image control that Chris Garrett put together - I don't usually do rollovers but am trading out a web site for a heavy metal band (they are doing some construction for me) and they want rollovers. I started to do it with client side javascript and googled it with .net and found this clean, neat little user control to throw into your library.


    I finally had some time tonight and spent a couple of hours in the microsoft newsgroups - it is amazing how much time programmers don't have - most especially if they have any outside interests like gardening, moving, side-work to support double house payments, not to mention any kind of social life (right). My listservers are all going to my gmail account (which really is the best solution in the world for lists) and I haven't checked it in more than a week or two- so I almost want to go in and just archive everything but I have never been able to do that. I really do admire those of you with clean mailboxes - I keep almost everything; which results in tons of folders for organinzing and lots of archived .pst files.

    When I started this post I had some interesting items (VB.net) to mention but they are eluding me now - so maybe I will consolidate my thoughts, empty out my pda, get my notes together (darn I have been meaning to install one-note) and try another post soon... ~



    posted at 11:43 PM | [2] |

       |  Mobility To Go Roadshow
    [ | ]

    On Tuesday I attended the .Net To Go Mobility Roadshow and really enjoyed it. It looks like the show is about done but if you get the chance to catch it in the future, well it is a winner! Thom Robbins was one of the most compelling and inspiring speakers I have heard, he has a conversational style and excellent timing that prevents one from ever glancing at the clock.

    I was fortunate and scored "The Definitive Guide to the .Net Compact Framework" which was nice since my 'Hello App' was created before I went to bed that night and it has been a good resource while working on a CF project all week in my free time (like programmers ever really have free time - so much to learn). The framework is not so different than any other .Net development but there are limitations and nuances to deal with and I haven't yet ventured into ADO with the SQLServerCE so I have some challenges ahead.

    Robbins offered a challenge for a free CF Device and I thought a few of you may want to rise to the challenge. His October 20th post on his blog http://weblogs.asp.net/trobbins has all of the details. Basically submit an app and the top 5% will score "A Windows Powered Mobile Device!", either a phone or PDA.
    posted at 11:27 AM | [3] |