European Silverlight 4 & Silverlight 5 Hosting BLOG

BLOG about Silverlight 5 Hosting and Its Techologies - Dedicated to European Windows Hosting Customer

European Silverlight Hosting - Amsterdam :: How to Enable Dynamic Compression in IIS 7/7.5

clock February 18, 2013 07:47 by author Scott

In this tutorial I will show you how to enable dynamic compression in IIS 7. For other post of dynamic compression, please just see our last post.

You’ll see this error message when you haven’t setup dynamic compression on your IIS:

“The dynamic content compression module is not installed.”

Ok, let’s start the tutorial:

1. Open server manager

2. Roles --> IIS

3. Role Services (scroll down) --> Add Role Services

4. Add desired role (Web Server --> Performance > Dynamic Content Compression)

5. Wait till finish.

To enable this feature, here are the steps:

1. Open server manager

2. Roles --> Web Server (IIS) --> Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager

3. Then, go to your site --> your website

4. IISà compression

And dynamic compression has been enable on your server. Hope this tutorial is interesting.

 



European Silverlight Hosting - Amsterdam :: Dynamic Compression in IIS 7

clock February 5, 2013 10:17 by author Scott

This is the question from one of our clients. The client insisted on returning large datasets, well in excess of 10,000 records. I will leave the story of figuring out how to properly specify the MaxItemsInObjectGraph service behavior attribute for some other post, but the other problem I was constantly aware of, was the data size returned from the server. With all filters set to max, the data set was well in excess of 30 megabytes. This might not be a big problem on a local network, but if some of your users are located across the big pond called Atlantic, you might want to compress your data before shipping it over.

Now, the IIS 7 console only allows you to enable or disable static compression, but it does not let you control which dynamic types are being compressed as well as the level of compression desired for each content type.

The command you are supposed to use instead is AppCmd.exe located in C:\Windows\System32\inetsrv directory.

So here are three sample commands that helped me reduce the size of my WCF RIA Domain Service's binary response by 80%. Needless to say I was pleasantly shocked.

Enable compression on WebDevel webserver (when you have multiple servers and want to do it specifically for each)


C:\Windows\System32\inetsrv>Appcmd.exe set config "WebDevel" -section:urlCompression -doStaticCompression:true -doDynamicCompression:true


Add mime-type application/msbin1 to dynamic compression list (service wide)


C:\Windows\System32\inetsrv>Appcmd.exe set config -section:system.webServer/httpCompression /+"dynamicTypes.[mimeType='application/msbin1',enabled='True']" /commit:apphost


Set compression levels for static and dynamic content (service wide)


C:\Windows\System32\inetsrv>Appcmd.exe set config -section:httpCompression -[name='gzip'].staticCompressionLevel:9 -[name='gzip'].dynamicCompressionLevel:5



European Silverlight Hosting - Amsterdam :: Silverlight FluentDataGrid

clock January 24, 2013 07:14 by author Scott

Almost every application to work with the data we have to work with the tables for display to the user of any data which it has applied. For users familiar applications such pages and comfortable enough, but not always easy to implement a particular display logic for complex data structures such as the customer wants them to be. We give a simple example, let us have the lists A and B, are related by 1: n, each element of the list B contains three attributes - the key, the record type and value, types of records that can be repeated. Suppose we want to display the record of A, so that each row of A list displays all values ​​from the list B, the record type is used as a title 

Students (List A) 

Id

Name

1

John

2

Alex

3

Sara

Marks (List B) 

Id

Student

Category

Value

1

1

C#

5

2

1

Java

3

1

HTML & CSS

4

4

2

C#

4

5

3

Java

3

We need to get the following table:

Id

Name

Marks

C#

Java

HTML & CSS

1

John

5

4

4

2

Alex

4

-

-

3

Sara

-

3

-

Application in which I faced with such a task was developed using the technology of Silverlight. Built-in DataGrid functionality described above is not realized. This led to the development of special control FluentGrid. 

How it works:

FluentDataGrid - is the control that builds a table based on a custom data source FluentGridSource. Currently, the construction of the table (view) is available only at runtime. FluentGridSource has Fluent-like interface for the formation of rules of construction.

The key source of data is the formation of the class, which will be a "model line." She describes one row of the result table, for our example of such a class might look like:

public class ExampleRow : PropertyChangedBase
{
    public ExampleRow(int id, string name, IList<IDynamicElement> marks)
    {
        _id = id;
        _name = name;
        Marks = marks;
    }

    private int _id;
    private string _name;

    [DynamicHeader("Id", false, HorizontalAlignment = HorizontalAlignment.Right)]
    public int Id
    {
        get { return _id; }
        set
        {
            NotifyPropertyChanged(() => Id);
            _id = value;
        }
    }

    [DynamicHeader("Name", false,
        HorizontalAlignment = HorizontalAlignment.Left, Width = 200)]
    public string Name
    {
        get { return _name; }
        set
        {
            NotifyPropertyChanged(() => Name);
            _name = value;
        }
    }

    public IList<IDynamicElement> Marks { get; set; }
}

public class MarkDynamicElement : PropertyChangedBase, IdynamicElement
{
    private object _value;

    public MarkDynamicElement(DynamicHeader header, object value)
    {
        Header = header;
        Value = value;
    }

    /// <summary>
    /// Header for the value
    /// </summary>
    public DynamicHeader Header { get; set; }

    /// <summary>
    /// Value that will be displayed
    /// </summary>
    public object Value
    {
        get { return _value; }
        set
        {
            _value = value;
            NotifyPropertyChanged(() => Value);
        }
    }
}

The base class implements the INotifyPropertyChanged PropertyChangedBase. We see that in the line two "static" column Id and Name, attribute DynamicHeader helps us set a cap column. There is also a list of Marks, a "dynamic" of the table, which can be constructed, for example, by using LINQ. Its elements have to implement a special interface IDynamicElement.

In forming a data source, you can add formatting rules AddFromatter (), totals AddSummary (), validation rules for totals AddValidator (), the validation rules of values ​​in table cells AddCellValidator (), and set rules for the formation of the hierarchy. In order to specify the hierarchy, you must specify the property model - key (Id), the property - a reference to the parent element (ParentId) and the property on which to display the hierarchy. 

How to use:  

The first step is defining the control in the XAML file:  

<CurriculumControl Source="{Binding SimpleSampleSource,Mode=TwoWay}" SelectedItem="{Binding SelectedRow, Mode=TwoWay}" /> 

Next step is to create a row with the appropriate attributes for the grid as described above. 

Than you should create view model, construct FluentGridSource

DynamicExampleSource = FluentGridSource.CreateFrom(DynamicExampleSource, Repository.GetExampleRows());
Constructing FluentGrisSource may be more complex if you set some validation, totals
ValidationSampleSource = new FluentGridSource(typeof(SimpleRow));
ValidationSampleSource = FluentGridSource.CreateFrom(ValidationSampleSource, Repository.GetSimpleRows());

#region Formatters

ValidationSampleSource
    .SetOptions(true, 50)
    .AddFormatter(new DynamicHeader {Name = "Min", HeaderGroup = new OverallSalaryHeaderGroup()},
                  (row, value) => ((double) value).ToString("c", new CultureInfo("en-us")));
#endregion

#region Summaries
ValidationSampleSource
    .AddSummary(new DynamicHeaderCollection {new DynamicHeader {Name = "Employee name"}}, x => "Total")
    .AddSummary(
        new DynamicHeaderCollection
            {new DynamicHeader {Name = "Min", HeaderGroup = new OverallSalaryHeaderGroup()}},
        delegate(IDictionary<DynamicHeader, IEnumerable> allValues)
            {
                var header = allValues.Keys.Single(x => x.Name == "Min");
                var values = (List<object>) allValues[header];
                return values.Sum(x => (double) x);
            })
    .AddSummary(
        new DynamicHeaderCollection
            {new DynamicHeader {Name = "Max", HeaderGroup = new OverallSalaryHeaderGroup()}},
        delegate(IDictionary<DynamicHeader, IEnumerable> allValues)
            {
                var header = allValues.Keys.Single(x => x.Name == "Max");
                var values = (List<object>) allValues[header];
                return values.Sum(x => (double) x);
            });
#endregion

#region Validations

ValidationSampleSource
    .AddCellValidator(new DynamicHeader { Name = "Min", HeaderGroup = new OverallSalaryHeaderGroup() },
        delegate(object row, object value)
        {
            var simpleRow = (SimpleRow)row;
            var min = (double)value;

            if (min > simpleRow.Max)
                return "Minimum cannot be higher than maximum!";
            if (min < 5000)
                return "Minimum cannot be lower than $5000";

            return null;
        })
    .AddCellValidator(new DynamicHeader { Name = "Max", HeaderGroup = new OverallSalaryHeaderGroup() },
        delegate(object row, object value)
        {
            var simpleRow = (SimpleRow)row;
            var max = (double)value;

            if (max < simpleRow.Min)
                return "Maximum cannot be lower than minimum!";
            if (max > 500000)
                return "Maximum cannot be heigher than $500000";

            return null;
        });

#endregion

 



European World-Class Windows and ASP.NET Web Hosting Leader - HostForLIFE.eu

clock December 18, 2012 07:10 by author Scott

Fantastic and Excellent Support has made HostForLife.eu the Windows and ASP.NET Hosting service leader in European region. HostForLife.eu delivers enterprise-level hosting services to businesses of all sizes and kinds in European region and around the world. HostForLife.eu started its business in 2006 and since then, they have grown to serve more than 10,000 customers in European region. HostForLife.eu integrates the industry's best technologies for each customer's specific need and delivers it as a service via the company's commitment to excellent support. HostForLife.eu core products include Shared Hosting, Reseller Hosting, Cloud Computing Service, SharePoint Hosting and Dedicated Server hosting.

HostForLife.eu service is No #1 Top Recommended Windows and ASP.NET Hosting Service in European continent. Their services is ranked the highest top #1 spot in several European countries, such as: Germany, Italy, Netherlands, France, Belgium, United Kingdom, Sweden, Finland, Switzerland and many top European countries. For more information, please refer to http://www.microsoft.com/web/hosting/HostingProvider/Details/953.

HostForLife.eu has a very strong commitment to introduce their Windows and ASP.NET hosting service to the worldwide market. HostForLife.eu starts to target market in United States, Middle East and Asia/Australia in 2010 and by the end of 2013, HostForLife.eu will be the one-stop Windows and ASP.NET Hosting Solution for every ASP.NET enthusiast and developer.

HostForLife.eu leverages the best-in-class connectivity and technology to innovate industry-leading, fully automated solutions that empower enterprises with complete access, control, security, and scalability. With this insightful strategy and our peerless technical execution, HostForLife.eu has created the truly virtual data center—and made traditional hosting and managed/unmanaged services obsolete.

HostForLIFE.eu currently operates data center located in Amsterdam (Netherlands), offering complete redundancy in power, HVAC, fire suppression, network connectivity, and security. With over 53,000 sq ft of raised floor between the two facilities, HostForLife has an offering to fit any need. The datacenter facility sits atop multiple power grids driven by TXU electric, with PowerWare UPS battery backup power and dual diesel generators onsite. Our HVAC systems are condenser units by Data Aire to provide redundancy in cooling coupled with nine managed backbone providers.

HostForLife.eu does operate a data center located in Washington D.C (United States) too and this data center is best fits to customers who are targeting US market. Starting on Jan 2013, HostForLife.eu will operate a new data centre facility located in Singapore (Asia).

With three data centers that are located in different region, HostForLife.eu commits to provide service to all the customers worldwide. They hope they can achieve the best Windows and ASP.NET Hosting Awards in the World by the end of 2013.

About HostForLIFE.eu

HostForLife.eu is Microsoft No #1 Recommended Windows and ASP.NET Hosting in European Continent. Their service is ranked the highest top #1 spot in several European countries, such as: Germany, Italy, Netherlands, France, Belgium, United Kingdom, Sweden, Finland, Switzerland and many top European countries.

Our number one goal is constant uptime. Our data center uses cutting edge technology, processes, and equipment. We have one of the best up time reputations in the industry.

Our second goal is providing excellent customer service. Our technical management structure is headed by professionals who have been in the industry since its inception. We have customers from around the globe, spread across every continent. We serve the hosting needs of the business and professional, government and nonprofit, entertainment and personal use market segments.



European Silverlight 5 Hosting - Amsterdam :: Telerik Rad HtmlPlaceHolder in Silverlight 5 Via WCF Service

clock December 6, 2012 08:14 by author Scott

Today, in this article let's concentrate on another Silverlight application, whereby communicating with a WCF Service to perform some operation.

The Telerik Rad Controls for Silverlight can be found from http://www.telerik.com/products/silverlight/overview.aspx

Question: What is RadHtmlPlaceHolder?

In simple terms "It is the special controls which enables to render external WebPages into Silverlight App".

Let's get this implemented practically for a better idea of this!!!

Step 1: The complete code of the IService1.cs looks like this:

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Runtime.Serialization;
using System.ServiceModel;
using System.ServiceModel.Web;
using System.Text;

namespace Wcf_RadPlaceHolder
{
    // NOTE: You can use the "Rename" command on the "Refactor" menu to change the interface name "IService1" in both code and config file together.
    [ServiceContract]
    public interface IService1
    {

        [OperationContract]
        string url(string a);
    }
}

Step 2: The complete code of the Service1.svc.cs looks like this:

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Runtime.Serialization;
using System.ServiceModel;
using System.ServiceModel.Web;
using System.Text;

namespace Wcf_RadPlaceHolder
{
    // NOTE: You can use the "Rename" command on the "Refactor" menu to change the class name "Service1" in code, svc and config file together.
    public class Service1 : IService1
    {
        public string url(string a)
        {
            return a;
        }
    }

Step 3: The complete code of the Web.Config looks like this:

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<
configuration>

  <system.web>
    <
compilation debug="true" targetFramework="4.0" />
  </
system.web>
  <
system.serviceModel>
    <
behaviors>
      <
serviceBehaviors>
        <
behavior>
          <!--
To avoid disclosing metadata information, set the value below to false and remove the metadata endpoint above before deployment -->
          <
serviceMetadata httpGetEnabled="true"/>
          <!--
To receive exception details in faults for debugging purposes, set the value below to true.  Set to false before deployment to avoid disclosing exception information -->
          <
serviceDebug includeExceptionDetailInFaults="false"/>
        </
behavior>
      </
serviceBehaviors>
    </
behaviors>
    <
serviceHostingEnvironment multipleSiteBindingsEnabled="true" />
  </
system.serviceModel>
  <
system.webServer>
    <
modules runAllManagedModulesForAllRequests="true"/>
  </
system.webServer>

</configuration>

Step 4: The complete code of the Clientaccesspolicy.xml looks like this (to avoid a cross domain problem in Silverlight):

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<access-policy>
  <cross-domain-access>
    <policy>
      <allow-from http-request-headers="SOAPAction">
        <domain uri="*"/>
      </allow-from>
      <grant-to>
        <resource path="/" include-subpaths="true"/>
      </grant-to>
    </policy>
  </cross-domain-access>
</access-policy>

Step 5: The complete code of the MainPage.xaml looks like this:

<UserControl x:Class="RadPlaceHolderApplication.MainPage"
              xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
              xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
              xmlns:d="http://schemas.microsoft.com/expression/blend/2008"
              xmlns:mc="http://schemas.openxmlformats.org/markup-compatibility/2006"
              xmlns:telerik="http://schemas.telerik.com/2008/xaml/presentation"
              mc:Ignorable="d" d:DesignWidth="640" d:DesignHeight="480">
       <Grid x:Name="LayoutRoot">

            <telerik:RadHtmlPlaceholder x:Name="placeHolder1"
                                        ScrollViewer.HorizontalScrollBarVisibility="Visible"
                                        ScrollViewer.VerticalScrollBarVisibility="Visible"
                                        Margin="11,74,13,0" />
        <TextBlock Height="23"
                   HorizontalAlignment="Left"
                   Margin="34,16,0,0"
                   Name="textBlock1"
                   Text="Please Enter Web URL: "
                   FontFamily="Verdana"
                   FontSize="15"
                   VerticalAlignment="Top" />

        <TextBox Height="23"
                 HorizontalAlignment="Left"
                 Margin="219,16,0,0"
                 Name="textBox1"
                 VerticalAlignment="Top"
                 Width="212" />

        <Button Content="Go"
                Background="DeepSkyBlue"
                FontFamily="Verdana"
                FontSize="15"
                Height="23"
                HorizontalAlignment="Left"
                Margin="429,15,0,0"
                Name="button1"
                VerticalAlignment="Top"
                Width="75"
                Click="button1_Click"/>
    </Grid>
</UserControl>

Step 6: The complete code of the MainPage.xaml.cs looks like this:

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Net;
using System.Windows;
using System.Windows.Controls;
using System.Windows.Documents;
using System.Windows.Input;
using System.Windows.Media;
using System.Windows.Media.Animation;
using System.Windows.Shapes;
using Telerik.Windows.Controls;
using RadPlaceHolderApplication.ServiceReference1;

namespace RadPlaceHolderApplication
{
    public partial class MainPage : UserControl
    {
        public MainPage()
        {
            InitializeComponent();
        }

        private void url_Call(object sender, urlCompletedEventArgs e)
        {
            placeHolder1.SourceUrl = new Uri(e.Result.ToString(), UriKind.RelativeOrAbsolute);
        }

        private void button1_Click(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
        {
            if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(textBox1.Text))
            {
                MessageBox.Show("Please Enter Some Values", "RadHtmlPlaceHolder- WCF", MessageBoxButton.OKCancel);
            }
            else
            {
                objClient.urlCompleted += new EventHandler<urlCompletedEventArgs>(url_Call);
                objClient.urlAsync(textBox1.Text);
            }

        }

        #region Instance Variables
        Service1Client objClient = new Service1Client();
        #endregion

    }

Step 7: The output of the application looks like this:

Step 8: The output of the Nothing Entered Application looks like this:

Step 9: The output of URL Entered Application looks like this:

I hope this article is useful for you.

 



European Silverlight Hosting - Amsterdam :: Working with Isolated Storage in Silverlight

clock November 29, 2012 07:46 by author Scott

Isolated storage gives you access to a small segment of hard-disk space, with certain limitations. For example we don't know exactly where our files are being stored. We also can't read the files left by another Silverlight application or recorded for another user. In essence, isolated storage provides carefully restricted, tamperproof file access for applications that need to store permanent information in the local PC, so that information can be retrieved the next time the user runs the application.

How it works:

Isolated storage provides a virtual file system that lets you write data to a small, user-specific and application-specific slot of space. There's no way to know beforehand exactly where the data will be written, and the default space limit is a mere 1 MB (although you can request that the user grant you more).

Is it similar to browser Cookie?

  1. Essentially, isolated storage is the Silverlight equivalent of persistent cookies in an ordinary web page. It allows small bits of information to be stored in a dedicated location that has specific controls in place to prevent malicious attacks.
     
  2. Isolated storage is persistent–unlike the browser cache, it never expires, and it's not removed if the user chooses to explicitly delete temporary Internet files.
     
  3. Isolated storage isn't a good storage place for important documents, because they're never backed up, are easily deleted, and can be even more easily lost.
     
  4. Isolated storage is intended to be a limited-size storage location for data, not a handcrafted replacement for HTTP Caching.


Scope of Isolated Storage:


With isolated storage, a unique storage location is created for every combination of user and application. In other words, the same computer can have multiple isolated storage locations for the same application, assuming each one is for a different user. Similarly, the same user can have multiple isolated storage locations, one for each Silverlight application. Isolated storage isn't affected by browser, so a Windows user switching from Internet Explorer to Firefox will get the same isolated storage location in both browsers.

What all can we store in an Isolated Storage: Good choices include user-specific details, user preferences, and information about recent user actions. Isolated storage is also great temporary storage.

So now we are ready to create a application which will demonstrate how it works.

Step 1: Create a Silverlight Application project and name it IsolatedStorage.

Step 2: Now we will try to understand how to write data and read data from these storages Medias. We will also see if we want to increase the space on the handdisk; how can we do that as well.

So we created a simple xmal like this:

<Grid x:Name="LayoutRoot"  Margin="10"  Background="WhiteSmoke" Width="340" Height="200" HorizontalAlignment="Center" VerticalAlignment="Center">
        <Grid.RowDefinitions>
            <RowDefinition Height="Auto"></RowDefinition>
            <RowDefinition Height="Auto"></RowDefinition>         

        </Grid.RowDefinitions>

            <Grid.ColumnDefinitions>
            <ColumnDefinition Width="Auto" ></ColumnDefinition>
            <ColumnDefinition Width="Auto" ></ColumnDefinition>           

        </Grid.ColumnDefinitions>

            <TextBlock Text="Enter Your Name" Margin="3" Padding="5" HorizontalAlignment="Left" 
                       VerticalAlignment="Center" Grid.Row="0" Grid.Column="0">               
           
</TextBlock>

            <TextBox x:Name="txtname" Margin="3" Padding="5"
                        HorizontalAlignment="Left" VerticalAlignment="Center"
                        Grid.Row="0" Grid.Column="1" Height="30" Width="200" ></TextBox>          

            <Grid Grid.Column="1" Grid.Row="1"  Margin="5" >
                <Grid.RowDefinitions>
                    <RowDefinition Height="50" ></RowDefinition>
                    <RowDefinition ></RowDefinition>
                    <RowDefinition ></RowDefinition>
            </Grid.RowDefinitions>

                <Grid.ColumnDefinitions>
                    <ColumnDefinition ></ColumnDefinition>
                    <ColumnDefinition ></ColumnDefinition>
                </Grid.ColumnDefinitions>

            <Button x:Name="btnWrite"  Margin="5" Padding="5" Width="90" Height="30"
                    Content="Click to Write" HorizontalAlignment="Center" VerticalAlignment="Top"
                    Click="btnWrite_Click">
            </Button>

            <Button x:Name="btnRead"  Margin="5" Padding="5" Width="90" Height="30"
                    Content="Click to Read"
                    HorizontalAlignment="Center" VerticalAlignment="Top" Click="btnRead_Click"
                    Grid.Row="0" Grid.Column="1">
            </Button>

            <Button x:Name="btnSize"  Padding="5" Width="180" Height="30"
                    Content="Click to Increase Disk Storage Space"
                     HorizontalAlignment="Center" VerticalAlignment="Top"
                    Click="btnSize_Click" Grid.Row="1" Grid.Column="0" Grid.ColumnSpan="2">
            </Button>

            <TextBlock x:Name="lblData" Margin="5"  HorizontalAlignment="Center" VerticalAlignment="Top"                       
                    Grid.Row="2" Grid.Column="0" Grid.ColumnSpan="2"></TextBlock>

        </Grid>

Step 3: Now come to Code Behind and write handler for btnWrite_Click.

Also add this Isolated storage namespace.

using System.IO.IsolatedStorage;

private void btnWrite_Click(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
        {
            // Write to isolated storage.
            try
            {               
                //this gives you exactly what you want: an application-specific, user-specific
                //location where you can store data.

               IsolatedStorageFile store = IsolatedStorageFile.GetUserStoreForApplication();

                 //If we would have used
                //IsolatedStorageFile.GetUserStoreForSite ,
                //then a storage site that's accessible to all the Silverlight applications on the same website domain.
                using (IsolatedStorageFileStream fs = store.CreateFile("data.txt"))
                {
                    StreamWriter sw = new StreamWriter(fs);                  
                    sw.Write(txtname.Text);                  
                    sw.Close();
                }
                txtname.Text = string.Empty;

            }
            catch
            {

            }
        }


Let us concentrate on this line.

IsolatedStorageFile
store = IsolatedStorageFile.GetUserStoreForApplication();

Silverlight creates isolated stores automatically. To interact with an isolated store, you use the IsolatedStorageFile class. You get the IsolatedStorageFile object for the current user and application by calling the static IsolatedStorageFile.GetUserStoreForApplication() method, as shown here:

Step 4: Press F5 and test write and read buttons.

Step 5: Now let's concentrate on how disk storage works. Initially, each Silverlight application gets 1 MB of space in it's isolated store. You can examine the IsolatedStorageFile.AvailableFreeSpace property to find out how much free space remains. If your application needs more space, you can use an option: the IsolatedStorageFile IncreaseQuotaTo() method.

We must request a value that's higher than the current quota. Otherwise, you'll receive an exception. That means you can't use the IncreaseQuotaTo() method to ensure that there's a certain level of free space.

If everything goes well, you will be presented with something such as shown in the figure below.

 



Premier European HostForLIFE.eu Officially Announces SharePoint 2013 Hosting in European Data Center

clock November 21, 2012 08:07 by author Scott

HostForLIFE.eu, the premier European Windows and ASP.NET provider proudly announces the immediate availability of Microsoft’s new SharePoint 2013 hosting. HostForLIFE.eu offers this new product at the amazing price, just only €9.99/month.

“SharePoint 2013 is really fantastic; it brings many exciting new features, like Microsoft App Store, SharePoint Designer 2013 support, the use of mobile smart devices. And what amazing here is you can find all this new functionality for only €9.99/month” Said Kevin Joseph, manager of HostForLIFE.eu. “These enhancements are fantastic and make the platform more user-friendly, scalable, modern, and powerful as a robust collaboration, social, and knowledge management platform for the enterprise.”

HostForLIFE.eu utilizes the newly-released Microsoft Windows Server 2012 and SQL Server 2012 as the foundation for the plans. The base hosting plans specification have been architected to meet Microsoft recommended configurations for both SharePoint 2013 and SQL Server 2012 and will include SQL Server and disk configuration best practices identified by HostForLife’s database administrators to optimize SharePoint 2013 performance.

The HostForLIFE.eu SharePoint 2013 product is divided into SharePoint Foundation 2013 and SharePoint Server 2013 hosting plan. SharePoint 2013 Foundation is the core platform of the product which comes with enhancements to the administration and user experience, plus new options for enterprise users to collaborate using social media features. SharePoint Server 2013 is basically Foundation with additional Enterprise services and functionality added on top. You will still get Central administration, basic search, document collaboration, and team sites with Foundation.

For additional information about SharePoint 2013 offered by HostForLIFE.eu, please visit http://www.hostforlife.eu.

About HostForLIFE.eu:

HostForLIFE.eu is European Windows Hosting Provider which focuses on Windows Platform only. We deliver on-demand hosting solutions including Shared hosting, Reseller Hosting, Cloud Hosting, Dedicated Servers, and IT as a Service for companies of all sizes.

HostForLIFE.eu is awarded Top No#1 SPOTLIGHT Recommended Hosting Partner by Microsoft (see www.microsoft.com/web/hosting/HostingProvider/Details/953). Our service is ranked the highest top #1 spot in several European countries, such as: Germany, Italy, Netherlands, France, Belgium, United Kingdom, Sweden, Finland, Switzerland and other European countries. Besides this award, we have also won several awards from reputable organizations in the hosting industry and the detail can be found on our official website.



European Silverlight 5 Hosting - Amsterdam :: Working with Observable Collections in Silverlight 5

clock November 15, 2012 09:49 by author Scott

Observable Collections are great to preserve the latest data in data controls without having to rebind data to the data controls. In this article we will explore how we can work with Observable Collections in Silverlight 5.

Silverlight – A Quick Look

Silverlight is a browser plug-in that promotes a collaborative development environment of rich online media content that enables developers and designers alike to integrate multimedia and graphics into web pages within the context of the managed environment. Over the past few years, Silverlight, formerly known as Windows Presentation Foundation Everywhere (WPF/E), has become popular worldwide for developing the next generation of cross-browser, cross-platform Rich Internet Applications (RIAs).

Observable Collections

The generic List<T> represents a strongly typed list of elements or a CLR or non-CLR type. When we bind data to a DataControl in ASP.NET using such a list, the data in the data bound control is up to date with the data in the list. However, when the data in the list changes, the data control has to be re-bound to reflect the changes. In other words, we have to rebind the data in the list (now the list contains updated data) to reflect the change. This problem is solved in using ObservableCollection<T>. This collection is capable of providing notifications of items added/deleted/edited through the INotifyCollectionChanged interface. The INotifyCollectionChanged interface has an event called PropertyChanged, which is fired when a property value is changed.

ObservableCollection is a generic dynamic data structure that has the ability to send notifications when items are added, removed or when the collection is refreshed. The MSDN states: "Represents a dynamic data collection that provides notifications when items get added, removed, or when the whole list is refreshed." Reference: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms668604.aspx

The ObservableCollection class is shown below:

[SerializableAttribute]
public class ObservableCollection<T> : Collection<T>,
            INotifyCollectionChanged, INotifyPropertyChanged


You can instantiate an Observable collection as shown in the code snippet below:

using System.Collections.ObjectModel;
ObservableCollection<Product> products = new ObservableCollection<Product>();

Consider the following class:

public class Contact
    {
        private string firstName;
        private string lastName;
        private string address; 

        public Contact(string firstName, string lastName, string address)
        {
            this.firstName = firstName;
            this.lastName = lastName;
            this.address = address;
        } 

        public string FirstName
        {
            get { return firstName; }
            set { firstName = value; }
        } 

        public string LastName
        {
            get { return lastName; }
            set { lastName = value; }
        } 

        public string Address
        {
            get { return address; }
            set { address = value; }
        }
    }

The following class creates an Observable Collection out of the Contact class:

public class EmployeeList : ObservableCollection<Contact>
    {
        public EmployeeList()
            : base()
        {
            Add(new Contact("Joydip", "Kanjilal", "Hyderabad"));
            Add(new Contact("Debanjan", "Banerjee", "Kolkata"));
            Add(new Contact("Shaik", "Tajuddin","Hyderabad"));
            Add(new Contact("Firdous", "Khan", "Hyderabad"));
        }
    }

You can now use the Observable Collection you have created to bind data to a Silverlight Data Grid. Here is how the mark-up code would look:

<Grid x:Name="LayoutRoot" Background="White">
        <sdk:DataGrid x:Name="dgData" Grid.Row="2" AutoGenerateColumns="True"  ItemsSource="{Binding Source}" >

        </sdk:DataGrid>
    </Grid>

And, here's the code you would write to bind data to the DataGrid control named dgData:

public partial class MainPage : UserControl
    {
        EmployeeList empList = new EmployeeList();

        public MainPage()
        {
            InitializeComponent();          

            dgData.ItemsSource = empList;

        }
    }

To ensure that the DataGrid is refreshed if any item in the collection is changed, we should take advantage of the PropertyChangedEventHandler event handler. The NotifyPropertyChange event handler would be automatically called whenever the list is changed.

public partial class MainPage : UserControl
    {
        EmployeeList empList = new EmployeeList();

        public MainPage()
        {
            InitializeComponent();          
            dgData.ItemsSource = empList;

        }

        public EmployeeList Data
        {

            get { return empList; }

            set
            {

                empList = value;

                NotifyPropertyChange("empList");

            }

        }

        public event PropertyChangedEventHandler PropertyChanged;

        protected void NotifyPropertyChange(string propertyName)
        {

            if (PropertyChanged != null)
                PropertyChanged(this, new PropertyChangedEventArgs(propertyName));

        }
    }

Summary

In this article we discussed how we can work with Observable Collections in Silverlight 5. We explored Observable Collections, why they are helpful and how we can bind data to data controls in Silverlight using Observable Collections. Happy reading!

 



European WCF 4.5 Hosting - Amsterdam :: WCF 4.5 ChannelFactory Caching

clock October 19, 2012 10:59 by author Scott

Today I explain what ChannelFactory caching in the WCF 4.5 framework is. With the help of this new feature in .NET we can cache the service instance. Microsoft has introduced a new property for the ClientBase<T> class; the property name is CacheSetting. We can set the cachesetting with the help of the CacheSetting enum.

Here are the values of the Enum:

Name

Description

System.ServiceModel.CacheSetting.AlwaysOn

All instances of Client will use the same channel factory.

System.ServiceModel.CacheSetting.AlwaysOff

All instances of the Client would use different channel factories. This is useful when each endpoint has different security requirements and it makes no sense to cache.

System.ServiceModel.CacheSetting.Default

All instances of Client would use the same channel factory except instance #4. Instance #4 would use a channel factory that is created specifically for its use. This setting would work for scenarios where a particular endpoint needs different security settings from the other endpoints of the same ChannelFactory type (in this case IService).


Here is sample code for the Default CacheSetting:


class Program
    {
        static void Main(string[] args)
        {
             ClientBase<IService1>.CacheSetting = System.ServiceModel.CacheSetting.Default;
             using (ServiceReference1.Service1Client client = new Service1Client()) {


             }
        }
}


Here is sample code for the AlwaysOn CacheSetting:


static void Main(string[] args)

{

  ClientBase<IService1>.CacheSetting = System.ServiceModel.CacheSetting.AlwaysOn;

using (ServiceReference1.Service1Client client = new Service1Client()) {

   }
}


Here is sample code for the AlwaysOff CacheSetting:

static void Main(string[] args)
{
   ClientBase<IService1>.CacheSetting = System.ServiceModel.CacheSetting.AlwaysOff;


   using (ServiceReference1.Service1Client client = new Service1Client()) {

   }
}

 

 



European WCF 4.5 Hosting - Amsterdam :: Implementing WebSockets in WCF 4.5

clock October 15, 2012 06:59 by author Scott

Web Services have one great virtue: they're completely interoperable. They also have one great failing: in order to be interoperable, Web Services use a set of technologies that are guaranteed to give you, at best, adequate performance. Fortunately, WCF 4.5 has a solution: support for WebSockets.

Ever since Web Services appeared, developers have been trying to make them run faster. REST and JSON can be seen as a way of speeding things up by reducing the overhead in the messaging format used by Web Services. However, even with REST and JSON you're still moving and parsing text, which is the bulkiest and slowest data transfer mechanism; you'd get better performance if you could move binary data around. And REST and JSON don't tackle another reason for why Web Services give poor performance: HTTP, the network protocol used by Web Services. There are slower protocols than HTTP around, but no one is using them.


But performance isn't the only issue that using HTTP creates: HTTP in Web Services is tied to a request/response cycle. The reason Ajax applications make all their requests asynchronously is because if you call a service that takes a long time to complete, your request has to wait for that response before you can get your result.


On top of that, if your service has something else to tell your client after that initial response (an ongoing set of updates, for instance), then either your client has to make repeated polling calls to the service to get the result (another performance burden) or, in a non-Ajax application, you have to set up a complementary Web Service that the service can call with the updates.


A far better arrangement would be for the client to submit its request in a "fire and forget" kind of arrangement and then for the service to call back to the client when it has the data (and keep calling back if there are updates to send).


WebSockets addresses all of those issues, while still being an industry standard and therefore interoperable (confusions in vendor's implementations of the standard may interfere). In fact, your browser probably already supports WebSockets.


For most processing, WebSockets uses TCP to communicate, giving you the benefit of a faster protocol. WebSockets also supports sending both binary (for speed) and text (for interoperability). But in many ways, the best part of WebSockets is that it supports two-way communication: The client can call the service just to open communication; and after that, the service can call the client whenever it has information to share. And WCF 4.5 provides support for WebSockets.


So in the next few columns, I'm going to look at WebSockets in WCF 4.5. I'll look at the two ways you can implement WebSockets (one complicated and flexible, one simpler and less flexible) and create client a JavaScript client. Along the way I'll also discuss some of the issues you should consider in creating a WebSocket application.


Configuring the Server

One warning: You may not be able to use the code in this series, yet. As I write this (April 2012), WebSockets is only supported on Windows 8 (I worked on the 64-bit
beta ISO for Windows 8 Server); even then, you'll need to configure Windows 8 to support WebSockets.

To configure Windows 8, in Server Manager, from the Manage menu, run the Add Server Roles and Features wizard. In the Wizard, you'll need to add the Web Server (IIS) role. After that, under Features, select ASP.NET 4.5 (if it isn't already selected) and, under Web Services, select HTTP Activation. Finally, under Web Services (IIS)/Role Services, select WebSockets. After finishinb the Wizard, select Local Server and set IIS Enhanced Security Configuration to off.


To work with WCF 4.5, you'll need
Visual Studio 11 (again, in beta, as I write this). The first time you run it, Visual Studio 11 will probably offer to download an update; if so, take the update (I took the update and I won't guarantee that the following code will work without it).

Second warning: This may be a frustrating set of columns if you're reading them as soon as I post them. I've got a fair amount of ground to cover so, in this column, I'll only be setting up to write the code that a WebSocket service requires. But hang tough; the next column will have the code and subsequent columns will show you how to build the clients and provide an alternative way to build a WebSocket service.


Building the Service

I did my testing with a WCF Service Application Project. To take advantage of IIS's support for WebSockets that I'd just finished configuring, I went to the Web tab of my Project Properties and unchecked the Use IIS Express option so that I was testing with the "real" IIS.


Once you've set up your server and project, the first step in creating your WebSocket service is to define two interfaces: one with a single method that accepts requests from clients and another interface with a single method to send results.


For the first interface, I'll define a method that accepts an Order Id (I call the method OrderStatusById method and the interface IRequestOrderStatusUpdates). In the ServiceContract attribute on the interface that accepts requests, you need to use the attribute's CallbackContract to specify the second interface (the one with the method used to send data back to the client is ISendOrderStatus in this example). The method must accept a Message as its only input parameter and the method's OperationContract attribute must set its IsOneWay property to True and its Action property to an asterisk.


The result for my Order status example looks like this:


<ServiceContract(CallbackContract:=GetType(ISendOrderStatus))>
Public Interface IRequestOrderStatusUpdate

  <OperationContract(IsOneWay:=True, Action:="*")>
  Sub OrderStatusByID(OrderStatusMessage  As Channels.Message)

End Interface


The definition for the return method is similar, except that you don't need any special specifications for the ServiceContract attribute. I've called my method SendOrderStatus:


<ServiceContract()>
Public Interface ISendOrderStatus

  <OperationContract(IsOneWay:=True, Action:="*")>
  Sub SendOrderStatus(OrderStatusMessage  As Channels.Message)

End Interface


At this point you're ready to write the code for these methods, which I'll look at in my next column (the column after that will look at building a client).

 



About HostForLIFE.eu

HostForLIFE.eu is European Windows Hosting Provider which focuses on Windows Platform only. We deliver on-demand hosting solutions including Shared hosting, Reseller Hosting, Cloud Hosting, Dedicated Servers, and IT as a Service for companies of all sizes.

We have offered the latest Windows 2016 Hosting, ASP.NET Core 2.2.1 Hosting, ASP.NET MVC 6 Hosting and SQL 2017 Hosting.


Tag cloud

Sign in