Nino.Mobile: blog

.hgignore file for Visual Studio development

nino — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 03:32:00 GMT

I have been using Mercurial for a short while now, and wanted to share the contents of my .hgignore file for any other developers using Visual Studio with Hg (and Resharper). You may download the file from here (rename from hgignore.txt to .hgignore), and here are the contents:

syntax: glob

*.suo
*.user
*.FileListAbsolute.txt
*\bin\*
*\obj\*
*.ncb
*.nlb
*.aps
*.clw
*.pdb
*.obj
*.exe
*.pch
*.vspscc
*_i.c
*_p.c
*.tlb
*.tlh
*.bak
*.cache
*.Cache
*.ilk
*.log
*.lib
*.sbr
*.scc
*.sig
_ReSharper*\*

Windows Mobile 6.5 Developer Toolkit Released

nino — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 03:12:00 GMT

Microsoft has quietly released the Windows Mobile 6.5 Developer Toolkit. Note that this is a ‘developer toolkit’ and not a full-blown SDK. As such, the WM 6.5 DTK has a dependency on the WM 6 SDK. The DTK contains documentation, sample code, header and library files, and emulator images.

Rob Cameron has a nice intro overview here. I’ll have more this week… stay tuned!

Speaking at devLink 2009

nino — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 04:26:53 GMT

I will be speaking at devLink 2009! If you are not familiar with devLink, take a look at what great technical content you get over three days for only $75. Here is my speaker bio, and my sessions will be:

Windows Mobile Development*
Do you want to learn how to develop applications for Windows Mobile that are useful in your personal life, or in the enterprise? Had enough drag-and-drop demos where you build boring-looking applications? This session will include an introduction to the Windows Mobile platform, .NET Compact Framework, Windows Mobile SDKs, SQL Server Compact Edition, and frameworks from Microsoft and third-parties. The latter half of the session will discuss and demonstrate creating advanced user interfaces with .NET CF as well as tools and techniques for testing, debugging, and tuning your applications. This session expects no Windows Mobile or .NET CF experience, but will presume some Visual Studio and .NET experience.

Compact and Capable!**
SQL Server Compact Edition is an in-process database for use in applications that extend data storage capabilities to the desktop and to mobile devices. It is ideal for distributed and embedded applications and delivers essential relational database functionality in a small footprint while providing the familiar programming and management interfaces of SQL Server. This session will explore how you can leverage SQL Compact as a local data store for Smart Client and Smart Device applications. Also covered will be Visual Studio support, deployment options, ADO.NET interfaces, and synchronization options. Leave this session empowered with knowledge how to make your applications work anywhere the users are.

My sincere thanks and appreciation to the devLink speaker selection committee for selecting my abstracts. Register today and come join me in Nashville, TN from August 13 – 15, 2009.

* The WM Dev session is an in-depth session which will be a multi-hour session.
** Yes, I stole the tagline of the SQL CE team for my talk title (and think it quite apropos for the product).

The Mobile Minute 176

nino — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 02:47:00 GMT

TMM is back after a four month hiatus…

Microsoft has slightly tweaked the Start menu in Windows Mobile 6.5 to remove the honeycomb graphic, but leave the staggered layout. They’ve also tossed in some slight UI polish including built-in kinetic scrolling with a 1-page_at_a_time scroll (vs. a scroll to the bottom of the list). Check some stills at ArsTechnica.
Catch Loke and John previewing WM 6.5 and Marketplace for Mobile at MiX http://videos.visitmix.com/MIX09/T61F (this is the same video as embedded in the aforementioned Ars post, but this is larger).
For folks in to Drupal, here is some content on mobile strategies for Drupal
YouTube has announced a player app for Windows Mobile and Symbian S60
areamobile.de has a great set of photos of the HTC Touch Pro2 (note: site is in German). (via coolsmartphonenews.com)
Fennec (aka Firefox Mobile) has reached beta 1 (but is only available for the N810)
Phillipe discusses why he thinks iPhone 3.0 will not be enterprise ready. I concur (and I’ll add to his comments the lack of management for the platform). I know several large enterprise organizations who say “if we can’t manage it, we won’t support it” (and for them, iPhone falls into this bucket, much to the dismay of several C-level folks).

2008 Goal Recap

nino — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 04:12:55 GMT

So here’s the score from what I set out to do in 2008 (and yes, the post date on that entry is off due to my blog migration):

Improve my health

BMI of 24.9 or less - fail. I’m around 28.2 right now (better than the 29.8 I started with). I started the year around the 250 pounds mark and now am at 230; need to drop another 30. Most folks can’t tell, though. I suppose it is because I’m a few inches over 72.
Improve cardiovascular conditioning – fail. The idea to do C25K came and went.
Build my core and improve my posture – fail. Posture is minimally better, but that’s it.
Get a minimum of six hours sleep every night – fail. I was pretty lucky to get four hours some nights.
Lower my cholesterol to a healthy level – done! I’m under 200 and my LDL/HDL numbers are better, too.

Simplify

Reduce my online presence – partial-fail. I deleted my MySpace account, but re-activated Twitter. The social interactions I have had via Twitter and the great people I have met in the community via Twitter outweigh the noise (and blocking and unfollowing help minimize noise, too).
Reduce my home IT demands – um, fail. Still working on this and hope to have greater success in ‘09.
Purge the house stuff we don’t use – not much, still working on this, albeit more aggressively this year as we’re planning on moving in the next twelve months.

Community Involvement

Re-engage with the online mobile community – not as successful as I had planned. Still working on this. Work took over my life again, so this and the blogging got back-burnered.
Make it to more CINNUG meetings - Yes, I did make it to more meetings in ‘08 than I did in ‘07. Although it was still a poor showing as one of the group directors.
Regular blogging and writing – not so good here either.

Improved personal/professional balance – Fail. No other way to say it.
Given the crazy work schedule I have had this year (particularly April through October), achieving balance has been tough. Unfortunately, the next release cycle for this project (now through May) is shaping up for more of the same. I’m certain that I have had some growth out of the experience, but I think I’m still too close to the project to ascertain what it was. Funny (sad funny?), the better part of the last 5 1/2 years I have had a crazy work schedule with lots of OT. Hmm.

That said, I’m still determined to work on the balance issue and get more life in my life. Uncertain of what I need to do to do that; may need something ‘extreme’.

Going to get my 2009 goals up this weekend; again hoping that the public statement of them helps with my accountability.

2009 Mobile Predictions

nino — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 01:17:13 GMT

I think that this will be an interesting year in the mobile world, so I am going to venture out some predictions. Here are ten:

1. A major handset player will exit the market.

“Exit the market” as in cease to be an independent company, so they might be acquired by another. There has been a good deal of banter about this and most are saying that it is one of three, but offer up on specifically: Palm. Good night and good-bye. Despite the splash that “Nova” may make at CES this year, I, too, think it is too little, too late. Motorola may join them, but Sprint will hang on, at least for this year.

2. Android advances

Maybe. There about half a dozen Android handsets prepping for launch in Q1/Q2, most will fizzle.

I think that we will see some notable advances in China; however, once some very compelling (read: iPhone-like) hardware comes to the platform, we’ll see it take off. The other thing that Android needs is an Exchange ActiveSync client. Will it be Aardvark, the most mentioned of the lot, or another? We shall see.

3. Microsoft makes gains

We’ll see some updates to Windows Mobile this year (they have to, don’t they? that is if Microsoft wishes to remain competitive) . Supposedly it is WM 6.5 Let’s wait and see (and hope).

4. “App Store” accumulations

While every vendor and their 3rd cousin will have an ‘app store’ by the end of 2009, let’s not forget that the mobile operators, particularly those in the U.S., will do their best to find a way to get their hands in to that cookie jar.

Let’s hope that ‘every vendor’ includes Microsoft and that they make it as easy and painless as Apple has done. As a Windows Mobile user, I will be more than happy to see Handango left behind (and I expect some complaints from Handango if Microsoft does bring out an ‘app store’).

4. Network evolutions

4G, baby! We will see WiMAX take off after H2 2009, although we have the classic chicken and egg problem, but with more WiMAX-capable devices entering the market, this will be mitigated. From the mobile operators (ATT,VZW) in the U.S. we will LTE rollouts, although Verizon is the only one who has ponied up a date (albeit informal). Sprint, who has rolled out WiMAX in Baltimore under the brand ‘XOHM’, will now drop that branding since the merger of Sprint’s WiMAX portfolio with Clearwire.

Clearwire now needs to get running and get WiMAX pushed out to enough locations to attract users away from 3G alternatives while keeping the cost from being prohibitive. Once we some penetration from WiMAX, I think we might see some tie-ins from Time Warner Cable and Comcast.

And T-Mobile? Well, let’s just hope they get their goofy 3G rolled out across the U.S. by H2 2009 so they don’t leave their customers too far behind.

5. iPhone revs

2009 will mark the introduction of a new iPhone form factor. I have seen some folks talking about a version with a QWERTY keyboard, but I don’t think so. I’m going with the ‘smaller form factor’ prediction.

6. Pre-paid data

We will see flat rate data advance to pre-paid phones, particularly outside the U.S.. I think that we will also see an increase in pre-paid phone sales in the U.S. as well.

7. Mobile web in bloom

Despite more advanced browsers in or coming to market, there is still a need for mobile-friendly/optimized sites. And the mobile web will grow and grow as this realization sets in. I think we’ll see at least 55% growth in mobile web traffic.

8. Mobile advertising will remain challenged

What to say here? There will undoubtedly be a shake out of the current players, but lower fill rates and falling revenues make this space a tough challenge in 2009.

9. LBS gets leveraged

The increasing number of handsets that are GPS enabled, or able to leverage triangulation (like Google’s My Location service), will drive location based services and content. Expect some early tie-ins with mobile advertising, but that will wither until a profitable model is discovered.

10. Barcodes, barcodes, barcodes

No, not the 'classic’ 1D barcode, I’m talking about 2D barcodes. BCBPs, QR codes, and the like will be more prevalent than ever.

Let’s see how it all shakes out. I think it is going to be a great year for mobility (consumer and enterprise), and perhaps even ‘The Year of the Smartphone’. Hmm..

MetaBlog Post Extension

nino — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 20:40:00 GMT

MetaBlog Post Extension is a Graffiti plug-in that will allow you to set several post properties when posting via the MetaBlog API by including some tokens in your post body. I created this plug-in in response to a comment to my original Publishing to Graffiti CMS from Diarist post that asked about setting the Include on the Home Page property of a post when posting.

Installing MetaBlog Post Extension

Once you have the plug-in, you can either place it into your /bin directory yourself (via file copy or FTP), or use the File Browser in Graffiti. To use the File Browser, go go the Graffiti control panel > Site Options > Utilities > File Browser. Select the bin folder from the folder list and then click the Add Files link. Locate NinoB.Graffiti.PlugIns.dll and upload it.

Now, as all plug-ins are disabled by default, it must be enabled. In the Graffiti control panel, navigate to Site Options > Plug-Ins. Locate the ‘MetaBlog Post Extension’ entry and click the Enable link. Once enabled, it will look like this:

Configuring MetaBlog Post Extension

There is no configuration for this plug-in.

Using MetaBlog Post Extension

In your post, add one (or more) of the following tokens:

[homepage]	Sets the ‘Include on the Home Page’ property.
[draft]	Sets the Publish Status to ‘Draft’
[enablecomments:true]	Enables comments for this post if comments are disabled by default on new posts.
[enablecomments:false]	Disables comments for this post if comments are disabled by default on new posts.
[tags:<comma-delimited-tag-list>]	Sets the tags for the post.

Here is an example using Windows Live Writer:

Here is an example using Diarist:

Download the plug-in here!

Notes

I have only tested this from Windows Live Writer (WLW), Microsoft Word 2007, and Diarist, so your YMMV (your mileage may vary). Any HTML that your blogging tool may prefix or suffix the token text with is not removed, so if your tool actually submits <p>[draft]</p>, the <p></p> will be left behind after the post is processed.

I would appreciate any feedback – please leave a comment to this post, or contact me directly. Enjoy!

Publishing to Graffiti CMS from Diarist, Redux

nino — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 04:52:41 GMT

At the end of November, I posted on how to publish (post) to Graffiti CMS from Kevin Daly’s Diarist application on Windows Mobile Professional Edition via the MetaWeblog API. Kevin replied with a great tip on an even easier way to configure Diarist!

Kevin’s reply:
Actually, there's something you can do to avoid typing the endpoint: since Graffiti CMS supports RSD (I just had a look) Diarist will do endpoint discovery - just enter your blog url in the erm, Blog URL field and select Menu->Find API (which should be enabled if there is no value in the API field), and Diarist should retrieve the appropriate value and populate the API field with the endpoint itself. This works for any blog that supports Really Simple Discovery (RSD)

I greatly appreciate Kevin taking the time to drop a comment and verifying that Graffiti supports RSD (which neither its existence nor its support by Graffiti was I aware of). Here is an illustration of Kevin’s method:

After launching Diarist, click the Menu soft key, then Weblog –> Add –> Generic MetaWeblog

Enter in the Username, Password, and Blog URL fields, then click the Menu soft key, then Find API. (note: I have also found that this works without providing credentials.)

Diarist will then, via RSD, discover your MetaWeblog endpoint and populate the API field after just a moment or two. From there, click Confirm and you are on your way.

Graffiti CMS 1.2 Released

nino — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 22:14:28 GMT

The folks at Telligent have released version 1.2 of Graffiti CMS. If you are already running v1.1, the upgrade is dead simple – it is just a file overlay. As fast as you can copy/ftp the files, you are upgraded.

Granted, it took me a few more minutes because I put my entire website under source control (and usually don’t version binaries, but made an exception here), so I had to perform a check-out and check-in as well as the FTP up to my site host. ..and the upgrade worked without issue (as one would expect).

Here’s the fix list (which is also on the page linked to above):

· Corrected Gravatar markup

· Dictionary references (%{}) in macros now work correctly

· PostsByTagAndCategory no longer returns an exception if no posts are found or an invalid tag or category is passed

· Now trapping invalidly formatted email addresses on the Contact form

· Time settings in error log now reflect the time zone offset

· Deleting navigation links containing special characters now works correctly

· Control Panel post category filtering is now maintained when "older posts" and then "newer posts" are clicked

· Updated VistaDB database engine to current version

· EveryoneRole no longer counts as a content publisher when it doesn't have edit/publish rights.

· Search results now respect permissions

· Categories tree sidebar item in Control Panel now reflects posts correctly with same-named sub categories.

· Revision dropdown in Control Panel now shows the correct time/date stamp for each revision

· Corrected Comments paging in the Control Panel

· Corrected the XSS issue

Note that we also had these bugs logged, but our testing showed that the fixes were already present in Graffiti 1.1:

· Directory Path not found for FileBrowser in Mono

· Dashboard - GetFeeds throwing object ref not set

· Case sensitivity issue in TagCloud

· Bug posting with special characters in title with Live Writer

Graffiti Post Comments On January 23

nino — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 03:50:00 GMT

On a recent post, an astute reader (and commenter) noticed that his comment (and all comments on that post) were appearing as ‘January 23, 2008’. I looked. Yikes! He was correct. Hmmm.

I hit the Graffiti forums and found a few threads that mentioned it, but no fixes. Time to take a peek on my own. Once in the control panel, navigate to Presentation > Themes > Personalize (for the current theme). Next, click post.view to bring up the markup template behind an individual post.

At this point I thought the first step would be to just perform a search for the string ‘January 23’. Makes sense, correct? You bet. So, I did; I found the string. And then I was sad. Here is what I found:
<a href="#comment-$comment.Id" title="Permanent link to this comment" rel="bookmark">January 23, 2008</a>

Hard-coded. That certainly explains it. Goofy theme author.

Next, I pulled up the post.view for the default Graffiti 1.1 theme. Oh, it is hard-coded here, too. More sadness. Not the theme author’s fault. Well, not entirely.

Enough being sad, let’s get happy. The fix for this faux pas is simple:

1) locate ‘January 23, 2008’ in your post.view template. delete.

2) replace with: $macros.FormattedDate($comment.Published)
     My comment link now looks like this:
     <a href="#comment-$comment.Id" title="Permanent link to this comment" rel="bookmark">$macros.FormattedDate($comment.Published)</a>

3) Click the Save Changes button.

This will now list the date for a comment using a format that appears like this: ‘Tuesday, December 02 2008’. Spiffy! Fixed.

Next steps? Ask your favorite Graffiti 1.1 theme author to verify that, if they copied some parts of the default theme, they fixed this item in their theme. Also, you will need to check this (and perhaps fix it) for any other theme that you use as well.

Oh, and what is so swell about January 23? Not certain, but a few things have happened on January 23.