techPhile

Javascript Fiddling

2011-10-04T06:36:00.002-06:00

I found a neat web development tool this morning. It's called jsFiddle. It allows you to play with HTML, javascript, and CSS on the fly. It also lets you save your "fiddles" for later. They also give each of your fiddles a unique URL so you can share them. Great for posting on forums and blogs. I'm very excited for this. Check out my very cool and complex fiddle:http://jsfiddle.net/codyschouten/

Linked Server "String data, length mismatch"

2011-09-06T10:34:00.002-06:00

So I have a TSQL problem that has been bothering me for a few months now. I have a stored procedure that runs nightly via a SQL scheduled job. It has failed almost everynight since April. The stored procedure is still in test and has been in low priority so I have dabbled with figuring it out. Our DBAs really didn't have a clue what the problem was and I couldn't find an answer through search

Configuration Error System.Web.Extensions

2011-08-18T10:25:00.002-06:00

Keep in mind that it has been a year or two since I've really played with creating and configuring websites via IIS. This is something I've done before but for some reason didn't recognize the error. I created a new website the other day and got a Configuration Error page that indicated that there was a problem with my setup that was not allowing the System.Web.Extensions namespace to load. A

Samsung Galaxy S2

2011-07-28T12:25:00.003-06:00

This is the phone I really want:CNETPhoneArenaIt really makes me happy thinking about it. It's been available since April but not in the U.S. Supposedly it will come out this August just ahead of the next iPhone announcement. A buddy at work bought the European version without contract for a lot of $$$. I can't justify doing that so I have until AT&T releases an American version with contract. I

Fall 2011 Utah Code Camp

2011-07-28T12:12:00.001-06:00

I'm planning on attending this fall's Utah Code Camp. It will be my first time attending but I have heard great things about it. Best part is that it's free.http://utahcodecamp.com/

Query Trigger

2011-07-13T10:17:00.003-06:00

I had a need recently to programattically query the triggers for a set of tables in my database. Here's the code that I used: SELECT DISTINCT Tables.Name TableName, Triggers.name TriggerName, Triggers.crdate TriggerCreatedDate, [Type] = CASE WHEN Triggers.xtype = 'TR' THEN 'SQL Trigger' ELSE 'CLR Trigger' END , [Disabled] = OBJECTPROPERTY(OBJECT_ID(Triggers.name), '

Regular Expression Editor/Helper

2011-07-13T09:14:00.002-06:00

I’ve been using Expresso for a while now. It’s a handy tool for working with regular expressions. It has a library of regular expressions which is very helpful. The editor lets you try your regular expression against a whole bunch of test data so you can test your expression against all sorts of data. The tool has been key in my getting better at regular expressions. The best part is that it’s

Wow, Two Years

2011-07-13T08:56:00.002-06:00

Wow, it's been two years since my last post. I think I've been recovering from my masters degree. I'm now feeling more inclined to get involved with the blog again, if anybody cares. I expect to start posting again. My current job has me doing more and more SQL projects so my posts will be more focused to that. Besides, we're still on .NET 3.5 and really need to get up-to-date on .NET 4.0 before

TSQL Between

2009-05-16T11:50:00.002-06:00

I've been spending A LOT of my time in SQL logic lately. It's been pretty rare that I've opened up Visual Studio. Not necessarily pleased with this but one bonus is that I've learned a bit more about SQL. I just found out the other day that you there is a SQL operator called BETWEEN. It allows you select a range of values:SELECT * FROM MyTable WHERE YearBETWEEN 2000 AND 2009I guess you're never

School is Done

2009-05-16T11:42:00.001-06:00

I just finished my last final for my masters degree! Next stop: Disneyland.

Master's Done!!

2009-05-16T11:41:00.001-06:00

I just finished my last final for my masters degree. Hopefully I can start focusing on posting again to this blog.

Website Printing

2008-10-02T19:31:00.001-06:00

I found this cool website for helping you print website. It allows you to control everything that is to be printed. Give it a look.http://www.printwhatyoulike.com

I'm So Stylish ....

2008-05-13T13:19:00.002-06:00

I just found the coolest Firefox extension. It allows you to control the style of any website that is loaded into your Firefox browser. The extension has a community website that users submit their own styles so that others can share. For example, I really love using Gmail but I think their look-and-feel could have been done by a 10 year old. I grabbed a really nice looking user submitted file

Encryption Question

2008-04-22T21:23:00.002-06:00

I'm working on an encryption solution at work. We currently need to symmetrically encrypt a user's password and store it in a database field. I need to somehow securely store the symmetric encryption key so that no one can access it except this application. I can't store it in the code because tools like Reflector and can find it. Has anybody found a great way of doing this?

Task Switcher for XP

2008-04-22T21:09:00.002-06:00

I am an 'Alt+Tab' addict. I have had a keyboard with a broken tab key and I was crippled on that keyboard. I'll use 'Alt+Tab' to quickly switch between to applications that I've been using recently. I also use it to get to an already open application. My problem is that I tend to have quite a few applications open at a time and it can take some time to 'Alt+Tab' to the correct application.So

Kid Deterrent

2008-02-15T11:16:00.001-07:00

A guy at work showed me a sound that is supposed to scare away kids and teenagers, similar to those devices that makes sounds that scare away mosquitoes. I guess the UK is using it to help encourage teenagers to no longer loiter near gas stations. Supposedly, in your early twenties we start having certain hairs in our ears die off which prevent adults from hearing the sound. So I tried listening

Launchy Video

2008-02-06T12:29:00.001-07:00

I just found a video that CNET did that explains Launchy and how to use it.http://www.cnettv.com/9742-1_53-32210.htmlAs a note: I've been using this tool for almost two months now and I cannot live without it now.

Destroy The Web

2008-02-06T06:32:00.001-07:00

I found a cool website that allows you to destroy any website that you want. No, you don't really bring the website down but the site allows you to have dinosaurs, tornadoes, wasps and many more things to destroy your favorite or most hated websites. Check it out: http://www.netdisaster.com/

Dates in Batch Files

2008-01-31T09:41:00.000-07:00

I was using a batch file to kick off a process that grabs a file off a server. One of the arguments of the command to get the file tells the command where to store the file, including the file's name. We wanted the file's name to based of the date the file was stored on our servers. So I needed away to get the current date and passed it in as a command line argument. Here's what I found:@For /F

The One Thing I Like About Vista

2007-12-13T11:36:00.000-07:00

I've recently bought a new computer with Vista on it. I was very excited to get this new machine with way better specs than my previous machine. I was also excited to see Vista. So I turned on the machine and was quickly disappointed to note that my new "faster" machine ran a littler slower than my old machine. I also noticed some other things that didn't quite run right. So I wiped my drives and

Decent Looking File Upload Boxes

2007-10-29T09:03:00.001-06:00

I found this interesting article about creating decent looking file upload input boxes. Check it out: http://www.shauninman.com/archive/2007/09/10/styling_file_inputs_with_css_and_the_dom

Ring Ring

2007-10-29T08:27:00.002-06:00

See Update BelowSo I have a new phone number. It's supposed to be the last one I'll ever have according to Grand Central. Grand Central is a new service that I'm playing with. Here's their own schpeel about their service: What is GrandCentral? Get all the same calls, but in a whole new way. GrandCentral doesn't replace your phones; we just link them together and help them do

Been Busy

2007-10-03T10:19:00.000-06:00

Sorry I haven't posted in awhile. I started up my Master's degree in August and I've been a little busy. By the time I get done with work and school, I have very little desire to sit in front of a computer. I hope to catch up on some blogging during the fall break.

Picking Out Color Schemes

2007-07-23T14:54:00.000-06:00

I hate trying to pick colors out for a website. If you're like me, you'll want to check this site out:http://kuler.adobe.com/Thanks Chris

Another Handy Find

2007-07-23T12:01:00.000-06:00

I'm sure everybody has a free online fax service that they use. I didn't for awhile and found faxZERO about a month ago. Their service is free but includes an advertising cover page. They accept Word doc or PDF files. They also have a pay version for $1.99 that doesn't have ad on the cover page (although this seems kind of pricey to me). What online fax services do you use?