Q's Blog

Keep Walking!: 20 things that I learnt working for others

2009-01-22T10:18:00.000+00:00

Keep Walking!: 20 things that I learnt working for others

I was caught up

2007-11-08T16:27:00.000+00:00

...............I was caught up in academic work, sorry for any disappointment caused.

.............I will surely start blogging again in two weeks time by then i would be free from a lot of responsibilities.

The NetBeans Profiler [part 2]

2007-09-16T21:49:00.000+00:00

Last time we saw how to use the netbeans profiler control panel, we also explored the different ways of attaching a profiler to an application and options to monitor its performance..

if you are clueless about this then perhaps you should read the earlier post. These links takes you there

preview

part1

Now let's make a meaning out of the information captured by the profiler.

When profiling is in progress, there two types of results that you would get

1. The live Result : These results are updated regularly while profiling session is in progress.

The snapshot below makes everthing clear as it shows clearly the live results I'm getting while profiling my application.

Depending on your settings, the sector you are monitoring and the way you attached the profiler the live result button will not be active. I chose to monitor most options so on starting the session the thread windows opens in the source editor and the live result window opened automatically.

The telemetry view pops up below but if you want to have a full view double click on it and a similar one to the last snapshot above will open in the source editor.

Take some ample time to watch what is happening to the areas you are monitoring. Let's take the telemetry view for example, when opened in the editor depending on your settings you might have at least three tabs just below the window all displaying high level data on what ever its you are monitoring some of which are the garbage collection, memory heap and the likes. Watch carefully how your applications use the systems resources.

2.The Snapshot : On earlier post we saw the use of the snapshot, when profiling you could if you want to capture results on the fly, you can save them and later use them in accessing how you application fared during a particular operation.

here is a snapshot on a snapshot I saved while profiling my application

To capture, click on the take snapshot button to capture profiling info immediately, click save if you want a copy of it.

By now a newbie like you and I should have been convinced to stick to NetBeans ; It makes java programming more FUN and offers a convenient learning environment........

The last part of the profiler will be posted next week ... Don't Miss out.

Keep Exploring..........

NetBeans Profiler [part2] ...ON HOLD

2007-09-10T19:19:00.000+00:00

I promised a part two of the NetBeans profiler on my last post but I couldn't due reason beyond my control.

The article will be out by the end of this week......

The NetBeans Profiler [ part 1 ]

2007-09-02T19:54:00.000+00:00

I assume you have read my first post on the profiler so i believe you know where the profiler windows is. If you don't then read the earlier post on NetBeans Profiler

Now lets get more familiar with the profiler window...

Controls

Depending on the version you are using some buttons might not be there.

The first control when clicked runs the last profiling command again.
The stop button next to it stops the profiling sessions.
Next button resets the results buffer.
The trash can button runs the garbage collector (GC).
The control next to it is useful when you want modify a profiling session.
The last button opens the VM (virtual machine) Telemetry overview window.

Results Section

The first button “take snapshot” captures the profiling information on the fly.
The “live Result” button retrieves current profiling information and opens it in the source editor window.
If you don't need the results already accumulated the button below those two does the job.

Snapshots

View and Basic Telemetry

The VM Telemetry button opens the a window displaying data on the inner process of the java virtual machine.

The thread button opens a window in the editor displaying thread activities of the on going profiling session. [ only works if thread monitoring is enabled ]

The basic telemetry view provides a quality data on the profiling tasks..

You are now familiar with the profiling window... now lets get straight to business

Profiling a class or a project

Generally, to profile any project be it main or not, right-click on the project folder in the project window and select the “profile project” option

on clicking the above option this dialog pops up

The options are yours to select, you can either profile the whole application or part of it.

if you want profile just part of the application, as soon as you select it you'd be given additional options to edit or select the classes you want to profile. Click the “Run” button when you are done... NetBeans profiler does the rest.

You should notice that most of the buttons in the profiler window is enabled ..

To attach a profiler to a running application all you have to do is select "profile" from the main menu and then select "attach Profiler" options.

The attach profiler dialog should appear... its the same as the one above but with an attach button instead of a run button.

select your options and click the attach button to run the attach wizard.. here is

select “application” in the target field, leaving the other fields in their default unless you are running it remotely. click next to continue. click next again and finally click finish to start profiling. The progress bar should appear..

wait till it finishes and you are ready to monitor you selected options.

Note

when you want profile a project for the first time, you would probably see this dialog

just click Ok and continue.

Now lets explore the run/attach profiler dialog...

click on the CPU button on the left pane to select options to analyze the cpu performance

click on the monitor button if you intend to monitor thread activities....

click on the memory if you intend to keep an eye on memory usage and garbage collection.

Each of these controls when clicked gives an option to create custom settings.

Now that we know the basics of the profiler, I will end here...

We will delve deeper on my next post.....

keep exploring......

THe NetBeans Profiler [preview]

2007-08-26T23:12:00.000+00:00

I'm learning how to use The NetBeans Profiler, Its interesting what NetBeans can do with your application, the profiler is just another testimony to this IDE's good will.

Basically, think of the profiler as your inner view of how your application utilizes the memory and the CPU. It helps you analyze how effective your application is in terms of this two areas and more. By the end of the week I'll post 1 a part of what I have learned.

For now let me whet your appetite with the profiler window. If you want to see it in your IDE Select (on the menu bar) Windows > Profiling > profiler Control panel

and you will have this

This is just a tip of the ice berg, You will have the more on my next NetBeans post

My Top 5 Of August

2007-08-26T21:30:00.000+00:00

Remember my post on monthly favorites, well here is my monthly roundup of the best softwares I have read about and tested.

The snapshots tell the story, the links take you there for more info and downloads if you want to try them out.

In no particular order here I go...

1. System Info : Great utility, get your systems info in less than 30 sec, from network configurations to type and version of Bios installed in the system. Read the full story here

2. AutoRuns : If you are really interested in tracking your startup wares and services then you ultimate option is this utility. It does not only list them but offers the ability to save and compare later. You should read all about it here

3. VistaBoot Pro : When you install a second Microsoft OS the hard way [ i.e not going by the right method or installing an older version on a different partition ]. Rarely will you be able to boot your other OS since the new installation doesn't have any idea where to find the boot loader for the already installed OS. VistaBoot Pro saves you all the trouble as it is able to scan your system and finds all Microsoft boot entries. The full overview is here

4. Google Hacks : If you know how to search for mp3's and other stuffs using google search by typing strings like "?intitle:index.of?...." I think you should be tired by now. If you haven't heard about it well it's been here for a while now and it gets better each time. Get GoogleHacks here

5. libchm-bin : This is not a win32 application, its binary library pacakage that helps convert chm files ( microsoft compiled HTML files ) to html file so you can access it in linux (ubuntu). It helped me a lot since I'm new to linux and the books to help me get started were all in chm format. You want it its here

Turn Your Gmail Accounts Into A Free Online Storage

2007-08-19T21:12:00.000+00:00

Want to turn your Gmail account into a free online storage?… I guess you do

Want to be able to upload and store all types of files from pictures to videos to music? … I bet you do

Want to able to listen to your uploaded music files from the same platform any where you go? … of course

How about viewing your pictures too? …. Sounds fun.

First you need a Firefox browser.

Next you need to get GSpace , the extension that makes all of this possible.

It works on every platform be it linux, windows or Mac.

I’ll let The snapshots tell the rest of the story….

Main section [ You can navigate through your local stuffs and upload your favorites ]

Photo mode [ the section that allows you to view your uploaded pictures ]

Player Mode [ lets you stream your mp3s online…. Take your favorites with you everywhere you go ]

The NetBeans Refactor [ Part II ]

2007-08-19T20:15:00.000+00:00

Today we continue exploring the refactor methods of the NetBeans IDE, if you loved the part 1 of this post then I’m sure you have explored the rest yourselves.

No need to worry if you haven’t, we’ll explore it together.
Once again I’ll leave the obvious ones out.

Change method parameters
lets you add, remove or modify a method’s parameters the safest way.

You have to first select the method name in your source editor and click on Refactor > Change Method Parameters

With this dialog you can decide what to do with your method’s parameter and you can also change the access modifier of the method.
When you are done, just click the Refactor button to complete the whole process.

Extract Super Class
Just like the Extract Interface, it’s able to extract methods and variables from a class and based on that creates an abstract class for it. It then extends the class in question to the new abstract class.

The procedure is also simple,
make sure the targeted class is active by clicking its tab to select it or double-clicking it in the project window to open it.
Now click on the Refactor > Extract superclass button, a dialog should pop up

Select the methods and variables you would like to include in the superclass, Enter a reasonable name for the class and click on Refactor and you are done.

Move
Helps move a class to another package or project and modifies any code that references it.

One way to do this is right-click on the class either in the editor or the project window and select Refactor > move.

Make the changes required, you can even specify a new package name if it does exist, Refactor will take care of the rest and all the references made to the class in question.

Pull up
suppose you created two classes where one is superclass of the other(also works in the case where a class implements another), pull up helps move a method or a variable in the subclass to its superclass and once again Refactor takes care of the necessary steps to ensure an error free code.

Select the subclass (implementing class), click on Refactor > pull up, you should see this

Those that already checked are in the superclass ( interface ) already so all you have to do is select the methods you wish to add to the superclass ( interface ). Once you do that, the Refactor button will be enabled. You then click on it to complete the task.

There is more you can do with the Refactor. Commands like safely delete helps delete code the safest way with very little burden on your part. There are more for you to discover.

keep exploring………….

The NetBeans Refactor [part 1]

2007-08-13T21:20:00.001+00:00

If you have been programming for a while now, you will agree with me that implementing a change in an otherwise huge project can be a nightmare especially if the needed change will affect the project as a whole.

I would give anything to get around such a problem and that’s when I’m most grateful to the Refactor methods provided in the NetBeans IDE.

Refactoring in a more simple term means changing the structure of codes without changing the program as a whole. It makes an otherwise complex code more simpler to understand and readable as well. It reduces unnecessary repetitions and improves the over all performance of the project.

Once a while when working on a project, you'd come to find out that a class you wrote for a specific purpose turns to be needed or used by other classes in respective ways and hence the idea of interfacing comes into play. There is no better way to get around this problem than to call in The Refactor.

Aside it's great features, it is also very easy to use.
Here is a quick look at the Refactor menu

Now we will go through them each but I’ll leave the obvious ones out.

Rename
Allows you to rename a class or a variable and NetBeans does the rest by applying all possible changes

To do this you would have to select the class or the variable you want to rename.
Next you click on the Refactor > Rename button, this dialog will appear

Type in the new name, check the Apply Rename on Comments field and click on Refactor.

Introduce a method
Based on the selected code, it’s able to generate a method for it and place a method call to the procedure.

To do this..

Select the code fragment as I have done here

Click on Refactor > Introduce Method or Refactor > Extract Method as in older versions
A dialog appears requiring few information from you

Here you specify a unique name for the method in the Name field. Check the appropriate access field and click on Ok.

You should see something like this in somewhere in your codes

A new Method has been created for you... it sure does take some loads off.

My Next favorite is:

Extract Interface
this creates an interface class from a list of selected public non-static methods

Suppose I created a database connection class named SqlCon to be used by a specific class and I later realized there other classes in my project that will utilize the SqlCon methods differently then it’s obvious that I have to create an interface

NetBeans makes that easier,

To Do this, Open the class you wish to extract its methods to an interface.
Now click on Refactor > Extract Interface button

Type in the Interface name, select the methods you wish to put inside the interface and click on the Refactor button.

And there you have your interface class

You also notice that the declaration of the class SqlCon now looks something like this

public class SqlCon implements NewInterface {

}

So easy…….

Let’s end here for now, I’ll continue exploring it with you on my next post…..Don’t miss out on this.

The NetBeans Blog

2007-08-12T22:01:00.000+00:00

I just found an incredible NetBeans blog that any NetBeans fans will love,
The blog features a lot of How-Tos using the IDE in java SE and EE applications.

I've already suscribed and believe me its worth it.

This link takes you there : netbeans-blog

Monthly Favorites

2007-08-11T20:29:00.000+00:00

This is an off the mark post
Thought I should inform you about it before I start.

Once every month I will showcase my top 5 favorite softwares of the month with ample reasons why I chose them.
It doesn't necessarily have to be a new software on the market.
By blogging them here I would never forget how much of a life saver they have been.

I will once in while list useful links to articles that might interest you.

watch out for more.... I just started

Take Advantage Of This..

2007-08-09T21:47:00.000+00:00

One of the best ways of acquiring knowledge is to learn from others. Learning from the source itself is more advantageous.

If you are a java and Netbeans fun then probably you've heard or known about this.

Sun regularly offer free java tutorials online and it's also available for download. It has hundreds of examples worth the time and I can assure you learning with those trails wont be a waste of time.
If you interested just follow this link : java tutorial

Sun also host a lot of blogs for their employees to write about anything.
I'm interested in one particular blog; the java tutorial blog where updates to tutorial trails are blogged. check it out

Every now and then people from all walks of life submits articles to NetBeans showing how to get around particular java solutions using NetBeans.

If you haven't heard of this then you are missing in action, click here and find out what you're missing.

when I find irresistible articles you can be sure I'll let you know

NetBeans also has a community where you can join to embark on projects.
Thanks to them, all NetBeans setups come with various sample projects.

The most useful to me was the feedReader project which I suggest you go through. I can guarantee you that you will learn a lot from it.
To make it even easy click here and follow the instructions from the link to create your own feedReader app. Its an opportunity to learn how to use both java API and NetBeans API to build robust application

Here a quick view of the feedReader application

NetBeans_Overview and Shortcuts

2007-08-09T01:29:00.000+00:00

For those who haven’t seen NetBeans IDE before, here is a snapshot [click for a larger view]

You can download it at http://www.netbeans.org

Now let’s get straight to business.

Why use NetBeans?
If you ask me, this is what I’ve to say….

It’s the developer’s dream world, it comes with a GUI builder that lets you create graphical applications by dragging and dropping swing components on a frame or a panel and the likes. You don’t have to worry about UI [User Interface] codes, your job is to make it work plus it’s user friendly.

Creating JSP pages and servlets has never been this better, with NetBeans you’re miles ahead plus it comes with a web and application sever [mostly Tomcat and sun app server] to help deploy your applications and web archives, create database pools, etc….

And there are additional packs available if you want to add them to the IDE to enable you write codes in native languages like C/C++ or write a mobility software.

I cant exhaust it all here so if you want a full overview of this IDE click here

............

Today I’ll be talking about basic shortcut keys to help you get around the IDE, using the mouse can be boring when hot keys are readily available at your door step.

Netbeans has a lot of them, using them surely does help…

Click Help on the menu bar and click on the Keyboard Shortcuts menu item,
you should see this

Click the select button to choose a pdf reader [Navigate to where it’s installed] of your choice to render the data.
Click Ok to continue

After a short while, the reader will open with a host of shortcuts and code templates at your disposal..

Click for a larger view

You can still open it even when you are not runnig the IDE at that moment.
Just go to your NetBeans Installed folder and navigate to \NetBeans 6.0M10\nb6.0\ that is if you’re using milestone edition. Either way it’s still the same with just a little difference.

Here are my favorites

CTRL+SHIFT+S	Save project
CTRL+E	Deletes current line
ALT+ENTER	Shows hint or suggestion
CTRL+SPACE BAR	Opens/closes code completion
ALT+SHIFT+F	Fixes all imports
ALT + INSERT	Pops up a code generator menu …. And a whole lot more but I’ve still got more to learn

Also included in the pdf is list of code templates to help you code faster.

If I want an if else statements all I’ve to do is type ifelse and press the Tab key and Voila

if (valid) {

} else {

} This is what you get.

Type Psf and I get public static final. You couldn’t ask for more.

Have fun, that’s what programming in java is all about and don’t forget you coffee.

NetBeans

2007-08-08T13:49:00.001+00:00

If you enjoy programming in java then this is the right IDE for you.
If you want to build quick and better java solutions then you couldn't settle for less.
if you are a beginner, there is a better way to learn with Netbeans BlueJ edition.

To make it even more interesting, NetBeans IDE is an open source project,
that means you get it for free.

You can even join the community and produce articles to help up and coming java newbies like us to better our skills.

To the Beginner, all is not lost.
we'll learn together.
I've decided to share with you all the cool stuffz
i'm learning about Netbeans IDE.

Working with NetBeans is a wonderful experience.

On my next post, i'll give detailed overview of the NetBeans IDE and more cool stuffz on wards.

System Cleanup with CCleaner

2007-08-07T17:51:00.001+00:00

With exactly two mouse clicks I’m able to free my system of temporal files older than 48 hours or less.

A utility that scans your system and other custom folders and populates how many irrelevant temp files that have evaded your space with just one click should be everyone’s favorite cleaning utility tool.
It’s actually my favorite, CCleaner

It does come in handy when you want to uninstall a software and considering how confusing vista’s control panel looks, I think I’ll let it pass and settle for CCleaner.

Here is a snapshot of the latest version [click for larger view]

You can also scan for issues in your registry and fix them as well.

To scan for temporal files all you have to is click on the Analyze button
next, click on the Run Cleaner button to go ahead to delete the files.

Here is the area the utility scans [click for larger view]

Someone would have to do a lot of convincing if he wants me to forfeit this out of the box candy.

For those that want to try it out go to this link: http://www.ccleaner.com.
Or you can try this link: http://www.download.com and search for it.

coming soon

2007-07-25T13:44:00.000+00:00

Trying to put some stuffz together and I'll hit you with promising and interesting articles that will blow your mind.