Just Another Coder

301 redirect windows server - for HTML pages

2009-09-28T16:29:00.000-07:00

I was working on moving a website over... The old site was html only - the new one is ASP.net. The puzzle was how to get the 301 redirects set up on a windows box? I have done it in code-behind... if it is an ASP.Net page... and with classic "asp" pages.

HERE is what I found
IIS Redirect
In internet services manager, right click on the file or folder you wish to redirect
Select the radio titled "a redirection to a URL".
Enter the redirection page
Check "The exact url entered above" and the "A permanent redirection for this resource"
Click on 'Apply'

more on 301 redirects

Dynamically Loaded Controls Disappear ASP.Net C#

2009-08-02T23:00:00.000-07:00

I have been working with dynamically loaded Web User Controls.

However,I just found that they disappear after a postback... The basic solution is to reload them after postback.

Oh well...

Related articles (with info/tips/code):

http://aspnet.4guysfromrolla.com/articles/092904-1.aspx

http://weblogs.asp.net/infinitiesloop/archive/2008/04/23/truly-understanding-dynamic-controls-by-example.aspx

Javascript Cross Browser Back Method

2009-08-02T20:50:00.000-07:00

I have been working on a quick CROSS browser "back" method in JavaScript. It is really simple...

The history.go(-1) only worked well in IE. This double method worked well in IE, Firefox and Chrome. It checks if it knows how to do the "referrer" method. If not... it uses the history.go

[a href="#" onclick="if(document.referrer) {window.open(document.referrer,'_self');} else {history.go(-1);} return false;"]continue shopping[a]

Of course, you should use a "<" instead of "[" ... Blogger had issues when I posted the full link.

MySql Text Field - Truncating Data?

2009-06-12T22:32:00.000-07:00

Every now and then you run an application that really tests the constraints of data types. I just encountered this....

I just found out that in MySql "BLOB TEXT A BLOB or TEXT column have a maximum length of 65535 (2^16 - 1) characters". I was encountering some data errors with large text chunks - and finally found that they were being truncated silently... When I counted the characters - yes... that was the issue.

Arggg!

But there is a simple solution... LONGTEXT or LONGBLOB fields can handle the larger bits of data - if this is expected. This gives you approx 4 Gig of space to work with. Good to know.

Standard Web Page Width

2009-06-09T12:19:00.000-07:00

I have been building web pages for over 6 years... and have been using a standard web page width of 778px for 800px monitors, unless the client requests otherwise. The concept is to avoid (left/right) scrolling and make a good user experience.

Most of the justification came from the analysis/tips in Jakob Nielson's book on "Homepage Usability" - dated in 2002. Most other articles I've read suggest this... but the trend is changing, as these monitors become fewer.

Floating widths are cool - and useful. But they take longer to develop and I only do those on request, at an extra fee. However, since my statistics show that less than 2% use 800 px monitors, I am about to change my policy...

But what width to use? Of course I will build for the 1024px monitors... the next size up. This is the largest percentage for screen resolutions now - about 34%. But I am considering only using 960px width for the regular content. That will allow for those who don't open their browser all the way. And it will allow the background colors/gradients to properly frame the page.

More info:
http://webdesign.about.com/od/webdesign/a/aa080904.htm

http://funbytebitstop.wordpress.com/2007/03/01/775-px-make-it-your-default-webpage-width/

http://www.jimdegerstrom.com/blog/2008/07/standard-web-design-page-width.html

Any thoughts?

Google Maps - just the basics please

2009-05-06T21:38:00.000-07:00

My Spiderweb Logic CMS has had Google Maps integrated into it for a couple years, so I havent had to focus on this for a bit. However, someone just asked me how to integrate Google Maps into their website. This is never a 2 sentence explanation. Here are the basics:

First figure out what you want.

I want GOOGLE MAPS imbedded IN my website:

You will need to use the API to build your map. Reviewing the official documentation will help with "how do I" questions specific to your website.

REF: http://code.google.com/apis/maps/documentation/

1) COPY/Paste code for your website

This is the best method:
http://code.google.com/apis/maps/documentation/#AJAX_Loader
They give you a bunch of javascript. Put it between the head tags.

Don't forget to create a "div" tag in the body with the id of "map" to contain your map.

2) Get a Google API Key for your website (even if it is localhost)

3) Replace the ABCDEFG in the above template with your google key.

4) Find the longitude/latitude of the location you want to center on.
Get longitude and latitude. If you are doing things dynamically both Yahoo and Google provide geocoding apis. But for one-time use, that link is the best.

5) Replace longitude and latitude numbers in the sample code with the actual longitude and latitude for your location.
ref: map.setCenter(new google.maps.LatLng(37.4419, -122.1419), 13);

It should now work.
You can alter the zoom in/out features by changing the 13 to a different number. You can alter the width and height by altering the width/height of the div tag.

You might also find the tutorial helpful here:
tutorial: http://code.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=74725&topic=11364
list of events: http://econym.googlepages.com/gevent.htm

I want to link to a GOOGLE MAP defined with my specific location(s):

This means that your map stays at Google. You just link to it from your website. However, you can configure a map specific to your needs - with your location preferences.

STEPS:
1) Log into your Google account. (Get one if you dont already.)

2) Get to the Google "maps" product

3) Create a new map and set your preferences. Put in a name and description. Dont forget to save.

4) Go back in edit mode and drag markers/balloons to your locations. Save.
NOTE: When you are editing your map you can zoom in to help put in your markers.

5) Get a link to your map. (Click on the "collaborate" link on left to get the URL. Copy/paste the full URL noted to the "href" of a link.) example map

Business Testimonial Sites

2009-04-21T20:34:00.000-07:00

One of my clients was interested in using some testimonial sites, and wanted to know what was out there.

Honestly, there are several sites that let you post a business profile and manage testimonials / business ratings. The trick is to hit the main ones (in case someone searches for you) and to use them to build your reputation/goodwill etc - and perhaps your search ranking.

TIP 1: create accounts in about 3-4 sites. You dont need to create and manage accounts in lots of these unless you have LOTS of time. But only let your customers know about 1 or two at a time. That way you can have several testimonials with one site. (Its a good idea to put links to these in your emails and in your website.) As you grow, share the other sites to build them up also. If someone asks for referrals, you can pass them a link with more than one testimonial.

TIP 2: If you sign up for an account with these places, take the time to do it right. Upload relevant pictures, including your logo. Remember - this is part of your BRANDING/MARKETING. Put in contact info AND your website url in the proper places. Put in a good description of your company. Put in a coupon - if they allow such things.

1) http://www.yelp.com
2) http://local.yahoo.com
3) http://www.insiderpages.com
4) http://centralcoast.citysearch.com
5) http://www.trustlink.org (affiliated with BBB)
6) http://www.merchantcircle.com

If you are in the food or travel business there are specific referral sites related to these activities. That way if someone is interested in traveling, he/she can do a search on what there is to do/eat and plan an iternerary - based on the reputation of the business.

Securing XML Web Services - SOAP

2009-03-27T10:19:00.000-07:00

I was doing research on securing XML Web Services and came across the following:

http://www.keithelder.net/blog/archive/2007/01/06/Securing-Web-Services-With-Username-and-Password.aspx

I want to see if I put a XML Web service in a folder - secured with folder permissions - and use username/password to get the web service... that would be the most scalable solution for me... Since I would like to use this secure some user-specific data.
-------------------

Ok - for speed and simplicity I just did the following:
1) Made username and password properties passed into the web service
2) Used SSL to connect to protect the web service.

It was simple and easy to use... pulled data specific to a user... from ASP.Net app into vba app.

Want the code??

ASP.Net AJAX - Update Panels

2009-03-16T22:48:00.001-07:00

Update Panels are COOL!

They have some quirks - but if used properly, they can really speed up a web app. (Had trouble using them with file uploads... but all else was fine.) I have been working on building some advanced lead-generation/management tools into my CMS - mostly using AJAX modals, tabs etc.

I have found that those forms with several grids and more than 3 tabs tend to take a few seconds to redraw - using a regular postback. However, if I use an Ajax update panel - only the data in that update panel is redrawn... saving LOTS of time for the update.

I still use regular postbacks - especially if if the update impacts several tabs, or if using file uploads. However, in most cases this is not needed...

FILE upload in Update Panel?
I normally don't bother... But if needed, refer to this:
http://geekswithblogs.net/ranganh/archive/2008/04/01/file-upload-in-updatepanel-asp.net-ajax.aspx

----------------------

One critical thing to consider with update panels - whether to set
UpdateMode="conditional" or "always".

Set to "conditional" if:
This update panel is not being affected by other update panels.

Set to "always" if:
This update panel data is being affected by updates in other update panels. This slows down the display/postback of all update panels with this... but can be very handy. Only do if necessary.

Importing Contacts from Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo using C#

2008-12-29T13:08:00.000-08:00

Many of the social bookmark services offer a means to import/invite people from your online email accounts... This is a great feature.... Honestly, I was a bit afraid of it at first. However, I do see the usefulness of it.

I have found some help (C#) to do this... I do have some websites that this would help with... particularly those with marketing, contact lists, and newsletter features. It can be rather useful..

http://forums.asp.net/p/1083530/2279066.aspx#2279066
http://forums.asp.net/p/1083530/1982614.aspx

Yahoo class:
http://gnillydev.blogspot.com/2007/10/yahoo-contact-import-class-in-c.html

Google documentation:
http://code.google.com/apis/contacts/
http://code.google.com/apis/contacts/docs/2.0/developers_guide_protocol.html

Live/Hotmail documentation:
http://gnillydev.blogspot.com/2007/10/live-msn-hotmail-contacts-importing-in.html

I will update this with any insights as I find it... and try it out.

Where to use it:

Lets say you have a "newsletter" or "prospect management" or "social" web-software. You can use such tools to import new contacts or friends and jump-start your system with your current business/family contacts.

Linking MS Access to SQL Server - labels

2008-12-19T21:12:00.000-08:00

I had a label generator plugin for MS Word... from Avery Denison to print my labels. The data for the names/addresses resides in a SQL Server Database.

Avery Dennison can import from a Word doc, a Spreadsheet, or from an Access db.

I didnt want to download a spreadsheet all the time before importing, so I decided to use Access as a front end and link tables.... Theoretically it was a simple process..

Here is the article I found to do this:

http://my.safaribooksonline.com/0596009739/integratingea-CHP-7-SECT-1?portal=informit

It worked fine - until I closed the file and tried to re-open. Then I had to enter the password again.

Unfortunately, I had problems holding on the the username/password in the ODBC connection I made.... The following article explains why... The odbc connection to Sql Server connection kept defaulting to being a "trusted" connection instead of using the Sql Server username/password that I gave it.

http://www.dbforums.com/showthread.php?t=413813 Thank you Bill Gates!

I tried applying the latest patch - no luck. Later I will revisit this...

---------------------------

I just saw http://www.officearticles.com/word/mail_merge_labels_in_microsoft_word.htm I knew MS Word had some sort of feature like this - just couldnt figure out where. But like a fool, I tried using Avery Dennisons software.

No luck. I had problems connecting to SQL Server 2005 db. Probably the same problem as above. I am connected to it easily from my web server. Only my desktop has issues.

-------------------------

Ok.... Another angle:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/301659
http://www.experts-exchange.com/Programming/Misc/Q_21767403.html
http://www.fordevs.com/2008/08/i-was-looking-for-doing-mail-merge.html

- building MS Word on web server using C# and then downloading.

Looks like it may be possible to do what I want directly from the web server. I may need some sort of office components installed.. not sure.

----------------------

Another angle. I am going to try to get MS Access to pull data from my database.
Then I will use MS Access to run the label writers...
http://databases.about.com/od/tutorials/ht/mailinglabels.htm

YES!! This works if you have the data in MS Access. I was able to print the labels successfully! I even got MS Access to import the data from Excel. I just had to remove all the formatting done by my Excel generation code.

NEXT STEP: use vba to pull data into MS Access from my prospect management system. That would be very useful... if I had a canned tool to build mailing labels. I will need a way to pull the data from a web service or similar... I have some ideas that should work perfectly. Only constraint will be that the user has MS Access. Using data from:
http://microsoft-soap-toolkit.software.informer.com/

System.Net.Mail.SmtpClient with login credentials (ASP.Net)

2008-12-16T11:58:00.000-08:00

How to set login credentials for email ... C#...

Normally when I set up a SMTP form for a client using ASP.Net I do something like the following:

System.Net.Mail.MailMessage myMail = new System.Net.Mail.MailMessage();
myMail.From = "you@someemail.com";
myMail.Subject = "subject of email";
myMail.To.Add(new MailAddress("them@someemail.com"));
myMail.Body="This is the body of the email...";

System.Net.Mail.SmtpClient mailClient = new System.Net.Mail.SmtpClient("myserver",25);
mailClient.Send(myMail);

I havent had to change that process until today. Now I needed to find ways to do "credentialed" email, since his web host required it. I didn't want to purchase/install any special active X object to do this.

SOLUTION:
However, there are some new tricks with ASP.net 2.0 to handle this. Its something I didnt have to use til today.

You can put some settings in the Web.config file to handle smtp when you do a .Send() call
http://aspnet.4guysfromrolla.com/articles/072606-1.aspx

Or you can do code-behind method to do this...
http://www.wwwcoder.com/main/parentid/435/site/5833/68/default.aspx

Both seem to work well, depending on your preferences.

OTHER BENEFITS:

I have noticed lately that some email servers (like hotmail) gives warning messages when I do un-credentialed emails... The email says "This message has been blocked for your safety." next to it... and "This message may be a phishing scam" or "This message may be dangerous". Not good. When use the email credentials I think it checks the IMX records - and sees what server the email should come from.

This is the link hotmail gives it.. about Microsoft's "Sender ID" checking. http://help.live.com/help.aspx?project=MailClassic&market=en-US&querytype=keyword&query=gnihsihp&tmt=&domain=mail.live.com&format=b1&fs=-1

RSS feeds... images and html

2008-12-14T22:44:00.000-08:00

I was building a RSS feed for a client... They have an MLM-tool site promoting some health enhancing products like Max GXL (made by Max International) for Max International associates.

This site helps the different MLM associates to gain leads... (By the way - if you have a MLM business and need some tools for your team to build their downline, send me an email.. I am happy to build one for you too. robert@spiderweblogic.com )

PROBLEM:
I had trouble with the image tags... They didnt like to display in the RSS feed. I knew that it was possible.. Yahoo did it. Anyone else having trouble with putting images or other html inside RSS feeds? View the source and see how it is done.

Look at this... http://rss.news.yahoo.com/rss/topstories (my model)
Finally I got: http://www.mymaxteampro.com/membersrss.aspx to show the images properly.

It didn't take too long to figure out the trick... the opening tags... needed to use the html hex... (ampersand + #60 + semicolon) instead of the opening tag <. The closing tag is normal.. Just view source on the membersrss.aspx - that one has simpler html .

How to Turn off Autocomplete in html textbox

2008-12-12T16:25:00.000-08:00

Every once in a while you have a form where you dont want Google's Autocomplete to try to guess at the text. For example, my wife runs a shipping business. I had a textfield for the tracking number. Each time she tried to enter it, it gave a long dropdown of the other tracking numbers.... But this is only an annoyance and not helpful.

Others may have credit card textfields... and need the same feature for shared computers - for obvious reasons. If someone else uses the computer, you dont want them to see the auto-complete of your credit card transaction.

This simple fix was courtesy of the following site:
http://www.petefreitag.com/item/481.cfm

Most sites just suggested turning off the google toolbar or explained that there was no fix.... But all things come to those who are persistant in finding the truth.

Social Bookmarking: Twitter This Button

2008-12-12T08:58:00.001-08:00

Social bookmarking (like Digg.com and Delicious.com) are the latest craze..

I normally put in AddThis.com wigits on my blogs/websites to allow people to talk about sites/vote on page..

Recently, I put together my own Twitter button... Feel free to use it. I found it rather useful when putting on dynamic article pages.. or on blog posts.

Not enough permissions. Inherit your page class from RadAjaxPage

2008-12-11T12:31:00.000-08:00

I have been scratching my head for a few hours trying to figure out how to fix the following bug:
Finally - i figured it out ....

If you are trying out Telerik controls for the first time - you may get this. Or if your web host changes some of their configurations (which happened to me) you may also get this.

--------------------

Server Error in '/' Application.
Not enough permissions. Inherit your page class from RadAjaxPage if you are running under Medium trust level.

Description: An unhandled exception occurred during the execution of the current web request. Please review the stack trace for more information about the error and where it originated in the code.

Exception Details: System.InvalidOperationException: Not enough permissions.Inherit your page class from RadAjaxPage if you are running under Medium trust level.

Source Error:
An unhandled exception was generated during the execution of the current web request. Information regarding the origin and location of the exception can be identified using the exception stack trace below.

Stack Trace:
[InvalidOperationException: Not enough permissions.
Inherit your page class from RadAjaxPage if you are running under Medium trust level.]
Telerik.Web.UI.RadAjaxControl.AttachOnRender() +274

--------------------------

The fix is an obvious one. If you are reading this post, you probably did a search for this particular error. Once I figured it out - I felt pretty stupid, and I am a very experienced .Net programmer. I had made a database change (a small one) and then this error started happening... I couldnt figure out how my database change could have caused it.

My database change was not the culpret. The web host changing their trust/configuration settings was the problem.

To fix - I had to "read" the error.

--------------------------

VB.Net fix.....

Imports Telerik.Web.UI ' put at top of page

Partial Class MyShippingAccount
Inherits RadAjaxPage ' System.Web.UI.Page

C# fix....

using Telerik.Web.UI; // put at top of page

public partial class admin_ShipThis_modal : Telerik.Web.UI.RadAjaxPage //System.Web.UI.Page
{

No code-behind page? No problem...

<[percent-sign] @ Page Language="VB" Inherits="Telerik.Web.UI.RadAjaxPage" [percent-sign]>
<[percent-sign]@ Register assembly="Telerik.Web.UI" namespace="Telerik.Web.UI" tagprefix="telerik" [percent-sign]>
---------------------------------------

Let me know it this helps.. I kept wondering if I broke something the whole time with my database change... and if Ajax components were complaining over it. But no. If you got this error - it is probably not your fault... and the fix is easy. I hope this saves you some head-scratching time.