A Bugs Life - by Hal Diggs

How to: Query for Characters in a String (LINQ)

2009-10-12T09:00:00.000-07:00

This is more for my own notes as anything else. I always seem to find myself with a list of strings and the need to query them. So here's a quick reminder how to do it.

string[] strings = GetStrings(); //some method returning string[]

IEnumerable s = from str in strings
where !str.ToLower().Contains("SomeString".ToLower())
select str;

It works.

The directory property cannot be found in the cache

2009-04-09T10:04:00.000-07:00

Authorization Manager - Azman is a great tool... a pain to get setup if you don't have all the details.

Exception Details: System.Runtime.InteropServices.COMException: The directory property cannot be found in the cache.

There is very little documentation on solving the errors you see when you've never seen it working.

If you see the error above you may have skipped the fact that you need to setup an impersonation context in your web.config so your user can see the AzMan application.

In my case I am trying to connect to an AzMan application that lives in a domain that trusts my own domain so the recommended setting of the Asp.Net user as the impersonation context did not work. I stupidly fumbled with this for hours.

- Hal

Izabella made it

2009-03-10T15:13:00.000-07:00

Well no time for blogging but Izabella made it on Dec. 18th, 2008. I just thought I better add something so that my millions of readers didn't have to hold their breath all year.

Baby Izabella is almost here!

2008-12-10T07:23:00.000-08:00

Well here I sit, one week from the scheduled delivery date of my #2 daughter. Basically scared out of my wits. How will my #1 daughter react when I actually bring home a live one? One that she can't put away in her toybox?

Jennifer really hates being pregnant but she sure makes pretty babies. For the record, I am very proud of my wife and the way she handles this prego stuff. I can't imagine what it's like but I guess that's why God made me a man. I have created a big ol' list of addresses in my gmail all ready to send out the announcement. I've tried to accomplish all the honey-do's and the babies room looks great.

Ahhh but the joy we will experience... ok that's it.

Jeremy Visits

2008-06-25T06:03:00.000-07:00

Ya know it’s good to have friends. I just had a "pass-through" visit from a friend that Jennifer and I made on our honeymoon in 2003. We met Jeremy and Lisa in Jamaica just after our ceremony and have been friends every since.

Jeremy is on his way to the Galveston, Texas area where he'll be flying helicopters back and forth to oil & gas rigs. Pretty cool job from where I sit... in my cubicle, in Fort Worth, Texas.

New Job & Off to L.A.

2008-02-01T13:29:00.000-08:00

ok so first post of 2008, like I said, I never post. Well after a few contracting gigs this year (Dyncorp Intl, XTO, etc...) I found gainful, permanent employment with a great company called ErxNetwork that does some really cool stuff with prescription transaction switching.

So far so good. I like it, my wife likes that I like it, all is good in the Diggs household. I'm headed to L.A. next week for something called Guerrilla .NET training. Although I dont' relish the idea of leaving the family I think its going to be a great course.

The pool this summer

2007-06-21T06:19:00.001-07:00

This past weekend (father's day) I got to show off my whitetrash side. I promised my wife that someday we'd have a pool in the backyard... now she's sorry! My father and I split the cost of one of those giant backyard pools that you can get off the shelf at Walmart. I don't mind telling you that I was laughing at my self the whole time. All I could think of was growing up in lower-middle class neighborhoods where some of my frinds had those big metalic-sided pools that would rust and become eye sores with in a year or two.

Advances in technology now let me have one of these things with NO metal in it at all! I am serious, this thing is like a gigantic inflatable raft on steroids. I can't wait to post a photo of us in the pool, have a great day!

-- Hal

I never blog...

2007-06-20T20:19:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I wonder why I still have this thing. Its not like anyone ever sends me any notes or actually posts anything. Heck I never take the time to do anything with it. Oh well, here's some new info, maybe the beginning of a regular posting...

As much as I have always hated the word 'VB', I am now being paid to write the verbose crap. Yes, someone obviously saw the raw VB talent that I am and asked me to give up C# (my second love, first was Object Pascal) and take the big leap into the truely most Microsoft thing... ugh, VB. I guess its not so bad once you get used to it... at least I get to keep using the finest IDE ever made. Oh yeah, I like the company I;m doing the work for as well.

Well thats the boring stuff... oh yeah, here's a new pic of my little Brie

- Hal

Enable ASP.NETWebAdminFiles Outside Visual Studio

2006-05-08T22:46:00.000-07:00

ok I copied this from some other guys blog. I didn't want to lose track of it but also wanted to credit him... sorry dude. It works!

Using the default ASP.NET 2.0 Membership (AspNetSqlMembershipProvider) you can modify config settings and add/remove users from the Visual Studio IDE if you are running it locally or FrontPage Server Extensions are installed and you are connected remotely to the site.

If you want to use the ASP.NetWebAdminFiles web interface without Visual Studio, as I recently did, then here is what you do.

FYI: Only do this if you are careful and for the right purposes, since you are exposing some administration capability.

1. Create a virtual directory that points to the web admin files.
This is what I did:

VirtualDirectory: ASP.NetWebAdminFiles
MappedTo: C:\WINDOWS\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727\ASP.NETWebAdminFiles

2. Modify the properties of the virtual directory so that it is running under ASP.NET 2.0. (Properties > ASP.NET)

NOTE: if you are running 1.1 and 2.0 applications on the same server or site, you may have to set up a separate application pool for the 2.0 sites. If you get the notice, "Application Unavailable" then that is why.

3. While you are there, remove anonymous access to that virtual directory.

4. After that, you will be able to connect to the web admin tools using the following url syntax

http://localhost/ASP.NETWebAdminFiles/default.aspx?applicationPhysicalPath=XXX&applicationUrl=/YYY

in my case, it is:
http://localhost/ASP.NETWebAdminFiles/default.aspx?applicationPhysicalPath=C:\inetpub\wwwroot\myapp\&applicationUrl=/myapp

NOTE: Although it isn't recommended, if you want to access web admin tool from a different/remote computer, then open the WebAdminPage.cs file from the C:\WINDOWS\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727\ASP.NETWebAdminFiles\App_Code directory and comment the following code block:

1 if (!application.Context.Request.IsLocal)

2 {

3 SecurityException securityException =

4 new SecurityException((string)HttpContext.GetGlobalResourceObject(

5 "GlobalResources",

6 "WebAdmin_ConfigurationIsLocalOnly"));

7 WebAdminPage.SetCurrentException(application.Context, securityException);

8 application.Server.Transfer("~/error.aspx");

9 }

The web admin tool will still be protected to some degree by the Integrated Windows Authentication.

NOTE: If while trying to update user information you get the following error:

Failed to update database "C:\inetpub\wwwroot\myapp\App_Data\ASPNETDB.MDF" because the database is read-only.

Then the NETWORK_SERVICE account does not have read/write access to the MDF file that is being used to store the user information.

http://lab.msdn.microsoft.com/productfeedback/viewfeedback.aspx?feedbackid=dd6d161b-df08-40bc-b9ed-fbca71949ddc

Can we talk C#

2006-05-08T07:25:00.000-07:00

Purpose: Justa place for me to express my occasional frustrations and achievements while making my way through my C# world.

Ahhhh 2006 is here!

2006-01-06T08:11:00.000-08:00

Well heck I never seem to spend much time on this thing. It just seems that when you are over 35, have a real job, and a child... there just isn't time for this sort of thing.

However, just in case my daughter grows up while this thing still exists I want her to know I was at least TRYing to be cool.

2006 came in with a dull roar in the Diggs household. As much as Jennifer and myself tried to turn it into a party, we were just happy that Abrielle was ready to sleep.

This "kid" thing is pretty cool. I'm really not sure I am worthy of such a cutie. I have truly been blessed.

Hey if you post something here and expect me to know who you are, please sign up as a member so I can find you. I think an old friend of named Craig left a post here but "Craig" isn't exactly one persons name so I have no idea who it was. He posted anonymously. I also noticed some stupid ass crammed some fake stock crap in a post so I've enabled post moderation. I figure I haven't had to many posts in the last year that I can't handle it.

Stay Cool out there! - Hal

Abrielle Diggs is here!

2005-07-29T11:43:00.000-07:00

Its been quite a while but the little girl I mentioned a while back is here and now close to 6 months old... here's a cute photo...

Born on Date: 2/10/2005

Isn't she the cutest !

Jennifer and I are trying to teach her to talk and run but she's on her own schedule.

VanOrdens Post #1

2005-02-01T06:47:00.000-08:00

This is where I expect Aaron or Becks to post their next adventure...

Christmas Photo

2005-01-26T16:36:00.000-08:00

Jennifer and I sitting next to the fire

A conversation with Aaron

2005-01-08T19:27:00.000-08:00

hey Aaron I decided it was time for a new conversation so here it is... We miss you, but don't come back... it wouldn't be fun anymore we've seen what you did to Andrew, we don't need your help with Abrielle!!!

I guess you are having fun down under. Jennifer and I are getting ready for the "baby shower" uh or "celebration fo life" as they have taken to calling it. Its just a ruse to get guys to show up since none of the dudes would commit to actually going to a baby shower.

so here I am just 4.5 weeks from the delivery of our kid... I never thought I'd actually be responsible for anything this cool. Jennifer is still having breathing problems so the deliver date has been moved up to February 10th. My brother David would have loved having another Aquarius in the family.

:Later

Aaron and Becks left town!

2004-12-12T21:01:00.000-08:00

ahhh well it has finally happened. My little friend Aaron has flown the coop to be with his hottie... let's all hope he stays in touch. He left me a rather short comment on the old post... Aaron!!! come back and chat!

2004-09-30T23:04:00.000-07:00

So... I've been rather busy and haven't really had time to jack with this blog. However I have some cool news! It looks like we are having a baby girl next February!!!

2004-09-30T22:05:00.000-07:00

We found out the sex!

Hello out there

2004-06-10T21:02:00.000-07:00

Sooo, its thursday night. I need to work on the Feminine Mind website. I'm lazy. The bug needs a brake job pretty badly...

Day 2

2004-05-21T21:28:00.000-07:00

ok this won't be happening everyday but since something happened I figure I gotta put it down... a couple of months ago I spent a week at the Microsoft test center in Austin (with Shane G.), really cool office. They hooked us up with a couple of X-box games and a $100 E-Company Store certificate.

I blew my money on a couple of mindless driving games. I love driving games, so does my Dad... is it weird to be nearly 39 and still entertained by those little sparkly things on the TV?

2004-05-20T22:37:00.000-07:00

This is David, he played the part of Boy-Toy while he was on the beach. Uh, the other guy is yours truly

2004-05-20T22:34:00.000-07:00

Jennifer and Hal enjoying dinner in Cozumel

2004-05-20T22:29:00.000-07:00

Our new friends Mike & Kristin Stuczynski.

The Fabled Web Page

2004-05-20T22:09:00.000-07:00

Wouldn't you know it! I forgot the web page address...
CyberDiggs.com

Day 1

2004-05-20T20:52:00.000-07:00

Well here I sit.

I need to go to bed... Wouldn't yah know that the first time I started writing this 1st post I had some cool stuff down. I found out the hard way that one should heed the warning concerning navigating away from this page!

A little about myself, I am a Windows/Web programmer. As such I think I have lost a bit of my creative edge these last few years. Everything I do seems to have to make logical sense or I don't do it.

If there be any fellow developers out there that have had this experience and have fixed their "brain-machines" I'd love to hear about it.

Personally I am trying out this blog thing in the hopes that merely having a place to put my occasional thoughts on paper (electronic) will possibly jar something and get my brain back into the "fun" game.

By the way, I have a web page up for those that want to see boring work . Although its not ugly I just have not really found a use for it. Kind of the old story "A cobblers kids have no shoes" if you know what I mean.