Creating RESTful Web Service Using System.Web.Routing Part 1

1. Created new ASP.NET web site using VS 2008


2. Deleted default .aspx page


3. Added Global Application File (Global.asax)


4. Added following code to Application_Start() method in Global.asax
   

   
   Route route = new Route("students", new StudentsRouteHandler());
   RouteTable.Routes.Add(route);
   



5. Added following class:
   

   
   public class StudentsRouteHandler : IRouteHandler, IHttpHandler {
   
   public IHttpHandler GetHttpHandler(RequestContext requestContext) {
   return (this);
   }
   
   public void ProcessRequest(HttpContext context) {
   
   context.Response.Write("<h1>Hello World!</h1>");
   }
   
   public bool IsReusable { get; set; }
   }
   
   

   
   


6. Added the following to the httpmodules section of the Web.config :
   
   

   
   <add name="Routing" type="System.Web.Routing.UrlRoutingModule,
   system.Web.Routing, Version=3.5.0.0, Culture=neutral,PublicKeyToken=31BF3856AD364E35">
   
   

   
   



7. Edited 'properties' of new web project on 'Web' tab configured it to use IIS server rather than visual studio development server. A new virtual directory is created as a side effect of this.


8. In iis.msc edited properties of new site. On 'Directory Security' tab clicked on 'Configure' button and CHECKED the Integrated Windows Authentication check box all the way at the bottom


9. Last but not least, in iis.msc edited properties of new site. On Virtual Directory tab clicked on 'Configuration' Button.
   
   Added:
   Executable: c:\windows\microsoft.net\framework\v2.0.50727\aspnet_isapi.dll
   Extension: .*
   All Verbs
   UN-CHECK 'Check that file exists'
   

While trying to get it to work I mixed in a superstitious IISReset. I'm not sure if its required but I think not.

Visual Studio Still Refuses to Eat Its Own Syntactic Candy

Its been available since VS 2005 but even as of VS 2008 the designer still generates:

_fooGrid.CurrentCellDirtyStateChanged += new System.EventHandler(this._fooGrid_CurrentCellDirtyStateChanged);

When this will suffice:

_fooGrid.CurrentCellDirtyStateChanged += _fooGrid_CurrentCellDirtyStateChanged;

How Grownups Debug Windows Service Startups

using System.ServiceProcess;

namespace MyService {

  public partial class  MyService : ServiceBase {

     public MyService() {
        InitializeComponent();
     }

     protected override void OnStart(string[] args) {

       //This will launch a debugger
       System.Diagnostics.Debugger.Launch();

       //Do the  real job
       MyWorker.Start();
     }
  }
}

Perpetuating a Meme

So I was checking out Eric Evans' Blog today and I saw a post where he perpetuated this "Random CD Cover Creation" meme. Looked fun and easy.

So Here's Mine (The band's name is Denim not Mined I was just trying to be arty and cool and stuff):



... and Here's the Meme:

1. Use Wikipedia's random article page to find your band name.
2. Go to the Random Quotations Page. The last four words of the very last quote is your album name.
3. Visit Flickr's interesting photos page, the third image, no matter what, is your cover art.

In a Nutshell, The Difference between an Event and a Delegate

An event simply adds a layer of protection over a delegate instance.

This protection prevents clients of the delegate from resetting the delegate and its invocation list, and only allows adding or removing targets from the invocation list.

Source: http://weblogs.asp.net/rosherove/archive/2004/03/28/100444.aspx

An esteemed colleague directed me to a post (can't recall) that further elaborates on the distinction. The main one that I remember is that in addition to the = restriction, invocations of an Event are restricted to the class that owns the event.

So if you want to allow other classes to raise an event you must expose a public method to that delegates the raising.