Josh Graham

SQL Server Color Conversion

Today I needed to convert discrete TinyInt color values like Column_name | Type -------------|-------- RedChannel | tinyint GreenChannel | tinyint BlueChannel | tinyint to just an NVARCHAR(7) string like Column_name | Type -------------|------------ HexColor | NVARCHAR(7) Here's how I did it: SELECT RedChannel AS Red, GreenChannel AS Green, BlueChannel AS

Simplifying IP Lookup for Windows Containers

When doing work with Windows Docker containers, you'll quickly realize that you can't use localhost to access the container like you can with Linux containers. This puts you in a situation where you need to know the IP address of your running containers. Image Credit: Quinn Dombrowski Finding the IP

Unit Testing EF7

Entity Framework 7 comes with a new provider, an in memory database provider. This is a huge win for unit testing because now you can test the exact same data access code you use in production but on a fast, totally isolated, zero setup, data store. This article will explain

Upgrading ASP.NET 5 beta-5 to beta-6

Here are some of the changes we had to make while upgrading our solution from beta-5 to beta-6. Most breaking changes were from Entity Framework and they were mostly renames. Thanks to Grant Goodart for tracking down all the renames. If you have anything to add to the list, be

Full Text Search Explained

Search on the web has revolutionized the way we use the internet. Google can search the entire internet and provide a great experience to users who are trying to find content. Why then, is search missing or not optimal in so many of the applications we use today? Most applications

Breaking into Web Development with Django

Although the awesomeness of Django has been well documented, I thought I would share my thoughts on my recent Django project. Despite my desire to, I have never really done much web development. I finally decided to just dive in. I had heard lots of buzz about Ruby on Rails

OTA Tuner For Home Theaters

In my home theater setup, every source of content needs to run through the AV Receiver in order to make use of my 5.1 speaker setup and to make operation as simple as possible. This prevents me from using the over-the-air (OTA) tuner that is built into my television.

Bulletproof Test Categories For VS Unit Test Framework

I am learning the Visual Studio Unit Testing Framework and I came across the subject of test categories. Test categories allow us to group tests into related buckets so that we can run a subset of our test suite and only include tests from certain categories. We want to place

Sending Large Files Over Faulty Networks

Recently, I found myself trying to send a large file over a faulty network connection. After waiting 3+ hours for the file to transfer only to find it corrupted... twice, I went in search of a better way. What follows are some helpful tips for transferring large files over a

Simulate Process Time In C#

Can a program run too fast? If you ask me, I say yes. Sometimes you can actually improve the user experience by slowing down your program. Don't believe me? Imagine you are playing a game of chess against a computer opponent. Every move you make takes you at least five