.NET2.0+

I was having considerable problem figuring out a way to specify the connection parameters for my Crystal Reports at runtime that used the Pull model for stuffing data. The problem was that I needed to use a different runtime connection than what was configured for the report at design time. And everytime I did so, the report threw up the form asking the user to fill in the connection parameters (I was using ASP.NET web-based reports but the approach below works on desktop also). Needless to say, this was utterly unprofessional.

I blogged yesterday here, regarding fetching the total Number Of Pages in an ASP.NET web-based Crystal Report in the code-behind. My original motive for doing that was replacing the default Crystal Toolbar with a custom one.

This is the first of a couple of blog entires I am writing for web-based ASP.NET Crystal Reports. Both of these blog entires concentrate on having more control over the actual Report Generation to be able to replace the default Crystal Report toolbar, with a custom one, that integrates better with the overall design of your web application.

We all love Ext.Net, isn't it? Well, ExtJs brought the power of Desktop controls to web on the client-side, and Ext.Net (also known as Coolite) extended that power to the server-side with its server-side wrapper controls to the client-side ExtJs controls.

However, one thing that I particularly dislike about Ext.Net controls is the deep nesting of controls and inner properties in markup, which often takes the markup way far towards the right of the editor screen when properly indented, making it unreadable at times.

All of us using Ext.Net (also known as Coolite) must have used the <ext:CommandColumn> in the GridPanel's Columns collection, which allows us to have clickable buttons (called GridCommands in Ext.Net) inside the columns of a GridPanel, though which we can allow operations on individual rows of the grid. A cool feature one should agree!!

Working across timezones can have its own stupid issues. I faced one of them just now.

I finished working on the initial production setup of a client ASP.NET website, and uploaded and installed it to a remote server based in United States (in the Eastern Time zone). I am based in India (with Indian Time Zone), which is 10:30 hours ahead of the server time on which the site was uploaded.

You might be well aware that DNN allows you to create multiple Portals based on the same physical installation and the database. It even allows the users to be managed independently across Portals, restricting users to the Portal they registered for.

I thought about writing this blog entry while doing a technical review of a book on DotNetNuke 5.x. The soon-to-be-published book (by Packt Publishing) says this about DotNetNuke portals:

I present below various Tips & Techniques (not in any particular order) for optimization of a typical DotNetNuke installation.I learned these while using DNN over time, while I encountered some of them while browsing over web.

A typical DNN install requires considerable server resources, and creates significant traffic between the database & web server. These techniques aim to reduce both of these where-ever possible, along with some other optimizations. Some of these may not apply to you, and I advise you to exert discretion in deciding which of these work best for you.

UPDATE: An updated and enhanced version of this technique is available here:
Enums in Javascript - Part 2

Basically, the title says it all. So, without wasting any time, let's see an example of an enum in Javascript.