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Archive for 2014
GlobalSign is offering free TLS certificates for open source projects:…
Posted by jpluimers on 2014/06/07
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Word: deleting unused styles
Posted by jpluimers on 2014/06/06
Ever since I started using Word, I thought that deleting unused styles was hard.
And it was in Word 2000: WD2000: How to Remove Unused Standard Styles from a Document.
And people still think it is complicted in Word 2010: Word 2010 – How does one remove any unused styles in a document – – Microsoft Community.
But in fact it is very simple.
Instructions via How to Delete All Unused Styles in Word Document | eHow.com:
Read the rest of this entry »
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Some notes/links on Git-TF: the GIT/TFS bridge
Posted by jpluimers on 2014/06/05
TFS 2012 Update 2 and up can do GIT or TFS (now called TFVC for Team Server Version Control). It was improved in TFS 2013, but still it leaves two small problems:
- It cannot host the same repository as both GIT and TFVC.
- It cannot conver from GIT to TFVC or back.
Luckily there are two tools that can help: GIT TF and GIT TFS.
GIT TF (now forked on github a few times) is a way to bridge TFS and GIT. It is different from GIT TFS (that only runs on Windows, it is provided by Microsoft).
You can use both for instance to move GIT to/from TFS, or to compare or leverage GIT against TFS Express and Team Foundation Service which are both free for up to 5 developers. A few notes and some more links: Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted in Development, DVCS - Distributed Version Control, git, Software Development, Source Code Management, TFS (Team Foundation System) | Leave a Comment »
Team Foundation Server Express and Team Foundation Service: some links
Posted by jpluimers on 2014/06/04
I know covering TFS 2012 has been in the blog queue for way too long (:
A few links:
- Final Build for VS 2012 was launched in September 2012 during the Visual Studio 2012 Virtual Launch | Channel 9.
- Start at Microsoft Visual Studio TFS Express 2012 and Download Visual Studio Team Foundation Server Express 2012 with Update 2 (for repeated installations, be sure to download the ISO, not the installer)
- All Aboard the Team Foundation Server Express | TechEd Europe 2012 | Channel 9.
- Team Foundation Service used to be at http://tfspreview.com, but now is at https://tfs.visualstudio.com
- You can sign up for free at https://tfs.app.visualstudio.com/_account/Signup
- Lots of documentation at [WayBack] Supporting Guidance and Whitepapers – Download: Team Foundation Service 2012 Learnings now at [WayBack] Library of tooling and guidance solutions (aka.ms/vsarsolutions) – Visual Studio ALM Rangers.
- As hawkke has explained on StackOverflow, you can use the TFS Integration Platform tools to migrate from TFS to TFS (I used that to migrate from https://BeSharp.codeplex.com to https://BeSharp.visualstudio.com and keep parts of the two in sync)
Just look at ALM Rangers – Migrating from an On-Premises Team Foundation Server to Team Foundation Service Preview Using the TFS Integration Tools
and TFS Integration Platform – Migration Guidance Poster.jpg (1344×1008). - If you need to migrate more than the fies/history, then consider administration – TFS: Moving a Team Project from one server to another? – Stack Overflow.
- Note that Visual Studio 2012 not only supports TFS, but also GIT:
Git init VS – Brian Harry’s blog – Site Home – MSDN Blogs;
Git support for Visual Studio – Git, TFS, and VS put into Context – Scott Hanselman. - Note that TFS 2012 also supports TFS and GIT: how to import Git project to TFS Cloud – Stack Overflow.
–jeroen
PS: Nowadays, Team Foundation Service is called “Visual Studio Online”. But many people still call it TFS. See www.visualstudio.com
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Posted in CodePlex, Development, DVCS - Distributed Version Control, git, Software Development, Source Code Management, TFS (Team Foundation System) | 1 Comment »
Delphi multithreading and DLL exports: watch your exceptions (via: Stack Overflow)
Posted by jpluimers on 2014/06/03
Talking about Danny Thorpe: he also posted a nice hint on threading methods for ancient Delphi versions that equally applies to DLL exports in any Delphi version, even any programming environment.
Recently, I had to do some surgery in such a Pre-Delphi 6 application, and I was really happy to remember this answer: it instantly solved some process crashes, and the added logging allowed for investigating the actual cause.
Note that this tip isn’t just a good advice for old Delphi versions.
Even in younger Delphi versions, you have to watch methods that can be called from outside a regular Delphi context, for instance exported methods.
Heck, it applies to virtually any development environment: exceptions usually are very specific to that environment and should never cross a process boundary.
Summary
Take the approach below
- for Execute methods in your own thread classes in Delphi 5 or earlier
- for any method that can be called externally (like DLL exports) Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted in Delphi, Delphi 1, Delphi 2, Delphi 2005, Delphi 2006, Delphi 2007, Delphi 2009, Delphi 2010, Delphi 3, Delphi 4, Delphi 5, Delphi 6, Delphi 7, Delphi 8, Delphi x64, Delphi XE, Delphi XE2, Delphi XE3, Delphi XE4, Development, Software Development | Leave a Comment »
Registry keys to prevent Java installs from adding sponsors (Ask/Google/Yahoo Toolbar, McAfee virus, etc) via: Super User
Posted by jpluimers on 2014/06/02
One of the reasons I quit Java development a while ago is that for years, each and every Java client update on Windows wants to install “add-ons” like Ask/Google/Yahoo toolbars, McAfee viruses, etc.
Many people have complained about it, just to name a few and show an on-line petition against it:
- A close look at how Oracle installs deceptive software with Java updates | ZDNet.
- Java scam: How Oracle and Ask profit from sneaky add-ons | The Industry Standard – InfoWorld.
- Oracle will continue to bundle ‘crapware’ with Java – Computerworld.
- Petition | Oracle Corporation: Stop bundling Ask Toolbar with the Java installer | Change.org.
There are many cumbersome ways around it:
- Manually download the right version of the silent offline installer, then run it.
- Download the offline installer, get java.msi from it, then make a GPO-deployment.
- Disable the auto-update check and script your own install.
- Silently Uninstall Java. Then don’t install it (a few friends were so fed up that they did this).
- Internet Explorer only: Disable third party browser extensions. But then you loose all other extensions as well.
Though suited for corporate installs, all of those are impractical when your friends keep calling “hey, how do I get rid of these toolbars” and you cannot control their complete install process.
Super User user Danilo Roascio made my day when wanting to get rid of that behaviour.
His registry way to prevent those installs is way easier!
It not only disables the installs of any sponsored add-on, the Java update does not even show the checkbox any more (so the install process is shorter).
This is what he answered: Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted in Development, Java, Power User, Software Development | 5 Comments »
A few Excel printing tips I always forget
Posted by jpluimers on 2014/05/30
With most software, most of the time you don’t use the majority of the features.
So when you need a part of that majority, it is always hard to find.
For Excel, most of my printing is standard (if I print at all), so these two are particularly hard to remember:
- Set the printing order of worksheet pages – Excel – Office.com.
(usually I’m perfectly happy with the default “down, then over”, but occasionally I want “over, then down”) - Repeat specific rows or columns on every printed page – Excel – Office.com.
Usually I don’t need header rows while printing, but if I do, I want them on every page.
–jeroen
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Posted in Excel, Office, Office 2007, Office 2010, Office 2013, Power User | Leave a Comment »
delphi – Is there a way to get a VCL Control’s name through the windows API? – Stack Overflow
Posted by jpluimers on 2014/05/29
Thanks Samaliani for posting a Delphi GetWinControlName function as answer to Is there a way to get a VCL Control’s name through the windows API?
The cool thing: it works across processes (as long as your own process has ReadProcessMemory rights).
It works from Delphi XE3 and up.
Be sure to also read the comments by Danny Thorpe on the automation framework in Delphi: that might also be a good place to get this information from.
–jeroen
via: delphi – Is there a way to get a VCL Control’s name through the windows API? – Stack Overflow.
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Posted in Delphi, Delphi XE3, Delphi XE4, Development, Software Development | 3 Comments »
using tf to list the workspaces for the current directory in Team Foundation System
Posted by jpluimers on 2014/05/28
Since Visual Studio is always in a 32-bit directory, I needed the SetProgramFilesX86 batch file from
Windows batch file to set ProgramFilesX86 directory for 32-bit program files on x86 and x64 systems.
Here is a small batch file to list workspaces by any user for the current directory (assuming that directory is mapped to a workspace):
call "%~dp0SetProgramFilesX86.bat" :: assume Visual Studio 2005: ::"%ProgramFilesX86%\Microsoft Visual Studio 8\Common7\IDE\tf" workspaces /owner:* /computer:* :: assume Visual Studio 2010: "%ProgramFilesX86%\Microsoft Visual Studio 10.0\Common7\IDE\tf" workspaces /owner:* /computer:*
It uses TF, and assumes default locations for various Visual Studio versions based on the internal version number.
A generic TF batch file that finds the TF is this one:
call "%~dp0SetProgramFilesX86.bat" :: assume Visual Studio 2005: ::"%ProgramFilesX86%\Microsoft Visual Studio 8\Common7\IDE\tf" %* :: assume Visual Studio 2010: "%ProgramFilesX86%\Microsoft Visual Studio 10.0\Common7\IDE\tf" %*
–jeroen
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Posted in Batch-Files, Development, Scripting, Software Development | 1 Comment »
Windows batch file to set ProgramFilesX86 directory for 32-bit program files on x86 and x64 systems (via: Stack Overflow)
Posted by jpluimers on 2014/05/27
Every once in a while you need to execute a binaryfrom a batch file that will always be available 32-bits.
Examples include development tools (that usually are x86 hosts talking or encapsulating managed environments, and x64 debuggers) or office versions for which certain plugins are not available in x64 versions.
That’s why I wrote the below batch file to fill the ProgramFilesX86 environment variable to point to the 32-bit Program Files directory on any system (x86, x64, or one that does not make a distinction).
Determining processor architecture
The batch file makes use of the flags mentioned in HOWTO: Detect Process Bitness – David Wang – Site Home – MSDN Blogs:
Notes:
- There are 3 distinct cases and two outcomes
- We default to x86 just in case we run on a system that has none of the flags defined (for instance on legacy systems).
| Environment Variable \ Program Bitness | 32bit Native | 64bit Native | WOW64 |
| PROCESSOR_ARCHITECTURE | x86 | AMD64 | x86 |
| PROCESSOR_ARCHITEW6432 | undefined | undefined | AMD64 |
Source of 32-bit program files
The place of the 32-bit program files directory is determined by the environment variables mentioned in WOW64 Implementation Details (Windows):
| Process | Environment variables |
|---|---|
| 64-bit process | PROCESSOR_ARCHITECTURE=AMD64 or PROCESSOR_ARCHITECTURE=IA64 ProgramFiles=%ProgramFiles% ProgramW6432=%ProgramFiles% CommonProgramFiles=%CommonProgramFiles% CommonProgramW6432=%CommonProgramFiles% |
| 32-bit process | PROCESSOR_ARCHITECTURE=x86 PROCESSOR_ARCHITEW6432=%PROCESSOR_ARCHITECTURE% ProgramFiles=%ProgramFiles(x86)% ProgramW6432=%ProgramFiles% CommonProgramFiles=%CommonProgramFiles(x86)% CommonProgramW6432=%CommonProgramFiles% |
Windows Server 2008, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2003, and Windows XP: The ProgramW6432 and CommonProgramW6432 environment variables were added starting with Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2.
Boolean logic and case insensitive compare in batch files
Many things in batch files can be tricky including these two:
- Boolean logic: I formulated the logic using OR, based on tips at Boolean Logic in Batch Files.
- Comparision: for case insensitive compare, I used the /I trick mentioned at Batch files – IF statements.
The batch file
Finally: the batch file: Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted in Batch-Files, Development, Scripting, Software Development | 4 Comments »
The Wiert Corner - irregular stream of stuff 