The Wiert Corner – irregular stream of stuff

Jeroen W. Pluimers on .NET, C#, Delphi, databases, and personal interests

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RDP logon while other user is logged on: no way to automate automatic disconnect/logoff

Posted by jpluimers on 2020/10/21

One of the dreaded things when logging on using RDP is that if another user is logged on, you have to first indicate you want to indeed logon (if you don’t, the RDP connection will close after some 15-30 seconds), then wait for their approval time-out before you can logon.

As of writing there is no way around this.

Some links that helped me conclude this:

–jeroen

Posted in Development, Power User, Software Development, Windows, Windows 10, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows Development | Leave a Comment »

Delphi: get timestamp as ISO8601 string for use in filenames

Posted by jpluimers on 2020/10/21

On Windows, filenames do not like some characters (including : and +), so this is a quick way to get a timestamp into ISO8601 format that is compatible with filenames.

TimeStamp := Now();
StartIso8601String := DateToISO8601(TimeStamp, False).Replace('-', '').Replace(':', '') // https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_8601#Time_zone_designators

It Depends on the [WayBack] System.DateUtils unit which had the [WayBack] DateToISO8601 function [Archive.is] added in Delphi XE6.

A poor man’s solution (that skips timezones altogether) is this one:

FormatDateTime('yyyymmdd''T''hhnnss''.''zzz', TimeStamp); // note quoted T and ., as otherwise they will be expanded.

–jeroen

Posted in Delphi, Development, Software Development | Leave a Comment »

Object Pool versus Object Cache

Posted by jpluimers on 2020/10/20

I think an:

  • Object Pool is meant to set a maximum on the number of pooled objects because they are expensive in resource usage.
  • Object Cache is meant to store objects (but not cap it) that are expensive to create, but do not per se are expensive in resource usage.

For future reading:

–jeroen

 

Posted in Conference Topics, Conferences, Event | Leave a Comment »

Enable your device for development – UWP app developer | Microsoft Docs

Posted by jpluimers on 2020/10/20

From [WayBack] Enable your device for development – UWP app developer | Microsoft Docs:

Run these as administrator on the command prompt to:

Enable Sideloading

reg add "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\AppModelUnlock" /t REG_DWORD /f /v "AllowAllTrustedApps" /d "1"

Enable Developer Mode

reg add "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\AppModelUnlock" /t REG_DWORD /f /v "AllowDevelopmentWithoutDevLicense" /d "1"

Needed for WinAppDriver to test applications from Selenium or Katalon

When you run WinAppDriver without it, you get this:

C:\Users>"C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Application Driver\WinAppDriver.exe"
Failed to initialize: 0x80004005
Despite WinAppDriver running fine as non-administrative user, the reason was given that it requires administrative privileges: [WayBack] Why does WinAppDriver.exe require developer mode? · Issue #165 · Microsoft/WinAppDriver · GitHub.

SetCapabilities name parameters and values

Various searches for what to pass as parameters to SetCapabilities failed, but the list is right at the README, but without any mention SetCapabilities, so search engines miss it with for instance “SetCapabilities” “WinAppDriver” – Google Search that only returned these links:

Supported Capabilities

Below are the capabilities that can be used to create Windows Application Driver session.

Capabilities Descriptions Example
app Application identifier or executable full path Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe!MicrosoftEdge
appArguments Application launch arguments https://github.com/Microsoft/WinAppDriver
appTopLevelWindow Existing application top level window to attach to 0xB822E2
appWorkingDir Application working directory (Classic apps only) C:\Temp
platformName Target platform name Windows
platformVersion Target platform version 1.0

–jeroen

Posted in Conference Topics, Conferences, Development, Event, Katalon, Software Development, Testing | Leave a Comment »

Class methods in Record vs Class in Delphi 2010 – Stack Overflow

Posted by jpluimers on 2020/10/20

A still relevant part for [WayBack] Class methods in Record vs Class in Delphi 2010+ – Stack Overflow is the distinction between class methods on both:

  • on classes they can be either regular (no extra keyword), static or virtual.
  • on records they can only be static, as there is no inheritance on records
    • this also holds for any helpers that are not class helpers (and presumably if they are ever created: interface helpers)

While class methods inside classes can be used in the same way, they can in addition have another goal: they can be virtual. Called from a class variable this can lead to different implementations depending on the current content of that variable. This is not possible for records. As a consequence class methods in records are always static.

Thanks Uwe Raabe for this insight!

One odd thing on class methods in classes, is that when they need to be static when they are the read or write backing of a class property.

When a class method is static, any calls from it to virtual (or dynamic) methods will not be handled as such: there is no class VMT for it (as because they are static, they do not have a self parameter).

–jeroen

PS: I realised later that part of the above was already in E2398 Class methods in record types must be static (Delphi) – RAD Studio

Posted in Delphi, Development, Software Development | Leave a Comment »

Typografische Strafzettel – Nerdcore

Posted by jpluimers on 2020/10/19

Want: [WayBack] Typografische Strafzettel – Nerdcore

Hoefler&Co verkauft Typografische Strafzettel für Schlechtsetzer und Buchstabenkombinationsnullen. Die Schriftverbrechen gliedern sich auf dem Strafzettel in Vergehen der Auswahl (wie der unironische Einsatz „amüsanter“ Schriften oder die amateurishe Anwendung von Schriftauszeichnung ), der Komposition (zuviele Schriftgrößen, schlechtes Kerning), der Zeichensetzung (Ligaturen, korrekte Anführungen) und in Schwere Ästhetikverletzungen (elektronische Schrägschrift, Verzerrung). Großartige Idee, und sie haben nichtmal ComicSans mit Namen erwähnt. Toll! (via Jason Kottke, Bild des ganzen Strafzettels unten via /u/hova414) By special issue from the 100% totally real Typographic Violations Division, the Uniform Ticket Book is standard equipment for the modern design enforcer. Lists thirty-two common design infractions, each

I wish they were available outside in Europe, as it looks like it is is USA only with large foreign shipping costs at [WayBack] The Typographic Ticket Book – Hoefler&Co:

By special issue from the 100% totally real Typographic Violations Division, the Uniform Ticket Book is standard equipment for the modern design enforcer. Lists thirty-two common design infractions, each with an appropriate penalty, with plenty of room for improvisation. Authoritatively typeset in Helvetica to provoke

Via:

Picture via [WayBack] reddit: Just got this in a swag bag : graphic_design

–jeroen

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Font, Fun, Geeky, Power User | Leave a Comment »

macos – Bring OS X Error Message window to the front – Super User

Posted by jpluimers on 2020/10/19

Short answer based on WayBack macos – Bring OS X Error Message window to the front – Super User

The GUI way

  1. Press Command+Space to start Spotlight Search
  2. Search for /System/Library/CoreServices/Problem Reporter.app and wait for the result to show up
    (a search for just Problem Reporter.app will not reveal it!)
  3. Press Enter
  4. Now the System Reporter windows is in the front and has focus

The Terminal way

  1. Open a Terminal window or tab
  2. Run open -a /System/Library/CoreServices/Problem\ Reporter.app
  3. Now the “Problem Reporter” windows is in the front and has focus

–jeroen

 

Posted in Apple, Mac, Mac OS X / OS X / MacOS, macOS 10.13 High Sierra, Power User | Leave a Comment »

How to remove all old and outdated brew packages on MacOS – nixCraft

Posted by jpluimers on 2020/10/19

I was not aware that brew install,  brew cask install, brew update and brew upgrade would keep all the older versions on disk, so I was a bit amazed that OmniDiskSweeper and GrandPerspective found over 20 gigabytes of cruft in /usr/local/Cellar and a bit in /Library/Caches/Homebrew.

Based on [WayBack] How to remove all old and outdated brew packages on MacOS – nixCraft and [WayBack] homebrew – brew: how to delete outdated version of package – Ask Different (which have more info) I changed the order a bit:

alias brew-cleanup-update-ugprade='brew cleanup && brew update && brew upgrade'

You can use brew pin to keep specific versions (and brew unpin to release them so you get the most recent one).

The main reason people do not bump into brew cleanup is that it is not advertised as a command:

# brew --help
Example usage:
  brew search [TEXT|/REGEX/]
  brew info [FORMULA...]
  brew install FORMULA...
  brew update
  brew upgrade [FORMULA...]
  brew uninstall FORMULA...
  brew list [FORMULA...]

Troubleshooting:
  brew config
  brew doctor
  brew install --verbose --debug FORMULA

Contributing:
  brew create [URL [--no-fetch]]
  brew edit [FORMULA...]

Further help:
  brew commands
  brew help [COMMAND]
  man brew
  https://docs.brew.sh

But it is there and has help as well:

# brew cleanup --help
brew cleanup [--prune=days] [--dry-run] [-s] [formulae|casks]:
    Remove stale lock files and outdated downloads for formulae and casks,
    and remove old versions of installed formulae. If arguments are specified,
    only do this for the specified formulae and casks.

    If --prune=days is specified, remove all cache files older than days.

    If --dry-run or -n is passed, show what would be removed, but do not
    actually remove anything.

    If -s is passed, scrub the cache, including downloads for even the latest
    versions. Note downloads for any installed formula or cask will still not
    be deleted. If you want to delete those too: rm -rf "$(brew --cache)"

On pin and unpin:

# brew pin --help
Usage: brew pin formulae

Pin the specified formulae, preventing them from being upgraded when
issuing the brew upgrade formulae command. See also unpin.

    -d, --debug                      Display any debugging information.
    -h, --help                       Show this message.

# brew unpin --help
Usage: brew unpin formulae

Unpin formulae, allowing them to be upgraded by brew upgrade formulae.
See also pin.

    -v, --verbose                    Make some output more verbose.
    -d, --debug                      Display any debugging information.
    -h, --help                       Show this message.

–jeroen

Posted in Apple, Mac, Mac OS X / OS X / MacOS, Power User | Leave a Comment »

Facebook ist in Bezug auf Kundenzufriedenheit und Vertrauen in Umfragen zieml…

Posted by jpluimers on 2020/10/16

Nice thread as it talks a bit about how keep your own stuff secure with companies doing MitM, or have VPN infrastrcuture.

[WayBack] Facebook ist in Bezug auf Kundenzufriedenheit und Vertrauen in Umfragen zieml…

Most larger TLS based web-sites now have HSTS so detect MitM.

Having a proxy locally helps checking the certificates.

Corporate laptops usually has device management. If they use MitM, their root certificates are usually put back automatically. But not all software uses the same root certificate store (:

In the past, I have used [WayBack] cntlm, or VPN (routing only corporate traffic over VPN).

There are corporate VPN variants, which take over the complete routing table or even run arbitrary scripts as root on your box on connect in order to do “endpoint validation”. And then there is OpenVPN, which routes the traffic that the company shall see to the company and lets you use normal connectivity for the rest.

You want openvpn, in all cases.

Another trick I have used is to VPN/SSH out of a corporate box and route some of the traffic over it.

Finally, for some larger corporate VPN software, there is an open source replacement that has better configuration options: OpenConnect supports AnyConnect, Juniper and GlobalProtect.

Related: picture on the right via [WayBack] Torsten Kleinz – Google+

–jeroen

Posted in Cntlm, Encryption, HTTPS/TLS security, Power User, Security, Windows, Windows-Http-Proxy | Leave a Comment »

Non-rectangle select in Windows command line – Super User

Posted by jpluimers on 2020/10/16

Just discovered this has been possible since Windows 10 by holding the shift key while dragging with the mouse. After like 20 years of waiting, why did nobody warn me (:

Is there any way I can disable the stupid rectangle selection mode thing in the Windows command line? I want to select line by line like normal. Currently it’s a giant pain when I need to copy things

So this is a thing from the past: [WayBack] Non-rectangle select in Windows command line – Super User

And this was already possible (but then you had to drag the full width): [WayBack] windows – Select text across lines in cmd.exe? – Super User

–jeroen

Posted in Development, Power User, Windows, Windows 10 | Leave a Comment »

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