Securing pages with SSL

Many times we need to secure pages with SSL security. To test this in development environment we may not have the actual certificate. I am writing down the steps to achieve this.

1)Create a test certificate using Makecert.exe tool
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms751408.aspx

2)Flipping between http and https pages in the website.
http://www.codeproject.com/Articles/60706/Switching-Between-HTTP-and-HTTPS-Like-A-Bigshot-Ho

Useful Links

Useful links on Knowledge Base

 

Windows

• Fences
  This tool just rocks, the number one feature I use in Fences is to show/hide all desktop icons.


• POP Peeper
  This little tray utility notifies me of any incoming email. Supports IMAP as well.


• Window Clippings
  My preferred choise when it comes to screen capture


• DisplayFusion
  Makes working with dual monitoring easy


• Launchy
  This little app has significantly saved me time through the years. It is an easy to use app launcher. I seldom enter the realm of the Start menu any more. Just type a few words into the search bar and hit enter and your app is launced.


• Dropbox
  Save files to the cloud, then syncs them to any computer you have it installed on. Makes moving files between computers a breeze.


• AutoHotKey
  Automate almost anything


• Paint.NET
  Awesome free paint software for Windows, if you can find the real download button (upper right corner) instead of the huge green advertising one.


• VirtualBox
  Use this all the time to setup different demo machines when developing.


• Join.me
  Screen sharing, perfect when you need to show someone your screen or help out a relative or friend.


• WinRAR
  My tools of choice for compression for many years. 7-Zip is another favourite.


• Metrotwit
  This has been my Twitter client of choice for a while now and it is just beautiful. Lacking some more advanced features but will suffice for now.

 

Websites

• Pinboard.in
  Bookmarking online, works flawlessly.


• FogBugz & YouTrack
  Two excellent issuetrackers.


• Rackspace
  For your cloud server needs


• Kickofflabs
  Awesome launch page service for your new website ideas


• Dnsimple
  Manage your domains


• Typekit
  Add beautiful fonts to your site


• Prey
  In case your laptop, phone or pad gets stolen


• SpiderOak
  Backup your files securly to the cloud


• Google analytics
  Analytics for your websites


• DuckDuckGo
  Excellent search engine, now with !bangs.


• Bitbucket and Github
  My prefferred online source code repositories


• Mad Mimi
  Email marketing


• MailChimp
  Email marketing and list manager


• Highrise
  CRM from 37Signals


• VanillaForums
  Embed forums within your websites


• Freckle
  Manage your time


• MongoHQ
  Hosted MongoDB databases


• Google reader
  RSS Feed reader


• LeanPub
  Writing books, the lean way


• Trello & AgileZen
  Organize your projects

 

Developer

• TeamCity
  Awesome build server.


• dotPeek
  Free .NET decompiler


• Fiddler2
  A web debugging proxy which logs all HTTP(S) traffic between your computer and the Internet. Fiddler allows you you to inspect traffic, set breakpoints, and "fiddle" with incoming or outgoing data.


• Visual Studio Extensions
  
  
  
  • nCrunch
    Automated parallel continuous testing tool
  
  
  • Visual Studio Color Theme Editor
    Allows users to customize the Visual Studio 2010 color palette
  
  
  • PostSharp
    Aspect framework for .NET
  
  
  • VisualSVN
    Integrates Subversion and TortoiseSVN seamlessly with Visual Studio
  
  
  • WoVS Default Browser Switcher
    Quick and easy changing of VS default browser
  
  
  • VsVim
    VIM emulation layer for Visual Studio
  
  
  • Nuget
    A Visual Studio extension that makes it easy to install and update open source libraries and tools in Visual Studio.
  
  
  • ReSharper
    Developer productivity tool for Microsoft Visual Studio
  
  
  
  


• PowerShell
  For different kinds of Windows automation, also use it for my build scripts (since I'm using PSake).


• PSake
  Build automation tool

 

Educational

• Videos
  
  
  
  • TED
    Ideas worth spreading.
  
  
  • Pluralsight
    Hardcore developer training.
  
  
  • PeepCode
    Screencasts
  
  
  • ShowMeDo
    Learn with the open-source community
  
  
  • TekPub
    Concise, professional, top-quality screencasts
  
  
  • DimeCasts
    Screencasts where each episode review only a single concept and stays within a 10 minute (or there abouts) timeframe.
  
  
  • CleanCoders
    Code-casts for Software Professionals.
  
  
  • LearnVisualStudio 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  • TrainingSpot
  
  
  
  


• Forums
  
  
  
  • Stackoverflow
  
  
  • Experts Exchange
  
  
  • DoFactory
  
  
  
  


• Books
  
  
  
  • Safaribooks Online
    Subscription access to thousands of online books and traning videos from dozens of the world's most trusted publishers.
  
  
  • The Pragmatic Bookshelf
  
  
  
  


• Other
  
  
  
  • KhanAcademy
    Watch. Practice. Learn almost anything for free.
  
  
  • Codecademy
    An easy way to learn how to code.
  
  
  • ProjectEuler
    a series of challenging mathematical/computer programming problems that will require more than just mathematical insights to solve. Although mathematics will help you arrive at elegant and efficient methods, the use of a computer and programming skills will be required to solve most problems.
  
  
  • Lumosity
    Reclaim your brain.
  
  
  • TopCoder
    A competetive community for software development and digital creation.
  
  
  • CodeSchool
    Learn by doing (CoffeeScript, Rails, JQuery, HTML5 & CSS3, ...).
  
  
  
  

 

Podcasts

• Hanselminutes
  A weekly audio talk show with noted web developer and technologist Scott Hanselman and hosted by Carl Franklin. Scott discusses utilities and tools, gives practical how-to advice, and discusses ASP.NET or Windows issues and workarounds.


• .NET Rocks
  The Internet Audio Talk Show for .NET Developers with Carl Franklin and Richard Campbell.


• Software Engineering Radio
  The Podcast for Professional Software Developers


• Devnology


• Authorcast
  AuthorsCast brings you fun, entertaining, fast-paced interviews with prominent tech authors.


• Herding Code
  A weekly podcast with K. Scott Allen, Kevin Dente, Scott Koon, and Jon Galloway.


• Distributed Podcast
  CQRS, DDD, Cloud computing and much more.


• This Developer's Life
  A podcast about developers and their lives.

 

Career

• LinkedIn
  Expand your business network


• Careers 2.0, by stackoverflow


• 37signals Job Board

Visual Studio Tips

Hi,

I can't see the Release/Debug menu in the toolbar or elsewhere in Visual C# 2010 B2. Am I missing something?

Solution
For Express configs/platforms are hidden by default.

1) Go to Tools\Options.
2) If you have an abbreviated tree then check the Show all settings box at the bottom of the Options dialog.
3) Go to Projects and Solutions -> General.
4) Select Show advanced build configurations
5) You'll now see the settings in your project property dialog.

Technical Jargons

Web 2.0
Web 2.0
*******************************
Cloud Computing
Clud Computing

Using xmlhttp to POST soap request for WSE 3.0 enabled Webservice

Consider a situation,
You have a WSE 3 enabled Webservice(developed in dotnet) and you have to access that without creating PROXY.

We can do this by creating XMLHTTP object and then construct SOAP request

But the problem is in creating the proper request with valid Authentication header. Many times we will end up creating invalid request mostly invalid authentication headers

But there is a easy way. Two tools comes handy for us to implement and test this.
1) Fiddler for creating request
2) SOAPUI for validating and testing

Let me write down the steps in numerical order

1)Create a dotnet application (windows form or console app) and add web reference to your web service
2)Add a WSE client policy config file and attach a authentication token to you proxy
Private Sub DoSettingsForWSE3(ByRef serviceProxy As MyWebService)

Dim strUserName As String = "uname"
Dim strPassword As String = "pwd"
Try
'init web service proxy
serviceProxy = New MyWebService

' Init UsernameToken, password is the reverted
' String of username, the same logic in AuthenticateToken
' of ServiceUsernameTokenManager class.
Dim token As New UsernameToken(strUserName, strPassword, PasswordOption.SendPlainText) 'or encrypted/hased

' Set the token onto the proxy
serviceProxy.SetClientCredential(token)

' Set the ClientPolicy onto the proxy
serviceProxy.SetPolicy("client polciy config")

Catch ex As Exception
Throw
End Try

End Sub

3) Run the test client app and copy the Request constructed from FIDDLER tool

4) Look for the authentication header section from the request constructed by Fiddler.

5) Copy them and test it in SOAPUI tool. 90% you will not go wrong in the authentication part if you do this way.

6) we need to tweak the request in some ways so that it does not expire. Alter the expiration date on the authentication header to some very high future date.

Actually I was struggling to achieve this portion of creating a valid request and then I figured out the way now and would like to share.

Resources

Resources
Design Patterns
http://dofactory.com


*****************************************************


Interview Questions
C#-asp.net
*****************************************************

Agile

1) Agile-Scrum
.net
1) http://repeatgeek.com/technical/
Source control
2)http://repeatgeek.com/technical/17-websites-for-sharing-programming-knowledge/

1) GIT : http://git-scm.com/

2) SOS :

Bedtime Stories
1)http://www.storyteller.net/stories/text/21

2) http://www.kellscraft.com/BestStories/beststoriescontentpage.html
Good Thoughts

1) http://powertochange.com

Learn One good thing a day

I wanted to Lean one good thing a day and keep practicing it

I am learning sometimes but fail to practice mostly. Need the determination.

http://www.susanjeffers.com/home/books.cfm


http://www.ted.com/talks/dean_ornish_says_your_genes_are_not_your_fate.html