Visual Sudio Encodings

UTF-8 is great. I like anything that takes the hassle out of thinking in regional characters and stuff.

But older software doesn't know about UTF-8... particularly Oracle SQLPlus.

When I added a sql script to my project, if I call sqlplus with it I receive a nice error:
"SP2-0734: comando desconhecido comeτado por "∩╗┐set ser..." - o resto da linha foi ignorado."

Even if you don't know portuguese, you can guess the error (not even the error message is printed right...)

The problem is the first 3 bytes of an UTF-8 file are EF BB BF, and SQLPlus doesn't like it...

For now, I don't have a solution, just a work-around: in Visual Studio, open the file with an external program (notepad to the rescue) and save it as ANSI.

Does anyone know how can I tell Visual Studio to save that particular file with a different encoding?

IDictionary options - performance test - SortedList vs. SortedDictionary vs. Dictionary vs. Hashtable

Long time no writing...

Well, just for reference, here is a nice benchmark about these types.

CI Factory

I tried to get CI Factory to work on my project, but I found some problems...

To help setup me project, I followed this very nice show on dnrTV by Scott Hanselman and Jay Flowers.

Problems encountered:

• Using VSS and not having my project on the root of the source control
• Not using WinRAR
  

For the first problem, I had to hack into Properties.xml and SourceControl.Target.xml under Packages/VisualSourceSafe folder to add a new properties with the full path under VSS.

For the second problem, I hacked into a lot of files to replace WinRAR with 7Zip. As 7Zip has a peculiar way to create SFX files, I had to create 3 batch files to help 7Zip do the task.

After a lot of testing, the project finally build!

But when I say "the project", I should have said "the project skeleton". Without my source code, I'm already worth almost 30MB on disk... no code, only build scripts and support tools. And only Simian!

Problems:

• you get lots of trash on your source control (build scripts is one thing but the binaries of nAnt, Simian, etc, is a bit overkill)
• the project structure looks a little messy
• you have one CCNet server for every project
• you have lots os replicated things across projects

I decided to quit CI Factory. I think it is too complicated to maintain. There are loads of third party tools to watch out, and you have to change a lot if you already have some projects going.

In a future post, I'll write about our CCNet.

PS: if you want to see the changes I made to CI Factory, drop me a line.

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Project Structure (re-revisited)

In the past few weeks, I've been researching what is the best structure for a project.

I found these aproaches:

• SubVersion
• /myproject
• /trunk
• /tags
• /branches
  

Your development is done in “trunk”. When you want to do a release, you create a branch, for example “myproject/branches/release2.0”.
The development is still done in “trunk”. In “branches”, you only do maintenance.
If you want to label a particular development stage, you create a tag: “myproject/tags/RTM”
An advantage of SVN is that it stores only the deltas, so you don’t have everything replicated.

• Microsoft Team Foundation Server
• /MyTeamProject1
• /Development
• /FeatureBranch1
• /Source
• /MyApp
• /FeatureBranch2
• /Source
• /MyApp
• /Main -Can contain solution (.sln) files
• /Source
• /MyApp1 - Contains MyApp1.sln file
• /Source - Contain folder for all source
• /ClassLibrary1 - Contains ClassLibrary1.csproj
• /MyApp1Web - Contains Default.aspx
• /UnitTests - Container folder for unit tests
• /ClassLibrary1Tests - Contains test project and code
• /MyApp1WebTests - Contains test project and code
• /SharedBinaries - Shared binaries e.g. libraries
• /SharedSource - Shared source code
• /Docs - Contains product documentation
• /Tests - Container for tests
• /FunctionalTests
• /PerformanceTests
• /SecurityTests
• /Releases
• /Release1 – Maintenance
• /Source
• /MyApp
• /Release2 – Maintenance
• /Source
• /MyApp
• /Release3 – Current release lockdown
• /Source
• /MyApp
  

I think this was inspired by SVN. All your development is done in “Main”. When you want a release, you branch it to “Releases”.
If you want to develop a special feature, or test another approach to your code, you branch it to “Development”, but your main development branch is in “Main”.

• Tree Surgeon
• /TestProject
• /lib
• /src
• /Core
• /TestProjectConsole
• /UnitTests
• /tools
• /nant
• /NCover
• /nunit
  

This is an approach started long time ago. It doesn’t account for project releases, or other branches.

I think I’ll adopt TFS. But using VSS:

• $MyTeamProject
• /Development
• /TestingIdea1
• /Source
• /MyApp
• /TestingIdea2
• /Source
• /MyApp
• /Main
• /Source
• /MyApp
• /Source
• /ClassLibrary1
• /ClassLibrary2
• /ClassLibrary1Tests
• /ClassLibrary2Tests
• /SharedBinaries
• /SharedSource
• /Docs
• /Tests
• /FunctionalTests
• /PerformanceTests
• /SecurityTests
• /Releases
• /Release1 – Maintenance
• /Source
• /MyApp
• /Release2 – Maintenance
• /Source
• /MyApp
• /Release3 – Current
• /Source
• /MyApp
  

The problem is that everything is replicated when you do a branch… oh well, as they say, hard-disks are cheap…

I’m still trying to get CI Factory to work. More of that in another post…



PS: This is a re-repost. Only ScribFire didn't messed the layout... and mine doesn't have the option the remove this irritating line...
PS2: Broken again... ARGGGHHHHH

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