Step 1: Creating the Web Service

Open Visual Web Developer and go to File > New Project. Under Project Types select Visual C# > Web. Under Templates select ASP.NET Web Service Application. Press the Ok button.

By default, Visual Web Developer will create a Web Service and a HelloWorld operation (method) in it that returns a string.

In this example we will add another operation so we learn how to deal with parameters. Add the following code after the HelloWorld operation closing brace:

[WebMethod]
public int sum(int a, int b)
{
    return a + b;
}

Notice the [WebMethod] annotation. It lets Web Developer know we are adding a web operation and it must do all the required stuff to publish it.

We are now ready to run the web service, so press the start button and don’t stop it.

Visual Web Developer will open an Internet Explorer window that shows your Web Service description. Copy the URL you see there, since you will use it later. Don’t close Internet Explorer since that will stop your web service too!

Step 2: Creating the C# Desktop Application

Open Visual C# Express and go to File > New Project. Under Templates select Windows Forms Application and press Ok.

Now we will add a reference to our Web Service. In the Solution Explorer, right click on WindowsFormsApplication1 and select Add Service Reference…

Paste de URL you copied from Internet Explorer in step 1 and press the Go button. If everything goes ok, you should see the HelloWorld and the sum operations listed in this window. Press Ok to continue.

You should now have a Reference to your Web Service in your Solution Explorer named ServiceReference1.

Now let’s go back to the Windows Form Designer. By default, Visual C# Express will create an empty Windows Form for you. Using the Toolbox add some controls so it looks like the following image:

Double click the button1 button and add the following code:

private void button1_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
    ServiceReference1.Service1Soap s = new ServiceReference1.Service1SoapClient();
    label1.Text = "" + s.sum(int.Parse(textBox1.Text), int.Parse(textBox2.Text));
}

Click the start button to start using your application… write some values in the text boxes and click the sum button. Your application will pass the parameters to the web service and will show you the result.

Four steps to achieve it:

1. Use the following code to get the username in your application:

   string user = User.Identity.Name.ToString();

2. Modify your web.config file to include the identity and the authentication tags:

   <system.web>        
           <identity impersonate="true" />
           <authentication mode="Windows"/>
   </system.web>

3. In IIS right click your application and select Properties. Go to the Directory Security tab. Click Edit under Authentication and Access Control. Uncheck Enable anonymous access and check Integrated Windows authentication. Click Ok to save your changes.
4. Open Windows Explorer, go to your application folder and modify permissions to allow your users (and not the IIS anonymous user) access your application.

what do you think?

how many times we find ourselves trying to sell a good project that, because of its ugly look, ends in the garbage bin? Do you think an engineer should have some lessons on aesthetics? art? or leave that right minded work to the guy who used to be in ballet lessons at the university?

 Keyboard shortcuts

Mouse shortcuts

Since November I have been using the Microsoft 2008 Express Suite. Nice suite, but a big change since these last months I was only on the Java side. C# is one of those languages you can easily fall in love with.

Most of the applications I’m developing are for web, and it has been a great opportunity to use some of the DHTML libraries I’ve found on the web to create those new fancy interfaces. From accordions to drag and drop everything seemed so nice… until I faced the challenge to create a full Outlook-like calendar. I have been three or four days testing different libraries, and I’m afraid I will have to create it from the ground up. I’m very lazy for JavaScript programming… and specially if I have to integrate it with an existing library, including objects and events and all that stuff… uff, anyway… I think it’s time to start programming… or pushing the creative neuron further…

1. Open up Firefox and type about:config in the url field

2. In the Filter Type in ntlm

3. Double click “network.automatic-ntlm-auth.trusted-uris” and type in localhost and hit enter

After I did that everything worked ok.