So for the past couple days, I’ve been deep into TypeScript, which is a super-set of the Javascript language that adds optional typing, classes, and module support in addition to standard Javascript.  I’d recently been checking out Dart, from Google, as a way to write Javascript-intensive applications in a way that multiple humans can write code and eliminate a lot of the errors that come along with the dynamic typing.  See, dynamic typing is powerful.  You can do a whole lot of cool things when you can do anything you want.  The issue comes when the app gets so big you can’t keep everything in your head, or you have someone else working with you.  Then, you need a way to know what methods are accepting and returning without having to crack open that method and read the code (that’s why we HAVE classes so we can write something once, and then forget about the specifics of it and only care about the passed argument and return value).  Typescript’s beauty is that it adds all this extra stuff, while still keeping the syntax of Javascript intact.  In fact, Javascript is valid Typescript!  That means you can add types, classes and coolness right alongside regular Javascript code!  Don’t need type checking or anything? – Just use Javascript.  Getting into some really hairy Javascript that you need to make sure what you’re passing around is a valid object? – Add in some classes, interfaces, and types. Once you’ve done that, Visual Studio or the command line compiler will check all the code for errors like it would a typed language, and spit out the plain Javascript for it.  So, at it’s core, it’s not so much a new language as it is sugar for letting tools have something more concrete to check against.  You can even create a definition file for libraries like jQuery to get checking from them as well.  In future versions there’ll be a generator that you can point to an existing Javascript file and generate a definition file.  Pretty sweet!

I tried setting it up in Visual Studio, but had a hard time getting it to compile on build.  I was still having to run the command line compiler (this was on an existing project, so that may have had something to do with it).

Here are the steps to get it working to compile your Typescript files on build in Visual Studio 2012:

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I love Visual Studio releases.  I remember when 2005 came out when I was in college, and while everyone else was writing their projects in C++, I was using C# and VS 2005.  I asked my professor if I could write my programs in C# (this was an architecture class where the apps could be written in anything).  I remember finishing my program way early, and with time to go back and add bells and whistles (yes, I did non-extra-credit extra-credit for fun…a nerd through and through).  The thing was, though, is that Visual Studio was such a joy to program in compared to DevC++ and even Eclipse, that I actually WANTED to write more code because it was so much fun.  I’ve been using the Visual Studio 2012 RC for a couple months now and have loved every minute of it.  So, to celebrate its release, here are my top 5 awesome features for in VS2012. Continue Reading…

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If you’ve got a website, then chances are it’s built using a CMS.  You know, WordPress, Orchard, Joomla, DotNetNuke.  Why wouldn’t you?  They let you manage all your content on nice admin screens and PHP, ASP.NET, or whatever serverside technology your CMS is built on will magically and dynamically create your website pages every single time a user hits your page.  It’s one of the many ways the web has become so powerful since the olden days when all websites were just a link or two and a flashing, seizure-inducing banner at the top.

What is a static .html site anyway?

Well, if you didn’t already guess, a static site is the opposite of dynamic.  I’m not saying that nothing on your site moves or it’s bland in some way.  Not at all.  What I mean by static .html sites is that the .html has already been pre-generated and is just laying out on the web server as opposed to all your content being stored in a database to be dynamically mashed together when a request comes by a serverside technology like ASP.NET or PHP.  When my friend, Brian Connatser, first told me about his project Hera, which uses Twitter Bootstrap, Jekyl, Rake, and a few other technologies to pre-generate a static site in seconds, it really got me thinking.  Why would anyone want a static .html site with the options we have today in CMS products?  Why would you go seemingly backwards to the old days of .html?  Here’s what I learned after doing the research: Continue Reading…

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In the past, I’ve had managers who have asked me for a daily status report of all of the items I’ve worked on during the day…every single one.  They essentially said if it’s not documented that it didn’t happen.  With all the tools we have available to us as developers, there should never actually be a case where what we code isn’t documented.  I’ve heard many people say that 10 minutes is about the amount of time you should have between source control commits, which means there should be a TON of paper trail to show for what you’re working on.  The problem is how do you show this to non-technical managers?  Do you give them access to source control to see commits?   What if even printing out the commit log is too technical for them?  At bare minimum, they’re likely using some sort of project management tool.  Luckily, today we can connect source control, bug/task trackers, and project management tools together to automate “daily status reports” away forever.  In this video I talk about Microsoft’s Project Server and Team Foundation Server connector that lets you do just that.  Take a look.

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