So far the naming contest for WebDeploy is going great. Thanks to all who are submitting, they truly are some great pieces of work. There is one addendum to the requirements that I must state:

• If someone submits a duplicate name, and that name is chosen, only the first person who submitted the name will be elected as the winner.

Other than that, I'd also like to state that its pointless to submit the same name multiple times, 1 email will suffice. So, if you've not come up with a name yet...start cracking, you've got 1 week left!

Update: I've successfully migrated to Community Server :: Forums 2.0. However, roles were not brought over successfully, so if you were apart of my beta testers, please let me know. I've also just sent out a mass email to everyone that had signed up (great interface for that, I must say), alerting you of the upgrade and beta testers issues.

I'm currently working on upgrading my forums from ASP.NET Forums 1.0 to Community Server :: Forums 2.0

I was able to successfully export all my data and import it on my local machine. Currently the forums are missing because I'm upgrading. I'll keep you posted.

I just found this totally cool feature in BlogJet that I think everyone will be like "woah". BTW, the reference "Me" refers to BlogJet, I don't actually have a mini-me like Dr. Evil running around (although how cool would that be).

So, open up BlogJet. Go to Tools->Preferences and check the minimize to notification area checkbox. Now, this isn't the cool part, but the next piece is.

Minimize BlogJet so it goes into the systray. Right click the icon and choose "Micro Mode".

Now a new window will open up that is semi-translucent that allows you to type a blog post in the corner of your screen so that your co-workers or boss can't see it without looking hard for it.

It does have a downside to it, you can't do any fancy editing, set a title, or post directly from it. All these features require you to "restore" BlogJet. And then, the size of BlogJet is screwed up...cool none-the-less.

So following up on my constant barrage of non-technical posts, I think this marks #3 for the day. I guess I'm starting to make an impact at Weblogs @ ASP.NET, or I've just been here way too darn long. Anyway, I've finally made it within the top 40 posters (I'm #39 as of post #5 this afternoon). Thats pretty impressive considering the blogroll is pretty lengthy.

I think this calls for a celebration, XBox Live anyone? Ohh, who am I kidding, the girlfriend will x-nay that idea pretty darn quick.

I remember many moons ago people started bashing Scoble (or maybe it was himself) for posting too much in 1 day. I remember something along the lines of him being limited (by himself) to about 6 posts a day.

So, this is #5 for the day. I wonder if I can meet that record that Scoble set? Ehh, who am I kidding...this may be the last blog post for the next several days.

Following up on my most recent post, WebDeploy (soon to be rebranded) 1.2.2 is ready for public consumption and use. This is mostly a bug fix version like its predecessor, however there is one glaring addition that will make all VS.NET Project Deployers extremely happy, more on that in a bit.

Okay, its a little bit later. Whats the next new big thing? Well, an extra Drop Down List, no I'm not kidding. WebDeploy 1.2.2 introduces a much requested feature, or rather what you like to call a bug. The omission of the deployment files in the bin folder. This was such a major challenge on determining how to include this functionality, because there is no easy way of determining the active configuration via the project file. And, because this tool has become more versatile than just a web application deployment tool, a way was needed for the deployer to actually determine what configuration should be used.

So, whenever you load up a VS.NET project file, a drop down list is pre-populated with your various configurations. Now, as you may guess, this isn't such a great big deal for web applications, because we can just point to /bin by default. However, since I wanted the flexibility, and windows apps are compiled into /bin/debug and /bin/release (or any other customized structure you want), this needed to be built in.

Okay, enough rambling for now, and check out the changelog:

• Added VS.NET Project Configuration Selection to ensure assemblies in /bin are copied.
• Fixed new Quick Deploy Profile's default extensions
• Fixed column sorting for date/time types.
• Fixed minimizing to system tray issues, and not restoring normally.
• Fixed exception being thrown with FireFox 0.92 as default browser on Windows 2000 when accessing a website through WebDeploy.

Now, I bet you want a link? Okay.

With WebDeploy 1.2.2 rolling around the corner, its time that I take a step back and say that its been one hell of a ride. However, with 1.2.2, and previous versions, its become blatantly obvious that the name "WebDeploy" just doesn't justify the tools' versatility. I've also found out (well, not recently) that Wise actually has a product called WebDeploy. Obviously, I wouldn't want to cause a stir with them and get sued over the name.

So, I'm leaving it to you, the users, the wanters, the idea makers. I want YOU to come up with a new name for WebDeploy. This will be a contest, in which the chosen name's author will receive credit (unless they wish to remain nameless) as well as be awarded a FREE 1 Developer license to my custom controls.

Guidelines:

• The name must be catchy.
• The name must be original, and cannot play off of another tool currently in the marketplace.
• All submissions should be sent to nameit@eworldui.net, all other submissions sent through other means will be ignored. That includes comments to this post.
• The name and a brief description about the name in the body. You should also supply contact information in the case that your idea is chosen.
• You can submit as many ideas as you wish.
• I reserve the right to disregard/ignore/revoke any submission.
• I reserve the right to shorten or extend the submission time frame.
• All submissions must be sent before August 1315, 2004 at 11:59 PM CST. Any submission after that time will be ignored.
• If someone submits a duplicate name, and that name is chosen, only the first person who submitted the name will be elected as the winner. (Added 8/6/2004, 2:20 PM CST)

Awards:

• The author of the chosen name will receive a FREE 1 Developer License for my custom controls (thats a $75 dollar value).
• The author will receive recognition within the tools interface.

So, why wait. Start thinking of the new name and shoot it on over to nameit@eworldui.net.

This is just a heads up for those developers creating applications in which your app can minimize to the systray.

NEVER NEVER NEVER set the Visible property. Doing so can cause unexpected behavior when trying to restore the application from its minimized "systray" state.

Also, a side note - if your application needs to minimize to the systray, and dissapear from the taskbar, set FormBorderStyle to FixedToolWindow, then when it is restored, set it back to Fixed3D or FixedSingle, or Sizable. What this does is that it eliminates your application from being "alt-tabbed" to while in its minimized "systray" state.

Just a few helpful tips from your handy dandy .NET neighbor.

Yesterday, I stated that I had to prepare a presentation for my .NET User Group, and after 3.5 hours of quickly throwing together a presentation and demos, I was done. Yay! I luckily only had enough time to leave work (yes late), drive to the Microsoft office, setup my laptop, and then go! Call that close? I would.

Onto the presentation, nay, discussion. I say this because I wasn't presenting, everyone in the room was having a discussion about ASP.NET Server Controls, and I was just leading it. I was amazed that my technical level that I put together enthused everyone in the room. Wow. So after 2 hours later we had to actually stop our discussion with content left to cover (using events). I tell you what, I've never been so psyched and tired at the same time, what a rush.

So, if you'd like to check out my presentation & demos, you can download them here. I do have to reiterate, that some of the content may not be as accurate as what it should be since I threw it together in 3.5 hours. Enjoy!