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Quick Tip: a work around the RadListBox’s SelectedIndex issue with Telerik Q1 2013
If you are working with Telerik RadListBox for Silverlight or WPF and if you upgraded your Telerik version to the Q1 2013 , you probably noticed that there is something wrong with it.
Basically the problem is when SelectedIndex is changed , the SelectedItem property is not updated and vice versa.
A classic scenario is when you try to set a by default selection:
_myListBox.SelectedIndex = 0;
If(_myListBox.SelectedItem != null)
{
//Do something
}
This is not working anymore with Telerik Q1 2013 because SElectedItem is not updated.
What you can do is instead of _myListBox.SelectedIndex = 0;
put _myListBox.SetValue(RadListBox.SelectedItemProperty, _myListBox.Items[0]);
Wala 
Get ready for the Programming in C# exam
Getting certified is always a good new year’s resolution for any developer. My goal for this year is to nail the exam 70-483 : Programming in C#.
Since the exam is quite new, the preparation kit is not out yet, you can pre-order it from Amazon and expect to get it later in April 2013.
The exam covers C# 5.0 and the .Net Framework 4.5, so the Pro C# 5.0 and the .Net 4.5 Framework book could be a very good prep material.
When searching for some study guides, I found this interesting post by Andreas Hammar where you can found MSDN study links that cover most of the exam parts.
And who said Twitter is useless ? Look what I found while writing my post :
The programming in C# Jump Start follows the criteria for the exam 70-483, it is tailored for intermediary to seasoned developers looking to bulk up on C# or for a refresher on core concepts and features.
Hopefully this post will help many others who, just like me, are surfing the Net to find some materials to prepare for the 70-483 exam.
Tips and Tricks for a better Windows Phone 8 experience~1: Screenshots
As a windows phone user, I was looking forward to get my hands on one of the new windows phone 8 devices. And finally I did. Hurray! I treated myself with a gorgeous HTC 8X 
Even though I am only using my phone since yesterday, I can notice the huge improvements in the new OS and new devices.
Some of these improvements are really simple but very useful. The kind of things that make you say “ WOW, now I can do this ! “.
With my ex-windows phones, I wasn’t able to take screenshots whenever I wanted to demo something but now, with windows phone 8, you can have your screenshot in a second.
All you have to do is to press the home button and the power button in the same time.
As a result, look to this beautiful lock screen I have:
I know, there is nothing complicated in here but think how useful it is
It will help me show you more tips and tricks , stay tuned
Windows 8 Activation Error : The filename, directory name or volume label syntax is incorrect
When trying to activate my Windows 8 , I received this error screen :
First thing to do was to ask Google for help 
And I found that the problem is documented in this Microsoft Support Article.
To resolve the problem, follow these instructions :
- Open the command prompt and run it as an administrator.
- Type the following command: slmgr.vbs /ipk XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX ( 5*5 X is your product Key)
3. You should see this pop up window within a few seconds :
Now if you go back to the Control Panel and try to activate
You will receive this message
Now enjoy your Windows 8
The Windows Phone 7.8 Update
The Windows phone summit just ended a few hours ago. As expected the summit was dedicated to present Microsoft’s new Windows Phone OS : the Windows Phone 8.
Like many of you out there, I was so excited about the summit and I wanted to know about the new features in Windows Phone8 , but I also wanted to know if the current windows phone devices would be upgraded to WP8 ? The answer is no .
Greg Sullivan explained that the reason behind this decision is the HARDWARE .He said: “ the nature of the investment [in Windows Phone 8] is primarily in areas that are not exploitable by existing hardware.”
But the current devices will get another update , it is the Windows Phone 7.8.
Basically, Windows Phone 7.8 is a Windows Phone 8 without the hardware part. It will have the new start screen with the customizable tiles. Tiles will have three sizes just like in Windows Phone 8 . It is up to the user to choose the size that suits him best. Tiles will also have new colors.
Although it is very realistic that the current devices will not be upgraded to Windows Phone 8 because of the hardware’s big changes , users ( at least those on my Twitter Timeline ) aren’t very happy with the fact that they will have to get new devices if they want to have the Windows Phone 8 , especially those who have Nokia Lumia 900 phones.
Cheer up Windows Phone users , you will have nearly the same experience as the Windows Phone 8 
Reviewing UCertify preparation kit for the 70-515 .Net 4.0 Exam : The Review
As mentioned in a previous post , I am reviewing UCertify prep Kit for the 70-515 .Net 4.0 Exam.
Sorry it took me so long to get you my final report probably because I am a lazy blogger ( shame!) .
Hopefully my review will help you preparing your exam.
Learn & Practice
You can notice that this section contains a group of tests that will help you before talking the real exam.
- Diagnostic test : This test aims to identify one condidate’s weaknessso he can focus his preparations accordingly. ~15 questions
- Practice test A : This test closely simulates the actual exam. ~55 questions
- Practice test B : This is the second predefined test simulating the actual exam. ~55 questions
- Practice test C : This is the third predefined test simulating the actual exam. ~55 questions
- Final test : This test aims to evaluate if the condidate is ready for the real exam. ~55 questions
- Interactive quiz : It contains six quizzes designed to test key concepts required to pass the actual exam. ~149 questions
- Adaptive test : Test questions depend on your level , if you answer correctly one question, the next one will have a higher level and vice-versa. ~25 questions
- Create a custom test : you can create your own test.
- Create a fixed time test : You can create a test based on the amout of time you have.
For every test, there is a menu to help the condidate moving throw the different questions(prior, next, last, first) . He can add notes or feedback.
Study Helper
This section contains study notes and some quizzes for six chapters:
- Developing Web Forms Pages.
- DEveloping and Using Web Forms Controls.
- Implementing Client-Side Scripting ans Ajax.
- Configuring and Extending a Web Application
- Displaying and Manipulating Data.
- Developing a Web Application by Using ASP.NET MVC2 .
Study Material
As indicated by the title, this section contains all the study materials you need : articles, tips, notes etc.
Track Your Progress
This section gives the condidate an overview of his progress and readiness for the exam.
- Test history : shows the tests taken and the performance in each one of them.
- Test readiness report : indicates the performance in each test.
- Objective readiness report : indicates the performance in each chapter.
As you can see , I am not ready for the exam , I should study more 
The preparation kit is easy to use, helps you study and focus on your weakness before taking the vendor exam.
I would definitly advise you to use it , if you are thinking of taking the 70-515 exam.
Reviewing UCertify preparation kit for the 70-515 .Net 4.0 Exam : Introductory Review
I choosed to review the Microsoft exams ( Surprise ! Surprise ! ) and will be starting with the 70-515 exam.
Before publishing my review about the prepKit , I wanted to introduce both the exam and UCertify.
UCertify :
UCertify is a leading provider of test preparation software for IT certification exams. It creates top quality test preparation software for over hundreds of IT certificationexams from all major vendors including Microsoft, IBM, Oracle, CompTIA, Cisco, Adobe.
You can find a prepKit for a almost all the exams :
The preparation kits contain trainings, tips study notes etc.
You can get a free trial before buying the kit :
Microsoft 70-515:
TS: Web Applications Development with Microsoft .NET Framework 4
“ This exam is designed to test the candidate’s knowledge and skills for developing Web applications using ASP.NET and the .NET Framework 4.”
It is for professional Web developers who are familiar and experienced in ASP.NET, LINQ , ADO.NET , WCF etc and who are using Visual Studio and .Net Framework 4.0.
When passing the 70-515 exam you become a Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist ( MCTS) : .Net Framework 4, Web Applications.
The PrepKit :
This is a first look to the PrepKit , I’ll be reviewing.
Stay tuned for the review in my next post and meanwhile download the free trial and try it 
Windows Live SDK for Windows Phone: Calendaring #1
One of the remarkable features is the “ Calendar & ToDos”.
On september 27th, 2011, pocketnow.com published a very detailed post about Mango’s new features.
Here is the video previewing what you can do with the calendar:
“ Tasks are back!! Not only do Exchange tasks now sync with the “To-Do’s” tab with-in the Calendar, but now Windows Live Hotmail To-Do’s sync there as well. Windows Live’s To-Do’s list never used to sync with anything. It seems strange to call them “Todos” since Outlook calls them tasks, but whatever… at least you can see, edit, and manage the things you have to do at work and in your personal life. Most other smartphones still don’t sync Exchange tasks, and it’s great to see this feature back in Windows Phone… and in full force with Windows Live Hotmail.”
However, not everything related to a consumer’s Live profile is available on the phone natively. So Microsoft released a new Windows Live SDK which allows access to Calendars, Contacts, Documents, and more.
In previous posts, we discussed how to use Skydrive in Windows Phone applications.
This time , we will see how to use the calendar.
As mentioned in MSDN, “ The Calendar object contains info about a user’s Hotmail calendar. The Live Connect REST API supports creating, reading, updating, and deleting calendars. Use the wl.calendars scope to read a user’s Calendar objects. Use the wl.calendars_update scope to create Calendar objects for a user. Use the wl.contacts_calendars scope to read a user’s friends’ Calendar objects.”
So before digging deeper in the code and in the case you did not install the necessary tools, here is what you need:
In the next post, we will learn how to read the calendar.
Stay Tuned 
Using Skydrive in your Windows Phone applications: part2
This is part two on how to use Skydrive in your Windows Phone applications. Part one was an introduction to how to sign in into Skydrive.
In this part, let’s try to read the Skydrive’s folders.
I will use the ApplicationBarIconButton to read from my Skydrive then put the result in a very simple list in another page.
So first, let’s create a new Windows Phone page , I’ll call it “ content.xaml”.
I’ll change the Application title to “ Skydrive” and the page title to “ Folders”. I will also add a listbox.
1:
2: <!--TitlePanel contains the name of the application and page title-->
3: <StackPanel x:Name="TitlePanel" Grid.Row="0" Margin="12,17,0,28">
4: <TextBlock x:Name="ApplicationTitle" Text="Skydrive" Style="{StaticResource PhoneTextNormalStyle}"/>
5: <TextBlock x:Name="PageTitle" Text="Folders" Margin="9,-7,0,0" Style="{StaticResource PhoneTextTitle1Style}"/>
6: </StackPanel>
7:
8: <!--ContentPanel - place additional content here-->
9: <Grid x:Name="ContentPanel" Grid.Row="1" Margin="12,0,12,0">
10: <ListBox Name="list">
11: <ListBox.ItemTemplate>
12: <DataTemplate>
13: <StackPanel Orientation="Horizontal">
14: <TextBlock Name="folder" Text="{Binding Name}"/>
15: </StackPanel>
16: </DataTemplate>
17: </ListBox.ItemTemplate>
18:
19: </ListBox>
20: </Grid>
Now we need to fill that listBox.
In the MainPage.xaml, let’s add an ApplicationBarIconButton ( it is already there as a commented code):
1: <phone:PhoneApplicationPage.ApplicationBar>
2: <shell:ApplicationBar IsVisible="True" IsMenuEnabled="True">
3: <shell:ApplicationBarIconButton IconUri="/Images/appbar_button1.png" Text="Read " Click="ApplicationBarIconButton_Click" />
4: </shell:ApplicationBar>
5: </phone:PhoneApplicationPage.ApplicationBar>
6: /phone:PhoneApplicationPage>
When you click on the button , you should be able to get your content from Skydrive if you are signed in and see it on that listbox we put in “content.xaml”
1: private void ApplicationBarIconButton_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
2: {
3: if (session == null)
4: {
5: infoTextBlock.Text = "You must sign in first.";
6: }
7: else
8: {
9: LiveConnectClient client = new LiveConnectClient(session);
10: client.GetCompleted +=
11: new EventHandler<LiveOperationCompletedEventArgs>(getFolderProperties_Completed);
12: client.GetAsync("/me/skydrive/files");
13: }
14:
15: }
16:
17: void getFolderProperties_Completed(object sender, LiveOperationCompletedEventArgs e)
18: {
19: if (e.Error == null)
20: {
21: List<object> data = (List<object>)e.Result["data"];
22: foreach (IDictionary<string, object> content in data)
23: {
24: SkyDriveContent skyContent = new SkyDriveContent();
25: skyContent.Name = (string)content["name"];
26: ContentList.Add(skyContent);
27: }
28: this.NavigationService.Navigate(new Uri("/content.xaml", UriKind.Relative));
29: }
30: else
31: {
32: infoTextBlock.Text = "Error calling API: " + e.Error.Message;
33: }
34:
35: }
The result is stored in a “ SkydriveContent “ list :
1: public static List<SkyDriveContent> ContentList = new List<SkyDriveContent>();
1: public class SkyDriveContent
2: { public string Name { get; set; }
3: public string Description { get; set; }
4: }
In the Content.xaml.cs , we will tell the listbox to get its items from the ContentList:
1: public content()
2: {
3: InitializeComponent();
4: list.ItemsSource = MainPage.ContentList;
5: }
That is all you need to be able to read your Skydrive folders in your Windows Phone application.
There is also an interesting and helpful post in Silverlight Show by Samidip Basu about the usage of Skydrive with Windows Phone.
Kinect for Windows is available !
Oh yeah, as announced by Steve Ballmer at CES, Kinect for Windows SDK is now available for download.
The Kinect for Windows SDK will allow developers to create applications supporting gesture and voice recognition on computers running Windows 7 , Windows Embedded Standard 7 and Windows 8 developer preview .
You can download the SDK from KinectWindows.com where you can find the system requirements and the installation instructions.
More details are available on the Kinect for Windows Blog.
Mary-Jo Foley has also written a post about the new features on the Kinect for Windows.
Hurry up ! Install the SDK and happy coding 
