Here's how I setup a fork....

Here's how I setup a fork:

I'm still mainly using http://gitextensions.googlecode.com/. A 2 minute guide to how I work is:

• choose fork on here to create your own copy of mvx
• assuming you're on windows, then install http://gitextensions.googlecode.com/ selecting default options along the way
• once installed, then choose Remotes>Putty>Generate Key to create a new SSH2 Key - save the private key somewhere and copy the public key to https://github.com/settings/ssh
• after that... with perhaps just a little bit more fiddling through "Load Key" dialogs, then you should be able to:
  • clone your fork to a local git repository on your own hard drive
  • edit the code
  • commit changes in your fork back to you local git repository
  • push changes in your fork up to your github git repository

Downloading dynamic Excel files from ASP.Net MVC

Have been using the wonderful EPPlus library today - http://epplus.codeplex.com/

With it, is was really quick and easy to generate an ASP.Net MVC Controller action that allowed me to generate an excel spreadsheet with embedded data and with a chart! And with no Office or COM automation nastiness on the server :)

WooHoo :)


using System;
using System.Web.Mvc;
using Newtonsoft.Json;
using OfficeOpenXml;
using OfficeOpenXml.Drawing.Chart;
using OfficeOpenXml.Style;

namespace MyApp.Controllers
{
    public class ExportController : Controller
    {
        [Authorize]
        public ActionResult SafeDownload()
        {
            using (var package = new ExcelPackage())
            {
                package.Workbook.Worksheets.Add("Test");
                ExcelWorksheet ws = package.Workbook.Worksheets[1];
                ws.Name = "Test"; //Setting Sheet's name
                ws.Cells.Style.Font.Size = 11; //Default font size for whole sheet
                ws.Cells.Style.Font.Name = "Calibri"; //Default Font name for whole sheet

                //Merging cells and create a center heading for out table
                ws.Cells[1, 1].Value = "Sample DataTable Export"; // Heading Name
                ws.Cells[1, 1, 1, 10].Merge = true; //Merge columns start and end range
                ws.Cells[1, 1, 1, 10].Style.Font.Bold = true; //Font should be bold
                ws.Cells[1, 1, 1, 10].Style.HorizontalAlignment = ExcelHorizontalAlignment.Center; // Aligmnet is center

                for (var i = 1; i < 11; i++)
                {
                    for (var j = 2; j < 45; j++)
                    {
                        var cell = ws.Cells[j, i];

                        //Setting Value in cell
                        cell.Value = i * (j - 1);
                    }
                }

                var chart = ws.Drawings.AddChart("chart1", eChartType.AreaStacked);
                //Set position and size
                chart.SetPosition(0, 630);
                chart.SetSize(800, 600);

                // Add the data series.
                var series = chart.Series.Add(ws.Cells["A2:A46"], ws.Cells["B2:B46"]);

                var memoryStream = package.GetAsByteArray();
                var fileName = string.Format("MyData-{0:yyyy-MM-dd-HH-mm-ss}.xlsx", DateTime.UtcNow);
                // mimetype from http://stackoverflow.com/questions/4212861/what-is-a-correct-mime-type-for-docx-pptx-etc
                return base.File(memoryStream, "application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet", fileName);
            }
        }
    }
}

The type or namespace name 'TargetFrameworkAttribute' does not exist...

Since installing VS2012, I've seen a few of these errors in my VS2010 VSMonoTouch (Visual Studio MonoTouch) builds:

The type or namespace name 'TargetFrameworkAttribute' does not exist in the namespace 'System.Runtime.Versioning' (are you missing an assembly reference?)   

To workaround these, I've had to resort to adding a hacky line to my project files to prevent the attribute being generated and to keep them compiling:

<!-- somewhere after the Import of Microsoft.somelanguage.targets -->
<Target Name="GenerateTargetFrameworkMonikerAttribute" />

This hack from an answer in http://stackoverflow.com/questions/3104356/in-visual-studio-2010-why-is-the-netframework-version-v4-0-assemblyattributes-c

Cross platform tasks/intents?

I got asked a question on StackOverflow... http://stackoverflow.com/questions/12564272/making-mono-cross-platform-support-for-task-intent/12564548#12564548

-

I have a application for WP7 and Android, and this application must have supporthas support for "any" connection type (WiFi, NFC, Bluetooth etc)

I have then created a layered model with MVVMCross https://github.com/slodge/MvvmCross

I have an interface for example Android Bluetooth must implement

interface IConnectionService
{
    List<TargetDevice> FindDevices();
    void Connect(TargetDevice targetDevice);
    void Disconnect();
    byte[] Read();
    void Write(byte[] command);
}

I want to be able to request the user for Bluetooth Access, but I do not want to program my UI specifically to Android Bluetooth, so the view and view-model should not know which intent is used, all this should be handled by the class implementing IConnectionService

The issue is that it should also work for Windows Phone which do not use intents, it uses tasks, so how do I make an interface that allows me to make either a Intent request or a task request without anyone knowing what type of request is needed?

----------

This is similar to the way MvvmCross allows users to make phone calls.

When using this pattern:

The ViewModel code consumes a platform independent service via an interface - e.g.:

public interface IMvxPhoneCallTask
{
    void MakePhoneCall(string name, string number);
}

consumed by

    protected void MakePhoneCall(string name, string number)
    {
        var task = this.GetService<IMvxPhoneCallTask>();
        task.MakePhoneCall(name, number);
    }

in https://github.com/slodge/MvvmCross/blob/master/Sample%20-%20CirriousConference/Cirrious.Conference.Core/ViewModels/BaseViewModel.cs

The app setup code injects the platform specific implementation for the interface - e.g:

        RegisterServiceType<IMvxPhoneCallTask, MvxPhoneCallTask>();

In WP7 - this uses the PhoneCallTask - https://github.com/slodge/MvvmCross/blob/master/Cirrious/Cirrious.MvvmCross/WindowsPhone/Platform/Tasks/MvxPhoneCallTask.cs

public class MvxPhoneCallTask : MvxWindowsPhoneTask, IMvxPhoneCallTask
{
    #region IMvxPhoneCallTask Members    

    public void MakePhoneCall(string name, string number)
    {
        var pct = new PhoneCallTask {DisplayName = name, PhoneNumber = number};
        DoWithInvalidOperationProtection(pct.Show);
    }

    #endregion
}

In Droid - it uses the ActionDial Intent - https://github.com/slodge/MvvmCross/blob/master/Cirrious/Cirrious.MvvmCross/Android/Platform/Tasks/MvxPhoneCallTask.cs

public class MvxPhoneCallTask : MvxAndroidTask, IMvxPhoneCallTask
{
    #region IMvxPhoneCallTask Members

    public void MakePhoneCall(string name, string number)
    {
        var phoneNumber = PhoneNumberUtils.FormatNumber(number);
        var newIntent = new Intent(Intent.ActionDial, Uri.Parse("tel:" + phoneNumber));
        StartActivity(newIntent);
    }


    #endregion
}

In Touch - it just uses Urls - https://github.com/slodge/MvvmCross/blob/master/Cirrious/Cirrious.MvvmCross/Touch/Platform/Tasks/MvxPhoneCallTask.cs

public class MvxPhoneCallTask : MvxTouchTask, IMvxPhoneCallTask
{
    #region IMvxPhoneCallTask Members

    public void MakePhoneCall(string name, string number)
    {
        var url = new NSUrl("tel:" + number);
        DoUrlOpen(url);
    }

    #endregion
}

---

In the vnext version of mvvmcross, this approach is further formalized using plugins - see a brief introduction to these in the 'going portable' presentation at http://slodge.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/mvvm-mvvmcross-monodroid-monotouch-wp7.html

For example, in vNext the phone call code above is contained in the PhoneCall plugin - https://github.com/slodge/MvvmCross/tree/vnext/Cirrious/Plugins/PhoneCall

---

One of the challenges of your task may be the word "any" - differences in platform implementation might make it hard to define a cross-platform interface that works across all the platforms for any one of NFC, Bluetooth, etc, let alone all of them.

Knockout - NO_MODIFICATION_ALLOWED_ERR: DOM Exception 7

If you're doing any konockout.js data-bind work in Chrome and you see the error:

NO_MODIFICATION_ALLOWED_ERR: DOM 
Exception 7

Then check that you haven't done:

<input data-bind='text: property' />

when you meant to do:

<input data-bind='value: property' />

Doh!

MvvmCross vNext - portable class libraries - back on track - 4 complete samples building and running...

UPDATE - 19 Dec 2012 - LATEST INFO IS ON http://slodge.blogspot.com/2012/12/cross-platform-winrt-monodroid.html

----------

Three months on from hitting some severe stumbling blocks in the Portable Library support within MonoTouch, I'm pleased to say that the last two weeks have seen huge leaps forwards in the vNext version.

Right now, the Portable Library layer is now running well under all of WP7, MonoDroid and MonoTouch :)

There are still some tooling issues... but overall, this is now working really well - so I'd like to invite users to have a play with the new projects!

Although there is some significant tooling hackery required to get portable library mvvm working, once you've done the initial hackery, then this shouldn't affect your existing workspaces and you should then be able to build and run portable versions of:

• BestSellers (WP7, Droid, Touch)
• CustomerManagement (WP7, Droid, Touch)
• SimpleBinding (Droid, Touch)
• Tutorial (WP7, Droid, Touch)

... and you might be able to run even more... :)

---

And the benefits for doing this are....

1. Simpler project structures:

2. Automated cross-platform refactoring - e.g. using resharper

3. Simpler porting to new platforms

4. A new plugin structure which makes mvvmcross lighter (smaller executables), which provides developers with more choice and which makes contributing new IoC modules more straightforward - now anyone can provide and consume new "plugins"

---

If you are interested in all this, then here's the instructions:

----

To get the source...

- you will need to download from the vNext branch on https://github.com/slodge/MvvmCross/tree/vnext

- the only working solution in this download is the MvvmCross_All.sln file - which contains all the projects - portable and platform specific.

---

To get your Windows development environment working with this portable branch:

- assuming you start from Visual Studio 2010, Windows Phone SDK 7.5, MonoDroid on a PC

1. Install the Portable Library tools for the VS2010 - http://visualstudiogallery.msdn.microsoft.com/b0e0b5e9-e138-410b-ad10-00cb3caf4981

2. Install VisualStudio 2012 on the same PC... this updates the Portable Library tools to include v2 PCL support (which includes some MVVM/DataBinding helpers)


1 and 2. Install the latest PCL plugin from http://visualstudiogallery.msdn.microsoft.com/b0e0b5e9-e138-410b-ad10-00cb3caf4981 - thanks to @dsplaisted for the update.

3. Install VSMonoTouch - https://github.com/follesoe/VSMonoTouch
- be sure to also copy across the v1.0 MonoTouch framework assemblies in the instructions there

4. Follow instructions based on http://jpobst.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/mono-for-android-portable-libraries-in.html
- these say to install a file called "MonoAndroid,Version=v1.6+.xml" in "C:\Program Files (x86)\Reference Assemblies\Microsoft\Framework\.NETPortable\v4.0\Profile\Profile104\SupportedFrameworks" with content:



BUT PLEASE NOTE - the target directory is Profile104

5. Install a similar file called "VSMonoTouch,Version=v1.0+.xml" in the same directory and for its content use:

(Note: this file is even hackier than the MonoDroid one - it points the portable tools at Full .Net v1.0 in line with what the VSMonoTouch plugin does!)

After you have done this.... then you should be able to load and run the WP7 and Droid samples within MvvmCross_All.sln 

... and you should also be able to build MonoTouch solutions too. And you should be able to refactor across all 3 platforms!

---

For the Mac:

Assuming you are starting with MonoDevelop with MonoTouch installed on a Mac

1. Follow the instructions in http://stackoverflow.com/questions/12041290/monodevelop-is-it-possible-to-switch-pcls-compiler/12062589#12062589

This is only a temporary hack - it's a workaround for: https://bugzilla.xamarin.com/show_bug.cgi?id=6649

2. Before opening the MvvmCross_All.sln solution, you need to run a search and replace in "*.csproj" files - this search and replace will:

- search for : <targetframeworkprofile>Profile104</targetframeworkprofile>

- replace with : <targetframeworkprofile>Profile1</targetframeworkprofile>

This is only a temporary hack - it's a workaround for: https://bugzilla.xamarin.com/show_bug.cgi?id=7173

Update: see http://slodge.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/a-temporary-solution-for-profile1-only.html for an alternative workaround for 7173

3. Sometimes (if I've checked in the wrong .sln file version) then before opening the MvvmCross_All.sln solution, you may need to change the first line from

Microsoft Visual Studio Solution File, Format Version 12.00

to

Microsoft Visual Studio Solution File, Format Version 11.00

This is only a temporary hack - it's a workaround for: https://bugzilla.xamarin.com/show_bug.cgi?id=4919

After you've done these 3 steps.... then you should be able to:

- open the solution

- switch to the Debug|iPhoneSimulator branch

- run the BestSellers, CustomerManagement, SimpleDialogBinding, and Tutorial projects - other projects currently still have unresolved problems.

---

Further Notes....

- I'll be trying to get this branch fully working in the next month (that's my aim!)

- My intention is to switch all future MvvmCross development across to this portable approach 

- If this happens, then I expect the existing non-portable tree will only get bug fixes - not new features.

- The exact timing of any switchover may depend a bit on tool changes from both Microsoft and Xamarin (and it may depend on clashes in my work and leisure time too!)

- There are a number of class and namespace breaking changes in the vNext (portable libraries) branch - most notably:

-- all Cirrious.MvvmCross.Android namespaces have moved to Cirrious.MvvmCross.Droid - this is to avoid name clashing issues with the global::Android namespace.

-- FirePropertyChanged has become RaisePropertyChanged - as this seems to be the more normal method name

- There are a number of fixes on the master branch which are not yet on the vnext branch

- There are a number of changes still to make in the vnext branch - e.g. IMvxServiceConsumer might switch to a simpler IMvxServiceConsumer - following a request/suggestion from @dsplaisted

- There are several dead files and directories left in the tree at present - mainly left over after refactoring - these will get tidied away soon.

- I've not yet tried much WinRT, console or PSS development on the vnext branch - so don't be surprised if those projects don't build or work!

- If anyone wants to help - with code, documentation, tools, samples or suggestions, then you are very welcome - just get in touch.

- As ever, bugs to GitHub issues please, and questions to StackOverflow :)

Bootstrap + ASP.Net MVC - [Bootstrap] "object has no method on" error

Just a quickie

If you add Bootstrap to an ASP.Net MVC project and then see a few "object [Object] has no method on" errors which cause $.ready to fail, then.... check your jquery version 

Shifting to:

    <script src="http://code.jquery.com/jquery-latest.js"></script>  

solved it for me :)

A helper on getting MonoTouch building Portable Library code

I've not had a lot of time to play with this yet, but in the last 24 hours I've managed to get a lot more of the Mvx vNext portable code building using the hint:

You may be able to fix this by editing the file /Library/Frameworks/Mono.framework/Versions/Current/lib/mono/xbuild/Microsoft/Portable/v4.0/Microsoft.Portable.CSharp.targets, finding the PropertyGroup that sets
MonoTouchAnd to it, adding the lines:
smcs/Developer/MonoTouch/usr/bin

Found this hint via http://stackoverflow.com/questions/12041290/monodevelop-is-it-possible-to-switch-pcls-compiler/12062589#12062589 and https://bugzilla.xamarin.com/show_bug.cgi?id=5329 - wish I'd found it months ago (note to self - don't give up so easy next time!)

For Mac newbies, note that this file is in the root from the hard disk (not from the user) and that you will need to edit file (and folder?) permissions in order to edit it - you can do this from finder using 'more info'.

A cross platform dropbox client written in mvvmcross

Rune Grimstad (@runegri) has published this sample.

https://github.com/runegri/CrossBox

More to follow when I've played with it :)

Monocross now moved to github

Just discovered that monocross - the cross platform library that I started mvvmcross from - is now on GitHub

If you prefer mvc to mvvm, or if you need webkit support, then follow it at: https://github.com/ToeJam/MonoCross