Re: Magical persistence - C# Discussion Boards

12-Jun-09 18:12

I have a peculiar bug that's got me baffled. I'm working on a C# winform app in VS2005 and I was trying to make one of its menus dynamic (built from data read from a database). Somewhere along the line the new menu items became doubled so I tried to reverse out the code changes. But no matter what I did these new menu items persisted. I've removed all new code. I've deleted the form's resx. I've emptied the obj and bin directories. I've rebooted my PC. I've saved the form's code in a notepad session, the designer code in another notepad session, deleted the form, then recreated it from the two notepad sessions. The find function cannot locate the text of the new menu items, nor does anything reveal itself when stepping through in debug. No trace shows in the IDE designer. Yet somehow when I run the program there they are!

How is this possible? Where is this being persisted? The workaround was to change the parent menu's ID string, so its not urgent ... but I'd still like to understand what's going on.

Luc Pattyn12-Jun-09 18:21

Luc Pattyn

12-Jun-09 18:21

Have you checked the content of the database?

Smile | :)

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Peter Trevor13-Jun-09 13:25

13-Jun-09 13:25

I can't see anything suspicious in the database. Besides, all access is screened through stored procedures and I never coded for menus to be stored or retreived from the database (just a simple function that returned a list of strings from which the 'magical' menus were built - that code has since been removed).

But just to be sure I took the database offline: the 'magical' menus still appear.

Henry Minute13-Jun-09 2:35

Henry Minute

13-Jun-09 2:35

Without seeing your code, I wouldn't know a definitive answer (I probably wouldn't have one, even after seeing your code either Smile | :)

), but is there any chance that your routine is being called twice?

Henry Minute

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Peter Trevor13-Jun-09 13:23

13-Jun-09 13:23

Nope. I've commented out large swathes of code so that now all that happens is the form's constructor calls InitialiseComponents. I've verified this by stepping through every line in debug. Additionally, while the text of the original menus can be found using the IDE's search function, the text of the 'magical' menus cannot be found.

Peter Trevor23-Jun-09 12:59

23-Jun-09 12:59

Another piece of the puzzle: whatever is bringing back these dynamic menus (that I no longer create but still appear) is happening after the form's Load method has run and before the first time the form's Activate method is run. (This was determined by stepping through the code and looking at the number of submenus listed in the IDE's "Locals" window on the last line of the Load and the first line of the Activate ... 14 submenus had been added between these two points.)

Peter Trevor9-Oct-09 7:00

9-Oct-09 7:00

Okay, I've found the root of the problem. Even though this thread is now old I figure I should post here anyway in case someone gets a similar problem and finds this thread in a Google search. (Don't you just hate googling for a problem and find loads of other people asking the same questions years before and then they stop without telling you what solution they eventually used?)

The third party controls I was using were placing data in Isolated Storage. Specifically (on Vista) ...

AppData
  /Local
  /IsolatedStorage
  /(gibberish)
  /(gibberish)
  /Url.(gibberish)
  /StrongName.(gibberish)
  /Files
  /SyncfusionToolsStateInfo.bin.

This file had become corrupted. According to the component authors deleting this file should solve the problem (a new version is recreated). However, in my case my Windows set up had become unstable so I reinstalled the whole of Windows instead. Regardless, Isolated Storage is another place to look when you have these kinds of problems.

(I hope this helps somebody, someday.)

Print Barcode

samulong12-Jun-09 18:03

samulong

12-Jun-09 18:03

Hi all,
I want to design a barcode template then I can dynamic print config with multi column and multi row in a page. Can you help me!
Thanks

DavidKiryazi12-Jun-09 19:57

DavidKiryazi

12-Jun-09 19:57

Samulong,

I assume you are going to be trying to design this in C# and i'm assuming that you have registered with the appropriate body to print these barcodes, am I right in these assumptions?

I haven't actually done much with page layout / printing in C# but if I had to do it, I would guess it is possible to set it up as a report and store the barcodes in the database as images. You can then dynamically populate the report with barcode images and use C# to render the report and print it. You might want to wait for someone with more experience as there is probably a better way.

However, the reason for my post is, normally some label printers (eg Brother) have dll's included that work with the .NET framework and you can print the label directly from your program to the printer. This will make it easier for you or your client, since the barcodes will all come out chopped and ready, rather then having to peel them off an A4 piece of paper. Another advantage is that you don't have to waste time coding page layouts, the dll already has functions and the paper size you choose will be what gets printed.

Dave

OriginalGriff12-Jun-09 23:20

OriginalGriff

12-Jun-09 23:20

You don't have to register with anyone to print barcodes - or at least you didn't when I was designing industrial barcode printers a few years ago.
You do have to register in order to use Article Numbers (the code shown on products, and held in simple barcodes) in order that they remain unique to a product. There will be a charge for this!

Because of the way barcodes work, it is not a good idea to store them as images, as resizing images may compromise readability. Generating them on the fly at the resolution you need is better (and not too complex when you get your head around it).

Article Number standards body (UK)[^] can probably give you links for your own country.

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DavidKiryazi12-Jun-09 23:40

DavidKiryazi

12-Jun-09 23:40

Thanks for insight Smile | :)

I will not recommend the storage of barcodes as images anymore lol Smile | :)

Also I was talking about article numbers when I was refering to registration, I was guessing the OP was gonna be using some form of article number for unique barcodes. I will have to research more for the POS system I am trying to build.

Dave

OriginalGriff13-Jun-09 0:00

OriginalGriff

13-Jun-09 0:00

A barcode doesn't have to have an Article Number - see EAN128 codes which can contain a whole raft full of stuff, with or without an A.N.
If you are building a POS which will use product ANs, be aware there may be legal restrictions on some operations (including the order in which they are done). For example in the UK to change pricing you must:
Raise price on shelf first.
Wait till all customers who might have selected items at the lower price to leave the store.
Raise price on the computer.

Lowering price is simpler:
Lower price on computer.
Lower price on shelf.

Failure to do it this way may result in serious fines for overcharging!

You may have similar restrictions in your country.

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Zooming picturebox not updating

Christian Graus12-Jun-09 20:34

Christian Graus

12-Jun-09 20:34

There's an article on CP on how to print barcodes.

Christian Graus

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jisan2212-Jun-09 14:13

jisan22

12-Jun-09 14:13

Hi,

I am trying to create a function that when called takes a pictureBox and make it larger in 5 steps. My problem is that when I run the function the pictureBox is not updated until the last step where the pictureBox is full size.

The picture box is called myPictureBox and has a size of 70,100 at the beginning.

private void button1_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
      for (int j = 0; j < 5; j++)
      {
          zoomOutPicture((j + 1) * 10);
          System.Threading.Thread.Sleep(1000);
      }
}

private void zoomOutPicture(int zoomF)
{
      int myHeight = 100+zoomF;
      int myWith = 70 + (int)Math.Round(zoomF * .7, 0);

      System.Drawing.Size test;
      test = new System.Drawing.Size(myWith, myHeight);
      myPictureBox.Size = test;
}

I have spent the last 3 hours searching with out any luck so any help is greatly apriciated.

Thank you.

DavidKiryazi12-Jun-09 14:56

DavidKiryazi

12-Jun-09 14:56

Hi,

I tried your code on my machine .Net 2.0 vs2005 and it seems to work fine. I added a line that refreshes the form so maybe try this and see if the results are any different.

private void button1_Click(object sender, EventArgs e) 
        {
            for (int j = 0; j < 5; j++) 
            {
                zoomOutPicture((j + 1) * 10);
                this.Refresh(); // <---- line added that references the form with the picture box on it
                System.Threading.Thread.Sleep(1000);
            } 
        }

Dave

jisan2212-Jun-09 20:10

jisan22

12-Jun-09 20:10

Hi Dave,

Thanks a lot, that did the trick.

fly90412-Jun-09 15:01

fly904

12-Jun-09 15:01

Try:

myPictureBox.Size = test;
myPictureBox.Refresh();

My failometer has shot off the end of the scale!

I seem to have misplaced my ban button.. no wait... found it!

Luc Pattyn12-Jun-09 15:04

Luc Pattyn

12-Jun-09 15:04

you could "solve" it with some Invalidate() or Refresh() calls, but your approach is fundamentally flawed, since you are blocking the GUI thread for the entire duration of this action, making moving, resizing, e.a. impossible.

The correct approach is by using either a separate thread or a timer; since the actions involve Controls, which need to be handled on the main thread anyway, your best option is to start a Windows.Forms.Timer

Smile | :)

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DISCLAIMER: this message may have been modified by others; it may no longer reflect what I intended, and may contain bad advice; use at your own risk and with extreme care.