NET : Easily Get DLL Assembly Info Via Visual Studio

Unfortunately, I had to try and remember how to easily get DLL information without going into the GAC. However, fortunately, there is easy way to get DLL assembly information ( including token, culture, & version ) directly from Visual Studio :

  1. Open your Visual Studio Solution
  2. Set a breakpoint and run in debug mode
  3. Open the Immediate Window
  4. Enter the path to your DLL using System.Reflection:

    ?System.Reflection.Assembly.LoadFile (@”C:VSSWebSoluablebinAjaxControlToolkit.dll”).FullName

    And you should receive something similar to the following:

      “AjaxControlToolkit, Version=3.5.11119.20050, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=28f01b0e84b6d53e”

      ERROR : SSIS : An error prevented the view from loading.

      ERROR :
      SSIS (v9) : An error prevented the view from loading.   The specified module could not be found (Exception from HRESULT : 0x8007007E) (System.Windows.Forms)
      CAUSE :  
      This error occurs in the designer when opening SQL Server Business Intelligence Studio after upgrading to VS 2010 or 2013, .  While upgrading Visual Studio, DLL files are upgraded in the MSDesigners8 folder causing the graphical designer to fail.
      RESOLUTION :  
      Replace your MSDesigners8 folder with the older version:
      1.       Locate a machine where SSIS designer works and copy the folder:  C:Program FilesCommon Filesmicrosoft sharedMSDesigners8
      2.       Navigate to the problematic machine to verify that your files on C:Program FilesCommon Filesmicrosoft sharedMSDesigners8 differ in version.
      3.       Backup your current MSDesigners8 folder, delete, and then copy the older version.
      MSDesigners8 : 
      Feel free to email me for a copy of this folder if you cannot download it here:

      msdesigners8

      ERROR : HTTP Error 500.2* – Internal Server Error

      ERROR:

      HTTP Error 500.2* – Internal Server Error
      An ASP.NET setting has been detected that does not apply in Integrated managed pipeline mode.

      CAUSE:

      IIS7 and above default to using “integrated pipeline mode”; whereas, IIS6 and below utilize what is now deemed “classic mode.”  In classic mode, IIS uses ISAPI extensions; whereas, integrated mode handles all requests through a pipeline of IIS and is integrated with SP.NET through this same pipeline.  Integrated mode is much more efficient with ASP.NET.  Read more about how to enhance your application with integrated pipelines here.

      RESOLUTIONS:

      There are multiple resolutions to this problem; however, depending on your application, the quickest way to resolve this problem can be to:

      1.     Open IIS

      2.     Navigate to the app pool for your application

      3.     Switch from “integrated mode” to “classic mode.”

      Other possible options:

      1.       If your application is running legacy code, then update your code.

      2.       If you are running in 64-bit Windows then navigate to “Advanced Settings” and set “Enable 32-Bit Applications” = True.

      3.       Try keeping your default website in the default app pool, ie Integrated Pipeline mode, but keep your virtual directory in classic mode.

      4.       This last option is debatable and may only be considered as a temporary fix.  In your web.config, insert the following:

      <configuration>

        <system.webServer>

          <validation validateIntegratedModeConfiguration="false" />

        </system.webServer>

      </configuration>

       

       

      LINQ : LINQPad

      In my quest to get a better grasp of LINQ and Lambdas, I came across the “LinqPad” tool.  This free tool, written in 2007 but continually updated through the 3.5 .NET framework, was graciously written by Joseph Albahari and provides features up and beyond Linq.  Though the primary focus is Linq, this tool is excellent for testing your VB and C# snippets.  I have a numerous Visual Studio solutions just for testing code snippet and this tool easily wipes out most of them. 

      At first, I had difficulty figuring out how to enter my syntax effectively but the incredibly helpful (and free) webinar from Albahari cleared up my questions in under an hour.  Attaching a datasource to the tool was very easy and with the extra features, such as importing namespaces, users can everything from data querying to C# code testing to testing RegEx to pinging websites.  

      The tool also supports XML/XPath/XQuery, VB, F#, SQL, and ESQL.