CSLA .NET 3.6.2 preview

RockfordLhotka posted on Wednesday, February 11, 2009

I just put a refresh of the 3.6.2 preview online for Windows and Silverlight.

Also, at the bottom of the www.lhotka.net/cslanet/download.aspx page I put a link to the latest VB code. This code doesn't work, but it does build. The team working on the VB effort is making amazing strides forward (especially Sean and Von).

The version 3.6.2 release will include a number of bug fixes, and a number of new features or enhancements. Some of the really cool stuff includes:

• Lambda-based RegisterProperty() that is simpler and avoids all string literals
• Saved event on CslaDataProvider
• New ErrorDialog control for Silverlight and WPF to further reduce the need for code-behind
• Some sorting enhancements to LINQ to CSLA
• A MobileDictionary type so you can create dictionaries that serialize to/from Silverlight
• New methods in ObjectFactory to make it easier to write a complete DAL

The change logs have more information.

I am particularly interested in feedback on the ErrorDialog controls. They are implemented slightly different in Silverlight from WPF. This is partially due to differences in SL and WPF, and partially because I'm not entirely sure I have the design right.

There's also an issue in WPF, because WPF seems to invoke a data provider twice when it gets an exception. That seems bad, and I can't see where it is my code causing it. Worse, I can't entirely see how to prevent it (how do you know that the second call is actually a duplicate?). Kind of ugly.

In any case, if you get a chance to give 3.6.2 a try (either because I addressed one of your bugs/issues, or because the new features look nice), let me know what you think.

rfcdejong replied on Thursday, February 12, 2009

GetDeletedList and the FieldExists methods in the ObjectFactory just made my own changes in our framework layer obsolete :)

RockfordLhotka replied on Thursday, February 12, 2009

Yea! :)

Hopefully we're narrowing down the list of helper methods necessary to
create a full DAL in an ObjectFactory subclass.

Rocky


-----Original Message-----
From: rfcdejong [mailto:cslanet@lhotka.net]
Sent: Thursday, February 12, 2009 2:58 PM
To: rocky@lhotka.net
Subject: Re: [CSLA .NET] CSLA .NET 3.6.2 preview

GetDeletedList and the FieldExists methods in the ObjectFactory just made my
own changes in our framework layer obsolete :)

ajj3085 replied on Friday, February 13, 2009

RockfordLhotka:

There's also an issue in WPF, because WPF seems to invoke a data provider twice when it gets an exception. That seems bad, and I can't see where it is my code causing it. Worse, I can't entirely see how to prevent it (how do you know that the second call is actually a duplicate?). Kind of ugly.

I think the issue boils down to the CslaDataProvider not behaving EXACTLY as the ObjectDataProvider does.  For example, the CslaDataProvider honors the IsRefereshDeferred flag when _factoryParameters_CollectionChanged is called.   The ODP does NOT, and processes the call.  I think this is why the Infragistics grid doesn't display any sample data (or even columns) in design mode.  I started making the CDP work like the ODB, and did get the Infragistics grid to work like it does with the ODB.. but I couldn't quite get the CDP working properly either.  In the end I revetered back to the original Csla version.

Another thing I discovered with the ODP is that it CAN call static methods and pass parameters as well.  I also tried reworking the CDP to subclass ODB, but couldn't get it quite right either..  but I thought it might be worthwhile to look into going that route.

Of course I don't know how feasible that would be either.