Re: Release vs. debug - C# Discussion Boards

25-May-04 3:27

It really doesn't matter how it's done. You can use the System.Diagnostics.Process class to do this programmatically, as we've discussed before in this forum:

string myDomainName = Environment.UserDomainName;
string theMessage = "This is a test.";
Process.Start("net.exe", string.Format("send * /domain:{0} {1}",
  myDomainName, theMessage));

If you want a "better" way, you can encapsulate the NetMessageBufferSend API using P/Invoke:

public sealed class NetSend
{
  public NetSend() {}
  // Define fields and properties to get/set those fields.
 
  public Send()
  {
    // Only works in Windows NT-based OSes.
    if (Environment.OSVersion.Platform == PlatformID.Win32Windows)
      throw new NotSupportException();
 
    // Alloc your buffers using the NetApiBufferAllocate API, send
    // your message and free the string buffer.
  }
  [DllImport("netapi32.dll", CharSet=CharSet.Unicode)]
  private static extern uint NetMessageBufferSend(
    string servername, // null is local machine
    string msgalias,
    string fromname,
    byte[] msg,
    uint msglen);
  [DllImport("netapi32.dll")]
  private static extern uint NetApiBufferAllocate(
    uint byteCount,
    out IntPtr ptr);
  [DllImport("netapi32.dll")]
  private static extern uint NetApiBufferFree(
    IntPtr ptr);
}

See the documentation for the NetMessageBufferSend API on MSDN[^] or you could try searching this forum of the CodeProject site for existing examples.

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Release vs. debug

spif200124-May-04 19:58

24-May-04 19:58

Hi
I'm having a problem with the release version of my application. A debug version of the same code works without flaws, but the release version throws an unhandled exception.

I have searched my code for "#if (DEBUG) ... #endif"'s and "[conditional (DEBUG)]" functions and made sure that nothing vital lies within such areas (nothing there now but some WriteLine()s Smile | :)

).

Does anyone know of other differences between release and debug that could cause one but not the other to fail?

Andy *M*24-May-04 22:34

Andy *M*

24-May-04 22:34

You create a new project configuration that contains debug information but without the conditional DEBUG Conditional Compilation Constant, then you can at least put down breakpoints and step through the code to see what might be causing the problem.

spif200124-May-04 23:23

24-May-04 23:23

That didn't seem to make much difference - it still runs in debug without the DEBUG constant.

But I discovered another really weird issue. As explained before I get an unhandled exception when I execute the release .exe file, but if I run the the application in release mode inside Visual Studio(VS) I don't get the exception. Confused | :confused:

It seems that somehow VS has an influence on the release runtime. Also a fellow coworker experienced the same problem with another application, but with the debug .exe file.

Does VS set up some special runtime environment that prevents unhandled exceptions?

Dave Kreskowiak25-May-04 2:16

Dave Kreskowiak

25-May-04 2:16

You might want to post what the exact exception was.

RageInTheMachine9532
"...a pungent, gastly, stinky piece of cheese!" -- The Roaming Gnome

spif200125-May-04 2:24

25-May-04 2:24

It is a TypeInitializationException with the inner exception NullReferenceException - and why it is thrown only in the release version run outside VS is my big mystery. If I run the debug .exe file outside VS it doesn't throw anything.

Heath Stewart25-May-04 3:05

25-May-04 3:05

Question: if you have a multi-project solution, did you add project references or assembly references? If you use assembly references (for projects in your solution), that can be a big problem since your release build will use assemblies from your debug build (or vice versa). If you added a new type and did a release build, this type would not be in the debug build of your assembly.

So, remove your assembly references for projects in your solution. Then re-add them by right-clicking on your project, select Add Reference, then click on the Projects tab and select the right projects. This makes sure that everything is kept in sync and sets up build dependencies as well.

When you run the application, everything should work fine. If you maintain a build directory for other developers, make sure that you copy all of the assemblies from the same build configuration into that build directory.

We have a very large solution (I have about 60 projects in mine, being the build master), many of which are late-bound. Using these guidelines it's pretty easy to make sure everything is correct.

Also make sure that if you have late-bound assemblies (like for a plug-in style application) that you either keep the assembly version the same or update your app's .config file using assembly version redirection. You can find more about that by reading Redirecting Assembly Versions[^] in the .NET Framework SDK. We also do this for ours so we don't have to re-deploy every assembly with updates to our application.

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spif200125-May-04 20:39

25-May-04 20:39

Thank you for the reply, but alas to no avail - all my references are added as you describe above.

The world of VS is a cruel place Wink | ;)

spif200125-May-04 21:18

Data Binding a TextBox to a DataSet

25-May-04 21:18

Heureka! - the bug has been found.

It was a Singleton issue.

I had a Singleton class like the following:

private static readonly IOServiceAgent instance = new IOServiceAgent();<br />
<br />
private IOServiceAgent(){}<br />
<br />
public static IOServiceAgent Instance<br />
{<br />
	get<br />
	{<br />
		return instance;<br />
	}<br />
}

Changed it to the following:

private static IOServiceAgent instance;<br />
<br />
private IOServiceAgent(){}<br />
<br />
public static IOServiceAgent Instance<br />
{<br />
	get<br />
	{<br />
		if(instance == null)<br />
		{<br />
			instance = new IOServiceAgent();<br />
		}<br />
<br />
		return instance;<br />
	}<br />
}

Somehow the first solution failed even though the property wasn't called prior to the exception throw.

Anyway thanks for the replys
-spif2001

woaksie24-May-04 18:49

24-May-04 18:49

I created a windows form. I added a SQLConnection, a SQLDataAdaptor, a DataSet all via the designer. I then added a TextBox and a ListBox and databound them both to a column in the DataSet. I then added a button that will show the next record with the following code;

this.BindingContext[this.dsPeople1.People].Position ++;

When I run this the ListBox’s selected line moves to the next record but the TextBox stays on the first record. Am I missing something?

This is the code that has been generated for the TextBox and the ListBox.

this.textBox1.DataBindings.Add(new System.Windows.Forms.Binding("Text", this.dsPeople1, "People.First_Name"));

this.listBox1.DataSource = this.dsPeople1.People;
this.listBox1.DisplayMember = "First_Name";

John

Heath Stewart25-May-04 2:50

25-May-04 2:50

It all depends on how you bind. Notice that the textBox1's DataBindings binds to this.dsPeople1, not this.dsPeople1.People like the listBox1. Your binding expression, this.BindingContext[this.dsPeople1.People] also binds against People. These are very different. A BindingContext must use the exact same binding. this.dsPeople1 and this.dsPeople1.People are different contexts.

So, change the binding for textBox1 to this:

this.text1.DataBindings.Add(
  new Binding("Text", this.dsPeople1.People, "First_Name"));

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woaksie25-May-04 4:54

25-May-04 4:54

Thanks for the reply.

I tried that and I get the error;

"Cannot create a child list for field People."

This code is generated automatically when you set up the data binding for the textbox in the designer so should be okay, right???

John.

Heath Stewart25-May-04 5:51

25-May-04 5:51

You got that error where?

If you actually read the documentation for the Control.BindingContext, it clearly states what I said - the binding context must be the same as what was used to bind the control. For your TextBox in question, they are not the same.

You could also try changing the binding for your ListBox to what the TextBox uses and changing your BindingContext accordingly as well.

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woaksie25-May-04 19:06

25-May-04 19:06

The full error is:

An unhandled exception of type 'System.ArgumentException' occurred in system.windows.forms.dll<br />
<br />
Additional information: Cannot create a child list for field People.

I single stepped through the program and the error happens after this line of code runs (every line of code in the Form1 constructor steps through okay but it fails when the last line has been executed and it returns to this line. If I break into it is breaks on the line after this one - int i = 0).

Application.Run(new Form1());

I read the documentation. Can you get it to work using the designer interface? Or even via code?

John.

woaksie25-May-04 19:21

Expressions(calculations)

25-May-04 19:21

You are right! When I tried your solution the first time I changed the second parameter but not the third. When I made both changes it worked.

So it looks like a bug in the designer. When I set the DataBindings in the property window of the TextBox it generates code the incorrect way. So now I am not binding that way but via my own code.

Thanks for your help.

John.

stevemasters2224-May-04 18:46

stevemasters22

24-May-04 18:46

Hi there,

I am attempting to add a calculation via text box's?....unfortunately I am having no luck, has anybody got a sample code in calculating numbers/data ect... please help.

cheers
SM

sreejith ss nair24-May-04 19:20

sreejith ss nair

24-May-04 19:20

I didn't get you properly.Please make it little clear.

Sreejith S S Nair

stevemasters2224-May-04 19:34

stevemasters22

24-May-04 19:34

Hi Sreejith

I am building a new application where i want to add labour + material costs and I need to calculate those two items to equal in a seperate text box. I am using Microsoft Visual studio to assist me, but I don't really know how to use the properties section that well.

all i wan't to do is add two data types together and recieve a result whilst the application is live?

cheers
SM

sreejith ss nair24-May-04 19:54

sreejith ss nair

24-May-04 19:54

for eg you are getting the two required values in a textbox then system will treat that values as string.so what you want to do first is, convert the two textbox values into numeric form.for eg. int or float or anything.

int labourcost=int.parse(textbox1.text);
int materialcost=int.parse(textbox2.text);

now you have numeric types of your input.

next is

resulttextbox.text=(labourcost+materialcost).ToString();

is this fine.

Sreejith S S Nair

Stefan Troschuetz24-May-04 21:16

Stefan Troschuetz

24-May-04 21:16

A minor addition to the previous post by Sreejith:
As your TextBoxes can contain anything other than the string representation of a number, you should handle the FormatException of the Parse method.

<br />
try<br />
{<br />
int labour = int.Parse(textboxLabour.Text);<br />
int material = int.Parse(textboxMaterial.Text);<br />
}<br />
catch (System.FormatException)<br />
{<br />
// Handle the exceptions by assigning default values for example.<br />
}<br />