The .NET Endpoint : Screencasts

Screencast – WCF Service Reference Configuration

Cliff Simpkins — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 18:11:00 GMT

In this week’s installment of the WCF screencast series, CSD MVP Aaron Skonnard from PluralSight guides the viewer through how to configure your WCF service reference in Visual Studio 2008.

Aaron starts off from the previously created WCF service (see the screencast covering the creation of a WCF service) and WCF client (see the screencast covering the creation of a WCF client). Picks up where we left off, Aaron first updates the service reference to refresh the contract from the WCF service, and then demonstrates where the service reference is stored in the object browser and examines the actual code.

Aaron also demonstrates how to configure the service reference, if you want to customize the service reference - allowing you to change the address or access level, setting asynchronous behavior in your WCF client, and what type to use when the service encounters object collections.

As mentioned above, the WCF screencasts are a weekly series of Channel9 videos done in conjunction with the folks at PluralSight to help developers new to WF/WCF see how the technology is used. It’s worth noting that Aaron and the PluralSight folks are now offering online training courses (in a format similar to these screencasts) as a compliment to their catalog of instructor-led training courses covering Microsoft connected systems technologies. Their training topics range from .NET v3.5 (including an excellent WF/WCF Double Feature course) to WSS to BizTalk server.

Screencasts – Creating Your First WCF Client

Cliff Simpkins — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 18:10:00 GMT

Welcome back to the WCF screencast series! After a spending four weeks covering WF topics, we return to WCF for the latest video in the weekly WF/WCF Screencast series. In the coming month, we’ll be covering topics around the calling of WCF services.

This week, CSD MVP Aaron Skonnard from PluralSight guides the viewer through how to create your first WCF client application that consumes an existing WCF service (see the screencasts covering the creation of a WCF service and how to create endpoints for more details). We add the service to the client application using the WCF service's Metadata Exchange (MEX) endpoint - which generates the service definition and contract, which Aaron then writes the code to consume via code...and how to have VS2008 open up your client as the test client at F5 (debug) instead of the standard WCF test client when the service is launched.

As he shows you how to write the client side code, he touches on how the service endpoint information is stored in the config files and storing the results back from the WCF service in local .NET object classes.

Screencasts - Your First Workflows

Cliff Simpkins — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 18:15:37 GMT

These last two weeks represent a shift in Endpoint WF/WCF Developer Screencast series. The first four screencasts in the series concentrated on Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) development; we will now focus on Windows Workflow Foundation (WF) for four screencasts. We will then alternate back and forth every four screencasts.

This (and last) week, CSD Matt Milner from PluralSight walks you through how to create your first sequential workflow, and how to create your first state machine workflow. Compared to the WCF screencasts, these may seem to be a lot more to digest up front, but these screencasts provides a good starting overview, that we will drill into as we move through the series.

Last week, Matt covered how to create your WF Sequential Workflow. The screencast takes you on a quick tour of putting together a sequential workflow - creating the workflow, adding the business logic using flow control activities, and using custom activities to do the work. As an example, Matt uses the example of processing an eCommerce order - processing a customer purchasing transaction and working with back-end inventory. As we create the workflow, Matt discusses custom activities, using base activity library activities, and binding activity properties to custom workflow properties.

This week, Matt walks you through how to create your first WF state machine workflow. The screencast takes you on a quick tour of putting together a state machine workflow - creating the workflow, adding the states, and using custom activities to do the work. As an example, Matt uses the example of processing an eCommerce shopping cart - and lifecycle/events that go along with it. As we create the workflow, Matt discusses custom activities, using states, and handling multiple state events (both listening for an event to happen and timing out).

As mentioned above, the WF screencasts are a weekly series of Channel9 videos done in conjunction with the folks at PluralSight to help developers new to WF/WCF see how the technology is used. It’s worth noting that Aaron and the PluralSight folks are now offering online training courses (in a format similar to these screencasts) as a compliment to their catalog of instructor-led training courses covering Microsoft connected systems technologies. Their training topics range from .NET v3.5 (including an excellent WF/WCF Double Feature course) to WSS to BizTalk server.

Screencast - Self-Hosting WCF in Your Application

Cliff Simpkins — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 19:32:57 GMT

This week, for our fourth screencast in the series, CSD MVP Aaron Skonnard walks you through how to self-host WCF services in your own applications. The screencast walks you through adding an existing service (see the creating your first WCF service screencast on how to create one) to a new console application. In this screencast, we create a new console application project, and add the code needed to reference the service and host WCF endpoints. Aaron then walks you through how to add (and configure) the proper configuration information (refer to how to configure your your WCF Service with endpoints screencast for more information). Along the way, Aaron introduces how to work with the hosted endpoints programmatically.

Screencast - Hosting WCF Services in ASP.NET/IIS

KentBrown — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 18:41:00 GMT

First of all, "Hi"! As Cliff said, I've joined the Connected .NET Framework product management team here. It's been great so far, and we have lots of great content planned for WF/WCF dev centers. But it's been a couple of months now and after my short honeymoon period, I was told it's time I blogged something. This one is an easy spike (a little Olympic Beach Volleyball lingo), thanks to the great setup by Cliff and Aaron. Of course I am talking about the great series of short How-To screencasts we are rolling out. This is only the third week, but trust me, we are going to have one of these every week for a while and tons of great connected framework knowledge will be shared.

This week, for our third installment, CSD MVP Aaron Skonnard walks you through how to host WCF services in ASP.NET/IIS.

The WF/WCF screencasts are a weekly series of Channel9 videos done in conjunction with the folks at PluralSight to help developers new to WF/WCF see how the technology is used. Aaron and the PluralSight folks are now offering online training courses (in a format similar to these screencasts) as a compliment to their catalog of instructor-led training courses covering Microsoft connected systems technologies. Their training topics range from .NET v3.5 (including an excellent WF/WCF Double Feature course) to WSS to BizTalk server.

Screencast - Configuring Services with Endpoints

Cliff Simpkins — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 18:15:00 GMT

As promised, here is the second installment in the screencast series around the WF and WCF technologies - a weekly .NET developer screencast series to show how to accomplish tasks in WF/WCF 3.5 and Visual Studio 2008. As I mentioned last week, we've partnered up with PluralSight to deliver high-quality, task-specific screencasts that are short and to the point. The screencast videos will be published up to Channel9 on Wednesdays, available for either watching from the server or for download.

This week, for our second screencast in the series, CSD MVP Aaron Skonnard walks you through how to configure your your WCF Service with endpoints. The screencast guides the viewer through the XML configuration for an existing service (see last week's screencast on how to create one) - examining the adapter, binding, and contract settings for the service - and then using the WCF Configuration Editor tool to add additional endpoints to the service. Along the way, Aaron introduces the concepts of base addresses, the MEX binding, and the non-HTTP bindings.

Side Notes:
Yes - I'm still using an image in the post and linking to the Channel9 posting, as opposed to an embedded viewer...and let me tell you why: Since last week, I caught up with Matt Winkler on how to do embedded videos from Channel9, and he explained how to do it (pretty simple, actually). But it seems that it comes down to a choice between either doing this as a screencast (where it automatically opens up the video in a new window) or as a player embedded in the page - I'm unable to get both. So...going the other way, we get the upside of the ability to embed it...BUT...the downside is that the graphic in the Channel9 post no longer opens a new window when you click on it - it plays it in the small, low-res box; and users have to then click the 'Download' and 'Screencast' links to get a high-quality streaming play of the screencast. Because I'm assuming that most folks don't know that they can get to the screencast via the 'Download' link, I didn't go that route. But, that being said, I'm willing and able to be swayed on the issue. So drop me a line either in the comments section below, or via e-mail if you feel strongly one way or the other.

Also, I promise to drop the introductory paragraph next week. ^_^

Screencast - Creating your First WCF Service

Cliff Simpkins — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 18:00:00 GMT

I'm excited to announce a new series of material that the team will be posting around the WF and WCF technologies - a weekly .NET developer screencast series to show how to accomplish tasks in WF/WCF 3.5 and Visual Studio 2008. We've partnered up with PluralSight to deliver high-quality, task-specific screencasts that are short and to the point. The screencast videos will be published up to Channel9 on Wednesdays, available for either watching from the server or for download.

This week, for our inaugural screencast, CSD MVP Aaron Skonnard walks you through how to create your first WCF Service. The screencast guides the viewer through creating the service from scratch in VS2008 - defining a data contract, a service contract, and testing/hosting the service in VS2008.

As I get more familiar with the Channel9 system, I'm hoping to get some sort of video player that I can embed here on the blog posts...but I thought that you would be more interested in having the videos posted sooner, rather than waiting on me to figure out how to get the embedding to work.