In the first part of this post, I discussed REST and how it compares to SOAP-based services. In this part, we’ll figure out how to create a REST service with WCF and what it takes to start thinking in a “RESTful” way when designing a REST service.

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SOAP and REST Compared

REST services are the new “hotness.” All of the cool kids are doing them. I (not that cool of a kid) feel as though I’ve been left behind -- holding onto my SOAP messages like an old curmudgeon holding on to his last dollar. After all, SOAP-based services have served me well; all the way back to the .ASMX days. So, I’m the first to admit that traditional (SOAP-based) web services still have a place. They are extraordinarily easy to use, nowadays, because the tooling around them is so polished. On top of that, I can’t think of a platform that doesn’t support them, today.

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I'm pleased to announce a new addition to the LightSwitch family: The Image Controls for LightSwitch extension.

Previously, the extension was called "Camera Image Control for LightSwitch" which was a very accurate, but too specific name. Recently, I added a control to the extension that allows you to scan documents directly from a scanner. With this new addition comes a name change.

I'm also pleased to announce that, while the name has changed, the price has not. You can still purchase the Camera Image Control; along with the Scanner Image Control, together for a low, low price. Simply click here to open the purchase page. Of course, you can download a free, limited trial from the Visual Studio Gallery to try it out before you buy it.

If you previously purchased the extension, you don't have to worry. You can get the new functionality by logging in at the product section of this website, choosing "My Account," and then "Downloadable Products." Once there, you can click on the "Download" link next to the product.

I'm excited to hear your feedback and I hope you find the new control useful. As always, if you have any trouble with it, I want to know about it. Please use the links on this website to contact me, directly.

Just released: Camera Image Control for Visual Studio LightSwitch version 1.2.

New in this version:

• There is now a trial version available for download from the Visual Studio Gallery.
• You can now optionally disable the file upload and clear photo buttons by using a couple new properties on the control.

If you purchased the control, you can log in at http://centrolutions.com/products/login and re-download the extension file from the "My Account" > "Downloadable Products" section.

Visual Studio LightSwitch is a relatively new development tool from Microsoft that allows a developer to quickly create database-driven, Silverlight applications. While I won’t give you the full sales pitch in this post – since it is my first post on LightSwitch, I should at least mention that you can find more information here

We’ll take a look at setting control properties from code-behind. Specifically, we’ll see how we might store some settings in a database table, read them, and apply them to a control.

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I’m looking for several people to help me beta-test a LightSwitch extension. The extension allows you to capture an image from your webcam and save it directly to a screen in LightSwitch. I’m planning to sell the extension for a small fee, but if you are one of the beta testers, you will get it for free.

If you think you can help, please use the menu on this site to contact me and I’ll get you setup with access to the extension.

Thanks!

Update 5/3/2011: The fix (version 2.1) has been published to the market place. You should be able to start downloading it whenever your country's marketplace refreshes.

Well, it had to happen, eventually. There is a major bug in Version 2.0 of Stripes that is affecting users that upgrade from a previous version. Because some internal data structures have changed, when the old application state is pulled into the new application, items are missing and the application can crash when searching for a barcode.

A fix for this problem has been submitted to the Marketplace, but it may take a few days to actually hit the device in your hand.

A short-term fix for this issue can be performed by uninstalling Stripes and re-installing it from the Marketplace. You will not be charged for the re-installation and it should fix the internal data structure. However, this will result in complete data loss of your scanning history.

I apologize for this error and please look for the fix on your device, soon.

Thank you!

The latest version of Stripes (2.0) brings the following changes:

• Fixed crash bug with certain ISBN numbers and QR codes
• Added option to use GPS and search for local stores carrying the product scanned
• Added option to use regional search services for better, localized results
• Added ability to rename history items and delete individual items from history (touch and hold on an item for a context menu)
• Added support for two new languages (German and Spanish)
• Added error reporting to aid in diagnosing support issues
• Enhanced detection of barcodes in photos where the barcode is rotated by 90 degrees

The good news is that the next version of Windows Phone (“Mango” is the code name) will allow developers to embed the camera in their application. That means, Stripes will have “live scanning” capabilities! Microsoft says we can expect this update in the fall of 2011.

Recently, I was asked which gets called first: the Application_Launching, Application_Activated, Application_Deactivated, and Application_Closing events or the page-specific OnNavigatedTo and OnNavigatedFrom overrides. It turns out, the answer is – both.

When the application first runs from the start screen, Application_Launching gets called first. Then, the page-specific OnNavigatedTo gets called.

When navigating back to the start screen (by pressing the start button), the page-specific OnNavigatedFrom override gets called and then the Application_Deactivated event gets fired.

When navigating back to the app (using the back button), the Application_Activated fires first, and then the page’s OnNavigatedTo override gets hit.

So, the rule of thumb seems to be, if you are on a page, that page’s overrides will be called first. If you are entering the app from elsewhere, the Application events will fire first. Now you (and I) know!

Thanks to everyone who came to my session Building a Real App for Windows Phone 7 at the Nebraska Code Camp 2011 event. I hope you enjoyed it. If you’re looking for the slides and demos, you can download them here.