August's Toolbox Column Now Online

Published 30 July 09 11:33 AM | Scott Mitchell

My Toolbox column in the August 2009 issue of MSDN Magazine is available online and includes the following reviews:

SQL Sets - SQL Sets is a neat tool that allows you to save database queries in a self-contained, portable file format. In a nutshell, you can run a database query, save the results into a file, and then email the file to a colleague who can annotate, sort, filter, and explore the results without needing access to the database or having any knowledge of the SQL syntax. It's a nifty tool for for sharing data with stakeholders without giving them access to the database; it can also be used to compare sets or as a tool for archiving data.
Blogs of Note: Stephen Walther on ASP.NET MVC - every developer using ASP.NET MVC should subscribe to author, speaker, and Microsoftie Stephen Walther's blog. They you'll find more than 50 in-depth detailed tips on using ASP.NET MVC along with end-to-end tutorials, and sample chapters from his books.
Visual SVN Server - Subversion is a popular and free source code control application. Unfortunately, getting started with Subversion entails a bit of a learning curve. For example, in order to access the Subversion repository over HTTP you need to install and configure the Apache web server. Moreover, many of Subversion's configuration options require tinkering with text-based configuration files. Visual SVN Server is a free product that makes using Subversion as easy as point and click. With a few clicks of the mouse, Visual SVN Server will install and configure Subversion (and Apache) for you. And, once installed, it offers a GUI interface for creating and managing repositories and users.
NArrange - NArrange is a free, open source tool that automatically rearranges your C# or Visual Basic source code into a more readable format. From the review: 'By default, NArrange groups constructors, fields, properties, methods, and events into regions and alphabetizes the members within each region. Consecutive blank lines are removed, tabs are converted into spaces, and the using or Import directives within a class file are consolidated and sorted.' You can have NArrange rearrange a particular file, all files in a directory, or all files in a Visual Studio Project or Solution, and NArrange can be launched from the command-line or from within Visual Studio.