Mike Rand's Blog

70-562 Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 ASP.NET Application Development Exam

Mike Rand — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 20:30:59 GMT

This post is in response to a comment on an earlier Microsoft Exam post of mine.

I am currently studying for the 70-562 Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5, ASP.NET Application Development Exam.

You can't register for this exam at this time because it has not yet been released. At the time of this post it is scheduled to be released sometime in August 2008.

I am using the Programming Microsoft ASP.NET 3.5 book in preparation for this exam. Although this book is not targeted to the exam audience, it is jam packed with valuable information that covers all of the skills measured in the 70-562 exam.

In addition, I am reviewing the .NET Framework 2.0 Web-Based Client Development Training Kit book. I am also evaluating the uCertify exam preparation software. Although, these resources are specific to the .NET Framework 2.0, I have found them useful in preparing for this exam.

FormatPainter Word 2007 Ribbon Control

Mike Rand — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 18:48:50 GMT

I ran across an interesting situation today in the Word 2007 Ribbon. In a project that I'm working on, the FormatPainter Ribbon control wasn't showing up in a custom tab. Here is the Ribbon XML element that was being used:

I double checked the idMso and control type in the Microsoft 2007 Office System Document: Lists of Control IDs Word Ribbon Controls Excel spreadsheet. I had entered the idMso correctly and I had the correct control type, according to the spreadsheet.

Next I wanted to see if the problem was isolated to my project and not with Word itself. I opened a new Word 2007 Add-In project and added the same code to a custom tab. Again, no Format Painter control. But, this time I was able to see the error message that indicated that the control type was incorrect. It turns out that the FormatPainter control is referenced as "control" not "togglebutton".

Here is the updated Ribbon XML element:

Now the FormatPainter control shows up as expected in my custom tab.

70-536 Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 Application Development Foundation Exam

Mike Rand — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 16:41:07 GMT

Yesterday I passed the 70-536 Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 Application Development Foundation Exam. This is my first exam on my way to earning a MCPD: Enterprise Application Developer 3.5 certification.

My primary resource in studying for this exam was the MCTS Self-Paced Training Kit (Exam 70-536) Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 Application Development Foundation Book. I highly recommend this book; however, you’ll need to read the comments and corrections:

· MCTS Self-Paced Training Kit (Exam 70-536): Microsoft® .NET Framework 2.0—Application Development Foundation comments and corrections Part 1

· MCTS Self-Paced Training Kit (Exam 70-536): Microsoft® .NET Framework 2.0—Application Development Foundation comments and corrections Part 2

· MCTS Self-Paced Training Kit (Exam 70-536): Microsoft® .NET Framework 2.0—Application Development Foundation comments and corrections Part 3

· MCTS Self-Paced Training Kit (Exam 70-536): Microsoft® .NET Framework 2.0—Application Development Foundation comments and corrections Part 4

Here are some more great resources:

· Microsoft 70-536 Study Guide at C# Online.NET

· Preparation Guide for Exam 70-536

· Tech Ed cram session

The 70-536 exam is now considered “version agnostic”, this exam is required for .NET Framework 2.0 and .NET Framework 3.5 certifications. This means I will be able to move directly into the .NET Framework 3.5 certification exams!

While I’m glad to have passed this exam, I’m even more excited to get started studying for my next exam: 70-562 .NET Framework 3.5 ASP.NET Application Development.

Developing Workflows using Visual Studio 2008

Mike Rand — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 13:14:25 GMT

Hi everyone, this is my first post. Microsoft has recently published a few Visual How To's that I wrote about developing Workflows in Visual Studio 2008:

Hope you find these articles useful in developing Workflows using Visual Studio 2008. Until next time, happy coding!