JB's blog

C#: how to import a DLL

I was looking for how to import a DLL in C# for a long time. Usually if someone explains something to someone, and there's the possibility of complicating the explanation, be sure he'll explain it in the most complicated way he knows.

But in this blog, how to import a DLL in your C# project is explained in the easiest way I've ever seen. So many compliments to Martyr2 and his/her input on Dream.In.Code: http://www.dreamincode.net/forums/blog/martyr2/index.php?s=ab831651102a9cec8a610b76f35f64d1&showentry=719

More detailed informations are available on pinvoke.net: http://www.pinvoke.net

How to add subtitles to AVI video

I needed to share some videos with some colleagues of mine, but Italian is a language really popular only in Italy So I needed to add some subtitles to those videos. How to do it? Really easy if you know where to find a tutorial for doing it: http://www.afterdawn.com/guides/archive/adding_subs_to_avi.cfm

With this tutorial you can add subtitles to your AVI video, but first of all you've to write your subtitles. For doing it, you need another freeware: Subtitle Workshop. It's really easy to work with it, so you can start playing with it and in a few minutes you already have your subtitiles.

CAD & DWG files

I'm used to work with DWG files when I project Simulation Centers, but I really don't need a huge program like AutoCAD. There are so many free DWG readers available on the web Next one of them:

http://www.doublecad.com/Products/DoubleCADXT/tabid/1100/Default.aspx

Serial Ports

I'm used to work with serial ports and RS232 cables. Often I need to check the cable is not broken or the port is functioning correctly. So I need a freeware for double checking everthing.

I suggest you this freeware: portmon, from Sysinternals. It's really helpful in all the cases descripted above.

I've never tried it, but it could helpful as well this one: Advanced Serial Port Monitor. As usual, if anyone out there has already tried it, please, leave here a comment about it, and share his/her experience in the use of it.

Video web publishing

I found a limited free web hosting space for uploading a couple of videos of the simulations done during the last Congress I've been involved into. In particular I've 15MB of free space for each file. Unfortunately the videos recorded during the simulation sessions are more than 60MB each one. 

For that reason I found a free convert-compressor by which I was able to:

• convert videos to flv format (really cool, isn't?)
• compress each videos to 15MB
• add play, pause and enlarge buttons

What's this freeware? It's Free Video to Flash Converter. You've to play with it a little bit before using it, but it's really easy to start working with it. For example: learing to compress the video to the right dimension becomes a simple task once you've learned you've to reduce the video bitrate and the frame rate (who cares about sound quality? It's a simulation, not a Queen concert!).

I hope it could be useful to somebody else out there

FTP Clients

I'm doing some changes on my web site (stay tuned if you want to watch them ). I want to add videos about the simulations I've done during these days, so I need to upload huge video files.

Unfortunately Libero offer me only 3MB in upload, and it's really not enough For example, while I'm writing  I'm uploading a file of 65MB, so Libero it's not the right solution for me. 

Maybe you already know it: I've a web site in Libero, not only a blog, but for sharing with all of you out there these videos I need a better web hosting provider. Fortunately I've already found it, so I now I need a client FTP.

I downloaded Filezilla Client and CoreFTP LE. CoreFTP is simply better than Filezilla because it allows you to pause and restart your uploads. This is perfect in a situation like mine, where the Internect connection has a bad and poor quality (welcome to the Vodafone world - a suggestion to Vodafone company: instead of spending a lot of money in advertisement, paying soccer players and theirs wives, why don't you invest such money in improving your services? A soccer player is famous and popular but a lot of customers with bad opinions but your services are more than him).

If you need to upload huge files and you think you'll need to pause and restart them, I suggest you to use CoreFTP. Have fun with that freeware!

Parco Oltremare

Today I've been here: Parco Oltremare, Riccione - Italy. I suggest to everybody to visit this park, because it's amazing and there are not only dolphins and fishes, but there are predatories as well.

I like predatories a lot, so I suggest to visit the show with those birds: it's fantastic http://www.oltremare.org/website/mulino/mulino.html

How to rip a DVD

As I said in my previous post, I'm playing with a video from a DVD. In particular I needed to cut some scenes, so I needed to convert a DVD into a file, an then do the video editing.

For such purpose, I suggest to everybody out there this really helpful freeware: DVDx . With this freeware I achieved the goal, so I'm very happy to have found it.

It's really easy to use it, just follow the instructions written here: http://www.wikihow.com/Rip-a-DVD-to-an-AVI-or-MPG-File-Using-DVDx. Nothing is easier than this

Xvid Codec Download

I'm playing a little bit with a DVD video. In particular I need to cut some scenes with errors inside (I'm not working with people from Hollywood ). So I needed the Xvid codec for doing the conversion from DVD to AVI and then for editing the video. If you need that codec too, here is a link where you can download it: http://www.xvidmovies.com/codec/

Reg2Nsis

An helpful freeware for letting your installer to change the registry: http://nsis.sourceforge.net/Reg2Nsis_-_convert_registry_info_into_NSIS_commands

InstallWatch and InstallRite

First of all, I want to thank you all the people out there who decided to follow the news on this blog: again, THANK YOU!

Feel free to add your comments and/or opinions here. It's free, and everybody are fully allowed to reply or add something here.

Now, back to "work". During these I've been fully involved in a project which occupied 100% of my time (minus the necessary time for eating and sleeping ). But I received a message about a couple of freewares which hopefully could save a lot of time to everybody out there. I mean InstallWatch and InstallRite. They're both freeware, of course, and available here http://www.epsilonsquared.com/.

Unfortunately I didn't have enough time for testing them before, but I want to publish a link for them because I'm always looking for something that takes track of what is happening during a SW installation and could help you with future SW installation. That's the reason why when I read about these freewares I decided immediately to share the link with everybody out there.

If anyone has already tested them, please, write your comments here. I've already read some comments about InstallRite on some Italian forums, and they're all positive, even if it seems these freewares are old.

SVG Viewer VS IE: war is over!

I installed Adobe SVG Viewer for seeing svg files on my browser. Maybe I've already written somewhere I don't like IE very much, but I started viewing svg files with such browser... and everytime I received a message from the "ActiveX block infobar" that an ActiveX control has been blocked for security reason But on Adobe web site they say SVG viewer 3.0.3 has been signed by MicroSoft, so why does IE still block it?

I spent around some hours for finding a solution to such problem, because it's really frustrating to close such stupid info bar everytime you try to open an svg file. I've also found a couple of freewares that, of course, didn't work.

Finally I found the solution: sorry FireFox for having betrayed you, I'll never do it again The solution is: trash IE and view svg with FireFox. How to do it? Really easy, if you follow the instructions from Adobe. They are available here: How To: Installing ASV plugin into Firefox (ASV stands for "Adobe SVG Viewer"). Somewhere on the web you can find similar instructions, but they didn't work on my laptop. Those I've inserted here worked prefectly on my laptop, so now I can view svg files with no more info bar hassle

A small note: at the beginning, when I tried to use FireFox for viewing svg files, I received an error message about the stylesheet, while IE reported me no errors. That the reason why I insisted in working with the hassle of IE.

C# Environment Variables

I'm playing a little bit with Environment Variables and C#. In particular, Im playing with variables about special folders, like Program Files folder. I've found some helpful tricks around the web, so I share the links:

• http://www.programmersheaven.com/2/Les_CSharp_15_p2 very good article about special folder in C#
• http://dotnetperls.com/environment-specialfolder a list of tipical special folders

SVG Viewer

Passing from IE 6 to IE 7 I had some troubles with Adobe SVG Viewer Plugin. Fortunately I found these helpful links I share with you all out there:

• SVG Viewer download: if your version doesn't work, download the latest one an reinstall it (don't waste your time )
• SVG Viewer Test: it allows you to knwo if your viewer works fine or not. Really useful, isn't it?

XMLStarlet

If you've to work with xml files, as I've to do, I suggest you all this really helpful freeware: XMLStarlet.

It's really easy to use it, especailly for newbies as I am. It allows you to retrieve the XPath string for each node of an XML file. Officially, XMLStarlet is "...a set of command line utilities (tools) which can be used to transform, query, validate, and edit XML documents and files...", so you can use it to work with XML files from command line

Screen2Exe

Unfortunately I haven't tried it yet, but I think it's a very good idea. I mean this freeware: Screen Recorder. Due to my activity I'm frequently involved in the development of tutorials for teaching how to work with specific softwares, so this freeware could be really useful for such kind of purpose.Especially the possibility of having everything converted in exe, so you simply click on it and you wouldn't have any kind of problems with media players.

As soon I'll have tried it, I post my opinion about it. Where? Here, of course

Distances on the screen

I needed to measure some distances on the screen so I founbd this really helpful freeware: Screen Ruler.

I hope it will be as useful as it has been for me

Goldwave

I started using Goldwave when I was attending the University. It was my professor of Electrical Communications which showed me the potentiality and power of such software. It's really a good stuff: http://www.goldwave.com/

Yesterday, for the first time, I used it for removing noise from a wav file. The trick it's to use the filter and tool described here: Can GoldWave record tapes, vinyl records, or dictation and can it remove background noise? Really easy, isn't it?

Recall an E-mail in Outlook 2003

It happens to me regularly, so I decide to post here the solution. When you need to recall a sent message with Outlook 2003, you can use the procedure described here: http://malektips.com/outlook_2003_sending_email_0011.html

It never worked with me, but I continue to try using it, either because nobody uses Outlook 2003 or because I've always faced bad servers. Hopefully one day it will be worked out

CardioCaliper

Really interesting software solution which allows anyone who already has a software for capturing ECG from medical device, and you want to do some measurements on it. Give a look at it here: http://www.iconico.com/cardioCaliper/