The tool is a GUI wizard that can be run on any machine. You do not need to have Community Server installed on the same box. Your .Text and CS installations can be on the same or different SQL servers. However you will need to have the ability to connect directly to your SQL Server(s) over the Internet from the machine this utility is being run on.

It converts users, weblogs, posts, articles, comments, trackbacks, referrals, view counts, links, and categories. The only kind of .Text content it does NOT convert is .Text photo galleries.

Download

[ Via Kevin Harder's blog ]

Check out Brad’s slides on structured exception handling and memory management that he just published on his blog.

"This downloadable presentation is an overview of best practices and issues with the usage of exceptions, and different issues surrounding memory management including the IDisposable pattern, finalizers, memory pressure, HandleCollector, and why the using statement (Using in VB) is your friend! It’s an excellent overview of some fundamental exception and memory management topics."

CLR Exception and Memory Management

You can also check out more elaborate documentation ( .NET Framework Resource Management ) of the recommended guidelines for IDisposable and finalizers.

[ Via rgabostyle.com ]

If you’re interested in learning about memory management best practices in C#,you can download presentation that helps you to understand some aspects of managed memory.

Download Power Point Slides

[Via dougturn's Weblog]

Patterns & practices Live is a series of webcasts that focus on patterns & practices guidance. Come learn about the content straight from the team that built it. Patterns & practices Live webcasts are free, and are part of the comprehensive list of interactive webcasts from Microsoft.

All Webcast times are Pacific Standard Time (GMT-8:00)

• ( 3/3/2005 11:00 ) Enterprise Library Overview  Register

  Enterprise Library is the next generation of the patterns & practices Application Blocks. This guidance is designed to assist developers with common enterprise development challenges and will deliver the most widely used blocks into a single integrated package. Our vision is to build a broad community of customers and partners using, sharing and extending their own Application Blocks that are consistent with and integrate into the patterns & practices Enterprise Library.

• (  3/4/2005 11:00 ) Enterprise Library Configuration Application Block  Register

  Configuration data is a constant challenge for application development. The way in which your application handles configuration data dramatically impacts its manageability. In this webcast we will discuss the requirements for building a great configuration system and how you can leverage the configuration application block to meet these requirements.

• ( 3/8/2005 11:00 ) Enterprise Library Data Access Application Block  Register

  Discover how you can implement the recommended data access architecture using Enterprise Library to quickly build a robust and secure data access layer which supports connectivity to SQL Server, Oracle and DB2.

• (  3/10/2005 11:00 ) Enterprise Library Caching Application Block  Register

  Properly designed caching can make your system more robust and increase performance dramatically, poorly designed caching adds unnecessary overhead and provides little benefit. Learn how you can make use of the new caching application block to help lessen the demand on your back-end systems while increasing throughput.

• ( 3/14/2005 11:00 ) Enterprise Library Logging & Instrumentation Application Block  Register

  Properly instrumented applications are a dream to manage, they tell what is happening and when things are going wrong point you to the source of the problem quickly increasing your mean time to recovery resulting in increased system availability. In this webcast you will learn how to use the Enterprise Library logging and instrumentation block to consistently and easily build an application that tells you where it hurts.

• (  3/17/2005 11:00 ) Enterprise Library Exception Handling Application Block Register

  Exceptions happen…the question is what you will do to handle them. Poorly written applications behave unpredictably when exceptions occur and often this bad behavior results in crashes or security holes. Learn how you can create exception policies that can be consistently and quickly applied in your application to insure predictability even when things go wrong.

• ( 3/22/2005 13:00 ) Enterprise Library Cryptography Application Block  Register

  So you have a secret…what are you going to do with that credit card number, connection string or password? Stuff in a secret place and hope that no one ever finds it? Of course not, you want to encrypt it. But how? With the Enterprise Library cryptography block you can quickly encrypt and decrypt these secrets allowing you to secure them and sleep better at night.

• ( 3/24/2005 9:00 ) Enterprise Library Security Application Block  Register

  Every enterprise needs security and within most large enterprises there are many different security systems. Discover how Enterprise Library’s security block can help you to put a consistent API in front of many different back end implementations allowing you to use these security systems without having to become an expert in them.

• (  3/28/2005 11:00 ) Enterprise Library - Building your own application block  Register

  So you love application blocks? You want to create your own and share it with your colleagues, your enterprise…the world? Great! We want to help you. In this session we will walk through a simple application block to consider how you can build a block that integrates with the rest of Enterprise Library.

• (  3/31/2005 11:00) Enterprise Library Applied  Register

  You stand at your manager’s door working up the courage to walk in and tell them that you want to use Enterprise Library in your next project. There are so many questions about support, licensing, maintenance and futures…good thing you listened to this webcast to understand what it means for an enterprise to adopt this library. As you listen to real examples from enterprises like yours to understand how they are managing the risks and opportunities associated with Enterprise Library

[ via Ron Jacobs blog ]

This version features contains following refactorings

• Extract Interface

  This refactoring allows users to create interface from a class and make that class implement the created interface. A user can choose members to extract to the interface and name of the interface. The refactoring is useful for specifying a class interface and using it where appropriate.

• Extract Superclass

  With this refactoring you can create base class for a class and move some members to it. Just place caret at a class declaration, select members to extract and run the refactoring. It is very useful for moving some logic up to share it later.

• Copy Type

  Create copy of a type with different name or namespace easily. The refactoring will also create separate file for it.

• Introduce Field

  Select and expression or a local variable and apply this refactoring. It will create a new field or constant and initialize it with the expression or local variable initializer. The field can be initialized in its initializer, constructors or the current member.

• Encapsulate Field

  Forgot to create accessor property for a field? Just invoke the refactoring and it will create it and also replace usages of the field with usages of the property.

• Introduce Parameter

  Select an expression or a local variable in a method and this refactoring will create new parameter which will be properly initialized at all call sites.

• Convert Interface to Abstract Class

  If you want to add some logic to interface or feel it better be a class you should invoke the refactoring and all appropriate conversions will be made.

• Convert Abstract Class to Interface

  You can apply this refactoring to an abstract class and it will be converted to interface.

• Generating «delegation» methods

  If you need to delegate the execution of particular methods to an instance of a particular class, you no longer have to do it manually. Just call the ReSharper | Code | Generate… command or press Alt+Insert shortcut, choose "Generate delegating members" and specify the target and methods to become delegates. ReSharper will generate all necessary code immediately.

Download ReSharper 1.5

[ Via David Hayden’s blog]