Devlin Liles

Engineering Craft

Why Projects Fail

Project failure rates are dismal – less than 50% succeed! Let's explore the root causes beyond just "software people need to change" and work towards a better standard.

Engineering Craft

VSIX Installer: Fixing the PkgDefProjectOutputGroup Error

Struggling with a "PkgdefProjectOutputGroup" error in your VSIX installer? A sneaky URL-encoding issue in your `.csproj` file might be the culprit – check those semicolons!

Engineering Craft

Tools of the Trade

From keyboards to motion trackers, I've geeked out over a lot of tech lately! Join me as I share the gadgets that sparked serious excitement and boosted my productivity.

Engineering Craft

SSRS Ad-Hoc Reporting: Dynamic RDLC with LINQ to XML

Dynamically generate SSRS reports with this approach! Learn how to use LINQ to XML and RDLC to create flexible, application-integrated reports beyond standard SSRS scenarios.

Engineering Craft

Starting Out in Ruby

Diving into Ruby for my apprenticeship! Exploring mind-bending features like class-scoped methods and overridden constructors has been quite the learning experience.

Engineering Craft

RhinoMocks and Constrained Expectations

RhinoMocks lets you define precise expectations using constraints like `Matches()`. Learn how to use predicates and method calls for powerful, targeted mocking.

Engineering Craft

Productivity Tips: Write It Once

Stop rewriting the same code! Learn to leverage templates & snippets for faster, cleaner coding and reduce friction between your ideas and the final product.

People & Culture

Rewriting a Talk the Day Before: AWESOME

A last-minute tech update meant a complete rewrite of my upcoming talk – and it turned out awesome! Learn how embracing change can lead to a truly great presentation.

Engineering Craft

Object Repository: Extending the Standard Repository Pattern

Stop repeating LINQ queries! Learn how to create object-specific repositories, extending the standard repository pattern for cleaner, more maintainable code.

Engineering Craft

I Disagree with the Pit of Doom

I disagree with Ayende's "Pit of Doom" argument for repository abstraction. Repositories provide both an in-memory collection interface *and* a testable abstraction over data, crucial when dealing with diverse data sources.

Engineering Craft

LINQ, Lambdas, and the Learning Curve

LINQ's true power lies in lambdas, not verbose syntax. Learn to embrace them for concise code and unlock LINQ's full potential!

Engineering Craft

Dynamic Sort with LINQ

Need dynamic sorting in LINQ? This extension lets you sort by column names passed as strings, avoiding messy switch statements.

Engineering Craft

Highway.Data Getting Started Video

New to Highway? Our getting-started video covers the basics of Highway.Data, from patterns to queries! Watch now and let us know what you think: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1irYAW9azA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1irYAW9azA)

Engineering Craft

Designing for Testing

Treat your tests like production code—a craftsman takes pride in their tools, and strong tests are essential for a robust application. Empowering everyone to read, write, and run tests ensures quality and consistency throughout the development lifecycle.

Engineering Craft

Composing Complex Queries with LINQ

Simplify complex LINQ queries with reusable expressions! Learn how to compose multiple WHERE clauses using `Expression` and avoid messy, repeated code.

Engineering Craft

Debugging: Mark of Failure or Mark of Caution?

Is debugging a failure or a vital check? A lively debate with David Corbin sparked this post exploring whether automated tests are enough, or if line-by-line validation is essential.

Engineering Craft

Comments vs. Well-Written Code

Prioritize well-named code over comments—clear variable names are far more helpful when navigating unfamiliar codebases than lengthy explanations. Avoid generic class names like "class1" and embrace intuitive naming for easier understanding and faster bug fixes.

Engineering Craft

Callback Pattern to the Rescue

Tired of unwanted callbacks in your code? The Callback/Chain of Responsibility pattern lets you compose handlers to resolve issues, like login credential resolution, without messy implementation layers.

Engineering Craft

CodeRush vs. ReSharper: Six Months Later

Six months later, I've been bouncing between CodeRush and ReSharper. While both are powerful, CodeRush’s context-aware templates still reign supreme, but ReSharper's navigation and file generation have proven invaluable.

People & Culture

Books Every Developer Should Read

Level up your coding game! Here's a curated list of essential books for developers, from clean code to legacy systems and beyond.

People & Culture

Building Technical Wealth — Dave Ramsey Style

Tackle technical debt like Dave Ramsey tackles financial debt! Learn how to build "technical wealth" by stopping new debt and strategically addressing existing issues.

People & Culture

Book Review: Being Geek

Calling all IT pros! *Being Geek* by O'Reilly is an awesome, easy-to-understand handbook for navigating the career side of being a professional geek.