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Next to that there are a lot of APIs (TERA-WURFL PHP, WURFL-PHP, WURFL-Java, WURFL-.NET and WURFL-Perl). I’m using the TERA-WURFL PHP API since I’m also fond of the Smarty template engine. :-)

How it works
The WURFL-PHP API uses a mysql instance to store device specific properties. A caching mechanisms works on top of the mysql instance to enable lightning fast queries on the database.

By querying the device table (11,000+ rows) using $_SERVER['HTTP_USER_AGENT'], we can now retrieve our device screen width capability:

$width = $wurfl->getCapa('resolution_width'); // get width capability

All capabilities can be found at WURFL’s documentation: http://wurfl.sourceforge.net/help_doc.php.

Back to Vodafone:
Ok, so why does Vodafone suck?

Well, it is all about Vodafone’s reformatting proxy. A what? Yeah, a reformatting proxy. Vodafone uses reformatting proxies to reformat a page to display only the content of interest (ie. article text, article thumbnail, no layout). This comes in handy when a website doesn’t have a mobile design; think about reading Slashdot without a reformat. However, many websites have a mobile specific website nowadays, which leads to better user experience, since reformatted pages are mostly completely stripped down. The big problem in this case is that Vodafone’s reformatting proxy changes crucial HTTP headers..

• A normal request from a mobile phone:

  HTTP_USER_AGENT => Nokia6288/2.0 (05.92) Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1
  HTTP_X_WAP_PROFILE => "http://nds1.nds.nokia.com/uaprof/N6288r100.xml"

• Vodaphone’s reformatting proxy’s request:

  HTTP_USER_AGENT => = Mozilla/5.0 (X11; U; Linux i686; en-US; rv:1.8.0.7) Gecko/
  Firefox/1.5.0.7 MG (Novarra-Vision/6.1)
  HTTP_X_DEVICE_USER_AGENT => Nokia6288/2.0 (05.94) Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1

The reformat proxy changed the HTTP_USER_AGENT header to a desktop browser version [sigh]. HTTP_X_DEVICE_USER_AGENT is a non-standard HTTP header. Hijacking HTTP headers is great sport, way to go Vodafone! Is this just as bad as claiming a color?

References:

• http://wurfl.sourceforge.net/
• http://wurfl.sourceforge.net/vodafonerant/
• http://www.betavine.net/bvportal/forums/index.html?threadId=207&postPage=6
• http://wapple.net/press-releases/33/vodafone-misses-the-point-of-the-mobile-internet.htm

Seattle skyline

Next to this event I have some time off to go to Olympic National Park; roam downtown Seattle and have a look on how the American Dream is lived. Or do you have to be asleep to believe it?

The reason they call it the American Dream is because you have to be asleep to believe it.
- George Carlin

Hang around for photos! :-)

Developing:
First of a snippet from the input Makefile:

######################################
# m builds
+m #executable
    @All #target
        files 	= m\*.m
	out	= bin\mx\Image.mx
	package = Image

    @AllToRepository
	files 	= m\*.m
	out	= bin\sql\ImageRep.sql
	target 	= Repository

    @AllToTsql
	files 	= m\*.m
	out	= bin\sql\ImageTsql.sql
	target	= Tsql10

After specifying the input file, we continue..

• Create MGrammar to parse Makefile to a graph.
• Compile MGrammar to Mgx or MgxResource to use in the runtime.
• Build a runtime: at first I wanted to build a runtime in Intellipads scriptengine (IronPython), but I encountered errors on DynamicParser.Parse(), which I couldn’t resolve. Since IronPython was no use for me at the moment, I used the .NET 3.5 Console Application (mmake.exe <executable>.<target>) to parse the graph and execute the build command with the proper parameters from the graph.
• Create a new Minibuffer command in IronPython which takes a <executable>.<target> as parameter (eg m.All). A new process will be created to call mmake.exe m.All and its stdout will be redirected to a new BufferView in Intellipad.

Python Magic

FindHelper.py

from Microsoft.Intellipad.Host import HostWindow
from System.Windows import MessageBox, MessageBoxButton, MessageBoxImage
from System.Diagnostics import Process, ProcessStartInfo
from System.IO import Directory, Path
...
def BuildImpl(activeView, target):
    filePath = GetFriendlyFilePath(activeView.Buffer.Uri.AbsolutePath)    

    if filePath.find("Makefile") >= 0:
        hostWindow = HostWindow.GetHostWindowForBufferView(activeView)
        buildBuffer = Common.BufferManager.GetBuffer(System.Uri('transient://build'))
        Common.Clear(buildBuffer)

        view = Common.GetView(hostWindow, buildBuffer)
        if view is None:
            hostWindow.ShowInRoot(buildBuffer, 40.0)

        fileDir = Path.GetDirectoryName(filePath)
        (exitCode, stdout, stderr) = RunBuildCommand("mmake", fileDir, target)
        Common.Write(buildBuffer, stdout + "\n" + stderr)
    else:
        message = "Error: Makefile needs to be in the active buffer."
        MessageBox.Show(message, IntellipadMessageBoxTitle , MessageBoxButton.OK,
 MessageBoxImage.Information)

def GetFriendlyFilePath(fileUri):
    path = str(fileUri).replace('%20', ' ')
    return path.replace('/', '\\')

def RunBuildCommand(cmd, pwd, args):
    processStartInfo = ProcessStartInfo()
    processStartInfo.WorkingDirectory = pwd
    processStartInfo.FileName = cmd
    processStartInfo.Arguments = args
    processStartInfo.UseShellExecute = False
    processStartInfo.RedirectStandardOutput = True
    processStartInfo.RedirectStandardError = True

    process = Process()
    process.StartInfo = processStartInfo
    process.Start()
    process.WaitForExit()

    stdout = process.StandardOutput.ReadToEnd()
    stderr = process.StandardError.ReadToEnd()
    return process.ExitCode, stdout, stderr

MiniBufferCommandSetup.py

def Build(target):
        FindHelper.BuildImpl(MiniBufferHelper.GetActiveView(), target)

Running the Makefile:
When I use Intellipad to work on my grammars and models, I have the following directory setup:

Now open up the Makefile in Intellipad:
Note: All paths specified in the Makefile are relative to the path of the Makefile.

Hit Ctrl+/ to bring up the Minibuffer and type: Build(’<executable>.<target>’)
Note: Intellipad needs to know what directory the Makefile is in, so the Makefile buffer should be active (selected) before bringing up the Minibuffer.

Command will run and output to a new BufferView:

Download:

• Sample project directory (Makefile and samples from Oslo SDK 1.0 for sample builds).
• mmake (1 runtime, 1 mgx and 2 .py): Extract archive in %PATH_TO_OSLO_SDK%\Bin

Install notes:

• Add %PATH_TO_OSLO_SDK%\Bin to system var: PATH
• Backup .py files in case Intellipad stops working: FindHelper.py and MiniBufferCommandSetup.
  %PATH_TO_OSLO_SDK%\Bin\Intellipad\FindHelper.py
  %PATH_TO_OSLO_SDK%\Bin\Intellipad\Components\Microsoft.Intellipad.Scripting\PrivateScripts
• Write permission errors on %PATH_TO_OSLO_SDK%: fix directory settings.

What’s next?

• Hyperlinks on buildtargets in Intellipad: click to compile.
• Resolving IronPython issues with DynamicParser.Parse().
• Build a horizontal DSL instead of a vertical DSL for Makefiles.

Bugs and errors:
Post bugs or suggestions in the comments or drop me a line via email. :-)

References:

• http://blogs.msdn.com/Intellipad/
• http://www.ironpython.info/index.php/Contents
• http://www.sellsbrothers.com/news/showTopic.aspx?ixTopic=2256

Dear readers,

I’ve been working on a small project called “OsloTool” and I thought it would be best to share this with the rest of the Oslo developers. It saved me a lot of time developing Oslo applications.

Basically it’s a Graphical User Interface on top of the commandline tools: mg.exe, mgx.exe, m.exe and mx.exe. Untill Microsoft Implements build-options into IntelliPad u can use this (if you hate commandline as much as I do).

I’ll post the source as well, so you can modify and maybe even expand it.

Screenshot:
http://img9.imageshack.us/img9/1353/oslotool.jpg

Download:
http://michaelwolbert.nl/projects/Oslo/OsloTool.zip (thanks to my dear colleague and friend, Michael Wolbert)

Mirror:
http://www.zshare.net/download/56614958a3fce0d5/

Note:
In “Commands.cs” there is this line of code which specifies Oslo Directory:
static string OsloDirectory = “C:/program files/microsoft oslo sdk 1.0″;

If you got any questions concerning OsloTool feel free to leave a message!

Greeting,
Bryan Sumter

Oslo MSDN Community post

Grab the executable and source here!

I’ve defined the way I’d like to create my blogs, posts and blogrolls in a textual way:

Blog
    With Title OsloBlog
    Section Posts
        Post With Title MGrammar And Desc MGrammar
        Post With Title Quadrant And Desc Quadrant
    End Section
    Section Blogroll
        Link With Title Oslo And Url http://microsoft.com
        Link With Title Michael And Url http://michaelwolbert.nl
    End Section
End Blog
Blog
    With Title MichaelBlog
    Section Posts
        Post With Title Avanade And Desc Ava
        Post With Title Testing123 And Desc Testing123456789
    End Section
End Blog

With our grammar (parser) we can now create projections of our textual DSL:

Blog[
    Title[
      "MichaelBlog"
    ],
    Sections[
      Posts[
        Post[
          Title[
            "Avanade"
          ],
          Desc[
            "Ava"
          ]
        ],
        Post[
          Title[
            "Testing123"
          ],
          Desc[
            "Testing123456789"
          ]
        ]
      ]
    ]
  ]

Next step would be to push this projections to Oslo’s repository (just a plain ol’ SQL 2008 database), so a runtime can access it. We could also create a runtime which uses a set of classes to parse our textual DSL directly to the runtime. But that will be covered later on.

See this Intellipad screenshot for the textual DSL, the MGrammar and the projections (from L to R).

Some nice samples can be found in the “M” Language Gallery. Especially Natural Language Dates has some good pointers to get started.

I recently hooked up my Flickraccount to my blog. I’ll probably upload some photos every now and then.

See you soon!

Front row left to right: Pieter Brinkman (Software Developer), Dennis Van Baalen (Manager Software Development), Herbert Pesch (Owner of Evident Interactive); back row left to right: me, Bryan Sumter, Ruben De Gooijer

Full article (PDF alert, 3.5mb).

Evident Interactive, a company which primarily focuses on existing .NET technologies, was keen to know the latest ins and outs on new Microsoft technologies, such as Silverlight and mapping technologies (Virtual Earth & Google Maps). Although mapping technologies aren’t that new, Silverlight could deliver the extra punch of User Experience the company was looking for in creating small lightweight webapplications.

Evident Interactive made an agreement with the Hogeschool Utrecht to hire students from IT related studies to study and to develop a pilot given these technologies. We the students, Bryan, Bastiaan, Ruben and I took the opportunity to join the team.

left to right: Ruben, Bastiaan, Pieter (coworker@Evident), Bryan and me

While we where studying and developing we had contact with Martin Tirion, who is a Microsoft User Experience Evangelist. He proposed that we’d demo the pilot at MixEssentials 2008, which was concurrent to the DevDays 2008. So we did!

• Short impression of the presentation (video with funky music)
• Full presentation (requires Live passport.. booooo!)
• Screencapture

It was pretty exciting and cool to demo an application in front of 150 people, trying to take their breath away.. ;-) For all the efforts we received a nice bottle of Prosecco (the bottle was empty next day) and a trip to TechEd 2008 in Barcelona! Pretty nice.. but unfortunately I’m going on a trip to Bangalore, India from the 2th till the 22th of November for my study.. Too bad..

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