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Convert UnixTime to DateTimeOffset with a custom System.Text.Json Converter

Some APIs do not follow standards, ignore ISO8601 and return UnixTime. This is not nice, but can be easily fixed with a custom converter for System.Text.Json.

Accelerate your .NET build with Visual Studio 2022

A little more than three months ago, Microsoft integrated a new functionality into Visual Studio 2022: Build Acceleration .

This mechanism, which can be optionally activated, apparently ensures that build times for .NET projects can be reduced by up to 80%. This is, of course, an announcement that I wanted to take a closer look at.

Re-use EF Core Expressions to avoid redundant queries

I often see snippets in EF Core code reviews such as the following:

1dbContext.Users.Where( user => user.Id == id );

The query filter user => user.Id == id is contained directly in the Where - often not just in one place but sometimes in dozens of places. Here I ask myself: why is this not simply outsourced to a central place? It’s so simple!

Easy InMemory Unit Tests with EFCore and Sqlite

Unit testing is a type of software testing that is performed on the smallest unit of a software application, called a “unit”. A unit can be a function, method or module that is tested in isolation from other parts of the code.

Better Code with custom Strong-Id Types

In many software architectures the problem exists that there are methods, which are specified a multiplicity of type-same parameters, whose meaning is however fundamentally different. In principle, this includes all handling of Ids or other essential values that have a logical meaning.

Value Converters in EFCore

In the field of software development, data transformation plays a key role in ensuring that information flows seamlessly between different components and systems. When using Entity Framework (EF Core) , a powerful object-relational mapping (ORM) framework, developers can take advantage of value converters to simplify the process of converting data types between applications and databases. . This blog post explains the concept of value converters in EF Core, their benefits and how to effectively use them in your projects.

Simplify string formatting with SmartFormat.NET

String formatting is a common task in software development and allows you to create dynamic and informative output. Traditional approaches such as string concatenation and compound formatting are widely used, but they quickly become unwieldy and error-prone when formatting requirements become more complex. This is where SmartFormat.NET comes in, a powerful and flexible string formatting library that simplifies the process and offers advanced functionality. In this blog post, we’ll take a look at SmartFormat.NET and how it can improve your string formatting needs.

Neuerungen in .NET 8

Noch ein halbes Jahr bis zum Release von .NET 8 - Zeit sich anzuschauen, was wir neues erwarten dürfen.

LTS Release

.NET 8 ist erneut ein LTS-Release; wie alle geraden Versionsbezeichner. Das bedeutet:

Detect Windows 10 and Windows 11 with .NET

Version numbers have always been a rather weird maintained matter under Windows; however, it became particularly bad with Windows 10, respectively 11. Actually, Windows 10 was supposed to be the last version number - but as most people correctly assumed, this has changed as we know.

Using Azure DevOps Pipeline Variables in PowerShell Script Files

Azure Pipelines inherently provides the ability for PowerShell scripts to be defined and executed inline.

1- task: AzureCLI@2
2  displayName: Bicep apply
3  inputs:
4    azureSubscription: MyAzureDevOpsConnectionName
5    scriptType: pscore
6    scriptLocation: inlineScript
7    inlineScript: az deployment group create --resource-group $(AZ_PLATFORM_RESOURCE_GROUP_NAME) --name $(AZ_DEPLOYMENT_NAME)-$(AZ_ENV_NAME) 

Unfortunately, this can become very confusing in many situations and also repetitive, since, for example, an Azure Bicep deployment task is required in several stages, so that the task is repeated accordingly.