My (Disappointed) Tuppence-worth on what looks to be an otherwise Exceptional system
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shawty
Apr 2, 2009, 1:29:49 PM4/2/09
to WebWidgetry Users
Hi All,
Just wanted to share my first experiences with WebWidgetry, and
unfortunately i'm rather disappointed.
I downloaded and installed everything, and the whole installation went
perfectly smooth (Visual Studio Proff 2008 SP1)
I followed the 10 minute tutorial on creating the northwind data
service, running against IIS5.1 on an XP Professional workstation, and
had a couple of stack traces/exceptions with the compile stage, this i
realized however was my own fault, once i deleted the project files
and re-did the project using a file system path rather than a HTTP
project directly to the local IIS, all was well.
I've got to say, at this point i was very impressed at the SOA that
was generated, certainly at least a weeks worth of work reduced.
Eagerly, i went onto the interface tutorial, and again everything went
smoothly, until i tried to run it.
First off, i was puzzled by the lack of a "Default.aspx" file, at
which point i realized that this was actually in the application
folder. So after half an hour of scratching my head, i pointer my
browser to that, and the PC started chugging away.
About 30 seconds later, i'm greeted with an application failure
stating the following:
Server Error in '/northwind_interface' Application.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Could not find a part of the path 'H:\Web\wwwroot\WebWidgetry\js\lib
\prototype1.6.0.2.js'.
I remembered seeing a note in the tute about changing the running path
to a '/' but little more information, so i deleted and redid the
project, changing the only option i could find that referenced a path
and that was the "Virtual Path"
Tried to run again, and got no where except the same error.
Iv'e now been on for approx 3 hours, trying to find some config
option, or line in web config that tells me where the base path is,
and no joy.
Some things i have noted while testing:
The error : Could not find a part of the path 'H:\Web\wwwroot
\WebWidgetry\js\lib\prototype1.6.0.2.js'.
Is looking for the wrong path. It should be : 'H:\Web\wwwroot
\northwind_interface\WebWidgetry\js\lib\prototype1.6.0.2.js'. which i
have verified and is reachable in the browser, and from the file
system.
Secondly, when opening the pages (Particularly Application/
Default.aspx) VS2008 is not able to find the references to data
sources etc, i get the "Error creating Control - Shell" gray error
boxes, (in the case of Default.aspx, i get: System.web.UI.UserControl
does not have a public property named "Content Template")
As i was having issues with what looked like real path to virtual path
mapping, i decided to try an experiment, and once again re-did the
project, as an actual IIS virtual app created against IIS rather than
file system writing, and now when ever i generate the application, VS
crashes and disappears from my screen.
This looks to be a very promising toolkit, and before i give up hope
of getting it to work in 10 minutes :-) i'd like to see if anyone in
the group has any feed back on this. I'm happy to zip up the project
files and send them if need be.
Also, since all dev & builds have to be done on a file system path,
what are the implications of moving the app to a production server
running on 2003/2008 Server once a working interface is achieved.
Best regards
Shawty
Just wanted to share my first experiences with WebWidgetry, and
unfortunately i'm rather disappointed.
I downloaded and installed everything, and the whole installation went
perfectly smooth (Visual Studio Proff 2008 SP1)
I followed the 10 minute tutorial on creating the northwind data
service, running against IIS5.1 on an XP Professional workstation, and
had a couple of stack traces/exceptions with the compile stage, this i
realized however was my own fault, once i deleted the project files
and re-did the project using a file system path rather than a HTTP
project directly to the local IIS, all was well.
I've got to say, at this point i was very impressed at the SOA that
was generated, certainly at least a weeks worth of work reduced.
Eagerly, i went onto the interface tutorial, and again everything went
smoothly, until i tried to run it.
First off, i was puzzled by the lack of a "Default.aspx" file, at
which point i realized that this was actually in the application
folder. So after half an hour of scratching my head, i pointer my
browser to that, and the PC started chugging away.
About 30 seconds later, i'm greeted with an application failure
stating the following:
Server Error in '/northwind_interface' Application.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Could not find a part of the path 'H:\Web\wwwroot\WebWidgetry\js\lib
\prototype1.6.0.2.js'.
I remembered seeing a note in the tute about changing the running path
to a '/' but little more information, so i deleted and redid the
project, changing the only option i could find that referenced a path
and that was the "Virtual Path"
Tried to run again, and got no where except the same error.
Iv'e now been on for approx 3 hours, trying to find some config
option, or line in web config that tells me where the base path is,
and no joy.
Some things i have noted while testing:
The error : Could not find a part of the path 'H:\Web\wwwroot
\WebWidgetry\js\lib\prototype1.6.0.2.js'.
Is looking for the wrong path. It should be : 'H:\Web\wwwroot
\northwind_interface\WebWidgetry\js\lib\prototype1.6.0.2.js'. which i
have verified and is reachable in the browser, and from the file
system.
Secondly, when opening the pages (Particularly Application/
Default.aspx) VS2008 is not able to find the references to data
sources etc, i get the "Error creating Control - Shell" gray error
boxes, (in the case of Default.aspx, i get: System.web.UI.UserControl
does not have a public property named "Content Template")
As i was having issues with what looked like real path to virtual path
mapping, i decided to try an experiment, and once again re-did the
project, as an actual IIS virtual app created against IIS rather than
file system writing, and now when ever i generate the application, VS
crashes and disappears from my screen.
This looks to be a very promising toolkit, and before i give up hope
of getting it to work in 10 minutes :-) i'd like to see if anyone in
the group has any feed back on this. I'm happy to zip up the project
files and send them if need be.
Also, since all dev & builds have to be done on a file system path,
what are the implications of moving the app to a production server
running on 2003/2008 Server once a working interface is achieved.
Best regards
Shawty
Ryan Gahl
Apr 2, 2009, 2:40:47 PM4/2/09
to webwidge...@googlegroups.com
Hi Shawty,
It is a little rough around the edges (at least the current version on the site). Do you have an SVN client installed (like Tortoise SVN)? If so, I'd be more than happy to give you read access to a repository where we keep the (semi) nightly builds, which are (at this point) quite a bit ahead of the versions on the site.
Using the latest versions _should_ net you some better results.
Another option, since I'm always eager to help people get past the learning curve (and since our documentation is sorely lacking), is I'd be more than happy to run through the setup and stuff with via a GoToMeeting session if you have some availability (say, maybe some time early next week?)...
I can explain quite a bit in about 30-45 minutes that might help alleviate some of that headscratching.
Finally, we are releasing this under the GPLv3, with the option for a commerical license for those that need one... and one thing we need to do is get some interested people on board to contribute (i.e. those people that find the toolkit promising and have ideas for improvements). We don't have the source up on CodePlex yet, but just wanted to throw that out there, in case it seems like something you may be interested in at some point.
Ryan Gahl
CEO
Nth Penguin, LLC
http://www.nthpenguin.com
--
Inquire: 1-920-574-2218
Blog: http://www.someElement.com
LinkedIn Profile: http://www.linkedin.com/in/ryangahl
It is a little rough around the edges (at least the current version on the site). Do you have an SVN client installed (like Tortoise SVN)? If so, I'd be more than happy to give you read access to a repository where we keep the (semi) nightly builds, which are (at this point) quite a bit ahead of the versions on the site.
Using the latest versions _should_ net you some better results.
Another option, since I'm always eager to help people get past the learning curve (and since our documentation is sorely lacking), is I'd be more than happy to run through the setup and stuff with via a GoToMeeting session if you have some availability (say, maybe some time early next week?)...
I can explain quite a bit in about 30-45 minutes that might help alleviate some of that headscratching.
Finally, we are releasing this under the GPLv3, with the option for a commerical license for those that need one... and one thing we need to do is get some interested people on board to contribute (i.e. those people that find the toolkit promising and have ideas for improvements). We don't have the source up on CodePlex yet, but just wanted to throw that out there, in case it seems like something you may be interested in at some point.
Ryan Gahl
CEO
Nth Penguin, LLC
http://www.nthpenguin.com
--
Inquire: 1-920-574-2218
Blog: http://www.someElement.com
LinkedIn Profile: http://www.linkedin.com/in/ryangahl
shawty
Apr 2, 2009, 3:15:53 PM4/2/09
to WebWidgetry Users
Hi Ryan,
That sounds like it could be a deal. I like the look of what your
doing here, I've got a similar toolkit i wrote using PHP, but because
it was done as a commercial job i can't release it. In hindsight, i
wished I'd retained control, and licensed it but well... i guess you
know the score.
I'm happy to do a goto meeting, or even better, i can allow you access
straight to the PC I'm testing this on via VNC, then that way you can
look at what I'm doing, and point out where i might be going wrong.
I'm happy to help with the beta testing, but depending on workload i
can't promise a huge amount of attention.
Since my last post, I've made a little headway, and have actually got
something up on screen, now i get a message box saying :
"Error, problem invoking method 'GetJavascriptDefinition'"
Unfortunately i don't have SVN on this PC, i'm willing to bet however
that one of my Linux servers do have SVN on, but going through them
will take a hour or two.
I notice you have a linked in address, you can contact me on there
also at http://www.linkedin.com/in/petershaw08
Cheers
Shawty
On Apr 2, 7:40 pm, Ryan Gahl <ryan.g...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi Shawty,
>
> It is a little rough around the edges (at least the current version on the
> site). Do you have an SVN client installed (like Tortoise SVN)? If so, I'd
> be more than happy to give you read access to a repository where we keep the
> (semi) nightly builds, which are (at this point) quite a bit ahead of the
> versions on the site.
>
> Using the latest versions _should_ net you some better results.
>
> Another option, since I'm always eager to help people get past the learning
> curve (and since our documentation is sorely lacking), is I'd be more than
> happy to run through the setup and stuff with via a GoToMeeting session if
> you have some availability (say, maybe some time early next week?)...
>
> I can explain quite a bit in about 30-45 minutes that might help alleviate
> some of that headscratching.
>
> Finally, we are releasing this under the GPLv3, with the option for a
> commerical license for those that need one... and one thing we need to do is
> get some interested people on board to contribute (i.e. those people that
> find the toolkit promising and have ideas for improvements). We don't have
> the source up on CodePlex yet, but just wanted to throw that out there, in
> case it seems like something you may be interested in at some point.
>
> Ryan Gahl
> CEO
> Nth Penguin, LLChttp://www.nthpenguin.com
That sounds like it could be a deal. I like the look of what your
doing here, I've got a similar toolkit i wrote using PHP, but because
it was done as a commercial job i can't release it. In hindsight, i
wished I'd retained control, and licensed it but well... i guess you
know the score.
I'm happy to do a goto meeting, or even better, i can allow you access
straight to the PC I'm testing this on via VNC, then that way you can
look at what I'm doing, and point out where i might be going wrong.
I'm happy to help with the beta testing, but depending on workload i
can't promise a huge amount of attention.
Since my last post, I've made a little headway, and have actually got
something up on screen, now i get a message box saying :
"Error, problem invoking method 'GetJavascriptDefinition'"
Unfortunately i don't have SVN on this PC, i'm willing to bet however
that one of my Linux servers do have SVN on, but going through them
will take a hour or two.
I notice you have a linked in address, you can contact me on there
also at http://www.linkedin.com/in/petershaw08
Cheers
Shawty
On Apr 2, 7:40 pm, Ryan Gahl <ryan.g...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi Shawty,
>
> It is a little rough around the edges (at least the current version on the
> site). Do you have an SVN client installed (like Tortoise SVN)? If so, I'd
> be more than happy to give you read access to a repository where we keep the
> (semi) nightly builds, which are (at this point) quite a bit ahead of the
> versions on the site.
>
> Using the latest versions _should_ net you some better results.
>
> Another option, since I'm always eager to help people get past the learning
> curve (and since our documentation is sorely lacking), is I'd be more than
> happy to run through the setup and stuff with via a GoToMeeting session if
> you have some availability (say, maybe some time early next week?)...
>
> I can explain quite a bit in about 30-45 minutes that might help alleviate
> some of that headscratching.
>
> Finally, we are releasing this under the GPLv3, with the option for a
> commerical license for those that need one... and one thing we need to do is
> get some interested people on board to contribute (i.e. those people that
> find the toolkit promising and have ideas for improvements). We don't have
> the source up on CodePlex yet, but just wanted to throw that out there, in
> case it seems like something you may be interested in at some point.
>
> Ryan Gahl
> CEO
> --
> Inquire: 1-920-574-2218
> Blog:http://www.someElement.com
> LinkedIn Profile:http://www.linkedin.com/in/ryangahl
>
> Inquire: 1-920-574-2218
> Blog:http://www.someElement.com
> LinkedIn Profile:http://www.linkedin.com/in/ryangahl
>
shawty
Apr 2, 2009, 3:48:20 PM4/2/09
to WebWidgetry Users
Following my last reply, and after walking away from the computer and
coming back to it, iv'e now managed to get it working.
For those that may run into the same problems, here's how.
When building the application, and running you'll get asked if you
want to upgrade the application from .NET V2 to .NET V3.5. Answering
yes to this, is what was causing the problems. To avoid it, either
answer no, or when starting the new project, make sure that you
select .NET V2 as the target platform.
The second issue about the javascript, was already answered in another
post in the group, once i made sure the service name was correct,
everything started to work ok.
Cheers
Shawty
coming back to it, iv'e now managed to get it working.
For those that may run into the same problems, here's how.
When building the application, and running you'll get asked if you
want to upgrade the application from .NET V2 to .NET V3.5. Answering
yes to this, is what was causing the problems. To avoid it, either
answer no, or when starting the new project, make sure that you
select .NET V2 as the target platform.
The second issue about the javascript, was already answered in another
post in the group, once i made sure the service name was correct,
everything started to work ok.
Cheers
Shawty
Ryan Gahl
Apr 2, 2009, 3:52:12 PM4/2/09
to webwidge...@googlegroups.com
Ah yes. Sorry I didn't think to have you check that. Good catch. Upgrading to 3.5 is still a TODO. The Interface side should have no issues if you convert it to a 3.5 app (I have done it where I needed some LINQiness) - but I think the DataServices side hangs up on something still.
Ryan Gahl
CEO
Nth Penguin, LLC
http://www.nthpenguin.com
--
Inquire: 1-920-574-2218
Blog: http://www.someElement.com
LinkedIn Profile: http://www.linkedin.com/in/ryangahl
Ryan Gahl
CEO
Nth Penguin, LLC
http://www.nthpenguin.com
--
Inquire: 1-920-574-2218
Blog: http://www.someElement.com
LinkedIn Profile: http://www.linkedin.com/in/ryangahl
shawty
Apr 2, 2009, 4:22:54 PM4/2/09
to WebWidgetry Users
Hi Ryan,
Update number 2 :-)
Ok, so we now fast forward, and after the previous success, of it
running from within the IDE, I've tried to access the same app via a
plain old browser interface. Unfortunately, i've now ended up back at
the :
Server Error in '/flap' Application.
word that popped into my head when i re-did it )
Anyway, within the virtual directory called 'flap' running under
IIS5.1 on the XP Box, we get the above when trying to access
http://localhost/flap/test.Northwind/ thinking this was browser
specific, i tried this in FF3 & IE7 and got the same result. Firing
VS2008 Back up, and hitting the run button works fine, i do however
notice that when running under casini from the IDE, that the folder
'test.Northwind' is actually rooted, IE:
http://localhost:4363/test.Northwind/Default.aspx
I believe that your app generator is creating the app to be run from
the root of a given webserver file system as opposed to running from a
vdir, and i'm guessing this is exactly why you have to hack the vdir
setting in the project too.
Is the root path stored in the apps configuration anywhere ryan? I'd
like to see what happens if i try changing it manually?
Cheers
Shawty
Update number 2 :-)
Ok, so we now fast forward, and after the previous success, of it
running from within the IDE, I've tried to access the same app via a
plain old browser interface. Unfortunately, i've now ended up back at
the :
Server Error in '/flap' Application.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Could not find a part of the path 'H:\Web\wwwroot\WebWidgetry\js\lib
\prototype1.6.0.2.js'.
error that i had previous. (Excuse the vdir name :-) it was the first
Could not find a part of the path 'H:\Web\wwwroot\WebWidgetry\js\lib
\prototype1.6.0.2.js'.
word that popped into my head when i re-did it )
Anyway, within the virtual directory called 'flap' running under
IIS5.1 on the XP Box, we get the above when trying to access
http://localhost/flap/test.Northwind/ thinking this was browser
specific, i tried this in FF3 & IE7 and got the same result. Firing
VS2008 Back up, and hitting the run button works fine, i do however
notice that when running under casini from the IDE, that the folder
'test.Northwind' is actually rooted, IE:
http://localhost:4363/test.Northwind/Default.aspx
I believe that your app generator is creating the app to be run from
the root of a given webserver file system as opposed to running from a
vdir, and i'm guessing this is exactly why you have to hack the vdir
setting in the project too.
Is the root path stored in the apps configuration anywhere ryan? I'd
like to see what happens if i try changing it manually?
Cheers
Shawty
Ryan Gahl
Apr 2, 2009, 4:28:39 PM4/2/09
to webwidge...@googlegroups.com
Oh, you're using vdirs in XP. Yes, currently this will only work as SITEs (deployed to a version of IIS that supports adding additional full sites, in other words almost any version other than the one that ships with XP, which inextricably is impossible to create a new site on no matter what).
There is no web root config value as of now. We just assume "/" is the root. If working on an XP machine, for now, you'll have to have two instances of VS (one for the Dataservice app, one for the Interface app), and just use VS's internal server.
Do you actually deploy to an XP instance somewhere that you're using as a server?
BTW, I do agree that we should make this a bit more flexible. I'm simply telling you how it currently works.
Ryan Gahl
CEO
Nth Penguin, LLC
http://www.nthpenguin.com
--
Inquire: 1-920-574-2218
Blog: http://www.someElement.com
LinkedIn Profile: http://www.linkedin.com/in/ryangahl
There is no web root config value as of now. We just assume "/" is the root. If working on an XP machine, for now, you'll have to have two instances of VS (one for the Dataservice app, one for the Interface app), and just use VS's internal server.
Do you actually deploy to an XP instance somewhere that you're using as a server?
BTW, I do agree that we should make this a bit more flexible. I'm simply telling you how it currently works.
Ryan Gahl
CEO
Nth Penguin, LLC
http://www.nthpenguin.com
--
Inquire: 1-920-574-2218
Blog: http://www.someElement.com
LinkedIn Profile: http://www.linkedin.com/in/ryangahl
shawty
Apr 2, 2009, 5:15:47 PM4/2/09
to WebWidgetry Users
He he....
I was guessing it had something to do with that :-)
Iv'e just deployed it to a 2003 Enterprise server running IIS6, Rooted
the site at a root web running off port 81 on the box, and... now we
have somthing entirely different...
Server Error in '/' Application.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Configuration Error
Description: An error occurred during the processing of a
configuration file required to service this request. Please review the
specific error details below and modify your configuration file
appropriately.
Parser Error Message: Unrecognized attribute 'requirePermission'.
Source Error:
Line 10: <configuration>
Line 11: <configSections>
Line 12: <section name="webWidgetrySection"
type="WebWidgetry.Configuration.WebWidgetrySection"
requirePermission="false" />
Line 13: <section name="WebWidgetry"
type="WebWidgetry.Configuration.WebWidgetrySection"
requirePermission="false" />
Line 14: </configSections>
Source File: c:\Inetpub\flap\web.config Line: 12
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Version Information: Microsoft .NET Framework Version:1.1.4322.2300;
ASP.NET Version:1.1.4322.2300
I'll come back to this tomorrow, Iv'e done enough debugging for now.
For the record though, i normally dev direct to IIS5.1 on an XP box,
then move the site to a staging server running IIS6/2003 for live
testing before moving the finished site to it's final production
environment.
Cheers
Shawty
I was guessing it had something to do with that :-)
Iv'e just deployed it to a 2003 Enterprise server running IIS6, Rooted
the site at a root web running off port 81 on the box, and... now we
have somthing entirely different...
Server Error in '/' Application.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Configuration Error
Description: An error occurred during the processing of a
configuration file required to service this request. Please review the
specific error details below and modify your configuration file
appropriately.
Parser Error Message: Unrecognized attribute 'requirePermission'.
Source Error:
Line 10: <configuration>
Line 11: <configSections>
Line 12: <section name="webWidgetrySection"
type="WebWidgetry.Configuration.WebWidgetrySection"
requirePermission="false" />
Line 13: <section name="WebWidgetry"
type="WebWidgetry.Configuration.WebWidgetrySection"
requirePermission="false" />
Line 14: </configSections>
Source File: c:\Inetpub\flap\web.config Line: 12
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Version Information: Microsoft .NET Framework Version:1.1.4322.2300;
ASP.NET Version:1.1.4322.2300
I'll come back to this tomorrow, Iv'e done enough debugging for now.
For the record though, i normally dev direct to IIS5.1 on an XP box,
then move the site to a staging server running IIS6/2003 for live
testing before moving the finished site to it's final production
environment.
Cheers
Shawty
Ryan Gahl
Apr 2, 2009, 5:22:26 PM4/2/09
to webwidge...@googlegroups.com
Here's your problem...
Ryan Gahl
CEO
Nth Penguin, LLC
http://www.nthpenguin.com
--
Inquire: 1-920-574-2218
Blog: http://www.someElement.com
LinkedIn Profile: http://www.linkedin.com/in/ryangahl
CEO
Nth Penguin, LLC
http://www.nthpenguin.com
--
Inquire: 1-920-574-2218
Blog: http://www.someElement.com
LinkedIn Profile: http://www.linkedin.com/in/ryangahl
shawty
Apr 2, 2009, 6:23:17 PM4/2/09
to WebWidgetry Users
Yup, i just noticed that my self. I wouldn't care, i have .NET 3.5
installed on the server.
Cheers Ryan.
Shawty
installed on the server.
Cheers Ryan.
Shawty
Ryan Gahl
Apr 2, 2009, 6:54:13 PM4/2/09
to webwidge...@googlegroups.com
Yup, i just noticed that my self. I wouldn't care, i have .NET 3.5
installed on the server.
You may have 3.5 installed on the server, but the site you have set up in IIS is configured to use 1.1, thus the error message you got.
Ryan Gahl
CEO
Nth Penguin, LLC
http://www.nthpenguin.com
--
Inquire: 1-920-574-2218
Blog: http://www.someElement.com
LinkedIn Profile: http://www.linkedin.com/in/ryangahl
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