Visual Studio Find in Files: No files were found to look in.

Strangest error ever, strangest fix too. When searching through files (Ctrl+Shift+F) I get the error "No files were found to look in.". Close-Reopen won't work, but what did was hitting Pause/Break button, for other people it might have been ctrl+scroll lock.
http://www.dev102.com/2008/09/04/how-to-solve-no-files-were-found-to-look-in-find-was-stopped-in-progress/

WCF Server Too Busy -> IIS_WPG group

So in setting up a new WCF application, I was going to have my database credentials work through windows authentication instead of having plaintext passwords everywhere.

So I went about to get this accomplished.
I created a new app pool for my website, and in the properties of the app pool I set the identity to the domain user that I have confiqured in SQL Server.
And in my WCF web config I use the regular trusted security SQL connection string.

However, everytime I connect using my client WCF would throw a sevice is too busy error. Then trying from the web browser directly I would keep getting Service Unavailable. Apparently my app pool keeps stopping (checked the event log) because of setting the identity to a domain user. The key point here is that the domain user has to be part of the machine's IIS_WPG group in order to be trusted.

So I went through a series of errors to figure this out. Bottom line, if you want to use windows authentication in WCF for SQL database connection, make sure that user is part of the IIS_WPG group.

WCF Crashes After 10th Call

http://blogs.msdn.com/tess/archive/2009/01/09/net-hang-my-application-hangs-after-i-called-my-wcf-service-a-couple-of-times.aspx

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms731193.aspx

Tracking Files in Visual Studio

One of my biggest pains was opening a file in a VS project, and figuring out where in the solution tree it belongs. I often use the command window (of command) to directly open files so I don't have to search, but then I also want to be able to reference back to the tree. Now with this option whatever file you're looking at the tree is highlighted.

Tools...Options...Projects and Solutions...General
Check "Track Active Item in Solution Explorer"

ClickOnce: Changing the Deployment Server

For reference to do seamless click once deployment server change over

1. Deploy Application to New server
2. Run Mageui.exe and open up the .Application file
3. One the name tab (old server), update the version to the same version you just deployed to the new server
4. Click on the Deployment option (old server), and update the Start Location to the new server.
5. Click on Application Reference and choose select manifest (old server) – navigate to the manifest on the new server and select it.
6. Save – It will ask you your signing options – if your application is signed, simply choose the certificate that you are currently signing with (old server)

The next time the users go to use the application, the update files will come from the new server location. After they pick up the updates from that new server location at least one time, the old server can be killed and the application will know to look for updates at the new server location.

Setting up SSL on IIS6.0

While we're on the topic of SSL
1. In IIS Create Server Certificate Request
a. IIS -> Default Website -> Properties -> Directory Security -> Server Certificate -> Follow wizard to create request
2. Using a certificate authority, either your own or someone elses, submit the request, and approve it.
a. Make sure Certificate Authority service is installed
b. Admin Tools -> Certificate Authority -> Right Click -> All Tasks -> Submit New Request
c. Use request created in 1.
d. Goto Pending Requst folder and approve
3. Download the certificate
a. In Issued Certificate, Right Click on Cert -> All Task -> Export
b. Be sure to rename in .cer extension
4. In IIS again, assign the certificate.
a. Same steps as in 1. but assign instead of create when following wizard

If it's not from Verisign or some other "trusted" authority you'll get the "not trusted authority" pop-up error, etc, but at least the connection is still https. Decent for development purposes.

.NET has makecert.exe which allows you to make a cert for development, I haven't tried that yet. Same with the latest version of IIS 7.1 or so, has a make cert function.

Redirect to HTTPS from HTTP in IIS

This is a common problem, I've seen many solutions but I like this one the best.
http://kojiroh.wordpress.com/2006/09/06/hello-world/

The basic gist is to create a simple asp page whose sole role is redirecting to asp. Then the trick is to use IIS custom errors and assign 403;4 SSL Required to this page. Make the rest of your site except this page/file SSL required. So whenever someone hits your website without ssl, custom error routes them to that asp, which then redirects them to https.