Hidden gems: Microsoft SQL .NET managed code support

I have been written a number of posts recently taking a look at Microsoft SQL and some items of it's more obtuse feature set – Microsoft SQL CLR support is one of these hidden gems. Whether you want to add SHA256 hashing to SQL or add managed code features to your database functions (MSMQ support?) this will get you there.

Twitterify your strings using c# regex

So you’ve set up a twitter feed on your site – sweet. Now all your peeps can see how excited you are about the new limited edition Whitney Houston EP you’ve been listening to. But then you post a link – or a reply to a fellow twitterati member and those handy auto links you’ve become so used to aren’t there. Bummer duuude – lets fix that.

Retrieving a Flickr Photo ID from a URL using RegEx

While working on a recent Flickr/Google Maps mashup i needed to make it as simple for users to share their Flickr photos as possible. What is easier than simply asking them to enter the Flickr photo page URL? Using this I'll show you a simple way to use RegEx to retrieve the photo ID part of the URL using c# as well as a JavaScript RegEx version for your ASP.Net RegEx validators. Lets get to it!