Develop Your Own Facebook Application In ASP.NET C#

Last week I shared a coding tip on how to use Google Open ID authentication in your ASP.NET application. I was trying to the same with Facebook but ended up creating my very first application on Facebook platform. There are lots of tutorials and sample codes about Facebook coding but on this article, I'll try to simplify them in few words. The full sourcecode of the sample project is also available on the link below. The sample project is written in C# under MS Visual Studio 2008. Let start by downloading the Facebook Developer Toolkit from CodePlex. Now once you have the binaries on your local computer, next task is to set up your Facebook application.

Goo.gl Is Google URL Shortener

Last Monday, I blogged about a new URL shortener from McAfee which has built-in virus scanner that scan destination link for the safety of the person who will received the link. Today, I stumbled upon another URL shortener and its marketing advantage over others is the company behind it, Google. Other than the company, Goog.gl has a built-in statistic tracker for users with Google Account. This is useful for webmasters and owners who want to tracked the traffic of every short URLs they distribute. Goog.gl usage is similar with other URL shortener, just enter the original URL you wanted to convert then hit Shorten button. It immediately displays the shorten URL along side the button.



Signed users will see a list of urls that they have shortened. Clicking the Details link displays basic statistics, that includes which country users were located, their operating system and their web browser.

Visit Goo.gl

To stay up-to-date on Useful Websites, subscribe now.

Convert BAT File To EXE (Executable)

Recently we have implemented a new Human Resource solution in our company. The HR solution that we have acquired is pretty flexible in a sense that you can extend its capability by developing other modules in any programming tool then integrate it within its platform. Initially, what we want to add to the solution is to add a link on it that will call a batch scripts that runs series of commands. Our problem was it doesn't accept files other than with EXE extension. Luckily I stumbled upon Advanced BAT to EXE Converter which quickly converts batch scripts to .EXE files. Using it is simple, just load the BAT file via file menu. The contents of the BAT file will automatically displayed in the program interface and you may also able to edit it.



If you already happy with your script. You can compile it to standalone executable file by going File > Build Exe menu. A popup dialog is displayed and from here you can select an icon for the executable, add version information, dependency files, password protection, and make the program execute without console window. Hit the Make EXE button to start the conversion.



Advanced BAT to EXE Converter Executable works on all Windows 98/ME/2000/2003/XP/Vista/Win7. I tested it under Windows 7 x86.

Download Advanced BAT to EXE Converter

To stay up-to-date on Cool Softwares, subscribe now.

Shorten Your URL With McAfee Link Shortener

When URL is shortened, users wouldn't know what's behind the link and this is risky because short URLs are being exploited by spam and malware. A shortened URL can lead you to unsafe site that contains trojan or viruses. For recipients of the shortened link, they can check the original link by using shortened URL revealer like X-Ray. If your the sender who wants to make sure that your sharing a safe site then you can choose to shorten your URL with McAfee Link Shortener. The main difference of this shortener service from others is the ability to automatically scan the original link for malicious contents.

Using McAfee shortener is similar with other URL shorteners. You just have to input the destination link on the textbox provided and hit Shorten button to show the shortened URL.



Clicking on the newly generated link will redirect you to the destination site. A top frame is displayed on the destination URL that indicates that the site is safe. Such information is reassuring to users that you will share the link with.

Visit McAfee URL Shortener

To stay up-to-date on Useful Websites, subscribe now.

Reveal The Original URL Behind A Shortened Link With URL X-Ray

Shortened URL is commonly used to share long URLs but lately were exploited by malware and spam. In shortened URL, users cannot easily identify whether the destination URL is safe or not until they actually visit the target site. To help overcome such risk, shortened URL revealer have been developed such as URL X-Ray. It is a free online service that allows you to view the original link behind a shortened URL. Its usage is very simple, just visit the site and paste the shorted URL on the textbox. Hit X-ray button to display the original URL.




If you need to unshorten URLs frequently, there is another way to use this web service. You can install its bookmarklet, a little plugin that is installed into your browser's "bookmark toolbar". This way, you can just highlight the shortened URL and click on the URLxray bookmarklet to reveal the original link.

Visit URL X-Ray

Related Topics:
Display The Full URL Of Shortened URL With View Thru
How to revel shortened URL destinations

To stay up-to-date on Useful Websites, subscribe now.

Google Reader And GMail Notifier In One With GWatchman

If your like me who is an avid user of GMail and Google Reader then you might want to try at GWatchman as your Desktop notifier whenever a new email or feed arrived on your account. GWatchman is a portable tool that sits on system tray and religiously checks google services (mail, reader) for new feeds/messages and displays a popup alert when they arrive. Aside from its basic feature, you can also integrate it with Growl and modify its default background. To use it you must first provide your Google Account credentials. You account info (username and password) is saved on a XML file (with password being encrypted). You can set the checking interval from 30 seconds to 3 hours.




After all the initial setup, it will run on background and alert you regularly with a popup message.



Download GWatchman

GWatchman requires .NET Framework 4 to run on any Windows version. I tested it under Windows 7 x86.

To stay up-to-date on Portable Apps, subscribe now.

Make Windows 7 Recite Any Message Upon Login

I'm always fascinated by talking computers in Movies. Although it may still take years for computer to talk on its own, now you can make them speak by using the built-in Text to Speech program (Narrator). Here is a cool tip that enables your computer to narrate any message upon logon. All you need is to create a VB script to make use of Windows 7 welcome narration feature. If you don't know how to code a VB script, no worries, these simple steps will guide through it.