Month / December 2016

by Ricardo Sanchez

How to add simple logging to your Web App using Elmah

Logging is a crucial part of any application. Logging can be used to track events, identify code issues, security holes, etc. In this blog post, I’ll describe how to add logging to your ASP.NET web application using an open source logging framework called Elmah.

Elmah has been around for a while, it became very popular for its pluggable framework. Elmah can be dynamically added to a running ASP.NET web application, or even all ASP.NET web applications on a machine, without any need for re-compilation or re-deployment.

Another common open source logging framework for .NET is a port of the excellent Apache log4j framework to the Microsoft .NET runtime, log4net. However, in this blog, I’ll focus on how to enable logging for your ASP.NET web application using Elmah.

Install Elmah

Get the latest Elmah version by typing the following into your Package Manager Console.

PM> Install-Package elmah.sqlserver

In this example, I am using the Elmah SQL package that comes with the files and configuration needed to log errors in a SQL table. After running the command above, you’ll see a new directory, App_Readme with two files in it.

solution1 Continue reading →

by Ricardo Sanchez

Introducing Webmica

It’s been a while since I launched a whole new project, the last one was Startup Interns, and that was about a year ago, and the project is doing pretty well. Today I would like to announce Webmica, a company offering subscription-based and one-off services related to WordPress and targeting entrepreneurs, self-employed individuals, small to medium size businesses.

What is Webmica?

Webmica is going to be the fastest way to get a WordPress site up and running without having to worry about settings, configuration, plugins, security, etc. The best way to explain that is with a little tour.

Step one. Visit Webmica.com and select a plan.

Step two. Tell us the location of your current site.

Step three. Visit a demo site showcasing your existing content (we’ll create this site).

Step four. Provide feedback, approve. That’s all!

We will take care of your website so you can take care of your business. See some of the services included in every plan: Continue reading →

by Ricardo Sanchez

Hiking in Hawaii

Hiking is one of those activities that always seem to be fun and easy in the beginning before you start doing it (e.g. cooking,  running, etc.). Hiking is just walking so it should be easy right? Not quite. Once you are in the middle of a hike, while still fun, it doesn’t feel as comfortable anymore. But once you finish, it always feels good; there is a sense of accomplishment. The best part of hiking for me is that it allows you to explore a place in ways you couldn’t do it otherwise. Hiking often takes you to a high peak where you can discover the true beauty of a beach, a city, etc.

Last July 2015 my family and I adventured to Hawaii. We visited two islands, Oahu and Maui. We decided to visit Oahu since it is the island where the largest and most populous city of Hawaii is, Honolulu. The beaches in Honolulu while very busy, they are beautiful and have calm waters to allow anyone to swim in its clear water. We loved it there.

Our trip started in Austin, TX where we took a direct flight to Los Angeles. Our layover in Los Angeles was a few hours, and it allowed us to get some food, coffee and just be ready for our next flight to Oahu. We didn’t experience any delays, cancellation or anything like that. Our flights to Los Angeles and Oahu went very smooth.

Arriving to Oahu

Once we arrived at the island of Oahu, we decided to take a cab and head to the hotel. It was a bit surprising to see how big and busy Honolulu is, at first it looked nothing like I had imagined. During our ride from the airport to the hotel, it rained twice and the sun was always out, so it gave us a nice little introduction to this tropical climate.

 

We decided to stay in Honolulu during our time on the island of Oahu, right at the center of everything. The area is very busy, but it also offers all the convenience of being in a populated area. We chose this area to make sure we had everything we needed since this was our first trip to Hawaii. Continue reading →

by Ricardo Sanchez

A day in Grand Central Terminal and Top of the Rock

My family and I enjoy road trips very much. This summer we started our road trip in Washington, DC, then drove to Brooklyn, NYC, Niagara Falls, Toronto Canada, and then back to NYC where we flew back home to Austin, TX.

This post is a photo essay about one of my favorite days in New York City.

Grand Central Terminal

We started the day as we always do, looking for what to do and where to go. As much as we plan to schedule, must of our decisions about places to visit and things to do we do on the spot.

Grand Central Terminal Continue reading →