DEVELOPER INTERFACE User Guide
Copyright 2006 InnerWorkings. All rights reserved. Trademarks InnerWorkings, the InnerWorkings logo, and Learning for Mastery are trademarks or registered trademarks of InnerWorkings Limited in Ireland. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Published on November 13, 2006 Research & Development U.S. Office InnerWorkings International Centre for Education and Learning Technologies Mayor Street IFSC Dublin 1 Ireland InnerWorkings 4305 Hacienda Drive Suite 420 Pleasanton CA 94588 USA Tel +353 1 449 8735 Fax +353 1 449 8748 Tel +1 925 727 0600 Fax +1 925 737 0608 www.innerworkings.com
CONTENTS............................................ 1 INTRODUCTION Key components of InnerWorkings Developer.............. 1-1 InnerWorkings Developer Interface................ 1-1 The Inferent code judging engine................. 1-1 InnerWorkings Drills..................... 1-2 Personal Tutor....................... 1-2 Reference Framework.................... 1-2 Microsoft Visual Studio.NET................... 1-2 The InnerWorkings Platform................... 1-3 2 EXPLORING THE DEVELOPER INTERFACE The Home view......................... 2-2 The Navigation area..................... 2-2 The Content area....................... 2-3 The Drill and Application views................... 2-4 The Navigation area..................... 2-5 The Content area....................... 2-5 The content navigation bar.................. 2-5 The Challenge tab..................... 2-6 The Launch tab...................... 2-7 The Support tab...................... 2-7 The Judge tab....................... 2-8 The Results tab...................... 2-8 The Catalog view........................ 2-9 The Search view........................ 2-11 The InnerWorkings Visual Studio add-in................ 2-11 3 USING THE DEVELOPER INTERFACE Logging in to the Developer Interface................. 3-1 Self-registering....................... 3-2 Configuring your proxy server settings............... 3-3 Installing content........................ 3-4 Activating installed content................... 3-7 Opening a task or stage..................... 3-7 Launching a task or stage in Visual Studio.NET............. 3-8 Accessing your Personal Tutor................... 3-8 Sending a query....................... 3-9 Viewing replies....................... 3-10
ii Contents Submitting a task or stage for judging................ 3-11 Searching for content...................... 3-11 Viewing your progress history................... 3-12 Using the InnerWorkings Visual Studio add-in............. 3-13 Unloading and reloading the add-in................ 3-14 Uninstalling a Developer Program.................. 3-14 Modifying the Developer Interface s settings.............. 3-15 Accessing the InnerWorkings Platform................ 3-16 Changing your profile..................... 3-17 Changing your password.................... 3-17
1 INTRODUCTION........................................ Welcome to the InnerWorkings Developer Interface User Guide. This guide describes the Developer Interface, and also details the various elements that comprise InnerWorkings Developer, our structured practice environment. One of the key advantages of our learning environment is that it presents you with actual programming challenges and real applications, and encourages you to learn by responding to these challenges in a supportive setting. Key components of InnerWorkings Developer The InnerWorkings Developer learning environment encompasses InnerWorkings Developer Interface InnerWorkings Drills Microsoft Visual Studio.NET InnerWorkings Platform InnerWorkings Developer Interface The Developer Interface is your central point of access to all InnerWorkings content, and maintains links to supplementary support, Help, and your Personal Tutor. The application manages all aspects of your InnerWorkings learning experience by displaying content information and launching Microsoft Visual Studio.NET as required. In addition, the Developer Interface integrates with Visual Studio.NET through the InnerWorkings Visual Studio add-in, so you can view content information directly within the Visual Studio environment. The Developer Interface is available online at http:// resource.innerworkings.com/developer_interface. For detailed installation instructions and information on system requirements, see the InnerWorkings Developer Interface Installation Guide. The Inferent code judging engine A key element of the Developer Interface is Inferent, our sophisticated code judging engine. Inferent analyzes the code you submit at the end of a challenge and
Introduction 1-2 automatically generates specific, corrective feedback if any errors are identified. You can review this feedback for information on the nature of the errors before correcting and resubmitting the code. InnerWorkings Drills Within the Developer Interface, programming challenges are presented in Drills, which are grouped together in broad Developer Programs. Drills require you to complete short tasks directly related to a discipline within.net and provide a rounded experience in a number of relevant programming techniques. Augmented by coaching, feedback, support, and reporting, Drills contain real-world coding challenges that you complete using live development tools. By completing a series of tasks in a particular Drill, you can build a library of coding techniques supported by Visual Studio.NET project files. Developer Programs occasionally include Applications, which contain several stages that build on the techniques acquired in tasks and expose you to real-world challenges based on a multi-layer application. In addition, Developer Programs provide you with a balanced learning experience that s supplemented by Personal Tutor support and our Reference Framework. Personal Tutor If you encounter difficulties while developing your solution, Personal Tutors can provide you with a vital source of support and encouragement. Well versed in their assigned Drills, Personal Tutors are available throughout the duration of a Drill to answer your queries. Reference Framework InnerWorkings has established relationships with several technology publishers to provide direct access to their reference materials through our Reference Framework. Providing context-sensitive links to trusted and authoritative information sources, the Reference Framework enables you to explore key concepts in greater detail and to pinpoint essential information quickly and efficiently. Microsoft Visual Studio.NET Drills are conducted in real-world situations, using the actual tools available to you as a.net developer. When you launch a task in the Developer Interface, a specific project file opens in the live Microsoft Visual Studio.NET environment. In addition, the InnerWorkings Visual Studio add-in allows you to access the relevant task and its
Introduction 1-3 related components directly from Visual Studio, thereby ensuring that all pertinent information is at your fingertips as you complete the challenge. The InnerWorkings Platform To access the Personal Tutor system, you are provided with an online account for the InnerWorkings Platform. You can access the InnerWorkings Platform through the Developer Interface or your browser, and use it to log queries with your Personal Tutor and to keep track of replies. Additionally, each time you log in or log out of the Developer Interface, your progress within the Developer Interface is automatically synchronized with the platform. You need a live Internet connection and a web browser to access the InnerWorkings Platform.
2 EXPLORING THE DEVELOPER INTERFACE........................................ The InnerWorkings Developer Interface provides you with access to Developer Programs and all of their associated components. The default view of the Developer Interface is the Home view, which is similar in layout to the Drill and Application views, each consisting of the four main areas illustrated below. The Developer Interface navigation bar: The Developer Interface navigation bar is available to you at all times. It enables you to return to the Home page, open the Catalog view, open the Search view, and log out of the Developer Interface. The Navigation area: The Navigation area displays a list of available content. The look of this area differs slightly depending on which view you are in. (Note that when you launch the Developer Interface for the first time, this area will not display any content.) The Content area: The Content area displays the contents of selected items.
Exploring the Developer Interface 2-2 The Home view Upon first entering the Developer Interface, you are presented with the Home view. The Navigation area The Services area: The Services area displays the various services options available to you. The Open Last Project link launches your most recent project, which serves as a useful bookmark tool. The Synch Progress link allows you to synchronize your local progress data with the InnerWorkings Platform to ensure that the Developer Interface and platform data correlate. (Normally, if you have an online connection, this occurs automatically when you log in or log out of the Developer Interface.) The Progress History link enables you to view a copy of your progress history file. The Tech. Support link gives you access to an InnerWorkings technical support representative who can help you troubleshoot any technical difficulties you may experience. The Open Help link launches a Help file that provides information on the InnerWorkings Developer Interface. The Settings link enables you to customize the appearance and functionality of the Developer Interface. The Navigation area of the Home view displays a list of installed Developer Programs. It provides completion status for each Developer Program and enables you to access the Drills or Applications associated with each Developer Program by simply selecting its title.
Exploring the Developer Interface 2-3 The Content area When you launch the Developer Interface, the Content area of the Home view displays a list of assigned and partially installed Developer Programs. The Drill and Application Information section displays the following information: Title this field displays the title of the Developer Program. To see the contents of the Developer Program, you simply click the icon beside the title. Alternatively, if the title is an active link, you can go directly to the Developer Program by clicking the title. Status this field indicates whether the content is assigned to you (but not yet installed), partially installed, or awaiting approval from your administrator. Action this field enables you to perform the next required action to begin using InnerWorkings content. For example, if your administrator assigns content to you, you can install the content by clicking the Install link displayed here (for more information, see Installing content on p. 3-4) if you previously installed another Developer Program that contains the Drill or Application, you can click the Share link displayed here to share the installed content and your progress history across both Developer Programs (rather than installing the Drill or Application again and repeating the challenge) you may occasionally need to activate content installed from the catalog before you can begin using it by clicking the Activate link that appears here (for more information, see Activating installed content on p. 3-7) Alternatively, when you select a Developer Program title in the Navigation area of the Home view, the Content area displays overview information, such as the duration and objective of the Developer Program. The Content area also lists the Drills or Applications associated with the Developer Program, and indicates their completion
Exploring the Developer Interface 2-4 status. Here you can view a pop-up box that describes a particular Drill or Application by hovering your mouse pointer over the Drill or Application title. Clicking a title opens the selected item. The Drill and Application views When you click a Drill or Application title in the Content area of the Home view, the selected Drill or Application opens.
Exploring the Developer Interface 2-5 The Navigation area The Navigation area displays a list of all available content associated with the currently selected Drill or Application. Within a Drill, this area displays the titles of available tasks. Similarly, within an Application, the Navigation area lists the stages of the Application and also displays additional support documentation. However, unlike tasks, stages are locked until you successfully complete the preceding stage. See The Support tab on p. 2-7 for more information. The Navigation area also indicates the status of each task or stage using the following icons: The Content area Passed Incomplete Failed The Content area, which displays learning material associated with a particular task or stage, contains a content navigation bar and is subdivided into Challenge, Launch, Support, Judge, and Results tabbed pages. The content navigation bar The content navigation bar allows you to move from one piece of content to another. The button enables you to jump directly to the next task or stage in a Drill or Application. This button is disabled when you reach the last piece of content in a Drill or Application. The button takes you to the previous task or stage. When you are in the first task of a Drill or stage of an Application, this button is disabled.
Exploring the Developer Interface 2-6 The button returns you to the Developer Program overview. The button produces a complete text version of the Challenge and Support tabbed pages in hard copy for offline use and reference purposes. The button enables you to uninstall the entire Drill. The Challenge tab The Challenge tab provides you with all the information you need to complete a particular task or stage. It includes details such as the objective, the scenario description, the problem statements, useful references, and the constraints. The Objective field describes the key learning objective of the active task or stage. The Scenario Description field specifies the unique learning purpose of the task or stage and provides a brief description of the sample.net project file associated with it. For stages, this field also includes information on the reasons why a particular solution is required and details appropriate best practices and design patterns. The Problem Statement field details the concise coding requirements that you must meet to create a successful code solution. It also contains references to Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) and other reliable information sources in the InnerWorkings Reference Framework. For convenience, you can access these references in the Support area also. The Constraints field contains an itemized list of restrictions and specifies what is permissible in your code solution. If your completed code solution violates a constraint, it will fail when assessed.
Exploring the Developer Interface 2-7 The Hints field provides extra information to help you to focus on the key issues required to complete the task or stage. Hints are not available for every task or stage, but are included when there is real learning value in providing a prompt. You should read the Challenge page carefully, as it contains all the information required to complete a task or stage. Pay particular attention to the Problem Statement and Constraints fields, as they present information vital to the successful completion of the challenge. The Launch tab The Launch tab enables you to launch a task or stage in the live Visual Studio.NET environment. Clicking the Launch coding challenge in Visual Studio button opens the project files required to start a task or stage. The Support tab The Support tab displays information to assist you in completing each task or stage. Given the significant level of challenge involved, we feel that it s important to give you adequate support throughout the problem-solving process. The Support tabbed page contains a References field that provides links to external references in MSDN or other reliable information sources in the InnerWorkings Reference Framework. These links provide a wealth of reference and secondary reading material relevant to the challenge at hand. The Actions field enables you to contact your Personal Tutor directly with specific queries on a particular task or stage, and to include your current coding attempt with your query. You can also reset the code in your Visual Studio.NET project files to its initial state and attempt to complete the task or stage afresh. An additional Skip Stage button is available for stages, as they are locked until the preceding stage is successfully completed. Ideally, stages should be completed in the order in which they are presented, but this button unlocks the next stage when clicked.
Exploring the Developer Interface 2-8 When you skip a stage, it is recorded in your progress history file. Hints provide supplemental information to help you to focus on the key issues required to complete the task or stage. Hints are not available for every task or stage, but are included when there is real learning value in providing a prompt. Finally, you have the option of viewing the steps required to complete the task. Steps contain a set of clear instructions that help you to see the key inflections in a particular task or stage. While steps do not solve the entire task or stage for you, they do provide additional support and direction to facilitate successful completion of the challenge. Because a request to view steps makes the task easier for you to complete, a record of this action is made in your progress history file unless you have already completed the challenge. The Judge tab On the Judge tab, you can submit a completed task or stage to the Inferent code judging engine for judging. Once a task or stage is judged, the Content area displays the Results tabbed page with status information and feedback on the submitted project code. The Results tab The Results tab presents you with information on the status of a task or stage. It contains a Progress Status field that indicates whether you passed, failed, or partially accessed a task or stage. It also displays the score and number of times you attempted a task or stage. When you pass a task or stage, the Feedback field reflects its procedural objectives and contains pertinent information on key learning points and best practices. This feedback also provides you with a broader context for what you have learned in a particular task or stage through direct practice. Alternatively, if your solution does not pass the testing process, you can view detailed information on the errors before correcting and resubmitting your code for a second judging.
Exploring the Developer Interface 2-9 In the Actions field, you can view a suggested solution for the task or stage by clicking the View Sample Solution button. This option is available only if you have completed the challenge successfully, however. The sample solution is for comparison purposes only and allows you to assess and evaluate your own coding efforts. Feedback can be submitted to the InnerWorkings Platform once a task or stage has been judged. This allows you to provide a rating for the task along with any optional comments you have on the task. The Catalog view The Catalog view allows you to browse and install available Developer Programs. You can access it at any time by clicking the Catalog button in the Developer Interface navigation bar. The latest releases of Developer Programs are available here, so you can be certain that the content is up to date. To access the online catalog, you need a live Internet connection.
Exploring the Developer Interface 2-10 When you open the Catalog view, a list of available Developer Program titles displays. The following icons are used to identify the content displayed here: This icon identifies InnerWorkings Developer Programs. This icon distinguishes custom Developer Programs created by your administrator. This icon means that the Developer Program is only partially installed. By hovering your mouse pointer over a Developer Program title, you can view a description of it in a pop-up box. Or by clicking the title, you can view information such as the duration of the Developer Program, its objective, and the associated Drills or Applications. You can then choose to install the complete Developer Program, specific Drills, or even single tasks using the links in the Status column.
Exploring the Developer Interface 2-11 One of the following three installation options will be displayed in the Status column: Install: Clicking this link installs the selected content on your machine. Share: This link appears if you previously installed a different Developer Program that already contains the Drill. By clicking the Share link, you can share the installed content across both Developer Programs rather than installing it separately each time. Additionally, sharing content means you only need to complete the Drill once to produce progress history for both Drills. Reinstall: When you install content, this link replaces the Install link. For further detailed instructions on installing Drills, see Installing content on p. 3-4. The Search view The Search view allows you to carry out a targeted keyword search across all InnerWorkings content and code. You can access the Search view at any time by clicking the Search button in the Developer Interface navigation bar. Note that if you are not online, the search is performed on locally installed content only. The InnerWorkings Visual Studio add-in When you launch a task or stage from the Launch tab of the Developer Interface, the relevant project file opens in Visual Studio.NET. Additionally, the InnerWorkings Visual Studio add-in further integrates the Developer Interface with Visual Studio.NET by presenting the task and stage information directly within
Exploring the Developer Interface 2-12 Visual Studio. In this way, you can easily review the problem statements or reference material, for example, as you complete the challenge at hand. The dockable InnerWorkings window contains the problem statements, support links, and steps for the current task. Each section is expandable and collapsible so that you can customize the view as you choose. Using the InnerWorkings toolbar, you can access the usual Developer Interface features such as viewing the challenge text, problem statements, steps, and support links submitting your code for judging resetting your code searching across all InnerWorkings content contacting your personal tutor The Search field on the InnerWorkings toolbar is always available in Visual Studio.NET, so you can search for InnerWorkings content at any time.
Exploring the Developer Interface 2-13 You can move to the next challenge contained in a Drill or Application directly from within Visual Studio by clicking the Launch next coding challenge in Visual Studio button on the Results page. Additionally, you can launch the current task or stage in the Developer Interface by clicking the icon on the toolbar. These features are also available from the InnerWorkings menu, as illustrated below.
3 USING THE DEVELOPER INTERFACE........................................ This chapter details how to utilize the Developer Interface when attempting tasks and stages. Logging in to the Developer Interface To access the Developer Interface, you must first log in. This process authenticates your login details and, if you have a live Internet connection, it synchronizes your progress with the InnerWorkings Platform. After installing the Developer Interface, you must be connected to the Internet the first time you attempt to log in. To log in to the Developer Interface: 1. Select Start - All Programs - InnerWorkings - Developer Interface. The Developer Interface opens at the login screen. 2. Enter your e-mail address and password in the fields provided and click Log In. Alternatively, if you can t remember your password, ensure that you are connected to the Internet, enter your e-mail address in the E-mail field, and click the Forgot my login details link to receive an e-mail that will enable you to reset your password. If you select the Remember my login details checkbox, the Developer Interface will automatically populate the fields with your login details each time you log in.
Using the Developer Interface 3-2 3. Once your login details are successfully authenticated, the Home view opens. Self-registering Instead of creating an online account for you, your administrator may prefer you to self-register with the InnerWorkings Platform. In this case, you will receive an e-mail from your administrator containing a registration key for the InnerWorkings Platform. You need a live Internet connection to self-register. To register with the InnerWorkings Platform: 1. Click the Self register online link on the login screen. 2. In the browser window that opens, enter your registration key in the Your Registration Key text box. 3. Click Next to continue. The Self-registration: New Account Details page displays. 4. Enter your profile details and ensure that you complete the required fields, which are marked with an asterisk (*). 5. Click Finish to complete your account setup on the system. An e-mail containing your login details will be sent to the e-mail address you provided. Once you receive the e-mail, you are ready to log in to the system. For information on updating your profile information, see Changing your profile on p. 3-17.
Using the Developer Interface 3-3 Configuring your proxy server settings If you access the Internet via a proxy server, the proxy server settings will be automatically discovered on login. However, if the InnerWorkings Platform cannot be reached using these settings, or the proxy server settings cannot be retrieved, an error message will appear asking you to alter your settings. Check with your local network administrator if you do not know what your specific proxy server settings should be. To change your proxy server settings: 1. Click the Show Proxy Server Settings link on the login screen to view the basic proxy server settings. 2. Complete the Address and Port fields as appropriate. The proxy server address can take any of the following forms: Format Example HostName pc123 HostName:PortNumber pc123:8080 * http://hostname http://pc123 http://hostname:portnumber http://pc123:8080 * IPAddress 10.168.76.3 IPAddress:PortNumber 10.168.76.3:8080 * http://ipaddress http://10.168.76.3 http://ipaddress:portnumber http://10.168.76.3:8080 * * Port field can be empty. 3. To view the advanced port settings, click the Show Advanced Settings link. Here you can specify the proxy server user name, user password, and domain name. To automatically populate the fields with this information the next time you log in, select the Remember my login details checkbox.
Using the Developer Interface 3-4 Installing content As the Developer Interface will not contain any Developer Programs the first time you access it, you will need to install some content on your machine. Some InnerWorkings Drills and Applications require access to a SQL Server database. We recommend that you use the Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Express Edition (SQL Server Express), which is freely available for download on Microsoft.com. Alternatively, you can use a locally installed version of SQL Server 2005. For more information, see the InnerWorkings Developer Interface Installation Guide. You can install specific tasks, complete Developer Programs, or as in the example described below, individual Drills. To install an InnerWorkings Drill: 1. Click the Catalog button to open the online catalog. A list of Developer Program titles displays in the Available Developer Programs section. Using the drop-down lists on this page, you can filter the Developer Programs by Visual Studio version or programming language. Alternatively, you can use the search facility to search for specific content, as described in Searching for content on p. 3-11.
Using the Developer Interface 3-5 2. Click the title of the required Developer Program to view its Drills. (Similarly, to view the contents of the Drill, you simply click its title in the Developer Program Contents section.) 3. Click the Install link beside the relevant Drill to begin the installation process. 4. The Select Visual Studio version dialog box will appear if you haven t specified your preferred version of Visual Studio.NET in the Settings console and more than one version of the content is available. (For more information, see Modifying the Developer Interface s settings on p. 3-15.) As several files are configured for use with the version you specify here, you must ensure that you select the correct version or you will have to reinstall the Drill. You can also specify your version preference by selecting the Remember my selection checkbox. When you select this option, you preference is automatically stored in the Settings console. 5. Click OK to continue. A progress indicator appears.
Using the Developer Interface 3-6 6. If you are installing content that requires access to a SQL Server database, the Database Connection dialog box will open. Here you must specify the connection details of your SQL Server database. If this dialog box does not appear, you can proceed to step 9. If you are using a default installation of SQL Server Express, set the SQL Server field to LocalPCName\SQLEXPRESS where LocalPCName is the name of the local machine. Alternatively, if you are using a named instance of SQL Server Express, set the SQL Server field to LocalPCName\InstanceName where LocalPCName is the name of the local machine and InstanceName is the name of the SQL Server instance. Otherwise, the default setting is sufficient. 7. Then, if your administrator has already set up the database, select the My system administrator...already checkbox. Otherwise, you must specify the authentication type used by SQL Server. Usually, the default Windows Authentication option will suffice. However, if your SQL Server uses SQL Server Authentication, select the SQL Server Authentication radio button and enter the login name and password in the fields provided. This user account must have administrator rights to the SQL Server. 8. Click OK to close the dialog box and install the content. The content install will test these settings by attempting to connect to the SQL Server. If the attempt is unsuccessful, you will be prompted to enter the settings again or to cancel the installation.
Using the Developer Interface 3-7 9. When the content is installed, the Drill installed successfully dialog box displays. To access the Drill, click the Navigate to Drill button. You must be online the first time you attempt to use newly installed content. Activating installed content Depending on how your organization is set up, you may need to activate content installed from the catalog before you can begin using it. In this case, the newly installed content will appear in the Drill and Application Information section of the Home view with an Activate link beside it. If this link does not appear, however, you can begin using the content immediately. To activate content, you simply click the relevant Activate link. Depending on how your system is configured, the content may be activated at once. Otherwise, an activation request will be sent to your administrator and the content will not become active until your administrator approves the request. If your administrator rejects your request, you can click the Retry link to resubmit your request. When you activate content it enters active mode, which initiates access to the InnerWorkings Personal Tutor system and Inferent code judging engine. If the content s active mode expires, it enters reference mode, which disables the Personal Tutor system. However, the reference materials and the code in Visual Studio remain available indefinitely. To submit a request to your administrator to reactivate expired content, you can click the Activate button that appears beside the content s title. You must be connected to the Internet to activate content. Opening a task or stage To open a task or stage: 1. In the Home view, select the required Developer Program title in the Navigation area. 2. Select the required Drill or Application title in the Content area. The selected Drill or Application opens.
Using the Developer Interface 3-8 3. Click the appropriate title in the Navigation area. The selected task or stage opens in the Content area and the Challenge tab is initially displayed. 4. Before you attempt the task or stage, you should thoroughly read the information presented in the Challenge tabbed page. Additionally, you can access reference material by clicking the relevant link in the References section. Before beginning the first stage of an Application, ensure that you read the additional support documentation listed in the Navigation area. Also, although stages are locked until the preceding stage is successfully completed, you can click the Skip Stage button on the Support tab to access to the next stage. Note that this will be recorded in your progress history file. Launching a task or stage in Visual Studio.NET To launch a task or stage, select the Launch tab at the top of the Content area and click the Launch coding challenge in Visual Studio button. The project files open in Visual Studio.NET. The Close previous Visual Studio instances checkbox is selected by default, so when the Developer Interface launches Visual Studio.NET, it closes all previous instances. To deactivate this feature, deselect the checkbox. Accessing your Personal Tutor You can access your Personal Tutor from the Support tab in the Content area. (Alternatively, you can access the Personal Tutor system directly through your
Using the Developer Interface 3-9 browser. For more information, see Accessing the InnerWorkings Platform on p. 3-16.) The Personal Tutor view consists of the following tabs: Inbox allows you to view messages sent to you by your Personal Tutor. Compose enables you to submit queries to your Personal Tutor. Sent displays a list of all messages sent by you to your Personal Tutor. Messages are listed by Subject, Sent By, Sent On, and Status (Outstanding or Resolved). To ask your Personal Tutor to assist you with a task or stage, the selected Developer Program must be active. Additionally, you need a live Internet connection. Sending a query To send a query to your Personal Tutor: 1. Click the Support tab at the top of the Content area. 2. To include your code with the query, ensure that the Include your Task code...query checkbox is selected and click the Personal Tutor button. You will be automatically logged in to the Personal Tutor system, which is part of the InnerWorkings Platform. 3. In the Personal Tutor view, enter your query in the form provided in the Compose tabbed page. 4. Click the Submit Query button to send your query. You will be notified by e-mail when there is a response to your query.
Using the Developer Interface 3-10 Viewing replies You can view replies from your Personal Tutor through your Inbox. To view a reply and its thread history, you click the query. In the Message thread tabbed page that opens, you can view additional information by clicking the expand icons (+) in the Catalog Branch Details and Message Details sections. A query is not expended until the query is completely resolved and closed by the Personal Tutor. For example, you might feel that the query has not been answered to your satisfaction, so you can send a reply to your Personal Tutor requesting further detail to resolve the problem. To reply to your Personal Tutor: 1. In the Inbox, select the message you wish to reply to. 2. Click the Reply button in the Message thread tabbed page. 3. Enter your reply in the form provided and click Send Reply. You will be notified by e-mail when there is a response. 4. To return to the Inbox, click the Return to Inbox button that displays. When you view a response, you can also submit feedback to your Personal Tutor to indicate how useful you found the information included in the response. To register feedback with your Personal Tutor: 1. Select one of the five available rating options. 2. Add any additional comments in the text box provided. 3. Click the Register Feedback button to submit your feedback.
Using the Developer Interface 3-11 Submitting a task or stage for judging When you complete a task or stage, you can submit your Visual Studio.NET project file to the Inferent code judging engine for automatic review and testing. To submit a completed task or stage for judging: 1. Select the Judge tab at the top of the Content area. 2. Click the Judge Project Code button. The Results tab displays and provides feedback on your code. 3. On the Results tabbed page, you can click the View Sample Solution button to see our suggested solution and compare it with your own. The View Sample Solution button is disabled until you pass the task or stage. Searching for content Using the Search view, you can perform targeted keyword searches across all InnerWorkings content and code. To perform a search: 1. Open the Search view by clicking the Search button on the Developer Interface navigation bar. 2. In the provided text box, enter the required search parameters. When you search for multiple words, only content that contains all of the search terms will be returned. Additionally, all non-alphanumeric characters are treated as blank characters for example, if you enter web-controls in the search text box, a search is carried out for web and controls. 3. If you wish to perform an advanced search, click the Advanced search options link and select the available options as required. For example, you can search by programming language, content location, and so on. 4. Click the Search button to perform the search. If you are online, the search will return results for all InnerWorkings content (Developer Programs, Applications, Drills, tasks, and stages) and associated files (code files, resource files, and so on). Alternatively, if you are not connected to the Internet, the search will return
Using the Developer Interface 3-12 results for installed content only. (The maximum number of results that will be returned is 100.) 5. To change the display order of the results, select an option in the Sort by dropdown list. 6. Snippets are pieces of text from the file or content that contains the search term. You can view snippets for all results by clicking the Show all snippets link. Alternatively, to view a snippet for a particular search result, click the Show snippets link below the item, or to hide all snippets, click the Hide all snippets link. (Search results for Developer Programs, Applications, and Drills do not include snippets, but all other types of results generally have one or more associated snippets.) 7. To navigate to the next or previous result pages, click the >> or << links. Alternatively, you can go to a particular result page by clicking the corresponding page number. Viewing your progress history The Progress History page displays the date and time you first accessed, last accessed, and passed a task or stage. It shows whether you viewed the task or stage steps or
Using the Developer Interface 3-13 skipped a stage. It also indicates the number of times you submitted a task or stage for judging and displays its current and best status. To view your progress history: 1. Click the Progress History link in the Services area of the Developer Interface. Your progress history results display in the Content area. 2. To save your results, click the Save button. Alternatively, to print your results, click the Print button. If you are using the Developer Interface without an Internet connection, your progress information will be stored locally. It will be automatically synchronized with the InnerWorkings Platform when an Internet connection becomes available. Using the InnerWorkings Visual Studio add-in When you launch a task or stage in Visual Studio, the InnerWorkings Visual Studio add-in allows you to access the related information and components directly within Visual Studio. In addition, using the InnerWorkings toolbar or InnerWorkings menu, you can access all of the functionality available to you in the Developer Interface. The quick-reference table below details how to access this functionality. Activity Viewing the challenge text, problem statements, steps, or support links How to Click the button on the InnerWorkings toolbar and select the required option. Alternatively, select View on the InnerWorkings menu, and select an option as appropriate.
Using the Developer Interface 3-14 Activity Submitting your code for judging Resetting your code Searching InnerWorkings content Contacting your personal tutor Moving directly to the next challenge in a Drill Launching the Developer Interface How to Click the icon on the InnerWorkings toolbar or select InnerWorkings - Judge Code. You can also access this functionality from the Build menu or by right-clicking the Solution in the Solution Explorer. Click the icon on the InnerWorkings toolbar or select InnerWorkings - Reset Code. Enter the keyword in the Search field on the InnerWorkings toolbar and press Enter. Click the icon on the InnerWorkings toolbar or select InnerWorkings - Personal Tutor. Click the Launch next coding challenge in Visual Studio button on the Results page to open the next task in the Drill within Visual Studio. Click the icon on the InnerWorkings toolbar or select InnerWorkings - Developer Interface. Unloading and reloading the add-in To unload and reload the add-in: 1. To unload the InnerWorkings Visual Studio add-in from Visual Studio, click Tools - Add-in Manager. 2. When the list of add-ins appears, deselect the InnerWorkings Developer Interface checkbox and click OK. 3. To reload the add-in, reselect the checkbox and click OK. Uninstalling a Developer Program You can uninstall a completed Developer Program and its related Visual Studio.NET project files to free up disk space on your workstation. To uninstall a Developer Program: 1. Select the Developer Program title in the Navigation area of the Home view. 2. Click the Uninstall Developer Program button. The Uninstall Developer Program dialog box displays. 3. Click Yes to remove the Developer Program and all related Visual Studio.NET project files.
Using the Developer Interface 3-15 4. If the Remove Database dialog box displays, choose whether to uninstall the database that was installed with the Application. 5. Click OK in the Uninstall complete dialog box. When uninstalling a Developer Program, the Internet Information Services (IIS) service may be temporarily shut down. When the uninstall is complete, the IIS service should restart. Modifying the Developer Interface s settings You can customize the appearance and functionality of the Developer Interface using the InnerWorkings Developer Interface Settings console, which opens when you click the Settings link in the Services area. The console includes three tabs General, Install, and Advanced which enable you to set the various options described below. The General tab enables you to modify the display properties and task settings for the Developer Interface as follows: To adjust the font size displayed in the Developer Interface, slide the pointer along the Font size slider. To automatically include your coding attempts when you submit a query about a particular task or stage to your Personal Tutor, select the Include...Personal Tutor query checkbox. To automatically close any open tasks in Visual Studio when you move on to the next challenge, select the When launching a task close previous tasks checkbox. To automatically close all open tasks in Visual Studio when you close the Developer Interface, select the On shutdown close open tasks checkbox.
Using the Developer Interface 3-16 Using the options on the Install tab, you can specify several settings that are used when you install content. The Website for IIS based content drop-down list enables you to select the local web site used for installing IIS-based content. Your My Documents folder is the default installation location for content that is not IIS-based. If you wish to specify a different location, however, you can browse to the location by clicking the ellipsis (...) button. You can specify your preferred version of Visual Studio (2002 or 2003) in the Default Visual Studio Version drop-down list. By selecting the Don t ask me this when installing checkbox, whenever you install content that is available in both versions, the correct version will be installed automatically. The Advanced tab enables you to modify the TCP port number used by the Visual Studio Add-in, which uses remoting to communicate with the Developer Interface. Accessing the InnerWorkings Platform You can access the InnerWorkings Platform through your browser to contact your Personal Tutor or to update your profile. (Alternatively, you can go directly through the Developer Interface. For more information, see Accessing your Personal Tutor on p. 3-8.) To access the InnerWorkings Platform: 1. Go to https://platform.innerworkings.com to access the InnerWorkings Platform Log-in page. 2. Enter your details in the fields provided and click the Log in button. Alternatively, if you forget your password, click the Forgotten your password? link, enter your e-mail address in the InnerWorkings Password dialog box that displays, and click the Send My Password button. A message will be sent to your e-mail account with your password details. Your administrator may provide you with a registration key for the InnerWorkings Platform. If you receive one in your e-mail, you can register with the InnerWorkings Platform by clicking the Have a registration key? link and following steps 2-5 in Self-registering on p. 3-2.
Using the Developer Interface 3-17 Changing your profile The My Profile view allows you to update your profile details. To edit your profile: 1. Click the My Profile tab. 2. In the User Information section, update your details as appropriate and ensure that you complete all mandatory fields. 3. To record your changes with the InnerWorkings Platform, click the Update user information button. Changing your password If you wish, you can change your password to something more memorable. To change your password: 1. Click the My Profile tab and, in the Password section, enter your old password in the Enter your old password text box. 2. Type your new password in the Enter your new password text box. 3. Retype your new password in the Confirm your new password text box. 4. Click the Change Password button to complete the process. Passwords must be between 6 and 50 characters long. Additionally, passwords must contain two of the following elements: lower-case letters, upper-case letters, numbers, or symbols.
INDEX............................................ A activating content.................3-7 active mode....................3-7 Application....................1-2 C Catalog view....................2-9 Challenge tab...................2-6 Content area....................2-1 content navigation bar..............2-5 D Developer Interface................1-1 logging in..................3-1 navigation bar................2-1 self-registering................3-2 Developer Program................1-2 activating...................3-7 installing...................3-4 uninstalling................. 3-14 Drill........................1-2 Drill and Application views............2-4 Challenge tab................2-6 Content area.................2-5 content navigation bar............2-5 Judge tab...................2-8 Launch tab..................2-7 Navigation area...............2-5 Results tab..................2-8 Support tab.................2-7 H Help..................... 1-1, 2-2 hints........................2-8 Home view....................2-2 Content area.................2-3 Navigation area...............2-2 I Inferent code judging engine....... 1-1, 3-11 InnerWorkings Platform........ 1-3, 2-2, 3-2 accessing.................. 3-16 changing your password.......... 3-17 changing your profile........... 3-17 InnerWorkings Visual Studio add-in 1-2, 2-11, 3-13 unloading and reloading.......... 3-14 installing content.................3-4 J Judge tab......................2-8 L Launch tab.....................2-7 logging in.....................3-1 M MSDN.................... 2-6, 2-7 N Navigation area..................2-1 O open last project..................2-2 P Personal Tutor............... 1-1, 2-7 progress history............ 2-2, 2-8, 3-12 viewing................... 3-12
I - 2 Index proxy server settings............... 3-3 R Reference Framework......... 1-2, 2-6, 2-7 reference mode.................. 3-7 Results tab.................... 2-8 S Search view................ 2-11, 3-11 searching content................ 3-11 advanced search.............. 3-11 self-registering.................. 3-2 Services area.................... 2-2 Help..................... 2-2 open last project............... 2-2 progress history............ 2-2, 3-12 settings................. 2-2, 3-15 synchronize progress............ 2-2 technical support.............. 2-2 settings................... 2-2, 3-15 SQL Server 2005................. 3-4 SQL Server Express............... 3-4 stage........................ 1-2 launch....................3-8 open.....................3-7 skip......................2-8 submit for judging............. 3-11 Support tab....................2-7 synchronize progress...............2-2 system requirements...............1-1 T task........................1-2 launch....................3-8 open.....................3-7 submit for judging............. 3-11 technical support.................2-2 U uninstalling a Developer Program....... 3-14 V viewing your progress history.......... 3-12 Visual Studio.NET........... 1-2, 2-7, 3-5