DEV Community: Montè

Join me on Twitch

Montè — Tue, 23 Aug 2022 22:45:32 +0000

It's Tuesday 🔥❗ ... Join me tonight at 17:30 MST on Twitch for some chilled coding adventures👨‍💻... Tonight, we're digging into the open-source FastReports library for #edsretail

https://www.twitch.tv/coder4t

Hello YouTube.exe

Montè — Sun, 20 Feb 2022 20:20:11 +0000

Wait what⁉️

I'm starting a software devlog where I take you on the ride with me while creating and troubleshooting my software.

Ok, but why though?

Before you click away, hear me out;
I've always believed that in tech, and especially coding, experience is worth more than certifications.

The problem though, is that it's really hard to show experience on a resume. Yeah sure, you can list what you've done but, if you don't want a 20-page resume, you're going to leave stuff out.

But what if you documented your entire coding journey, what if you can show that you are capable of what you claim?

🦉: "Start a dev blog"

Sure, that's an idea I hear a lot from coding instructors and tutorials, but is it really effective?

The answer is yes...and no.
Of course, documenting your journey in text is documenting, but it's not accessible.
Hiring managers don't want to scroll through countless articles reading your thoughts. The fact is, people are busy and lazy, and reading takes effort.

BUT, sitting on your couch, watching an entertaining coding journey, now there's an idea the masses can get behind, I know, cause that's me!

💸Money? ✨Fame? ☕Free Coffee?

No, don't get caught up in these (although the last one I can support). Remember that your videos are a means to an end. It's a tool to help you in your journey as a developer.

It's the key to unlock a door, the link to make connections and the proof that you can. It's the pudding ❗

Getting caught up in all it is not causes you to lose focus on what it is; it's a documented journey and exploration of your passion...it's just you, sharing what you love 💖

@EkronMonte on Twitter 🐤:

I just posted the trailer for my new YouTube channel. I'm starting a software devlog where I take you on the ride with me while creating and troubleshooting my software. Go check it out 👉 https://youtu.be/a9bnhQh3f4I

Follow the rabbit 🐰

New YouTube Channel

How Do I Get a C# Developer Job? How Do I Prepare? Do I Need a Portfolio?

Mistakes New Youtubers Make & 15 Tips to Avoid Them

Blog Post Automation Test

Montè — Sun, 13 Feb 2022 01:46:03 +0000

I discovered Bloggu.io while looking into automating my posts using the Hashnode and Dev.to API's.

This got me thinking, how far can I take this?

So, I jumped to IFTTT.com and had a look at their connectors. Sadly, Hashnode and Dev.to is not available, but I did find a connector for Medium.com, a platform I'll admit I did not know existed.

I quickly registered an account on Medium.com, although admittedly only to take advantage of the IFTTT connector. Next, I created two new applets in IFTTT:

If I post on Medium.com, then post an update on my LinkedIn

AND

If I post on Medium.com, then post a link on my Twitter

What does this all mean though?

By leveraging multiple automation systems, I hope to have create a post creating-sharing-automation beast 🐉

So then, the question, "Does it work?"

We'll be finding out together 😎. I am using this post as the sample.
If it works, I'll update it below, and if it doesn't, I'll update it all the same 👇

Automation Checks

[✅] Hashnode

[✅] Dev.to

[✅] Medium.com

[✅] Twitter

[✅] LinkedIn

The take away

In theory, the automation worked like a charm ✨

It posted to my LinkedIn no problem:

It also posted to my Twitter page, minutes after the blog posts went up:

BUT

The experience was not...smooth 🧼:

Bloggu.io is great, but it's still in beta. I had to redo the same post twice because it doesn't autosave and spellcheck is non-existent, even with browser extensions enabled. By using Bloggu.io, I miss out on the feature rich editor of Hashnode.com, the autosaves, the spellcheck and the great metadata editor.

IFTTT.com is amazing, but relying on it takes away some of the charm, the style if you would...The links to the post are ugly redirect links, rendering my custom domain pointing useless. The posts feel...automated, non-inviting and I can only imagine the feeling getting worse as time progresses.

But the biggest problem, Medium.com. Don't get me wrong, the platform is fine, but I pointed my custom domain to the Hashnode network, because I put effort into the design and maintenance. The automated posts all direct to Medium.com, meaning it will never generate traffic to my Hashnode.com / Dev.to pages, and this is a deal breaker for me.

But, in the end, I had fun tinkering, as I always do 👨‍🔬

PowerShell: The Basics

Montè — Sun, 13 Feb 2022 00:25:03 +0000

Ah yes, PowerShell, the tool some techies avoid and users fear.

PowerShell has a vast command inventory and learning it all in one post…impossible. But, for so many techs in the field PowerShell is an alien concept with which they have little to no experience. So today, we’ll have a look at the basics you need to know to get started with PowerShell.

Why should I learn PowerShell?

PowerShell is at the forefront of Windows automation and being able to utilize it will make you a force to be reckoned with. Additionally, it allows you to tap into previously unusable resources and functions to solve technical issues and implement changes.

The PowerShell environment 🏴

The PowerShell environment is sectioned into multiple versions and tools for various scenarios.

We have the PowerShell CLI or command line, used to run commands on demand, like CMD:

We also have the ISE or ‘Integrated Scripting Environment’, which aids in writing PowerShell scripts (.ps1 scripts) and allows for easy testing and debugging:

The environment offers a x86 / 32 bit alternative for every application/tool as well:

Objects 📜

In PowerShell, data is contained and transported in 'Objects'.
Objects can contain a lot of data pieces/nuggets. This 'data collection' can be filtered or queried in line to access specific pieces of data from the collection to either process, display or pass as input to the next command.

Objects can be assigned to variables, allowing re-use or more complex processing.

Read more on objects here 👉 Microsoft Docs: about_Objects

The Pipeline operator ( | )

PowerShell allows you to chain commands and actions, passing the output from one into the input of the next. This allows you to write automation scripts, as commands can now "talk" to each other and execute commands reactively based on the output of a previous command:

Get-Process notepad | Stop-Process

Here we get a process object with notepad in the name. We 'pipe' the out (the process object) into the next command which uses the information in the object to terminate it.

Note that you can chain multiple commands, one after the other with each new command accepting the output of the preceding command as it's input.

Read more on pipelines here 👉 Microsoft Docs: about_Pipelines

Variables 📦

Variables are used to store information to be referenced and used by the system in subsequent commands. Variables (var(s)) mutable, meaning their values can be changed as commands execute and outputs are generated.

In PowerShell, variables are marked by a dollar sign ($) prefix.

The pipeline variable ($_)

The pipeline variable's value is equal to the output of the preceding command and can be used in the subsequent command to allow filtering and querying of objects.

The pipeline variable can only be used with a command spread of 1, this means that referencing $_ in command 3 will be equal to the output of command 2, not 1.

The pipeline variable is always denoted by $_ and object properties can be referenced with the format $_.propertyname :

Get-ChildItem C: | where { $_.PsIsContainer -eq $false } | Format-List

The traditional variable

You can declare a traditional variable in PowerShell by prefixing a text string with the dollar sign ($)

in a live session

or in a script

Follow the rabbit 🐰

Windows Developer: trailer - The new Windows Terminal

How-to-Geek: The New Windows Terminal

Microsoft: PowerShell Documentation