Finding typos and usage of obsolete properties in JSON

JSON format is very widespread now. Many Web APIs return their results in this format. Also, many APIs accept incoming requests in the same format. Structure of incoming JSON request can be very complex. It is not uncommon to make a typo in such a document. In this article I'd like to discuss, how can we detect these typos and inform users about them in a friendly form.

Simple parallelizable algorithm for approximate pattern matching

In this article, I'd like to show a simple algorithm for approximate pattern matching. This term generally means that you want to find all places in a big string (text) where a short string (pattern) resides in it. In this form, it defines exact pattern matching. But in our case, we will allow some "errors" (places where the symbol in the text is not equal to the symbol in the pattern). We just want to limit the number of such errors. This is why it is called approximate pattern matching.

Complex deserialization of objects from JSON

Sometimes we need to deserialize JSON into an object model. Here, I'll explain deserialization of objects belonging to a class hierarchy with a support of different formats using Newtonsoft Json.Net library.

Deferred sorting of collections

Recently I faced a problem of storing sorting information for later use. Sorting is easy if you already have a collection to sort. Just use LINQ extension methods. But what if you don't have the collection yet? What if you'll get the collection later, but you need to store sorting rules now? Here I'll tell you, how it can be done.

Using keyword 'new' in class member definitions

Do you know, that keyword 'new' can be used in a definition of class members? I knew about it, but have never used it for many years I work in the software industry. But recently I have found a couple of scenarios, where this opportunity is very useful. Here I want to share my findings.

Verification of complex objects in automated tests

Sometimes in automation tests we need to validate work of methods, returning very complex objects as a result. We want to be sure, that these objects have correct structure. Common assertion libraries allow us to check our expectation about simple objects (strings, numbers), and collections of objects of primitive types. But it can happen, that we need more.

How to use mocking framework in tests

Let's consider cases, when you may, and when you should not use mocking framework. Also here I'll show some patterns, you may want to use with mocking framework.

Modifiable read-only interface

Read-only interface is a simple thing. It does not allow user to change its state. But sometimes you may want to "change" it. I'm not talking about actual modification of state of object. I'm talking about creation of NEW object which state is almost the same as the old one.

Standard HTML elements (tags) does not have fixed visual presentation

I knew that some HTML elements (tags) like <div> or <span> does not have fixed visual presentation. They were designed to allow user to specify their view using CSS. But now I figured out that presentation of any HTML may be completely changed, even for such elements as <table>, <tr> and <td>. Here I'll demonstrate how you can completely change how your table looks like on small devices using just CSS.

How to create and publish NuGet package from .NET project using AppVeyor

It is not an uncommon task to create a NuGet package from your code and publish it on some NuGet feed. Here I'll explain how to automate this task using AppVeyor.