https://knowyourtoolset.com/ Recent content on Know Your Toolset Hugo -- gohugo.io en Copyright © 2015-2025, Erik Dahl; all rights reserved. Sun, 23 Nov 2025 16:32:15 -0500 https://knowyourtoolset.com/2025/11/authoring-short-targeted-videos/ Sun, 23 Nov 2025 16:32:15 -0500 https://knowyourtoolset.com/2025/11/authoring-short-targeted-videos/ UPDATED! How to create short targeted videos to show a technology topic. https://knowyourtoolset.com/2025/05/tips-for-communication/ Fri, 23 May 2025 15:29:04 -0500 https://knowyourtoolset.com/2025/05/tips-for-communication/ Helpful tips to improve the effectiveness of your written communications in business / professional settings. https://knowyourtoolset.com/2025/01/hello-ai-world-streaming/ Sat, 11 Jan 2025 15:29:04 -0500 https://knowyourtoolset.com/2025/01/hello-ai-world-streaming/ Getting a basic chat response from Azure OpenAI, providing it as a streamed response from an ASP.NET API, and then receiving and displaying it while streaming in an Angular app. https://knowyourtoolset.com/2024/11/templates-optional-content/ Thu, 28 Nov 2024 15:29:04 -0500 https://knowyourtoolset.com/2024/11/templates-optional-content/ Updating some .NET templates that use the templating enging and GitHub actions for NuGet packages and API projects to include Aspire, and choice of database to use, and an optional UI using the BFF security pattern with the Duende BFF libraries. https://knowyourtoolset.com/2024/09/aspire-logging-levels/ Fri, 13 Sep 2024 05:11:55 -0500 https://knowyourtoolset.com/2024/09/aspire-logging-levels/ Setting logging levels during local development for your entire distributed application easily with .NET Aspire. https://knowyourtoolset.com/2024/05/great-prompt/ Tue, 28 May 2024 05:51:55 -0500 https://knowyourtoolset.com/2024/05/great-prompt/ A useful setup for Windows Terminal or other shell that enables a great and fun prompt experience. https://knowyourtoolset.com/2024/02/visual-studio-tips/ Thu, 08 Feb 2024 05:51:55 -0500 https://knowyourtoolset.com/2024/02/visual-studio-tips/ Various small tips that can make your experience inside Visual Studio more joyful. https://knowyourtoolset.com/2024/01/integration-testing-wiremock/ Mon, 29 Jan 2024 01:51:55 -0500 https://knowyourtoolset.com/2024/01/integration-testing-wiremock/ Use WireMock to simulate responses from external APIs you call from your own .NET API project instead of actually calling them. https://knowyourtoolset.com/2024/01/coverage-reports/ Sun, 28 Jan 2024 01:51:55 -0500 https://knowyourtoolset.com/2024/01/coverage-reports/ Generating local code coverage reports, and getting pipelines set up to evaluate coverage. https://knowyourtoolset.com/2024/01/integration-testing-auth/ Thu, 25 Jan 2024 05:51:55 -0500 https://knowyourtoolset.com/2024/01/integration-testing-auth/ Using some custom authentication middleware to perform automated integration tests against an ASP.NET Core API https://knowyourtoolset.com/2024/01/integration-testing-data/ Tue, 23 Jan 2024 05:51:55 -0500 https://knowyourtoolset.com/2024/01/integration-testing-data/ Using TestContainers, SQLite, and Postgres to perform automated integration tests against an ASP.NET Core API https://knowyourtoolset.com/2024/01/integration-testing/ Thu, 18 Jan 2024 05:51:55 -0500 https://knowyourtoolset.com/2024/01/integration-testing/ Using WebApplicationFactory, XUnit fixtures, and Bogus data to perform automated integration tests against an ASP.NET Core API https://knowyourtoolset.com/2023/11/aspnet8-logging-updates/ Tue, 21 Nov 2023 05:51:55 -0500 https://knowyourtoolset.com/2023/11/aspnet8-logging-updates/ Some nice updates to logging within ASP.NET 8. https://knowyourtoolset.com/2023/05/system-commandline/ Sat, 06 May 2023 05:51:55 -0500 https://knowyourtoolset.com/2023/05/system-commandline/ System.CommandLine adds a great usability boost to almost any .NET console app you may create. https://knowyourtoolset.com/2023/05/cancellation-tokens/ Thu, 04 May 2023 02:51:55 -0500 https://knowyourtoolset.com/2023/05/cancellation-tokens/ The use case and benefit of cancellation tokens in ASP.NET APIs https://knowyourtoolset.com/2023/05/async-vs-sync/ Mon, 01 May 2023 05:51:55 -0500 https://knowyourtoolset.com/2023/05/async-vs-sync/ The significant difference between async and sync code under load in ASP.NET APIs https://knowyourtoolset.com/2023/04/tuples-and-dapper/ Sun, 16 Apr 2023 05:51:55 -0500 https://knowyourtoolset.com/2023/04/tuples-and-dapper/ Using tuples as the generic arguments for Query calls with Dapper can avoid the need from some simple classes. https://knowyourtoolset.com/2023/04/launch-darkly-logging/ Sat, 08 Apr 2023 05:51:55 -0500 https://knowyourtoolset.com/2023/04/launch-darkly-logging/ Configuring LaunchDarkly to use Serilog (via Microsoft.Extensions.Logging) for its Logging. Uses an IServiceProvider created from an IServiceCollection. https://knowyourtoolset.com/2023/02/practical-generics/ Fri, 03 Feb 2023 05:51:55 -0500 https://knowyourtoolset.com/2023/02/practical-generics/ Practical examples of generics and interfaces that can be used to simplify some C# code. https://knowyourtoolset.com/2022/11/kubeconfig-files/ Fri, 04 Nov 2022 05:51:55 -0500 https://knowyourtoolset.com/2022/11/kubeconfig-files/ Using a single kubeconfig file to interact with multiple Kubernetes clusters https://knowyourtoolset.com/2022/07/swashbuckle-with-auth0/ Mon, 04 Jul 2022 05:51:55 -0500 https://knowyourtoolset.com/2022/07/swashbuckle-with-auth0/ Updating ASP.NET Core Swashbuckle OAuth2 options to support authentcation with Auth0 and prevent invalid_token JWT errors https://knowyourtoolset.com/2021/08/migrating-blog-to-hugo-azure/ Fri, 13 Aug 2021 05:51:55 -0500 https://knowyourtoolset.com/2021/08/migrating-blog-to-hugo-azure/ Moving a blog from Managed WordPress on GoDaddy to Hugo on Azure Static Websites https://knowyourtoolset.com/2021/08/creating-useful-net-templates/ Mon, 09 Aug 2021 15:29:04 -0500 https://knowyourtoolset.com/2021/08/creating-useful-net-templates/ Creating .NET templates that use the templating enging and GitHub actions for NuGet packages and API projects. https://knowyourtoolset.com/2021/03/add-k8s-cluster-to-windows-terminal/ Sat, 13 Mar 2021 17:10:47 -0500 https://knowyourtoolset.com/2021/03/add-k8s-cluster-to-windows-terminal/ Using Oh-My-Posh to include the current Kubernetes cluster context into your prompt. https://knowyourtoolset.com/2020/11/moving-authentication-from-an-asp-net-site-into-identityserver4/ Thu, 05 Nov 2020 07:45:24 -0500 https://knowyourtoolset.com/2020/11/moving-authentication-from-an-asp-net-site-into-identityserver4/ Getting authentication logic out of an ASP.NET Core website and into a centralized IdentityServer4 instance. https://knowyourtoolset.com/2020/11/a-fairly-deep-dive-into-asp-net-identity-and-10-nuggets/ Wed, 04 Nov 2020 13:25:37 -0500 https://knowyourtoolset.com/2020/11/a-fairly-deep-dive-into-asp-net-identity-and-10-nuggets/ A handful of useful features within ASP.NET Core Identity and how to put them to use https://knowyourtoolset.com/2020/07/updating-an-asp-net-core-2-2-solution-that-integrates-with-identityserver4/ Fri, 17 Jul 2020 14:25:02 -0500 https://knowyourtoolset.com/2020/07/updating-an-asp-net-core-2-2-solution-that-integrates-with-identityserver4/ A quick description of how to update a solution to use a new version with IdentityServer4. https://knowyourtoolset.com/2020/03/upping-your-audio-game/ Thu, 26 Mar 2020 07:20:06 -0500 https://knowyourtoolset.com/2020/03/upping-your-audio-game/ Improving your microphone setup for online meetings and audio recording. https://knowyourtoolset.com/2020/03/comparing-openapi-swagger-graphql-and-grpc/ Fri, 20 Mar 2020 07:42:38 -0500 https://knowyourtoolset.com/2020/03/comparing-openapi-swagger-graphql-and-grpc/ A quick comparison of OpenAPI/Swagger, GraphQL, and gRPC as web request protocols. https://knowyourtoolset.com/2020/01/testing-for-the-new-samesite-cookie-handling-changes/ Thu, 09 Jan 2020 09:59:25 -0500 https://knowyourtoolset.com/2020/01/testing-for-the-new-samesite-cookie-handling-changes/ Testing applications for the new behavior change in Chrome and Chromium regarding the handling of SameSite cookies https://knowyourtoolset.com/2019/03/using-json-to-move-beyond-tvps-for-multi-row-updates/ Wed, 20 Mar 2019 10:12:34 -0500 https://knowyourtoolset.com/2019/03/using-json-to-move-beyond-tvps-for-multi-row-updates/ Using serialized JSON as an alternative to table-valued-parameters (TVPs) to simplify multi-row updates in SQL Server. https://knowyourtoolset.com/2018/09/quick-analysis-of-web-logs-iis-or-nginx-with-the-elk-stack/ Tue, 25 Sep 2018 10:28:11 -0500 https://knowyourtoolset.com/2018/09/quick-analysis-of-web-logs-iis-or-nginx-with-the-elk-stack/ Perform some quick analysis of W3C logs from IIS or nginx by using Logstash, Elasticsearch, and Kibana (the ELK stack) https://knowyourtoolset.com/2018/02/controlling-the-width-of-a-table-with-read-the-docs/ Sun, 18 Feb 2018 10:48:49 -0500 https://knowyourtoolset.com/2018/02/controlling-the-width-of-a-table-with-read-the-docs/ Preventing the inclusion of a scroll bar in a ReadTheDocs table - all of the content will show on the page and in the table - just taller. https://knowyourtoolset.com/2018/01/adding-a-typescript-task-to-a-tfs-2017-build-for-asp-net-core/ Mon, 22 Jan 2018 11:01:26 -0500 https://knowyourtoolset.com/2018/01/adding-a-typescript-task-to-a-tfs-2017-build-for-asp-net-core/ Including TypeScript in a build process. https://knowyourtoolset.com/2016/12/typescript-bootstrap-and-kendo-ui-for-jquery-a-powerful-triple-threat/ Mon, 05 Dec 2016 11:05:20 -0500 https://knowyourtoolset.com/2016/12/typescript-bootstrap-and-kendo-ui-for-jquery-a-powerful-triple-threat/ Using the combination of TypeScript, Bootstrap and Kendo UI to improve UX functionality on websites. https://knowyourtoolset.com/2016/05/journey-to-connect-4-on-rasberry-pi-2-with-pi-sense-hat/ Sat, 07 May 2016 13:57:23 -0500 https://knowyourtoolset.com/2016/05/journey-to-connect-4-on-rasberry-pi-2-with-pi-sense-hat/ Creating the 'Connect-4' game with some students using Python on a Rasberry Pi 2 device with the Pi Sense Hat peripheral. https://knowyourtoolset.com/2015/09/secure-web-apis-with-swagger-swashbuckle-and-oauth2-part-4/ Thu, 03 Sep 2015 05:45:40 -0500 https://knowyourtoolset.com/2015/09/secure-web-apis-with-swagger-swashbuckle-and-oauth2-part-4/ Writing an ASP.NET Framework Web API that uses Swashbuckle for a Swagger UI and OAuth2 for security - restricting access to the Swagger UI https://knowyourtoolset.com/2015/09/secure-web-apis-with-swagger-swashbuckle-and-oauth2-part-3/ Tue, 01 Sep 2015 05:45:40 -0500 https://knowyourtoolset.com/2015/09/secure-web-apis-with-swagger-swashbuckle-and-oauth2-part-3/ Writing an ASP.NET Framework Web API that uses Swashbuckle for a Swagger UI and OAuth2 for security - customizing the user interface. https://knowyourtoolset.com/2015/08/secure-web-apis-with-swagger-swashbuckle-and-oauth2-part-2/ Wed, 19 Aug 2015 05:45:40 -0500 https://knowyourtoolset.com/2015/08/secure-web-apis-with-swagger-swashbuckle-and-oauth2-part-2/ Writing an ASP.NET Framework Web API that uses Swashbuckle for a Swagger UI and OAuth2 for security. - configuring Swagger for OAuth2 security https://knowyourtoolset.com/2015/08/secure-web-apis-with-swagger-swashbuckle-and-oauth2-part-1/ Wed, 12 Aug 2015 05:45:40 -0500 https://knowyourtoolset.com/2015/08/secure-web-apis-with-swagger-swashbuckle-and-oauth2-part-1/ Writing an ASP.NET Framework Web API that uses Swashbuckle for a Swagger UI and OAuth2 for security. - setting up the API with a Swagger UI https://knowyourtoolset.com/2015/05/on-exception-handling/ Fri, 29 May 2015 14:22:50 -0500 https://knowyourtoolset.com/2015/05/on-exception-handling/ Some thoughts about properly doing exception handling in .NET applications. https://knowyourtoolset.com/2015/04/manual-orm-via-ado-net/ Sat, 25 Apr 2015 14:42:31 -0500 https://knowyourtoolset.com/2015/04/manual-orm-via-ado-net/ A way to achieve some ORM functionality without using Entity Framework or NHibernate https://knowyourtoolset.com/2015/04/why-bother-with-a-blog/ Wed, 08 Apr 2015 15:33:43 -0500 https://knowyourtoolset.com/2015/04/why-bother-with-a-blog/ Reasons to create a blog as a programmer https://knowyourtoolset.com/2015/03/using-xml-as-an-input-parameter-to-stored-procedures-in-favor-of-table-valued-parameters/ Mon, 30 Mar 2015 15:58:53 -0500 https://knowyourtoolset.com/2015/03/using-xml-as-an-input-parameter-to-stored-procedures-in-favor-of-table-valued-parameters/ Article description. https://knowyourtoolset.com/2015/03/guiding-principles-for-programmers/ Fri, 20 Mar 2015 14:52:38 -0500 https://knowyourtoolset.com/2015/03/guiding-principles-for-programmers/ General but opinionated principles to follow when doing software development for a living. https://knowyourtoolset.com/2015/03/silver-background-comments/ Wed, 11 Mar 2015 15:39:00 -0500 https://knowyourtoolset.com/2015/03/silver-background-comments/ Update your IDE to bring less attention to your comments by applying a silver background to them. https://knowyourtoolset.com/2015/02/multiple-environments/ Tue, 17 Feb 2015 15:46:10 -0500 https://knowyourtoolset.com/2015/02/multiple-environments/ Using an XML configuration file that can support multiple runtime environments in .NET