Monday, April 1, 2013

Temple Run: Oz app review


temple-run-oz-app.jpg
Ever since Imangi Studios launched the endless running game Temple Run for iOS and Android, it made sure that we never stopped running. The game has seen 4 versions since the original release in August 2011, with the sequel, Temple Run 2 launching earlier this year in January. The game has not just been appreciated, but went on to break the record of Angry Birds Space clocking in 50 million downloads in just 13 days.

Of these 4 versions, two are spin-offs released in association  with Disney. While one was Temple Run: Brave, based on the animated Disney/Pixar movie Brave, the more recently launched Temple Run: Oz is inspired form the upcoming Disney movie Oz: The Great and Powerful. We started running in the new environments to find out if it continues to keep us just as addicted as the original game.

Temple Run: Oz stays true to the game's tradition of non-stop running as well as turning, jumping and sliding to avoid hurdles and collecting coins. But since this version is based on Disney's movie, it incorporates a lot of elements such as new environments, objects and characters. You run as The Great and Powerful Oz down the mesmerising Yellow Brick Road in the Whimsical Woods and The Dark Forest.

Now instead of the three demon monkeys or one big giant weird-faced monkey, you're being chased by three flying baboons at the start of the game and every once in a while when you stumble while running.

The game is definitely more challenging than the original one but similar to Temple Run: Brave and the recently launched Temple Run 2 in some ways. It seems to have gotten faster as well, demanding greater focus and better reflexes. The obstacles in the game are quite tricky and catch you by surprise. They appear only when you approach them really close, unlike the earlier games where you could see them well in advance.

temple-run-oz-environs.jpgPlants in the game often leap from locations on the side of the path, attempting to grab you as they fall. Trees also often fall, seemingly out of nowhere, into the path to block your way. But the obstacles are just one part. The path itself will sometimes crumble while you're on high bridges or cliffs, forcing you to make a split-second decision to move to the side of the bridge that remains intact.

The musical backdrop of the beating drums has been replaced by the movie's background score that adds a lot of intensity and keeps the adrenaline rush going. As always, the graphics are really smooth and you'll be in awe of the surroundings and the attention to detail.

Temple Run: Oz also has certain common elements as seen in the Brave version of the game. You could collect bows in the game to unlock different bonuses like extra score points and score multipliers at the end of each running session. Here the bow has been replaced by a musical key to unlock the music box for similar bonuses. Further, you can choose to open all the boxes in case you're feeling too greedy, by paying additional coins.

A new element in the game as is the essence of the original Wizard of Oz movie is time travel with the tornado in a manner of speaking. While running you come across sign posts guiding you which direction to take and soon enough you'll see yourself transitioning between worlds with the yellow brick road collapsing before you and taking you to a different location.

temple-run-oz-challenges-menu.jpgThe Whimsical Woods are set in bright environs but dangerous all the while with cliffs and forests. The Dark Forest is set in a graveyard amidst ruins of stones and gives a sense of evil lurking around. After each running session, if you happen complete that particular level's challenges, you level up and are awarded with gems or coins.

Another pretty neat movie-inspired element is the hot-air ballon which appears at several points in the game for an additional opportunity to collect coins as you sail through the clouds and make your way across the crystals reminiscent of Emerald City.

The balloons appear on the screen, and head quickly in one direction at a crossroads. Follow the balloon and hop on to take a balloon trip through the clouds. In case you don't feel like it, you can always choose to head out in the other direction.

The game also offers additional power ups every now and then which include a magnet, a flying monkey and a soap bubble amongst others. Gems can also be used to "supercharge" power-ups. For instance, the 2X coin power-up becomes a 3X coin boost at the cost of 1 gem.

temple-run-oz-bonus.jpgYou can opt for Weekly or Legendary Challenges from the Menu section that also award coins, gems and multiplier bonuses. These include challenges like Marathon Man (run a certain distance), Big Time (Get 125,000 points in 1 run), Steady Bankroll (Collect 25,000 coins) and many others.

Overall, the game offers a fresh perspective in terms of being movie-inspired. Apart from that the basic mechanics of jumping, sliding and tilting remains the same. Currently, the app is only listed on the App Store and like other Temple Run games, we'd hope to see it launch for Android as well. (Update: The game has now been released for Android as well priced at Rs. 53.18 in the Google Play Store). 

Even though the app isn't free, Rs. 55 ($0.99) seems pretty decent to try out something new. Those who still wouldn't mind skipping this version, can check out Temple Run 2 that's also new release and is available for free.

The Croods for iOS app review

croods-intro-trap-and-tame.jpg

Rovio has just launched a new game for iOS and Android called The Croods, inspired from the upcoming DreamWorks movie by the same name. The game is based on the story of the world's first modern caveman family who support each other to survive in the wild and are trying to evolve to move beyond the Stone Age era with their revolutionary new tool called the Idea! We ventured into their wacky world on our iPhone and see what they're up to.


Say Hello to The Croods!
Like every family, The Croods are a close-knit group with Grug Crood, the overprotective dad and the Crood patriarch leading the family, who believes in "fear is good, change is bad" philosophy".Then there's Ugga Crood the mom, who adapts to the surroundings to keep the family secure in times of need. Eep Crood is their teenage rebel daughter, who plants the idea of a life existing beyond the cave.

Thunk Crood is a tall, meaty son who takes inspiration from his dad to be a hunter but can't kill for stones! Four-year old Sandy Crood is the youngest member of the Croods family but her innocence isn't to get you fooled. Living amongst the Croodaceous creatures, Sandy is prepared to bite back if the need be.

the-croods.jpg

Gran the mother-in-law is a firm believer in natural selection and loves to boss around though she's as old as dirt. Guy the new guy is the brainy guy always making discoveries like fires, shoes et al that lets the Croods explore new possibilities. Belt the sloth is Guy's best friend and the world's first pet. Though he doesn't have much of a role to play in the game, his occasional appearances are a delight when you level up. He is most known for his signature sing-song expression, "Da da daaaaaa!"

Trap and Tame time!
Now that you're well acquainted with the characters, let's get you started with the game. Like we've mentioned earlier, The Croods is a strategy-based experience demanding your time and patience. But there's never a dull moment. The first time you open the app, Rovio will prompt you to register/sign in to track your game's progress online.

Once your through with the registration that doesn't take more than a couple of seconds, you jump right into a brief tutorial guiding you with basic gameplay. After some brief instructions, it gets pretty easy. The game offers you a certain set of coins and gems to begin your survival.

Grug does most of the work when it comes to trapping and taming animals in the pen. These creatures yield various resources to help you build your inventions and further level up to help you trap more Croodaceous creatures. Ugga takes care of the creatures' evolvement by offering them soup to give them a super-boost. The ingredients for the soup are berries, leaves and carrots in different quantities.

croods-progress-surroundings.jpg

The Berry Bush constantly gives you berries at a rate of 1 berry per 10 seconds. Initially when the bush is in its nascent stage, it gives you 6 berries, but once you have enough resources to help the bush evolve, you get 12 berries and so on. These fruits are an extremely crucial nutrition to fuel various creatures like the Molarbear and the Bear Owl. The Albatroceros is fed leaves, which is an expensive resource in terms of yielding time and the Giralephant needs carrots.

Trapping initially, is easy. But as you progress, you'll end up goofing up quite a bit. It's not your fault, that's how the game's been programmed. You'll need to use an evolved version of the trap to capture bigger and more stranger creatures. The trapping territory is separate from where the family is nurturing the animals, thereby offering enough space for movement etc.

The Croodaceous creatures
The first creature you begin with is a Molarbear. "Give me berries and I shall give you carrots" is the creature's norm. You'll learn how to trap and tame this hybrid in the tutorial itself. Once all creatures are tamed, you'll be required to build homes for them using the accumulated resources. Just in case, you fall short, you'll need to release the creature, only to trap it another time when you're better prepared.

All creatures give you different resources. The Bear Owl offers coins, the Albatroceros gives feathers, the Bunny Beast gives stones while the Giralephant provides you with leaves. In all there are a total of 10 such creatures, each with it's unique characteristics.

As you learn to tame and provide shelter, you progress with other creatures.

croods-chores-evolve-level-up.jpg

The resources are stored in the Cave. The Cave can also be evolved to offer more storage as you get ahead in the game. The initial one-storey evolves into multiple storeys as it evolves. You can track your progress with the cave chart that is located just beside the cave. It tells you, which animal yields what resource and you can see the carry-forward visuals to see how far you've come.

Apart from Homes and Traps, the build menu also lets you put up decorations to accessorise your surroundings with stone sculptures of various creatures, stone walls and fountains, wooden decorations and many such stone-age inspired stuff.

Gameplay and graphics
You start out with Ugga and Gran in the beginning with Grug only helping out in the chores. His inventions don't come into the picture until you've reached level 6. The first invention that you come across is the Elevator. The building process for this invention takes place in three sets of processes with each set demanding a combination of more resources than the previous one like stones, leaves, feathers, berries, carrots in large volumes. The Elevator is basically a sling shot to encroach upon and explore nearby areas for new creatures.

Gran is always assigning Chores, all performed by Grug, who is the hard worker amongst the family. Completing a set of three chores reveals a new set. You're awarded XP or experience points along with coins. Even creatures give you XP. You can see more Info for a creature by simply tapping on a particular animal and going into the Info section. It offers a short gist about the animal, it's level of evolvement and the rate at which it offers resources.

Other ways of collecting coins are doing self chorus such as clearing the area of trees and rocks. But in order to do that, you'll need to spend coins and even the rare gems. So you're most likely to avoid them and prioritise your resources for other purposes. Eventually, you will have to start removing the unnecessary elements to make more space for your animals. While the family territory remains static with elements being unmovable, you can move around the homes of the creatures and place them as per your convenience.

croods-menu-settings.jpg

As you grow in the game, you'll acquaint other members of the Croods family including Eep, Sandy,Thunk and Guy and you can view achievements and challenges from friends with the Leaderboard. There's also a neighbour you can visit though, his role doesn't come until much later in the game and though we're not sure how he offers help. All he says is, "Hello neighbour! Grug's Hunt and Gather idea has caught on. Maybe we can help each other out later. Check back soon!"

The game is a visual treat on the iPhone with crisp and clear details of the game's environs. It's evident that a lot of attention has been paid to detailing each creature, it's movement and even various elements in the natural surroundings. For intense, the cave map that we mentioned earlier, is depicted on a stone structure with cave paintings of some of the creatures on the wall. The game stays true to the Stone-age era and instills the caveman essence beautifully.

The only disappointing thing about the game is that you don't get lot of opportunities to earn coins, which are a basic currency in the game. Sure, you're awarded with some on completing chores, but they don't seem enough and you'll find yourself struggling to earn some more. Some side missions would've helped. Earning gems is equally difficult. If you engage in a cleaning spree, getting rid of big trees and rocks awards you with only 2-3 gems max and again you'll need to shell out a couple 100 coins as well.

Also, finishing the chores uses up other resources, that are hard to refill over a period of time. The progression of the game is slow and requires a lot of patience. But once you master the strategy, you'll get comfortable.

The only creature that awards coins is the Grey Owl, but only at the rate of just 1 coin per minute. Evolving the Grey Owl requires 480 coins and 5 feathers and acquiring them is not an easy affair. Similarly, the Berry Bush requires 100 gems to evolve a third time. Evolution is necessary for all things so that they are able to churn out resources at a faster rate.

A fan of The Croods? We sure hope to be!
From the time we've spent with the game, despite being slow initially, the game is addictive. Farmville may have caught on like wild-fire by being the first strategy-based game to dominate the category, but The Croods offers a polished and refined experience with a refreshing look based on the movie.

Though we couldn't experience the role play of other members in the Croods family, besides Grug, Gran and Ugga, but we're pretty sure it'll be a lot more fun to see what all of them can do together. Overall, The Croods is a new experience from the traditional Angry Birds franchise from Rovio and other new projects like Bad Biggies, which were more physics-oriented and puzzle-based games. For those, who love a good, light-hearted strategy based game, The Croods will be a welcome addition to their iOS app world.

Apple seeks patent for an iPhone with 'wraparound' display

Apple is seeking a patent for an iPhone that has a display that wraps around the edges of the device, expanding the viewable area and eliminating all physical buttons.
The patent application reveals that Apple has put some thought into a device that takes advantage of a new generation of displays, which don't have to be flat and rigid like today's liquid-crystal displays, or LCDs. At a trade show in January, chief competitor Samsung Electronics Co. showed off a prototype phone with a display that is bent around the edges, presenting "virtual buttons" for the user's touch.
Apple Inc.'s patent filing shows a phone similar to a flattened tube of glass, inside of which a display envelops the chips and circuit board. This allows "functionality to extend to more than one surface of the device," the filing said. The design also means there's no frame or bezel surrounding the display, meaning it can take up more of the device's surface area.
The company filed for the patent in September 2011, though the application became public only Thursday. Like others, Apple often files for patents on designs that never come to fruition. It also doesn't comment about future products until it's ready to launch.
The Patently Apple blog wrote about the filing earlier.

Download SBI PO Admit Card 2013


State Bank of India (SBI) is going to conduct the Written Examination for Probationary Officers on 28th April, 2013
The Online Registrations for SBI PO Exam are already closed. Students who have successfully registered for the SBI Recruitment for Probationary Officers will have to download their respective Admit cards to appear in the written exam.

According to Offcial Figures, over 17 lakh students have applied for the SBI PO Exam. So this SBI PO Exam is going to be a very tough competition, among the competing candidates.To Score High Marks, students must choose the Right Books for the SBI PO Exam and Must also Practice the Lot of SBI Previous Years Questions Papers

SBI PO Admit Card 2013


According to information provided in the Offcial SBI PO Advt, that the students who have registered for the exam can download their SBI PO Admit card after 08.04.2013 ie Admit cards will be made available by SBI 20 day before the exam date.Along with SBI Admit card, students can also download the "Acquaint Yourself" Booklet

It is worth mentioning here that SBI PO Admit Card is a must have document to appear in the PO Written Exam.Without the Admit card and Identity Proof, you will not be allowed to sit in the exam, so it is important to include both of these items, in your Checklist on the Day of the Exam.


Acquaint Yourself Booklet : This Booklet is a Small (*.pdf) E-Book, that contains important information about the Exam. The Information contained in the Booklet comprises of Sample Questions, Exam Syllabus, Instructions to Follow, Sample Answer Sheet, Instructions for Filling the Answer Sheet etc.

This Booklet can be downloaded from the SBI Official Website.The Link for Downloading the Booklet will be provided soon on the SBI Official Website.

How to Download SBI PO Admit Card 2013 ?


Downloading an Admit card is not that difficult as one many assume.For Those who frequently apply for Competitive exams Like Banks, SSC, USC will find themselves at ease on downloading the Admit cards.Here are a few simple steps to manually download the Admit cards:

  1. Log on to SBI Official Website @ www.sbi.co.in and click on the Recruitment Link on the Left side of the page.
  2. On the Recruitment Page, click on the appropriate link for Downloading the SBI Admit card
  3. On the Admit Card download page, you need to Enter your Registration Details and Click on the Submit Button.The Registration Details were generated at the time of Online registration and the same were emailed to you at your respective email address
  4. After you click on the Submit Button and if your Registration Details are correct, then your Admit card will appear on the Screen.You can either SAVE It for taking Print out later OR if the Printer is attached, you can take Print out immediately
In this way, you can download the SBI PO Admit card 2013.Now you have to paste your Photograph in marked space.

Identity Proof is Required


Candidates will have to bring the Identity Proof is Original as well as Photocopy.The Identity proof can be any of these Documents: Passport /PAN Card/Driving Licence/Voter's Card/Unique Identification Card (AADHAR)/ Bank Passbook with duly attested Photograph/Identity Card issued by School or College/ Gazetted Officer


Although the Date of Written Exam is tentatively fixed on 28th April, 2013, but the Bank may conduct the exam on more than two dates, if need arises.

Note: Candidates must note that No hard copy of Admit cards will be sent to the candidates at their postal addresses.

List of Bank Holidays (Tamilnadu) - 2013

DateDayHoliday for
01.01.2013TuesdayNear Year
14.01.2013MondayPongal
15.01.2013TuesdayThiruvalluvar Day
16.01.2013WednesdayUzhavar Thirunaal
25.01.2013FridayMeelad-Un-Nabi
26.01.2013SaturdayRepublic Day
29.03.2013FridayGood Friday
01.04.2013MondayBank Annual A/C Closing Day
11.04.2013ThursdayTelugu New Year
14.04.2013SundayTamil New Year and Dr.Ambedkar's Jayanthi
24.04.2013WednesdayMahaveer Jayanthi
01.05.2013WednesdayMay Day
09.08.2013FridayRamzan
15.08.2013ThursdayIndependence Day
28.08.2013WednesdayKrishna Jayanthi
09.09.2013MondayVinayaga Chathurthi
30.09.2013MondayBank Half Yearly A/C Closing
02.10.2013WednesdayGandhi Jayanthi
13.10.2013SundayAyudha Pooja
14.10.2013MondayVijaya Dasami
16.10.2013WednesdayBakrid
02.11.2013SaturdayDeepavali
14.11.2013ThursdayMuharram
25.12.2013WednesdayChristmas

.Net Versions and Supported Languages

.Net Versions and Language Support
.Net developers need to know something about the .NET. Here are some

.Net Framework Versions
.Net Framework 1.0 Beta1 is released on 1-11-2001.
Version 1.0
Version 1.1               
Version 2.0               
Version 3.0
Version 3.5
Version 4.0
Version 4.5 (Released for Developer Preview).

Development Tool - Visual Studio Version 
Visual studio 2002   -           Supported .Net Framework (1.0)
Visual studio 2003   -           Supported .Net Framework (1.1)
Visual studio 2005   -           Supported .Net Framework (2.0)
Visual studio 2008   -           Supported .Net Framework (2.0, 3.0, 3.5)
Visual studio 2010   -           Supported .Net Framework (2.0, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0)
Visual studio 2012   -           Supported .Net Framework (4.5)

Supported Languages
C#
VB.NET
C++
Python
IronPython
IronRuby
IronLisp
Cobol
Jscript.Net
A#
F#
J#
P#
L#
Oxygene
PowerBuilder
etc….

Microsoft SQL Server Versions
Before these versions some old versions are in SQL Server. It’s all used before 1996. The below are the versions supported by .NET
Version 7.0
Version 2000
Version 2005
Version 2008
Version 2008 R2
Version 2012

.Net Framework Version Features
Version 2.0    -           Base class library, Window forms, ASP.NET, ADO.NET.
Version 3.0    -           Version 2.0 + WCF, WPF, WF and Card Space.
Version 3.5    -           Version 3.0 + LINQ, ADO.NET Entity Framework.
Version 4.0    -           Version 3.5 + Parallel LINQ, Task Parallel Library.

ASP.NET Interview Questions

What is the difference between typed and untyped dataset?

Dataset with schema for data is called typed dataset.
Dataset without schema for data is called untyped dataset.

Which two properties are on every validation control?

ii. ControlToValidate (string)
iii. ErrorMessage (string)

The common method is Validate().

How do you create a permanent cookie?

If you are developing web services and the cookies need to be travelled across multiple requests, then you need to have permanent or persistent cookie.

In order to do this, you have to set your webservice CookieContainer to a newly created CookieContainer, and its cookie to a session value and then store the cookie(s) into the Service CookieCollection from that cookie container.

How do you read transaction logs?

 DBCC LOG (’database name’, 4)

What is DataReader?

The datareader is a forward only, readonly object. It will keep a connection open as long as it is open. It is a fast way to loop through records.

What is use of DataSet?

The dataset can be used like a memory representation of the database. You can use DataViews to filter and sort records for presentation. You can also establish relationships with the dataRelation object. You can use the dataset with a data adapter to update the database. These objects can keep track of changes and original values. When updating the database, these objects can help to resolve conflicts or concurrency issues.

What’s the difference between Response.Write () and Response.Output.Write ()?

Response.Output.Write () allows you to write formatted output.

What methods are fired during the page load?

Init() - when the page is instantiated
Load() - when the page is loaded into server memory
PreRender() - the brief moment before the page is displayed to the user as HTML
Unload() - when page finishes loading.

When during the page processing cycle is ViewState available?

After the Init() and before the Page_Load(), or OnLoad() for a control.

What namespace does the Web page belong in the .NET Framework class hierarchy?

System.Web.UI.Page

Where do you store the information about the user’s locale?

System.Web.UI.Page.Culture

What’s the difference between Codebehind="MyCode.aspx.cs" and src="MyCode.aspx.cs"?

CodeBehind is relevant to Visual Studio.NET only.

Suppose you want a certain ASP.NET function executed on MouseOver for a certain button. Where do you add an event handler?

Add an OnMouseOver attribute to the button.
Ex: btnSubmit.Attributes.Add("onmouseover","someClientCodeHere();");

What data types do the RangeValidator control support?

Integer, String and Date.

Explain the differences between Server-side and Client-side code?

Server-side code executes on the server. Client-side code executes in the client's browser.

What type of code (server or client) is found in a Code-Behind class?

The answer is server-side code since code-behind is executed on the server. However, during the code-behind's execution on the server, it can render client-side code such as JavaScript to be processed in the client’s browser. But just to be clear, code-behind executes on the server, thus making it server-side code.

Should user input data validation occur server-side or client-side? Why?

All user input data validation should occur on the server at a minimum. Additionally, client-side validation can be performed where deemed appropriate and feasible to provide a richer, more responsive experience for the user.

What is the difference between Server.Transfer() and Response.Redirect()? Why would I choose one over the other?

Server.Transfer() transfers page processing from one page directly to the next page without making a round-trip back to the client's browser. This provides a faster response with a little less overhead on the server. Server.Transfer() does not update the client’s URL history list or current URL. Response.Redirect() is used to redirect the user's browser to another page or site. This performs a trip back to the client where the client's browser is redirected to the new page. The user's browser history list is updated to reflect the new address.

Can you explain the difference between an ADO.NET Dataset and an ADO Recordset?

A DataSet can represent an entire relational database in memory, complete with tables, relations, and views.
A DataSet is designed to work without any continuing connection to the original data source.
Data in a DataSet is bulk-loaded, rather than being loaded on demand.
There's no concept of cursor types in a DataSet.
DataSet have no current record pointer you can use ForEach loops to move through the data.
You can store many edits in a DataSet, and write them to the original data source in a single operation.
Though the DataSet is universal, other objects in ADO.NET come in different versions for different data sources.

What is the Global.asax used for?

The Global.asax (including the Global.asax.cs file) is used to implement application and session level events.

What are the Application_Start and Session_Start subroutines used for?

This is where you can set the specific variables for the Application and Session objects.

Can you explain what inheritance is and an example of when you might use it?

When you want to inherit (use the functionality of) another class. Example: With a base class named Employee, a Manager class could be derived from the Employee base class.

What is an assembly?

Assemblies are the building blocks of the .NET framework.

Describe the difference between inline and code behind?

Inline code written alongside the html in a page. Code-behind code is written in a separate file and referenced by the .aspx page.

Explain what a diffgram is and a good use for one?

The DiffGram is one of the two XML formats that you can use to render DataSet object contents to XML. A good use is reading database data to an XML file to be sent to a Web Service.

What is MSIL and why should developers need an appreciation of it if at all?

MSIL is the Microsoft Intermediate Language. All .NET compatible languages will get converted to MSIL. MSIL also allows the .NET Framework to JIT compiled the assembly on the installed computer.

Which method do you invoke on the DataAdapter control to load your generated dataset with data?

The Fill() method.

Can you edit data in the Repeater control?

No, it just reads the information from its data source.

Which template must you provide, in order to display data in a Repeater control?

ItemTemplate.

How can you provide an alternating color scheme in a Repeater control?

Using  - AlternatingItemTemplate.

What property must you set, and what method must you call in your code, in order to bind the data from a data source to the Repeater control?

You must set the DataSource property and call the DataBind() method.
What base class do all Web Forms inherit from?

The Page class.

Which property on a Combo Box do you set with a column name, prior to setting the DataSource, to display data in the combo box?

DataTextField property.

Which control would you use if you needed to make sure the values in two different controls matched?

CompareValidator control.

How many classes can a single .NET DLL contain?

It can contain many classes.

How do you debug an ASP.NET Web application? 
Attach the aspnet_wp.exe process to the DbgClr debugger.
What are three test cases you should go through in unit testing? 
Positive test cases (correct data, correct output), negative test cases (broken or missing data, proper handling), exception test cases (exceptions are thrown and caught properly).
Can you change the value of a variable while debugging a C# application? 
Yes, if you are debugging via Visual Studio.NET, just go to Immediate window.
Explain the three services model (three-tier application). 
Presentation (UI), business (logic and underlying code) and data (from storage or other sources).
What are advantages and disadvantages of Microsoft-provided data provider classes in ADO.NET?
SQLServer.NET data provider is high-speed and robust, but requires SQL Server license purchased from Microsoft. OLE-DB.NET is universal for accessing other sources, like Oracle, DB2, Microsoft Access and Informix, but it’s a .NET layer on top of OLE layer, so not the fastest thing in the world. ODBC.NET is a deprecated layer provided for backward compatibility to ODBC engines.
What’s the role of the DataReader class in ADO.NET connections? 
It returns a read-only dataset from the data source when the command is executed.
What is the wildcard character in SQL?
Let’s say you want to query database with LIKE for all employees whose name starts with La. The wildcard character is %, the proper query with LIKE would involve ‘La%’.
Explain ACID rule of thumb for transactions. 
Transaction must be Atomic (it is one unit of work and does not dependent on previous and following transactions), Consistent (data is either committed or roll back, no “in-between” case where something has been updated and something hasn’t), Isolated (no transaction sees the intermediate results of the current transaction), Durable (the values persist if the data had been committed even if the system crashes right after).
What connections does Microsoft SQL Server support?
Windows Authentication (via Active Directory) and SQL Server authentication (via Microsoft SQL Server username and passwords).
Which one is trusted and which one is untrusted?
Windows Authentication is trusted because the username and password are checked with the Active Directory, the SQL Server authentication is untrusted, since SQL Server is the only verifier participating in the transaction.
Why would you use untrusted verification? 
Web Services might use it, as well as non-Windows applications.
What does the parameter Initial Catalog define inside Connection String? 
The database name.
What’s the data provider name to connect to Access database? 
Microsoft.Access.
What does Dispose method do with the connection object? 
Delete it from the memory.
What is a pre-requisite for connection pooling? 
Multiple processes must agree that they will share the same connection, where every parameter is the same, including the security settings.
What is DataGrid? 
     
The DataGrid Web server control is a powerful tool for displaying information from a data source. It is easy to use; you can display editable data in a professional-looking grid by setting only a few properties. At the same time, the grid has a sophisticated object model that provides you with great flexibility in how you display the data.
What’s the difference between the System.Web.UI.WebControls.DataGrid and and System.Windows.Forms.DataGrid? 
The Web UI control does not inherently support master-detail data structures. As with other Web server controls, it does not support two-way data binding. If you want to update data, you must write code to do this yourself. You can only edit one row at a time. It does not inherently support sorting, although it raises events you can handle in order to sort the grid contents. You can bind the Web Forms DataGrid to any object that supports the IEnumerable interface. The Web Forms DataGrid control supports paging. It is easy to customize the appearance and layout of the Web Forms DataGrid control as compared to the Windows Forms one.
How do you customize the column content inside the datagrid?
 If you want to customize the content of a column, make the column a template column. Template columns work like item templates in the DataList or Repeater control, except that you are defining the layout of a column rather than a row.
How do you apply specific formatting to the data inside the cells? 
You cannot specify formatting for columns generated when the grid’s AutoGenerateColumns property is set to true, only for bound or template columns. To format, set the column’s DataFormatString property to a string-formatting expression suitable for the data type of the data you are formatting.
How do you hide the columns? 
One way to have columns appear dynamically is to create them at design time, and then to hide or show them as needed. You can do this by setting a column’s Visible property.
How do you display an editable drop-down list? 
Displaying a drop-down list requires a template column in the grid. Typically, the ItemTemplate contains a control such as a data-bound Label control to show the current value of a field in the record. You then add a drop-down list to the EditItemTemplate. In Visual Studio, you can add a template column in the Property builder for the grid, and then use standard template editing to remove the default TextBox control from the EditItemTemplate and drag a DropDownList control into it instead. Alternatively, you can add the template column in HTML view. After you have created the template column with the drop-down list in it, there are two tasks. The first is to populate the list. The second is to preselect the appropriate item in the list — for example, if a book’s genre is set to “fiction,” when the drop-down list displays, you often want “fiction” to be preselected.
How do you check whether the row data has been changed? 
The definitive way to determine whether a row has been dirtied is to handle the changed event for the controls in a row. For example, if your grid row contains a TextBox control, you can respond to the control’s TextChanged event. Similarly, for check boxes, you can respond to a CheckedChanged event. In the handler for these events, you maintain a list of the rows to be updated. Generally, the best strategy is to track the primary keys of the affected rows. For example, you can maintain an ArrayList object that contains the primary keys of the rows to update.
Where would you use an iHTTPModule, and what are the limitations of any
approach you might take in implementing one?
 
One of ASP.NET’s most useful features is the extensibility of the HTTP pipeline, the path that data takes between client and server.
You can use them to extend your ASP.NET applications by adding pre- and post-processing to each HTTP request coming into your application. For example, if you wanted custom authentication facilities for your application, the best technique would be to intercept the request when it comes in and process the request in a custom HTTP module.
Can you give an example of when it would be appropriate to use a web service as opposed to a non-serviced .NET component? When to Use Web Services:
Communicating through a Firewall When building a distributed application with 100s/1000s of users spread over multiple locations, there is always the problem of communicating between client and server because of firewalls and proxy servers. Exposing your middle tier components as Web Services and invoking the directly from a Windows UI is a very valid option.
Application Integration When integrating applications written in various languages and running on disparate systems. Or even applications running on the same platform that have been written by separate vendors.
Business-to-Business Integration This is an enabler for B2B integration which allows one to expose vital business processes to authorized supplier and customers. An example would be exposing electronic ordering and invoicing, allowing customers to send you purchase orders and suppliers to send you invoices electronically.
Software Reuse This takes place at multiple levels. Code Reuse at the Source code level or binary component-based reuse. The limiting factor here is that you can reuse the code but not the data behind it. Webservice overcome this limitation. A scenario could be when you are building an app that aggregates the functionality of several other Applications. Each of these functions could be performed by individual apps, but there is value in perhaps combining the
 multiple apps to present a unified view in a Portal or Intranet.
When not to use Web Services: 
Single machine Applications When the apps are running on the same machine and need to communicate with each other use a native API. You also have the options of using component technologies such as COM or .NET Components as there is very little overhead.
Homogeneous Applications on a LAN If you have Win32 or Winforms apps that want to communicate to their server counterpart. It is much more efficient to use DCOM in the case of Win32 apps and .NET Remoting in the case of .NET Apps.
What are ASP.NET Web Forms? How is this technology different than what is available though ASP? 
Web Forms are the heart and soul of ASP.NET. Web Forms are the User Interface (UI) elements that give your Web applications their look and feel. Web Forms are similar to Windows Forms in that they provide properties, methods, and events for the controls that are placed onto them. However, these UI elements render themselves in the appropriate markup language required by the request, e.g. HTML. If you use Microsoft Visual Studio .NET, you will also get the familiar drag-and-drop interface used to create your UI for your Web application.
How does VB.NET/C# achieve polymorphism? 
By using Abstract classes/ functions.
Can you explain what inheritance is and an example of when you might use it? 
Inheritance is a fundamental feature of an object oriented system and it is simply the ability to inherit data and functionality from a parent object. Rather than developing new objects from scratch, new code can be based on the work of other programmers, adding only new features that are needed.
What method do you use to explicitly kill a user’s session?
            The Abandon method destroys all the objects stored in a Session object and releases their resources.
If you do not call the Abandon method explicitly, the server destroys these objects when the session times out.
Syntax: Session.Abandon

How do you turn off cookies for one page in your site?
      Use the Cookie.Discard Property which Gets or sets the discard flag set by the server. When true, this property instructs the client application not to save the Cookie on the user’s hard disk when a session ends.

How do you create a permanent cookie? 
Setting the Expires property to MinValue means that the Cookie never expires.
Which method do you use to redirect the user to another page without performing a round trip to the client? 
Server.transfer()
What is the transport protocol you use to call a Web service? 
SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol).
Transport Protocols: It is essential for the acceptance of Web Services that they are based on established Internet infrastructure. This in fact imposes the usage of of the HTTP, SMTP and FTP protocols based on the TCP/IP family of transports. Messaging Protocol: The format of messages exchanged between Web Services clients and Web Services should be vendor neutral and should not carry details about the technology used to implement the service. Also, the message format should allow for extensions and different bindings to specific transport protocols. SOAP and XML Transport are specifications which fulfill these requirements. We expect that the W3C XML Protocol Working Group defines a successor standard.
True or False: To test a Web service you must create a windows application or Web application to consume this service? 
False.
How is .NET able to support multiple languages? 
A language should comply with the Common Language Runtime standard to become a .NET language. In .NET, code is compiled to Microsoft Intermediate Language (MSIL for short). This is called as Managed Code. This Managed code is run in .NET environment. So after compilation to this IL the language is not a barrier. A code can call or use a function written in another language.
How ASP .NET different from ASP? 
Scripting is separated from the HTML, Code is compiled as a DLL, these DLLs can be executed on the server.
What is smart navigation? 
The cursor position is maintained when the page gets refreshed due to the server side validation and the page gets refreshed.
What is view state? 
     
            The web is stateless. But in ASP.NET, the state of a page is maintained in the in the page itself automatically. How? The values are encrypted and saved in hidden controls. This is done automatically by the ASP.NET. This can be switched off / on for a single control
How do you validate the controls in an ASP .NET page? 
Using validation controls .
Can the validation be done in the server side? Or this can be done only in the Client side? 
Client side is done by default. Server side validation is also possible. We can switch off the client side and server side can be done.
How to manage pagination in a page? 
Using pagination option in DataGrid control. We have to set the number of records for a page, then it takes care of pagination by itself.
What is ADO .NET and what is difference between ADO and ADO.NET? 
ADO.NET is stateless mechanism. I can treat the ADO.Net as a separate in-memory database where in I can use relationships between the tables and select insert and updates to the database. I can update the actual database as a batch.