My wife's online business, rooted at madebytammy.com, even through these tough economic times, (albeit slowly) has continued to grow.  I truly believe that the customer service she provides is one of the primary reasons she continues to be successful.

There are hundreds, if not thousands of artisan jewelry crafters selling their wares online, so how does a potential customer choose a seller?  I believe there are several factors that come into play, with the primary three being price, quality and service.

There are times when all that matters is price.  As long as the item arrives by the time it is needed, quality might be low on the list of requirements.  Then there are times where quality is of the utmost importance.  It is oftentimes worth paying a little extra for something special that is perfectly crafted, and that will last a lifetime.  For all the times in between, I believe customers will return to a place where they are treated just a little better than everywhere else.  And I believe this is what you get when you purchase something from madebytammy.com.  Her prices are extremely reasonable; she puts her heart into every piece she creates; her quality is top-notch, and roughly half of her shipments leave the house the day payment clears, with the other half leaving the following business day. 

Some people like numbers, so here is numerical proof of her willingness and ability to make her customers happy: As of the writing of this post, she has 6,632 positive feedback responses from her shops at etsy.com. That's 6,632 satisfied customers out of 6,632 sales, or 100%. (jewelry / supplies)

So the next time you're looking for something special for yourself, or a gift for that special someone in your life, give MadeByTammy a try - I personally guarantee you'll be glad you did.

Here's a different version of the macro that works with Visual Studio 2008.

Original location of this macro:  http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/think-clients/visual-studio-macro-collapse-solution-explorer-18035

Here is the macro code, simply use the instructions for the 2005 version if you are unfamiliar with how to create a VS macro.

Public Module Collapse
   Sub CollapseAll()
     ' Get the the Solution Explorer tree
     Dim UIHSolutionExplorer As UIHierarchy
     UIHSolutionExplorer = DTE.Windows.Item(Constants.vsext_wk_SProjectWindow).Object()
     ' Check if there is any open solution
     If (UIHSolutionExplorer.UIHierarchyItems.Count = 0) Then
       ' MsgBox("Nothing to collapse. You must have an open solution.")
       Return
     End If
     ' Get the top node (the name of the solution)
     Dim UIHSolutionRootNode As UIHierarchyItem
     UIHSolutionRootNode = UIHSolutionExplorer.UIHierarchyItems.Item(1)
     UIHSolutionRootNode.DTE.SuppressUI = True
     ' Collapse each project node
     Dim UIHItem As UIHierarchyItem
     For Each UIHItem In UIHSolutionRootNode.UIHierarchyItems
       'UIHItem.UIHierarchyItems.Expanded = False
       If UIHItem.UIHierarchyItems.Expanded Then
         Collapse(UIHItem)
       End If
     Next
     ' Select the solution node, or else when you click
     ' on the solution window
     ' scrollbar, it will synchronize the open document
     ' with the tree and pop
     ' out the corresponding node which is probably not what you want.
     UIHSolutionRootNode.Select(vsUISelectionType.vsUISelectionTypeSelect)
     UIHSolutionRootNode.DTE.SuppressUI = False
   End Sub

   Private Sub Collapse(ByVal item As UIHierarchyItem)
     For Each eitem As UIHierarchyItem In item.UIHierarchyItems
       If eitem.UIHierarchyItems.Expanded AndAlso eitem.UIHierarchyItems.Count > 0 Then
         Collapse(eitem)
       End If
     Next
     item.UIHierarchyItems.Expanded = False
   End Sub
End Module

I've used this macro for years on each machine I've used for development, so I thought it would be prudent to pass it along to anyone who stumbles upon my site.

Original location of this macro:  http://www.imiscommunity.com/visual_studio_2005_tips_and_tricks

Here is a macro to collapse all projects in a solution and expand the selected project:

1. Select ALT+F8 on your VS2005 IDE to open the macro explorer
2. Right Click MyMacros.
3. Select New module.
4. Type the new module name as CollapseAll
5. Select OK – A new module CollapseAll is created.
6. Right Click CollapseAll Module
7. Select Edit – The Macro IDE is launched.
8. Copy the following Sub and paste it between the module and End module. -- in the Macro IDE (you may need to adjust some lines in order to successfully compile the macro):
   
   Sub CollapseAll()
   'NavigateSolution()
   ' Get the the Solution Explorer tree
   Dim UIHSolutionExplorer As UIHierarchy
   UIHSolutionExplorer = DTE.Windows.Item(Constants.vsext_wk_SProjectWindow).Object()
   ' Check if there is any open solution
   If (UIHSolutionExplorer.UIHierarchyItems.Count = 0)
   Then
   Return
   End If

   ' Get the top node (the name of the solution)
   Dim UIHSolutionRootNode As UIHierarchyItem
   Dim UIHChildItem As UIHierarchyItem
   UIHSolutionRootNode = UIHSolutionExplorer.UIHierarchyItems.Item(1)

   ' Collapse each project node
   Dim UIHItem As UIHierarchyItem
   For Each UIHItem In UIHSolutionRootNode.UIHierarchyItems
   For Each UIHChildItem In UIHItem.UIHierarchyItems
   UIHChildItem.UIHierarchyItems.Expanded = False
   Next
   UIHItem.UIHierarchyItems.Expanded = False
   Next
   UIHSolutionRootNode.UIHierarchyItems.Expanded = True

   Dim UIHSelectedItem As UIHierarchyItem = UIHSolutionExplorer.SelectedItems(0)
UIHSelectedItem.UIHierarchyItems.Expanded = True
End Sub

   Save the module.
   Now add this macro to the toolbar for easy access.

9. Select Tools -> Customize from the main menu
10. Select the Command tab in the Customize dialog
11. Select Macros
12. Select the CollapseAll macro and drag and drop it on one of VS2005 IDE toolbars. You will see the Macro Name on the ToolBar –
13. Do not Close the Customize Popup window --
14. Right Click the Macro Name on the ToolBar
15. Select Default Style – This will remove the Macro Name on the ToolBar, resulting in a small Rectangle on the ToolBar
16. Right Click the Small Rectangle
17. Select ChangeButtonImage
18. Select one of the images, for example, the HourGlass. You will see the Image on the toolbar.
19. Close the Customize PopUp
20. To test the macro:
    1. Select one of the projects in your solution
    2. Select the CollapseAll Button on the ToolBar
    3. Observe the Solution Explorer will collapse all and will expand the project you have selected.

Caprica is the latest installment in the Battlestar Galactica series (which originally aired in the late 70s, and which I used to watch as a young boy with my father), and is, in my opinion, one of the best new shows to hit the cable in years. 

I've been a science fiction fan for decades now (scary how fast time flies) growing up with the original Doctor Who, Battlestar Galactica, and Buck Rogers in the 25th Century shows, and I can honestly say that the new Caprica series is simply awesome.  If you watched the premier episode and weren't too impressed, I say give it another chance.  I too was a bit confused for about the first half of the first show.  I sat there for around an hour wondering what the heck I was getting myself involved in.  Thinking to myself, "this isn't science fiction", but then it started to click.  I began making the connections with the new and the old.  And now, after watching the fifth episode, "There is Another Sky", I am eagerly awaiting next week's episode to see what surprises will be revealed next.

Simply Awesome.

- Garrett

As you can see by the footer, this blog is powered by BlogEngine.NET.  Why BlogEngine.NET and not a free blog host like blogspot.com or wordpress.com?  Well, I'm an application developer so naturally I like to get my hands dirty with code whenever possible. 

BlogEngine.NET is generally highly recommended by those who have used it, and I offer the same recommendation.  I assure you that any engine such as this is not for the uninitiated in programming, but I am quite certain that a web-programmer with experience in any language would be able to implement and customize BlogEngine.NET in a reasonable amount of time.  In fact, I just finished helping my 11-year-old son (he's a beginning programmer & he did most of the work himself) add a blog to his website.

Tip of the week:

If you receive a javascript error indicating that 'BlogEngine' is undefined:

Delete the first "comment" line from blog.js [// global object] and all should be fine.

 Garrett

Welcome to my new blog.  I am a professional developer by trade, and I truly enjoy helping people, so please check back often for (hopefully) helpful hints and tips & tricks.

Garrett