Shopify has a feature that allows an external service to automatically log a user into the store from a third-party application. This is commonly used when integrating a Shopify store with a larger website product like Wordpress, DNN, or Drupal. Shopify calls this feature "<a href="https://help.shopify.com/en/api/reference/plus/multipass">Multipass</a>". Of course, this means for the last two days, all I can hear in my head is "Leeloo Dallas Multipass"; but even worse than having it on repeat (in my head) is that no one else on the project gets the reference.
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bF5ft-oOWU"><img src="/images/leeloo-dallas-auth0.jpg" alt="Leeloo Dallas Auth0 Multipass"></a>
Now that that's out of the way - on to the project at hand. For a client that we are working with at BlueBolt, the desire is to use <a href="https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/services/active-directory-b2c/">Azure AD B2C</a> as the backing authentication mechanism. The user experience is simple: the customer clicks the "Login" button, they are sent to an Azure AD B2C login form, then redirected back to the Shopify store. However, as we all know, nothing is as easy as it seems.
The implementation of the actual authentication is being done by a different consulting firm. For our part, we are just working on the front-end of the Shopify store (creative, templates, etc.) and I was brought on to support the external integrations.
After hours of working through how to get a valid Multipass URL to work, I finally was able to put together <a href="https://gist.github.com/drovani/df732f165d9735ad635707db1020d55d#file-shopify-multipass-demo-cs">the following gist</a>:
<pre><code>string secret = "[shopify-multipass-secret]";
string store = "[shopify-store]";
var json = System.Text.Json.JsonSerializer.Serialize(new {
	email = "[customer-email]",
	created_at = DateTime.Now.ToString("O"),
	identifier = "[customer-uid]",
	//remote_ip = ""
});

var hash = System.Security.Cryptography.SHA256.Create().ComputeHash(Encoding.UTF8.GetBytes(secret));
var encryptionKey = new ArraySegment&#x3C;byte>(hash, 0, 16).ToArray();
var signatureKey = new ArraySegment&#x3C;byte>(hash, 16, 16).ToArray();

var initvector = new byte[16];
new System.Security.Cryptography.RNGCryptoServiceProvider().GetBytes(initvector);

byte[] cipherData = new Func&#x3C;byte[], byte[], byte[]>((iv, key) =>
{
	byte[] encrypted;
	using (var aes = System.Security.Cryptography.Aes.Create())
	{
		aes.Key = encryptionKey;
		aes.IV = iv;
		aes.Mode = System.Security.Cryptography.CipherMode.CBC;

		var encryptor = aes.CreateEncryptor(aes.Key, aes.IV);
		using (MemoryStream ms = new MemoryStream())
		using (System.Security.Cryptography.CryptoStream cs = new System.Security.Cryptography.CryptoStream(ms, encryptor, System.Security.Cryptography.CryptoStreamMode.Write))
		{
			using (StreamWriter sw = new StreamWriter(cs))
			{
				sw.Write(json);
			}
			encrypted = ms.ToArray();
		}
	}
	return encrypted;
})(initvector, encryptionKey);

byte[] cipher = initvector.Concat(cipherData).ToArray();
byte[] signature = new HMACSHA256(signatureKey).ComputeHash(cipher);
string token = Convert.ToBase64String(cipher.Concat(signature).ToArray()).Replace("+", "-").Replace("/", "_");

string url = $"https://{store}.myshopify.com/account/login/multipass/{token}";
</code></pre>
<h2>Shopify Provides No Help</h2>
<img src="/images/shopify-invalid-multipass-request.png" alt="Invalid Multipass Request error">
The only help that Shopify provides to identify the problem is "Invalid Multipass request" and a <code>Request ID</code> at the bottom. However, this is no way to get any details about what the problem is - not even an API call (that I could find) that lets me take the <code>Request ID</code> and look at logs on the request. Instead, I had to just keep trying (over and over and over) until I happened to stumble on the right answer — and then it just worked.
<h2>Never Hand-code JSON</h2>
I am not really sure what I thought it was the right idea to hand-code the JSON, but that's how I started. Looking back, I don't even know why I thought to switch it to an anonymous object that a JSON library would serialize. However, that was the final task that took a non-functional Multipass request to one that worked.
In fact, when I sent the gist off to the vendor to show them a working example, they called me back and said they couldn't get it working in their code. After doing a screen share, I saw the developer had also hand-coded the JSON. I suggested he change it to the same that I had and low-and-behold, it suddenly started working. My gist was in .NET Core 3.0, which meant they didn't have access to the <code>System.Text.Json</code> library. However, using <a href="https://www.newtonsoft.com/json">Newtonsoft's Json.NET</a>, we were able to quickly get a solution that worked.
<h2>Shopify App for Azure AD B2C</h2>
Now I'm wondering if there is any kind of a market for a Shopify App that acts as the necessary middle-ware between Shopify's Login page and Microsoft's Azure AD B2C.
If anyone out this is interested in developing it with me, hit me up. It could be an interesting project.

Shopify Multipass in .NET Core 3.0

All things considered, I am content with my performance at the 42nd running of the Bank of America Chicago Marathon. I had been battling a nasty couch all week, I wasn't able to train as hard as I initially hoped, and the weather was very windy. While I came no where close to hitting my Boston Qualifying time, I did manage to improve on my personal record. Finishing at 03:15:36, it beats my previous best by 01:39. By the time next year's Chicago Marathon comes around, I'll only need to lower my PR by six or seven minutes in order to get through to Boston.
<h2>The Night Before And Morning Of</h2>
I am constantly forgetting to create a night-before packing list, so hopefully I'll remember in the future that I have done so here and maybe I'll revise this list, or correct it as-needed and post it with the next race.
<ul>
<li>Packed Into Backpack
<ul>
<li>Pre-race Supplies: glasses case, contacts, Glide stick</li>
<li>Corral+Race Clothes: shirt (bib already attached), socks, visor, sunglasses (shaded and yellow pairs), old socks (for hand warming)</li>
<li>Race Gear: HR band &#x26; monitor, gel/nutrient bars, ziploc bag (for phone)</li>
<li>Post-race Clothes: compression socks, boxers</li>
<li>Battery &#x26; cable for phone</li>
<li>Race shoes</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Prepare for Morning
<ul>
<li>Razor, toothbrush, toothpaste, towel</li>
<li>Laid out to wear: Running shorts, warm pants, warm shirt, socks, jacket, walking shoes</li>
<li>Queue coffee pot</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Morning-Of Task List
<ul>
<li>Shave, shower, brush teeth, get dressed</li>
<li>Fill coffee thermos, pack into backpack</li>
<li>Toast bread, add almond butter &#x26; banana</li>
<li>Depart house, eating breakfast while walking</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
This was the first time departing the new house for a race, so I had a little trepidation about getting downtown. The Brown Line doesn't start running until 5:00, meaning I wasn't going to arrive at the CARA VIP Experience until 5:45. This turned out to be just fine - I get nervous about these things.
So I left my house at 4:45, got to the Rockwell platform with plenty of time to spare, rode the train to Adams/Wabash, and walked the half-block to the Palmer House. The CARA compound was a friendly as ever - lots of familiar faces in various states of wakefulness. I was among those still waking up. Coffee was helping, but slowly.
I remembered to pack nearly everything I needed (I forgot an old pair of socks as hand warmers). I went about my routine of slowly getting into corral+race gear.
<h2>Pre-Race Routine</h2>
The only race gear that I put on at home are my running shorts, and I wear my throw-away shirt and post-race pants while getting to the race. At the compound, I'll change into the rest of my race gear, swing by the bathroom to apply Glide, and then drop off the backpack at gear check. From there, it is a short walk to the CARA VIP Port-a-potties (the closest bathrooms to the start line without having to worry about access to the race's blue boxes).
This year, I departed the hotel earlier than I needed to. Security lines are such a crap-shoot that I feel like a five minute difference in departure time means a 20+ minute wait in the security line. I was smart, this year, by going to one of the later gates that was further away from the Wave 1 gate. There was already a line near Gate 1, but there was absolutely no line at Gate 4 - which also happened to be right by the CARA Ports. Definitely a double-win.
The morning was quite chilly, roughly 39°F (3.8°C), and it never got above 48°F (9°C) throughout the morning. Wind was swirling throughout the day, with a sustained speed of 7mph at the start, increasing to 20mph by race's end - gusting up to 29mph. The long-sleeves cotton t-shirt that I wore over my running clothes was enough to keep the chill off, though I did miss having the gloves/socks to keep my hands warm. I don't think I actually shed the chill until mile 5 or so.
<img src="/images/2019chi-prerace-corral.jpg" alt="David and Jay in Corral B, ready for the start of the 2019 Chicago Marathon">
As I was standing in Corral B, waiting for the race to start, I decided that my goal for the race was going to be to keep a BQ pace for the first 18 miles (roughly 2/3 of the race) and then do the best I could to PR from there. Doing the math, that meant that if I could hold 7:00/mile pace, I would leave myself with 01:11:15 to finish the last 8.2 miles (an 8:40/mile pace) and still PR. I knew that my training this summer had not lent itself to putting me in a good place to BQ, and I had been battling a nasty cold and cough all week. Setting realistic goals was my best chance for mental success.
<h2>Three Hours of Hell</h2>
<img src="/images/2019chi-thatsme.png" alt="David Rovani circled in the wide shot of the start of the Chicago Marathon">
The first fifteen minutes of a marathon always feel great. The excitement of all the runners around me is intoxicating, after feeling cold for an hour it was good to start moving, nothing is sore yet. Then, around mile two is when I usually have to explicitly mentally check back into the race, evaluate my form, double-check my pace - generally just make sure I'm doing everything I'm supposed to. That's also about when it hits me that, yes indeed, I'll be doing exactly this for another three hours.
Around mile 4 is when I get to start looking for my wife - always on the runners' left of the road. She is just this ball of excitement that helps carry me for the next few miles. I'll see her again around mile 11, which helps to break up that first half of the marathon. Then it's the mental game of getting myself to the halfway point.
Late in Mile 4, just before the second water station, I tried to eat the first half of a LaraBar. During training, I had found that half of a bar every four miles is what worked out best for me. However, with the cold I had, I couldn't breath at all through my nose, and I nearly choked on the bar. I barely got one small bite down, and I didn't want to sacrifice a lot of time having to walk and chew before the water stop. I pocketed a majority of the bar and soldiered on, hoping things would clear up later.
<img src="/images/2019chi-pitstop.png" alt="Quick Pit Stop at Mile 5.25">
Shortly thereafter, my bladder started really nagging me. I've been in this situation before, and the lesson learned was to take the time hit early, use the port-a-potty, and get back on course. So I did just that. According to my Garmin, I lost approximately 30s - not too terrible.
Come mile 8, I tried again to eat some LaraBar but with the same result. It was still early enough that I could hopefully modify my strategy without too much hard. I tossed the remainder of the bar and decided to do a quick gulp of Gatorade at each stop instead of only taking a half-cup of water with each piece of bar.
Mile 11 had a quick pause to kiss my wife, then onward to the halfway point. At 01:31:20 for the first 13.1 miles, that beat my best Half Marathon time (and was my second-fastest first-half of a marathon). It felt great to hit that milestone, but I could also tell that I was struggling. With the swirling wind, time lost to the pit stop, changes in my nutrition plan, and a general sense of dread at doing this for another hour-and-a-half, I almost gave myself a walking break right there. This was the earliest in a Chicago Marathon I had my mental "maybe I can't do this" - it happens every race at some point, but not this early.
<img src="/images/2019chi-mthalstead.png" alt="Mount Halstead - it doesn&#x27;t look big, but it sucks after 17 miles">
I reminded myself of my first goal - get to 18 miles at BQ pace. That meant I just had to keep it up for 5 more miles; just 35 more minutes. Then it was just 28 more minutes, then just 21 more minutes, then just 14 more minutes - ok, I can do this for two more miles. The Halstead overpass between mile 17 and 18 is always a struggle. It's a big hill (by Chicago standards) that is very exposed to wind and car noise, and previously has been the first point where I usually start regretting my life decisions. This year was no different. But I had to run to 18 - just 3 more minutes.
I did it. I got to mile 18, pulled off to the side, and had a coughing fit so hard that I nearly threw up. Shortly thereafter, the 03:05:00 pace group passed me. I slowly ran to the Gatorade energy gel table, squeezed down a packet of vanilla, grabbed some water to wash it down, and set off again. The new plan was to run for two miles then walk a little - four intervals and then it would be done.
Surprising even myself, that's exactly what I did for the rest of the race. The two miles of running was slow - averaging between 7:45 and 8:00/mile. I stopped looking at my watch, stopped worrying about pace. It was just about running to the next even mile marker, walking for a block, then running again. By the time the last stretch hit, I wanted to walk several times, but I just knew that if I started walking, I wasn't going to start running again. I just had to finish this and hope that I had put in enough time to still set a PR. I know I managed to smile and wave while crossing the finish line, and I remembered to stop my Garmin, but I didn't know whether I had PR'd or not. I had finished and that's what I cared most about.
<h2>Race Results - 03:15:36</h2>
<ul>
<li>Overall Place: 4117 of 45,755 (top 9%)</li>
<li>Gender Place: 3559 of 24,515 (top 15%)</li>
<li>Age Group Place: 754 of 4,110 (top 20%)</li>
</ul>
I had put so much focus at the beginning of the year on qualifying for Boston that it took a little bit for it to sink in that I had indeed set a PR. I definitely needed to be proud of that. I had also hit my goal of staying in front of the 03:05:00 pace group for 18 miles. I have always been terrible at recognizing the achievement of completing a marathon, much less doing it faster than I've done before. I get caught up in the lofty goal that I set and then get down on myself for not hitting it.
<img src="/images/2019chi-postrace.jpg" alt="Glad that I am finished">
Wrapping it all up, I am grateful for having set a new personal record. I am grateful for the love and support of my entire family for encouraging me all through training. I am especially grateful to my wife for putting up with all the highs, the lows, the early mornings, the bitching and complaining, the smelly clothes, and that she is still so excited to come out on a cold Autumn morning to see me for a grand total of probably two whole minutes. It always has meant a lot to me and continues to mean a lot.
<h2>Year-to-Year Comparisons</h2>
|Splits|2019 |2018 |2017 |2016 |2015 |2014 |
|------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|
|05K |00:21:53|00:23:32|00:20:45|00:22:08|00:26:16|00:27:54|
|10K |00:43:40|00:46:42|00:42:06|00:44:15|00:51:34|00:54:53|
|15K |01:04:59|01:09:58|01:03:50|01:06:31|01:16:18|01:21:12|
|20K |01:26:31|01:32:52|01:25:53|01:28:28|01:42:16|01:47:59|
|Half |01:31:20|01:37:57|01:30:42|01:33:11|01:47:42|01:53:41|
|25K |01:48:40|01:56:21|01:48:08|01:50:37|02:07:07|02:13:52|
|30K |02:11:30|02:19:12|02:13:48|02:14:54|02:32:59|02:41:09|
|35K |02:36:02|02:42:39|02:40:24|02:41:40|03:05:53|03:07:24|
|40K |03:04:00|03:06:54|03:10:43|03:10:02|03:39:00|03:33:01|
|Finish|03:15:36|03:17:15|03:21:56|03:21:43|03:51:48|03:43:29|

2019 Chicago Marathon Race Review

<img src="/images/bluebolt-logo.png" alt="BlueBolt Solutions">
After nearly 7 years of full-time employment with IFCJ (and five years prior to that of part-time consulting work), I have chosen to move to other opportunities and challenges. This presented itself in the form of an offer from <a href="https://blueboltsolutions.com">BlueBolt Solutions</a> to join their team as a Senior Solutions Architect. My primary duties will consist of being a technical lead across several projects of varying size, architecting and scaffolding solutions, work with the project managers to ensure timely delivery of the completed project, and mentor junior/mid-level developers as they work on the project.
<h2>Day One - Initialization</h2>
As I expected, the first day was all about setting up my environment - getting applications installed, accounts initialized, paperwork completed. It has been quite a long time since I have built a work setup from scratch, so I fully expect to have forgotten tools that I used regularly. A (non-exhaustive) list of what I have already put in place:
<ul>
<li>Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) and Ubuntu</li>
<li>Visual Studio Code, including changing the default terminal to Bash and getting the environment set-up to run Bundler and Jekyll (for writing these posts).</li>
<li>Visual Studio 2019 Professional</li>
<li>Edge (Insiders, Chromium)</li>
<li>LastPass + Browser extensions</li>
<li>LinqPad</li>
<li>Microsoft Office Products
<ul>
<li>Teams</li>
<li>Outlook</li>
<li>OneNote</li>
<li>Word</li>
<li>Excel</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Node.js (for future React projects)</li>
<li>Spotify</li>
</ul>
<h2>Day Two - 8:00 Is Early?</h2>
I arrived at the building today at 8:00, only to find that it was locked! Thankfully, a delivery driver and an employee of another office in the building were both walking in just before me, and so I was able to walk in behind them. I'll have to find out when the building opens up, and how I can get access before then. Additionally, when I came up to the office, the lights were on and the door was unlocked, but there was no one inside. It's definitely a big change from IFCJ, where people started rolling in at 7:00, and the office was in full business mode by 8:00. I also need to get a key to the office and find out the feasibility of me starting work at 7:00. Will there be awkward moments when I'm leaving at 4:00? I'm sure it'll all work itself out.
Later in the day, I joked about being all alone in the office. I was given a set of keys, today - which is great. I can now come whenever I need to. I think I'm going to end up really appreciating the quiet in the morning - a chance to really get some dedicated work done.
<h2>Day Three, Four, Five - Getting Rolling</h2>
It turns out that there are about two other people who roll in before 8:30 - both of which seem to really like keeping a quiet, productive first hour or two. Which works out perfectly for me.
This first project, which fairly straight-forward, has its own set of challenges just getting up to speed. BlueBolt doesn't really have a formal structure for how projects, work items, branch policies, etc., are configured in Accelo or in Azure DevOps; however, this grants me incredible freedom to template the workflow how I would like it. Especially since the developer that will be doing the work is fresh to the company, there are no preexisting biases that I have to accomodate.
I'm going to keep detailed notes on what I created that worked out well and what needs tweaking for the next project. My long-term hope is to be able to get all of the Architects to converge on a very similar style of rules and structure in Azure DevOps, making it easier for developers to transition between teams.

First Week at BlueBolt Solutions

<img src="/images/2019-06-15-n1400.jpg" alt="N1400 for June 11th and 13th">
The first three weeks of the CARA summer marathon training are now in the books, and I am still trying to figure out how to best plan my running schedule. Because of schedule limitations (having three kids and a full-time job will do that), I can only really run on Tuesday and Thursday mornings by myself and Saturday mornings with the running group. In order to maximize the effects of these runs, I have started mentally adopting a "no easy runs" motto.
<h2>Intervals and Speedwork Twice a Week</h2>
Smart training plans include one or two days of speed work in a week, combined with three or four days of easy runs, in addition to a long run on the weekend. Getting from home to work can be a direct 7.5 mile run, an indirect route (east to the Lakefront Path, then south) of 10.5 miles, or really any distance longer than that. Since most speed workouts are shorter than this, I have to adapt my plans to accommodate the time I have. For example, a workout last week was:
<pre><code>Warmup (10 minutes or 2 miles)
2-3 sets (2x 200m + 1x 400m) @ 10k-5k pace
Equal jog recovery
Cooldown (10 minutes or 2 miles)
</code></pre>
This only adds up to 5-6 miles, which means I need to add a few more miles. Instead of 200m and 400m repeats, I just did 800m repeats.
<pre><code>Warmup
3 x 1 mile @ Tempo
1 minute rest
Cooldown
</code></pre>
This is workout is probably also only 5-6 miles, so my warm up was much longer and my cooldown was longer.
<h2>Weekly "No Easy Runs" Plan</h2>
To build these workouts, I am using the CARA <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Dhab_gIIOK0cGKpUCDZ4H9rsuP2qlZxv/view">Summer Marathon Training Program Guide</a> and taking the Monday and Wednesday speed workouts from the Advanced Training Plan. I am doing the same warmup routines, and then I am tacking on a few more miles to get.. um... really warmed up. The cooldown portion of the run I also try to maintain a slightly harder pace than I normally would.
For this upcoming week, my workouts are scheduled to be:
<pre><code>Tuesday: 4 miles @ Tempo pace (6:25/mile)
Thursday: 6-8 Yasso 800m (3:00/800m)
Saturday: 13 miles
</code></pre>
I'll report back here with an update on how it went.

Project BQ: No Easy Runs

<img src="/images/2019-06-04-n1400.jpg" alt="N1400 for June 4th">
June is here, which means the official beginning of the training season for the 2019 Chicago Marathon - only 130 days away. As I look ahead to what life is like now and will be by the time October comes around, I feel that this is my last, best hope (for a while, at least) to run a qualifying time for the Boston Marathon. Once this season is over, I will be undergoing back surgery, which the doctor estimates will take a year before I can be back to endurance running. This means I will be missing out on the 2020 season and potentially not getting back into BQ shape until the 2021 season - which puts me over 40 for the next time I can run Chicago.
Previous years, I have kept it quiet about my goal of running a Boston-qualifying time. Fellow runners would occasionally ask, and my first year thinking about it (2016) I kept coy with plenty of "we'll see what happens". I ran a 03:21:43 - only sixteen minutes away from going to Boston. During the 2017 training season, I was a little more open - "it would be nice, but there's a lot that would need to go right". 03:21:56 - I was no closer to my goal, and only getting older. Last year, I was very open - "I'm going for it this year - BQ or Bust!" I improved to 03:17:15, which is still over seven minutes short of qualifying and was almost 13 minutes short of getting to actually run.
To makes matters even worse, the organizing committee for the Boston Marathon has decide to lower the <a href="https://www.baa.org/races/boston-marathon/enter/qualify">qualifying times</a>. I now need to run faster than a 03:05:00 marathon just to qualify. Realistically, I am aiming for an even three-hours, as that will give me plenty of clearance to make the "cut-off" time. It is a lot to ask for, especially with a two-year-old and a newborn at home, a bad back in need of surgery, and an extra fifteen pounds of bodyweight that needs to be shed.
In an attempt to keep myself more accountable, I'm being very public about my goals this year. I am going to set milestones that I need to hit throughout the training season, rewards for when I get them, and documenting my journey. I'll be writing about my photo project, N1400; I will be tracking my workouts under my new motto of "No Easy Runs"; and I will be open and honest about how to manage relationships with friends, family, and coworkers throughout the season.
The next one hundred and thirty days are dedicated to my own <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ProjectBQ">#ProjectBQ</a>.

Project BQ: This Time For Real

The primary piece of learning for me with this assessment was everything related to the front-end of the application. Creating a Web API in .NET and using Entity Framework is where my core developer strengths lie. While The Fellowship doesn't currently use .NET Core anywhere, my side projects and code experiments have all been in the new libraries as I prepare the team to make the shift. This was a fun little activity as a way to quickly get the basics of how Angular works - creating components, routing requests, abstracting communication with the server, and binding with the user input.
<blockquote>
The final post in a four-part series of posts on <a href="/series/technical-assessment-series">'An Assessment of a Technical Assessment'</a>.
</blockquote>
Framing this mini-project as a look into whether this is the "best I can do", it certainly falls short. In the interest of time, there were several features that I had to cut.
<ul>
<li>There is no meaningful user input validation</li>
<li>I never found the right place to use <code>ngrx/store</code> in the application.</li>
<li>I did not implement any server-side data validation</li>
<li>I did not create/implement a SQL Server database, instead just using the <code>InMemoryDatabase</code></li>
<li>I did not roll out a SQL migration script or do any custom model building</li>
<li>There is no retry policy on persisting requests to the database</li>
<li>Error logging is non-existent - I could have easily dropped in Application Insights, but it seemed overkill for this project</li>
<li>There are no unit tests, integration tests, or other automated testing to ensure the code is working as expected</li>
<li>There is minimal dependency injection, only for passing the data context around.</li>
<li>Least importantly, the UI looks terrible. But I never claim to be a designer, so I'm ok with that.</li>
</ul>
This project serves well as a Proof of Concept. It shows that I can quickly learn the basics of a new (to me) JavaScript framework, put together a simple solution to prove I can do it, and check it all into GitHub for others to examine.

Technical Assessment - Final Notes

I am starting to make some real progress with this. I have a better idea of how components, service injection, and input binding works in Angular. These are all concepts that I am very familiar with in my extensive use of <a href="https://knockoutjs.com/">Knockout</a>, but anytime one is learning a new framework, there will be a learning curve in figuring out how this particular framework implements various features. Next on the requirements list is the ability to create a new blog post.
<blockquote>
The third in a four-part series of posts on <a href="/series/technical-assessment-series">'An Assessment of a Technical Assessment'</a>.
</blockquote>
<h2>Creating a Form</h2>
Back to the Angular tutorial, this piece took several steps to get to where I needed to be to start writing code. Unfortunately, the opening tutorial (<a href="https://angular.io/tutorial/toh-pt6#add-a-new-hero">Add a new hero</a>) only shows how to declare an input's id and then how to wire a button to pass the value of that element back to the component. This works fine for a single value, but I need the ability for a user to edit multiple fields and send them all to component. I now needed to jump into the "Fundamentals" section of the docs; specifically, the "<a href="https://angular.io/guide/forms-overview">Forms</a>" section.
I decided to do a quick shuffle of files, and move the <code>blogpost</code> model into the "blogposts" folder. This is one of those decisions that I couldn't tell if it jives with convention, but it felt a little dirty keeping component-specific files in the root "app" folder. It's decisions like these that I'm excited to learn more about as I dig into larger Angular projects.
Creating the form, adding some styling to it, and binding it to a model in the component was all pretty straight forward. This is another case where knowing how one MV* framework (Knockout) informed me on what I was looking for, and the tutorial did an adequate job of showing how to put that concept into practice. After a bit of trial and error, I assembled the necessary controls to display a half-way decent form.
<img src="/images/techass-create-new-blog-post.png" alt="Create New Blog Post">
Working through everything, now was the time for the big test - would it actually submit my data to the server?
<img src="/images/techass-post-request-body.png" alt="POST Request Body">
Huzzah! This part works - now to the API controller to see if it's receiving the data.
<img src="/images/techass-modelbound.png" alt="Controller Model Binding">
Ok - well, it wasn't really that easy. I had to do a bit of refactoring from the default template. They were all expected changes, though. This part of the project was what I was most confident that I could get working fairly quickly.
I created a <code>BloggingContext</code> to handle the ORM side of things, and to make it easier, I just mapped it to an <code>InMemoryDbContext</code>. Changing the connection to a SQL database or an Azure Cosmos Db account would be fairly trivial.
<h2>I Think I'm Done</h2>
At this point, the chief requirements are completed.
<ol>
<li>Allow the user to view blogs posts in chronological order</li>
<li>Allow the user to create a blog post</li>
<li>Allow the user to remove a blog post</li>
</ol>
I'll write one more post about where I would take the solution from here if I wanted to really put together a complete software package.

Rovani's Sandbox

Blog Posts - Page 4