A C# .Net Class for calling J

One of my favorite programming tools is J.  In skilled hands J is a spear in a world of bent spoons.  In my day job I rarely encounter programming problems that cannot be brutally dispatched with a few dozen lines of J.  Most accomplished J programmers laud the elegance and power of the language and frequently remark on how learning J changed the way the way they think about programming. If you are intrigued please take a look but a word of caution.  Learning J is like learning Calculus. Don’t expect to progress beyond the trivial without a substantial intellectual effort on your behalf.

J has many strengths but current implementations also have some serious shortcomings.

1. J’s GUI user interface tools are primitive compared to what you find in Microsoft Visual Studio or Java Eclipse environments.
2. It is difficult to use J in mixed language projects.  J can make C style API calls and the Windows version sports a COM interface.  Both of these call mechanisms are solid and work well but the C API struggles with many C++ libraries and COM is now considered a legacy technology in Microsoft .Net circles.
3. .Net executables can call J but J cannot easily call .Net executables. 
4. There are very few useful J libraries. Python programmers often find complete solutions to their problems in libraries.  With J you often end up writing your own libraries  This fosters an independent frame of mind at the expense of productivity.
5. Packaging J solutions is largely ad hoc and platform dependent.  It’s not like C# or Java where you get a nice self-contained install package.

To deal with J’s deficiencies I cheat and use other languages and tools. This is getting the best of both worlds or Miley Cryrus’ing  it!  Miley Cryus’ing in Windows environments leads straight to .Net and the premier .Net programming language C#.  J is not a .Net language but J can be called from C# by COM or by C style API calls.  This JServer class uses COM. JServer was inspired by Alex Rufon’s J Wiki essay but differs in that all JServer calls are strongly typed.  There is no point in using strongly typed languages like C# if you are constantly casting objects. Use the type checking Luke!

The following JServerTest code snippet shows JServer calls.

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Text;
using System.Data;
using JServerClass;  // add reference to JServer.exe

namespace JServerTest
{
    class Program
    {
        static void Main(string[] args)
        {
            // create new j exe server - load only the j profile
            JServer js = new JServer(JServer.JScriptType.OnlyProfile);

            // make server visible/invisible/visible
            js.jShowServer = true;
            System.Threading.Thread.Sleep(200);
            js.jShowServer = false;
            System.Threading.Thread.Sleep(200);
            js.jShowServer = true;

            // do tests - create j nouns that interface can fetch

            js.jDo("18!:5 ''"); // should be in base locale

            // atoms - rank 0
            js.jDo("byteAtom=. 'A'");
            js.jDo("boolAtom=. 1");
            js.jDo("intAtom=. 42");
            js.jDo("doubleAtom=. 1x1"); // e in j notation

            // arrays of rank 1 and 2 - higher rank arrays are not
            // explicitly supported by the C# interface
            js.jDo("boolArray=. ?50#2");
            js.jDo("intArray=. 10 10$?100#10");
            js.jDo("doubleArray=. 5 10$(?50#50) % ?50#50");
            js.jDo("byteArray=. 20 30$'goaheadbyteme'");
            js.jDo("stringArray=. ;:'not by the hair of my chinny chin chin'");
            js.jDo("stringArray2=. 11 7$stringArray");

            // get tests - fetch j nouns - get and set are C# overloads

            // rank 0 gets
            byte byteAtom;
            js.jGet("byteAtom", out byteAtom);
            bool boolAtom;
            js.jGet("boolAtom", out boolAtom);
            int intAtom;
            js.jGet("intAtom", out intAtom);
            double doubleAtom;
            js.jGet("doubleAtom", out doubleAtom);

            // rank 1 and/or 2 gets
            bool[] boolArray;
            js.jGet("boolArray", out boolArray);
            int[,] intArray;
            js.jGet("intArray", out intArray);
            double[,] doubleArray;
            js.jGet("doubleArray", out doubleArray);
            byte[,] byteArray;
            js.jGet("byteArray", out byteArray);
            string[] stringArray;
            js.jGet("stringArray", out stringArray);
            string[,] stringArray2;
            js.jGet("stringArray2", out stringArray2);

            // set tests - set copies of fetched nouns in j and test
            js.jSet("byteAtomC", byteAtom);
            js.jDo("byteAtom -: byteAtomC");   // should be identical - result 1
            js.jSet("boolAtomC", boolAtom);
            js.jDo("boolAtomC -: boolAtomC");
            js.jSet("intAtomC", intAtom);
            js.jDo("intAtomC -: intAtom");
            js.jSet("doubleAtomC", doubleAtom);
            js.jDo("doubleAtomC -: doubleAtom");

            js.jSet("boolArrayC", boolArray);
            js.jDo("boolArrayC -: boolArray");
            js.jSet("intArrayC", intArray);
            js.jDo("intArrayC -: intArray");
            js.jSet("doubleArrayC", doubleArray);
            js.jDo("doubleArrayC -: doubleArray");
            js.jSet("byteArrayC", byteArray);
            js.jDo("byteArrayC -: byteArray");
            js.jSet("stringArrayC", stringArray);
            js.jDo("stringArrayC -: stringArray");

            // no overload for this case - it's not
            // as important as the rank 1 case
            //js.jSet("stringArray2C", stringArray2);

            // Datatable's are supported by the interface
            // as they can be quickly displayed and manipulated
            // in DataGridView objects
            DataTable dt = new DataTable();
            dt.Clear();

            // generate test j datatable representation - the interface
            // loads a support locale CSsrv that contains the necessary
            // j verbs to support these representations
            js.jDo("DTTEST=: testDataTable_CSsrv_ >:?100 10");

            // get the datatable
            dt = js.jGet("DTTEST");

            // set a copy of the datatable back in j and test equivalence
            // slight differences in floating number character formats
            // are reconciled with (testDataTableMatch)
            js.jSet("DTTESTC", dt);
            js.jDo("DTTESTC testDataTableMatch_CSsrv_ DTTEST");

            // wait five seconds before shutting
            // down so user can view the j exe server
            System.Threading.Thread.Sleep(5000);
        }
    }
}

Command Line C# SmugMug API Metadata Download

I have a skeleton in my photographic closet!  I enjoy hacking pictures as much as I enjoy shooting them.  Before digital photography I got my jollies the old fashioned way with chemicals:  dark room chemicals.  I still get all emotional when I remember the scent of a fixer.   Ahhh — those were the days.

Now,  instead of inhaling fumes in the dark, I hang out on picture sites:   SmugMug is my current favorite.   Over the last year I have uploaded thousands of carefully cataloged  images:  you can view them here.   I may not be much of photographer but when it comes to image metadata my anal analytic side shines.  I can EXIF, IPTC and GEOTAG with the best of them.

Because I tweak metadata online, and I suffer from a retentive character flaw,  it’s only natural that I would seek to download my sacred metadata.  This is what SmugMug’s API is for!  When I started experimenting with the SmugMug API I made the mistake of reading the documentation.  SmugMug documentation is,  at best,  a “work in progress.”  It may help but probably not!  I found trolling the web looking for code examples more productive.

To help the next SmugMug API geek I am posting a fragment of a simple command line C# metadata dump utility I put together.   The core of the program  is shown below and all the C# source is available here.  This program is to trivial to license so help yourself.

namespace SmugMugMDDumper
{
class Program
{
private const string xmlHeader = @"<?xml version=""1.0"" encoding=""UTF-8""?>";

// defaults - insert your own SmugMug apikey, password, email here
// defaults are used if corresponding command line arguments are missing
private const string apiKey = "<YOUR SMUGMUG APIKEY>";
private const string passWord = "<YOUR SMUGMUG PASSWORD";
private const string emailAddress = "<YOUR SMUGMUG EMAIL>";
private const string outFile = @"c:\temp\smugmugdata.xml";

static void Main(string[] args)
{
try
{
DataSet ds = new DataSet();
XmlDocument doc = new XmlDocument();
Arguments comline = new Arguments(args);
SmugmugMetaData smugmd = new SmugmugMetaData();

// parse and set any command line arguments
if (comline["help"] != null)
{
string __helpMsg = @"
Typical command line calls:

SmugMugMDDumper.exe -apikey:""xQDzWwLp2I1GUGli88g999VrQWN4Xz56"" -email:""youremail"" -password:""nimcompoop"" -output:""c:\test\smugdata.xml""
SmugMugMDDumper.exe -output:""d:\mystuff\smuggy.xml""
SmugMugMDDumper.exe -password:""newpassword"" -output:""c:\temp\out.xml""
SmugMugMDDumper.exe -help

";
Console.Write(__helpMsg);
return;
}

string __apiKey;
if (comline["apikey"] != null) __apiKey = comline["apikey"];
else __apiKey = apiKey;

string __emailAddress;
if (comline["email"] != null) __emailAddress = comline["email"];
else __emailAddress = emailAddress;

string __passWord;
if (comline["password"] != null) __passWord = comline["password"];
else __passWord = passWord;

string __outputFile;
if (comline["output"] != null) __outputFile = comline["output"];
else __outputFile = outFile;

// start output file
smugmd.WriteToFile(xmlHeader + "<SmugMugData>", __outputFile);

// open SmugMusg session - uses https
string __sessionID = smugmd.StartSMSession(__apiKey, __emailAddress, __passWord);

// collect all galleries
ds = smugmd.GetGalleries(__sessionID, __apiKey, __outputFile);
DataTable myTable = ds.Tables[0];
DataRow myRow;

// image metadata for each gallery
smugmd.AppendToFile("<GalleryImages>", __outputFile);
int rowcnt = myTable.Rows.Count;
string rowstr = "/" + rowcnt.ToString() + "]: ";
for (int i = 0; i < rowcnt; i++)
{
myRow = myTable.Rows[i];
Console.WriteLine("gallery [" + (i + 1).ToString() + rowstr + (string)myRow["Title"]);
doc = smugmd.GetGalleryImages(__sessionID, __apiKey, (int)myRow["id"], __outputFile);
}
smugmd.AppendToFile("</GalleryImages>", __outputFile);

// complete output file - end SmugMug session
smugmd.AppendToFile("</SmugMugData>", __outputFile);
smugmd.EndSMSession(__sessionID, __apiKey);

Console.WriteLine("[Complete] output file: " + __outputFile);
}
catch (Exception ex)
{
Console.WriteLine("[Fail] SmugMug Metadata Dumper Failure - error message: " + ex.Message);
}
}
}
}

Why Code when you can Steal

I am learning C#.

Two years ago I swore a blood oath not to learn anymore programming languages.   It’s been obvious for decades that you seldom find any new and important ideas in programming languages.  What you typically find are old ideas renamed and wrapped in a new syntax.  Virtually all key concepts in programming are over twenty years old and many are far older.  My disgust with new languages started with a single word:  refactoring! 

When I met refactoring it seduced me with its sleek geeky’ness.  What could this wonderful word mean and what thrilling concept did it clothe? Well it basically means cleaning up your abhorrent code so that you can make some freaking sense of it!  All competent programmers, dating back to Ada Lovelace (1815-1852),  have been refactoring all their goddamn coding lives.  Refactoring is geek marketing: the same old shit in a glistening new package.

C# is as free of new concepts as I expected but the language has its strengths.  C# has managed to inherit most of its predecessors gifts without introducing untested features.  C#’s designers restrained themselves and it shows.  The language is clean, easy to learn, and integrates elegantly with  .Net libraries. 

This is all good but what makes it better is that you can steal tons of C# code.  Google and Bing are my accomplices.  When I want to find out what a DataSet does I just pop a query and dredge up nuggets like:  Creating A Data Set From Scratch in C#.   In the old days you had to read  dense language documents like the J Dictionary and think for yourself.

Thinking for yourself is so 20th century;  why code when you can steal!