ascx.g.cs Empty

Bug:
In Visual Studio 2012, when you are working with a visual web part, your user control's ascx.g.cs file becomes empty. So you get an error "The name ‘InitializeControl’ does not exist in the current context".

Root cause:
This is reported as a bug in visual studio 2012 and it generally happens when your server side mark up is having issues. This ONLY happens when you are editing your ascx file.

Suggested Solution:
You can try following:
Short way:

• try to undo some of the last changes in ascx file.
• Create copy of ascx file and revert it from source control. Rename g.cs to g.txt and switch to ascx and hit save. That will generate another g.cs with correct content

Long way:

• Please check the @Register declarations against the TagPrefix and TagName that you are using.
•  Try to comment out all controls in ascx and save it. That will generate ascx.g.cs along with content again. Now start un-commenting the controls one by one.
• In worst cases, after trying lots of things people also switch to new web part and migrate useful code from the problematic web part step by step to resolve the error. 

Keep it up

Sometime back when Rajasthan Royals won the first IPL, I was working with Virtual Lifestyle Pvt Ltd, and CEO Vikas Sabnani explained how Rajasthan Royals being a cheapest team, won the game. Here are three things that he noticed that applies to every team and team players of the world.

1. Focus on Quality
   Being an important member of the team, if you do so, you are not achieving for yourself and team at the same time. Focusing on quality is as easy as you read it.
2. Be Proactive
   Here is what the definition says: "creating or controlling a situation rather than just responding to it after it has happened." There are great example of proactive work but in our software world, detecting & fixing or implementing stuff ahead of time with the best suited and most efficient way
3. Have fun!
   Having fun with what you do is also as important as the other two.

If you are doing it all three together, you are doing it right! If not, what are you waiting for?

System.ArgumentException: Exception of type 'System.ArgumentException' was thrown. Parameter name: encodedValue

I was configuring one of our clients farm which required FBA on different web applications (around 5) and he wanted each web application should have separate user store. That was too tricky since you just need to set up Application property of the membership provider and you are done.
After completion of these settings, all of my applications were having a common exception either in log out or login to the web application. Here was the exception.

System.ArgumentException: Exception of type 'System.ArgumentException' was thrown.  Parameter name: encodedValue    at Microsoft.SharePoint.Administration.Claims.SPClaimEncodingManager.DecodeClaimFromFormsSuffix(String encodedValue)     at Microsoft.SharePoint.Administration.Claims.SPClaimProviderManager.GetProviderUserKey(IClaimsIdentity claimsIdentity, String encodedIdentityClaimSuffix)     at Microsoft.SharePoint.Administration.Claims.SPClaimProviderManager.GetProviderUserKey(String encodedIdentityClaimSuffix)     at Microsoft.SharePoint.Utilities.SPUtility.GetFullUserKeyFromLoginName(String loginName)     at Microsoft.SharePoint.ApplicationRuntime.SPHeaderManager.AddIsapiHeaders(HttpContext context, String encodedUrl, NameValueCollection headers)     at Microsoft.SharePoint.ApplicationRuntime.SPRequestModule.PreRequestExecuteAppHandler(Object oSender, EventArgs ea)     at System.Web.HttpApplication.SyncEventExecutionStep.System.Web.HttpApplication.IExecutionStep.Execute()     at System.Web.HttpApplication.ExecuteStep(IExecutionStep step, Boolean& completedSynchronously)

After checking all my steps right through starting. After getting all the other exeptions cleared the above exception was the only exception that I was getting. That was resolved using "Exception of type 'System.ArgumentException' was thrown" got error when i have signout from webapplication in sharepoint 2010?.
I hope this will help to you if you are getting same error due to a silly custom property of a custom web part for registration!

Update - 5/19/2014

There are several solutions that I tried:

• Solution that is mentioned here: Exception of type 'System.ArgumentException' was thrown" got error when i have signout from webapplication in sharepoint 2010?
• In Central Administration, Application Management - select web application and in user policy, for the specific zone where you have problem (or default zone) try to remove and add all authenticated users and all fba users full read and make sure none of the AD users are showing in Domain\username format.

The same error also encountered again reported by client when he tries to enable intranet through internet explorer settings. Disabling detection of intranet from internet options solves that issue but you are forced to enter username password every first visit of the site even in intranet as well!

Update - 5/25/2014

This is a SharePoint bug also found some discussion here: https://sharepoint2013fba.codeplex.com/workitem/9 

Hope this helps

SharePoint 2010 foundation on windows 7

If you are planning to install SharePoint 2010 foundation in your windows 7 machine, there are very good references out there in many blogs. But after I installed it I was not able to create new web applications.

I noticed, I was an administrator account with different name than administrator. I found here that we can enable in built administrator account.

I enabled administrator account and added it to managed accounts and farm administrators group.

After trying so many things from forums, finally I got everything working in SharePoint Foundation in my machine!