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Welcome to Colin Mackay

This site provides technical reference documentation for IT professionals and software developers. Whether you're troubleshooting a file extension issue, looking for guidance on secure coding practices, or seeking development notes on .NET and SQL Server, you'll find practical information here.

The content is organised into three main sections: file extension reference documentation, troubleshooting guides, and development notes covering topics from security to database programming.

File Extension Reference

The file extension reference covers common file formats you'll encounter in everyday computing. Each entry explains what the file type is, which applications can open it, common issues you might face, and how to convert between formats when needed.

File extensions serve as identifiers that help operating systems and applications determine how to handle a particular file. Understanding file extensions is particularly important when working with downloaded files, as the extension provides the first indication of what a file contains and whether it's safe to open.

Popular categories include:

• Document formats – PDF, DOCX, XLSX, and other office document types
• Media files – Video formats like MKV, MP4, and audio formats like FLAC, MP3
• Archive formats – ZIP, RAR, 7Z for compressed files
• Data formats – JSON, XML, CSV for structured data
• Image formats – PNG, JPG, SVG, WebP for graphics

Troubleshooting Guides

The guides section provides step-by-step instructions for common technical tasks and issues. These guides are written with both beginners and experienced users in mind, providing context for why certain approaches are recommended alongside the practical steps.

Current guides cover topics including:

• Safe downloads and file types – How to identify potentially harmful files and protect your system
• MIME types and file extensions – Understanding how web servers and browsers identify file types

Each guide includes common issues you might encounter and a FAQ section addressing typical questions.

Development Notes

The development notes section contains technical articles aimed at software developers. Topics include .NET development, SQL Server database programming, and security practices.

These articles represent practical knowledge accumulated through real-world development work. They focus on specific technical challenges and provide concrete solutions rather than abstract theory.

Key topics include:

• SQL injection attacks – Understanding the vulnerability and implementing proper parameterised queries
• Passing values between forms in .NET – Techniques for data sharing in Windows Forms applications
• Spatial queries in SQL Server – Working with geography and geometry data types

Finding What You Need

Use the navigation menu at the top of the page to browse different sections. Each section has an index page listing all available content, and individual pages include breadcrumb navigation to help you understand where you are within the site structure.

Longer articles include an "On This Page" navigation section that lets you jump directly to specific headings.

Frequently Asked Questions