It's been quite some time since my last update here, but that doesn't mean I've stopped coding. Quite the opposite, actually! Over the past year, most of my time and energy has gone into finishing my studies, working on different projects, and keeping up with the constantly evolving world of software development. In May 2026, I officially graduated as a Backend Developer, specializing in C# and .NET! It's been a busy couple of years, and I've learned a lot along the way. Not just about programming itself, but also about writing maintainable code, working with different architectures, automated testing, and what it's actually like to develop software as part of a team. I've also spent quite a bit of time exploring new technologies, especially AI and how it can be used in software development. Things are moving ridiculously fast in that area, and there's always something new to learn or experiment with. So, What Happens Next? Now that my studies are finished, I'm planning to spend more time on this website again. It's a project I've built from scratch using PHP, MySQL, JavaScript, HTML and CSS, and there's still plenty I'd like to improve. I'll be revisiting parts of the existing code, improving functionality, fixing things that could work better, and experimenting with new features as I go. I also want to get better at sharing what I'm working on, whether that's updates to this website, other personal projects, or just things I've learned along the way. So if you've visited before and wondered why things have been a little quiet, now you know! The website isn't abandoned. I've just been busy leveling up the developer behind it. :) – Marcus

I’m really excited to announce that my latest school project – Forum Project – is now completed and uploaded to my portfolio! 🎉 This project is a fully functional web forum built with ASP.NET Core MVC and Entity Framework Core. The main goal was to create a platform where users can: Register and log in Create new threads and posts Reply and discuss in different categories Manage users and content through a role-based system The project is also connected to an Azure SQL Database and deployed on Azure App Service, complete with its own custom subdomain: 👉 forum.marcuslehm.se I’ve added the project to my portfolio page alongside my other school projects, so feel free to check it out if you want to see more details and the tech stack behind it. This is especially exciting since it’s my first larger web project in .NET that’s live in the cloud, and it’s a great foundation for future improvements and feature expansions. 🚀

Hey everyone 👋 I’m excited to share that a massive update has just been rolled out to this site! Over the past weeks, I’ve been working hard on completely refactoring the entire codebase, making everything cleaner, more secure, and easier to maintain moving forward. This wasn’t just a touch-up — I went deep into the core of the project and restructured nearly everything behind the scenes. 💻✨ 🔧 What’s new? Here are some of the major improvements now live: ✅ Email Verification – New users must now confirm their email address to activate their account. This helps keep bots and spam away. 🔁 Resend Verification Link – Didn’t get the email? No problem! You can now easily resend the verification link. 🔐 Forgot Password – Users can now request a password reset via email if they ever forget their credentials. 🧼 Refactored All Core Logic – I’ve reviewed and cleaned up every major function across the project, following best practices for maintainability and readability. 🔒 Improved Security – CSRF protection, stricter validations, and better session handling are now in place. 📬 Transactional Emails – Custom-designed emails are now sent for registration, verification, password resets, account deletions, and more. And that’s just the beginning. 😎 🚀 Why the update? As the project has grown, I realized the original structure wasn’t scaling well. So instead of just patching things, I took the opportunity to rebuild it properly — the way I’d want it to be as a backend developer. 💬 What’s next? I'm planning to continue polishing the UX and adding even more features like: User settings panel Notification preferences Admin/mod tools And... maybe a dark mode toggle? 😄 Thanks for stopping by and trying things out. If you find bugs or have feature suggestions, feel free to reach out! See you in the next update! – Marcus

Hey everyone! I’m super excited to announce that my latest project, NoFallZone, is now officially complete and ready for the world to see. 🎉 It’s been quite the journey, building this from scratch – from a simple console application into a fully functional webshop using Entity framework Core . NoFallZone is a climbing-themed webshop, where you can browse products, add them to your cart, and even proceed to checkout – all with a pixel-art inspired vibe that gives it a unique charm. The project is a huge milestone for me as I’ve been learning a ton about backend development, frontend integration, and full-stack web applications along the way. You can now check out the project under the Projects section on my website. And, of course, the code is open source and available on my GitHub. This project is a huge stepping stone for me as I continue my journey in web development. Stay tuned for more exciting projects coming soon! 🚀 Until next time, keep coding and stay curious! — Marcus

As I wrap up my last week in Object-Oriented Programming with C#, I wanted to reflect on the project I've been pouring my soul into — NoFallZone, a console-based shopping application built from scratch using clean OOP principles, Entity Framework, and a layered architecture. 🛒 What is NoFallZone? NoFallZone is a console app for a fictional climbing gear store. It allows users to: Browse products by category View featured deals Add products to their cart Register and log in with role-based access (Admin/User) Perform product management and CRUD operations (as Admin) Search products using keywords Manage their cart and proceed to checkout (coming soon!) Admins can manage: Products Categories Suppliers Customers Featured product deals 🔍 The Tech Stack C# with .NET 8 Entity Framework Core (Code First) SQL Server Clean and consistent OOP architecture Strong use of Interfaces, Repositories, and Service layers Console UI built with custom GUI layout helpers Session management for user tracking and cart state Nullable and unique constraints across the models using OnModelCreating 💡 Key Features I Focused On OOP Design: I applied SOLID principles to keep responsibilities separated and the codebase maintainable. Each entity — from Product to Order — is encapsulated and extended via service classes and validators. Validation: I implemented robust input validation using helper classes, with custom rules and clean user prompts. Session & State Management: User sessions are managed globally through a Session class, which tracks logged-in users and their shopping cart across different screens. Role-Based Menus: I created completely different menu experiences for users and admins. The system dynamically adjusts the UI and permissions depending on the user’s role. Custom Console UI: Using methods like GUI.DrawWindow, I developed reusable layout components to simulate windowed UI panels inside the terminal — for menus, product lists, and shopping cart views. Search & Filtering: Users can perform case-insensitive free-text search across product names, descriptions, and supplier names. 🧠 What I Learned This project has been an amazing way to bring theory into practice. I’ve gained a solid understanding of: How to architect a larger C# application using object-oriented design How Entity Framework handles relationships, constraints, and migrations How to manage real-world interactions like carts, sessions, and login systems The value of separation of concerns and modular design — it made the project scale easily ✍️ Final Thoughts This is one of the most rewarding projects I’ve built during my backend development studies. It's been a rollercoaster of learning, debugging, and refactoring — but I'm incredibly proud of what I’ve created. 🎯 Next up? Possibly a WPF or ASP.NET UI layer for NoFallZone, or connecting the app to an API. Thanks for reading — and if you’re learning C# or backend development yourself, keep building. The best way to learn is by doing!