Jump Start Guide For Microsoft Visual Basic 2005

Okay, all you VB6 developers--time's up. As of March 2005, Microsoft no longer supports this version of Visual Basic. And you can't blame them. Three years ago, they introduced the .NET Framework--an elegant, powerful platform--along with the new component-based VB.NET language. But roughly five million of you decided to stick with VB6, mostly to maintain legacy Windows and COM projects. Now, with the upcoming release of VB 2005, Microsoft has several attractive reasons to upgrade that you'll find hard to resist, including the return of some VB6 features. And we have the perfect book to help you make the conversion: Visual Basic 2005 Jumpstart. Now, you can test-drive the beta version of VB 2005 with three hands-on projects that enable you to learn the syntax of this new language quickly. VB 2005 not only lets you convert the bulk of your existing VB6 code, but offers several familiar features, such as compile-and-run debugging, new MyClasses that simplify use of .NET libraries and frameworks, lots of IDE support for Windows, web and mobile GUI development, and data access controls that closely resemble what you use now. The real plus is that you'll be using these features with the .NET platform, which is more secure, less complex than COM, and offers OneClick deployment. Visual Basic 2005 Jumpstart lets you get the feel of this platform for building smart/rich Windows Forms clients, ASP.NET web applications, and web services. Author Wei-Meng Lee, a Microsoft .NET MVP, veteran O'Reilly author and frequent contributor to the O'Reilly Network, has put together three useful test-drive projects, complete with code samples, that let you develop: A personal library Windows application A Web-based shopping cart application A stock enquiry Web Service Our jumpstart guide is the quick, painless way to migrate from VB6 to VB 2005, and the perfect training manual for moving your organization to the more robust, dynamic and secure world of .NET.

This innovative text focuses on the new version of Visual Studio – Visual Studio 2005 and on the changes and enhancements to Visual Basic 2005.

“I have never reviewed a book I enjoyed as much as this one. Excellent coverage, perfect for the intended audience. Concise, clear, accurate descriptions. This is a winner.” –Ken Getz, MCW Technologies, LLC Master Visual Basic 2005 by Building a Complete, Production-Quality Application from Start-to-Finish! This book is the fastest, best way for experienced programmers to truly master real-world Visual Basic 2005 development. You won’t just learn syntax and features: you’ll build a complete, robust, data-driven application. You’ll put Visual Basic 2005 to work in solving real business problems, overcoming the practical challenges of building production systems, and you will learn to see Visual Basic 2005 projects as they were intended–as complete, cohesive solutions. Patrick’s engaging style and crystal-clear explanations will help you stay focused, learn fast, and apply what you’ve learned. • Master every stage of the application lifecycle and every step in the development process • Walk through all facets of database design and ADO.NET data access • Create advanced Windows applications with Windows Forms and Web applications with ASP.NET 2.0 • Make the most of classes, inheritance, and other object-oriented Visual Basic 2005 features • Effectively utilize data types, generics, error processing, XML, GDI+, and many other language and platform features • Learn how to personalize and restrict your application’s features based on user preferences • Determine the best way to license, localize, document, deploy, and support your application Start-to-Finish Visual Basic 2005 is the perfect tutorial for existing Visual Basic programmers moving to Visual Basic 2005, programmers moving from other traditional procedural languages, and experienced Visual Basic .NET/2005 programmers who want to deepen their skills in developing entire projects. Tim Patrick is a software architect and developer with nearly 25 years of experience in designing and building custom software solutions. As a Microsoft Certified Solution Developer, he spends his days writing Visual Basic 2005 applications. Tim is the author of The Visual Basic Style Guide and The Visual Basic .NET Style Guide, and co-author of Visual Basic 2005 in a Nutshell and Visual Basic 2005 Cookbook. The companion website (www.awprofessional.com/titles/0321398009) contains the complete software application and source code for the book, plus chapter-specific versions showing each step of the sample project’s construction. The code was written to work with every edition of Visual Studio 2005, Visual Basic 2005, and SQL Server 2005, including Microsoft’s free Express editions.

Visual Basic .NET Kick Start is a rapid-progression tutorial that presents Visual Basic .NET to working programmers already familiar with another programming language or tool. This book speeds through basic concepts and focuses on practical examples showing the advantages of Visual Basic .NET in ASP programming, application design and creation, and .NET Web Services development. Because previous versions of Visual Basic are so prevalent, this book pays special attention to issues developers face when moving from VB to VB.NET. Although Visual Basic .NET Kick Start assumes no knowledge of the .NET Framework, it skips the handholding and basic programming instruction associated with entry-level tutorials. Full of code examples, tips, and professional insights, this book is about maximum payoff with minimum effort for the working programming who wants to use Visual Basic .NET now.

This book is an excellent ptograming reference guide for developing professional commercial grade .NET components, web services and appliances. Written for novice .NET developers.

The classic Nutshell guide to Microsoft's Visual Basic programming language is completely revised and reorganized to cover the forthcoming VB 3005 version, as well as VB .NET 1.1.