Beginning VB.NET (Programmer to Programmer) [Paperback]

Richard Blair (Author), Jonathan Crossland (Author), Matthew Reynolds (Author), Thearon Willis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 22, 2002 | ISBN-10: 0764543849 | ISBN-13: 978-0764543845 | Edition: 2

What is this book about?

Visual Basic .NET is the latest version of the most widely used programming language in the world, popular with professional developers and complete beginners alike. This book will teach you Visual Basic .NET from first principles. You'll quickly and easily learn how to write Visual Basic .NET code and create attractive windows and forms for the users of your applications. To get you started on the road to professional development, you'll also learn about object-oriented programming, creating your own controls, working with databases, creating menus, and working with graphics.

This second edition has been thoroughly tested on the full release version of .NET. The book is written in the proven Wrox beginning style with clear explanations and plenty of code samples. Every new concept is explained thoroughly with Try It Out examples and there are end-of-chapter questions to test yourself.

What does this book cover?

In this book, you will learn how to

• Install Visual Basic .NET
• Write Visual Basic .NET code
• Understand what the .NET Framework is and why it's important
• Control the flow through your application with loops and branching structures
• Create useful windows and screens
• Create your own menus
• Gain a complete understanding of object-oriented programming
• Work with graphics
• Create your own controls
• Access databases with ADO.NET
• Create applications for the Web

Who is this book for?
This book is aimed at readers who wish to learn to program using Visual Basic .NET. It assumes you have no prior experience of programming, but moves at a fast enough pace to be interesting if you have programmed in another language.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

This book is aimed at readers who wish to learn to program using Visual Basic .NET. It assumes you have no prior experience of programming, but moves at a fast enough pace to be interesting if you have programmed in another language. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Back Cover

Microsoft® Visual Basic® is the most popular programming language in the world, with millions of lines of code used in businesses and applications of all types and sizes. With Visual Basic .NET, Microsoft introduces some fundamental new features, particularly the ability to program against the .NET Framework.

Keeping a constant view on real-life programming practices, Beginning VB.NET will guide you from your first Visual Basic .NET program right through to producing powerful, database driven applications for Windows and the Web.

This book is suitable whether you are new to programming, have some experience with other versions of Visual Basic, or are migrating to Windows programming from another platform. It will give you the thorough grounding you need to write real-world, commercial applications.

What you will learn from this book

This book will show you:

• How to get up and running with the Visual Basic .NET or Visual Studio® .NET IDE
• How to write Visual Basic .NET code
• What the .NET Framework is and why it is important
• How to use loops and branching structures so that your programs can make decisions
• How to use menus, toolbars, dialog boxes, and other controls in your Windows programs
• What object-oriented programming is, and what it means to you
• How to create re-usable class libraries and user controls

What you need

This book is for developers who have access to Visual Studio .NET Professional or above, or Visual Basic .NET Standard.

Wrox Beginning guides are crafted to make learning programming languages and technologies easier than you think. Whether you’re taking your first steps in programming, or broadening your skills and knowledge, Wrox Beginning books provide a structured, tutorial format that will guide you through all the techniques involved.

First, each concept is explained to give you a solid understanding of the material. Then, your new understanding is applied to practical examples – taking you to the point where you can develop professional applications that you can be proud of.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 888 pages
• Publisher: Wrox; 2 edition (August 22, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764543849
• ISBN-13: 978-0764543845
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.3 x 1.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,547,816 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

51 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simple. Clear. Straightforward., December 9, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Beginning VB.NET, Second Edition (Paperback)

I have spent a great deal of time browsing through a number of VB.Net books in a couple of my local bookstores. (Both have extensive technical book sections). This book caught my eye and I decided to browse through it. First off, I must say that in the bookstore I was "wowed" by quality of the content. After I got it home and started implementing the examples in the chapters, I can definitively say that this book is excellent.

My goal in my book search was to find a book that explained the VB.Net language as it pertained to the VB.Net development environment. I wanted a book that actually "showed" me how to navigate around the IDE while explaining nontrivial VB.Net concepts and examples, and discussing the language so that I would be able to write some programs after finishing it.

Some of the earlier chapters are geared to a beginning programmer (somewhat like me and even less so), yet the authors branch off and talk about relevant topics without falling off a limb. For example, in chapter 2 - "Writing Software", the authors discuss data types and give numerous examples of accessing the different properties of each. When they get the the Boolean datatype, they actually go into a juicy amount of detail about binary representations and even discuss binary math. Its just a few pages in length but it is darn appropriate and gives a nice overview into the topic at hand. However, they keep it moving and move on to the next appropriate topic with their usual clarity in writing.

I am now focusing on their chapter on "Building Objects" - chapter 4. I have to say that this chapter offers the clearest examples of classes that I have seen. Far too often I have read about classes in other books and have seen weird examples that had little to do with real life...often requiring a "suspension of reality" on behalf of the reader such that the reader was forced to make the leap from theory to reality. This book, on the other hand, shows me how to construct an object that I can actually relate to.

So far I have not found any errors, although they do list some (minor) errata in the Wrox website. But the fact that Wrox even *has* a comprehensive website proactively listing potential errata is yet another reason I am glad I bought this book from this publisher. By the way, I found their website and located the section related to this book in about 12 seconds. The quality is in the details, and obviously somebody at Wrox actually cared about the ease of finding information about their published material.

Like I said I am only on chapter 4, yet I have done a lot of "skimming" ahead and I eagerly await the topics in later chapters where I will learn how to build little Windows applications, make my own menus, handle errors, connect to a database, etc. Basically *all* the things I want to learn how to do. (Are they mind readers?)

Excellent work.

64 of 68 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect for the absolute beginner!, October 17, 2002

By 

VisualBasicBooks.com (Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beginning VB.NET, Second Edition (Paperback)

This book is for beginner programmers who have chosen Visual Basic .NET as their first programming language. It is also intended for programmers experienced in another programming language, but who are new to Windows programming.

The book begins with step by step instructions on how to install Visual Basic .NET. Next, there is a brief introduction on how to write Visual Basic .NET code, and a description of what the .NET framework is. The next chapter teaches how to control the flow of applications using loops and branching structures. You will then learn how to create windows, screens, and how to add menus to your applications.

Visual Basic .NET is the first version of Visual Basic to provide full object oriented capabilities, making it among the most powerful windows development tools. The book teaches you what object oriented programming is and how to use it in your applications.

Chapter 15 and 16 introduce database access with Visual Basic .NET. You will learn what a database is, how to write simple SQL statements, and how to use ADO.NET to access Microsoft SQL Server and Microsoft Access databases. The final three chapters show how to create applications for the web using web forms, XML, and web services such as SOAP, "Simple Object Access Protocol".

Like all Wrox Press beginner programming books, this book is written in a clear and easy to learn manner. Each chapter contains plenty of sample code examples and an end of chapter test.

If you are new to programming, or new to Windows programming, "Beginning Visual Basic .NET" is an excellent first step in aquiring the knowledge needed to develop Windows applications.

31 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Learning Environment, October 4, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Beginning VB.NET, Second Edition (Paperback)

I am a Systems and Network Administrator who used Visual Basic 6.0 to automate many of the redundant tasks typical of this environment. I don't claim to be a "developer" but have been developing tools for a long time. I typically do not like WROX books but after sitting down at my local bookstore and plowing through 20 books on VB.NET, this one stood out. It has good examples that you can follow, it assumes you have basic programming/development skills and it is well written. If you are a developer by occupation this is probably not the book for you. For those of us who do not release our code to production environments this book has served me well by not being incredibly basic nor losing me in advanced topics.