Beginning VB.NET, Second Edition [Paperback]

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

Book Description

Publication Date: August 2002

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.

This book covers:

- Installing Visual Basic .NET

- How to write Visual Basic .NET code

- What the .NET Framework is and why it's important

- Controlling the flow through your application with loops and branching structures

- Creating useful windows and screens

- Creating your own menus

- A complete introduction to object-oriented programming

- Working with graphics

- Creating your own controls

- Accessing databases with ADO.NET

- Creating applications for the Web

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.

From the Back Cover

Beginning Visual Basic® 2005

By harnessing the power of Visual Basic 2005, you can create innovative solutions for a host of programming challenges. These include dynamic applications for use over the Internet as well as mobile applications for Pocket PCs and SmartPhones. Filled with code examples and thorough explanations, this book will help you quickly get up to speed with the language so you can begin writing your own customized programs.

You'll first discover the various aspects of Visual Basic 2005 as well as its foundation in Microsoft's .NET Framework. You'll then develop your programming skills as you progress through various exercises that show you how to build rich and professional looking applications. Along the way, you'll also learn about object-oriented programming, creating custom controls, working with databases, and much more. All of this will get you started on the road to professional development.

What you will learn from this book

• All about the fundamentals of the Visual Basic language
• How to write Windows®, Web, and mobile applications using Visual Basic 2005
• Tips for utilizing the latest tools and features of Visual Basic 2005, including IDE enhancements, temporary projects, and debugging inspections
• Ways to effectively build and deploy your applications for maximum results
• Techniques for taking advantage of object-oriented principles and the .NET Framework
• Steps for building class libraries, Web Services, and .NET remoting

Who this book is for

This book is for anyone who is new to development and wants to learn how to program applications using Visual Basic 2005.

Wrox Beginning guides are crafted to make learning programming languages and technologies easier than you think, providing a structured, tutorial format that will guide you through all the techniques involved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 880 pages
• Publisher: Wrox Press; 2nd edition (August 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1861007612
• ISBN-13: 978-1861007612
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.4 x 1.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,749,701 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.