C# & VB.NET Conversion Pocket Reference [Paperback]

Jose Mojica (Author)

Book Description

Series: Pocket Reference | Publication Date: April 29, 2002

Though most programmers use two or more languages, they usually have a mastery of one. Although Microsoft has advertised that the .NET runtime is language agnostic and that C# and Visual Basic .NET are so close that switching between the two is really quite easy, that?s only true up to a point. Some of the differences are obvious, but others are very subtle. C# & VB.NET Conversion Pocket Reference helps you easily make the switch from one language to another.

The differences occur in three main areas: syntax, object-oriented principles, and the Visual Studio .NET IDE. Syntax concerns the statements and language elements. Object oriented differences are less obvious, and concern differences in implementation and feature sets between the two languages. IDE differences include things like compiler settings or attributes. There is also a fourth area of difference: language features that are present in one language but have no equivalent in the other. These unique language features are also covered in this book.

C# & VB.NET Conversion Pocket Reference is a perfect companion for documents and books that don?t have examples using your mastered language. Author Jose Mojica expects that you know one of the two languages, but does not make an assumption about which one. He presents the information in a language-neutral point of view so that programmers from either background can read a section and feel that it is targeted to them.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jose Mojica is an instructor and researcher at DevelopMentor, a company that's gained an international reputation for its experience with COM and COM+. He teaches various courses that focus on enterprise development in COM+, IIS, .NET, and Visual Basic. Before joining DevelopMentor, Jose was a consultant at IBM, writing DCOM servers that performed speech recognition and creating ActiveX controls in ATL for the ViaVoice SDK. He has worked with Visual Basic since Version 1.0. Jose is the author of Building ActiveX Controls with Visual Basic 5.0 and coauthor of Programming Internet Controls and Distributed Applications for Visual C++ 6.0 MCSD Training Kit.

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: O'Reilly Media; 1 edition (April 29, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0596003196
• ISBN-13: 978-0596003197
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #857,981 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #62 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Computers & Internet > Programming

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another great Pocket Reference from O'Reilly, April 30, 2002

By 

"bill_wheel" (South Lyon, MI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: C# & VB.NET Conversion Pocket Reference (Paperback)

I noticed before writing this review that someone had recommended "The .NET Languages: A Quick Translation Guide" instead of "Converting VB.NET & C# Pocket Reference". Having browsed through "The .NET Languages: A Quick Translation Guide" at the book store, it is certainly a good book, but there is nothing "quick" about it. At 400+ pages it's really more of an overview and less of a "quick translation guide".

If you are looking for a truly pocket sized conversion guide between C# and VB.NET, I would strongly suggest Jose Mojica's "Converting VB.NET & C# Pocket Reference". This book is in contrast to some of the larger "overview" style books, as it is a reference guide weighing in at around 100 pages. The book is great for developers that have a fair grasp of VB.NET and/or C# and don't want or need lengthy instruction, but rather a quick alternative to searching the .NET help system or looking for code examples on the web.

The format is very straightforward and simple. Every topic includes a brief, but concise explanation and is enhanced with occupying code examples. The code snippets, in most cases, almost speak for themselves. Often the examples are in a rapid-fire "here's what it looks like in C#, here's what it looks like in VB.NET" style. Typically, the topic or keyword being covered will appear in the code in bold, adding to their readability and usefulness.

My only complaint with the book is that I had expected to see an appendix section with a keyword comparison similar to the ones found in the .NET help. It would have been convenient to those of us too lazy to print that section out ourselves.

Overall, this is the best book I've seen if you are a developer looking for a quick conversion reference when working in a mixed C#, VB.NET environment (which could include just about anyone working with .NET today).

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very good book!, July 29, 2003

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: C# & VB.NET Conversion Pocket Reference (Paperback)

I picked up this book on a fling... but I am amazed at how useful I've found it. Most book authors today are gauged (by the publishing houses) according to the number of pages they turn in. This book on the other hand tries to squeeze a lot of good solid information into a small space without beating the topic to death.

It goes over some of the core differences of VB.NET and C# making not just a valuable reference in conversion between the two, but amazing for learning both languages if you're coming from a high level language (I'm a very strong VB programmer). Within a few minutes I learned how to build classes in both C# and VB.NET from this book. About 10 minutes later I had basic Overloading and Inheritance down. Granted, this book won't teach you what Inheritance is, but if you already know it your only problem is to learn the syntax and this book gives you the syntax quickly.

Another cool thing about this book is that it quickly also shows you what's WRONG with the languages at the IL level and will give you a quick bit of info about things that can cause problems (i.e., case sensitivity in C# which allows you to write functions that would result in ambiguous interpretation in VB.NET)

Remember: this book won't tell you what object oriented design is and won't tell you how to build an n-tier app in .Net, but it will teach you how to write a class in C# and VB.NET in about 1 minute :-) Its just as helpful to learn the basics, such as loops, indexing, calling conventions, etc...

If you are already good in high level languages and have gotten dropped head first into .NET, get this book and keep it nearby.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Reference and Useful for Learning Both Languages, January 18, 2005

By 

Richard T. Waddell (Southern California, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: C# & VB.NET Conversion Pocket Reference (Paperback)

There are at least two advantages to knowing both languages.
- Understanding sample code and examples.
- Flexibility on multi-language projects.

I'm from a C++ background in the bad old days before .NET, but now I'm equally comfortable in either C# or VB.NET, largely due to this book.

Exclusive of conversion between the two langauges, it's also the best quick reference I have for either. Many times I've continued to search for my copy rather than turn to another source. Now I also subscribe to it on Safari, and when my hardcopy falls apart I'll probably buy another one.

It would be nice if it had an index, but I'm still giving it five stars since as far as I know there is no adequate substitute.