Professional Visual Studio 2008 (Wrox Programmer to Programmer) [Paperback]

Nick Randolph (Author), David Gardner (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0470229888 | ISBN-13: 978-0470229880 | Publication Date: July 28, 2008 | Edition: 1

Professional Visual Studio 2008

Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 is the latest version in the ongoing evolution of the Integrated Development Environment (IDE), and this resource examines the diverse facets of the IDE—from common tasks to intricate functions to the powerful tools that accompany the main code editing and design windows. Written by a unique author duo and offering an in-depth look at the powerful and fascinating features and techniques of the IDE, this book explores each aspect of the development life cycle from the perspective of how Visual Studio 2008 can make your life easier.

Each chapter is packed with examples that illustrate uses for various tools, commands, and shortcuts of Visual Studio 2008. You will gradually learn to identify where a feature is used, conclude how you can use it to its fullest potential, and then seamlessly apply that feature to help solve real-world problems.

What you will learn from this book

• How to create project templates and wizards

• Methods for using IntelliSense, code refactoring, class modeling, and unit testing

• Tips for using DataSets, LINQ, and Synchronization Services for working with data

• How to build web applications using ASP.NET AJAX, Silverlight, and ASP.NET MVC

• Ideas for building Office and Mobile applications, WPF, WCF, and WF projects

• Ways to effectively analyze and identify bugs using the advanced debugging features

• How to automate repetitive tasks using the Visual Studio 2008 add-ins and macros

• Suggestions for using Visual Studio Team System components coupled with Team Foundation Server

• Techniques for building more secure applications

Who this book is for
This book is for programmers who want to become proficient with the latest version of Visual Studio and are interested in the advanced capabilities of the IDE.

Wrox Professional guides are planned and written by working programmers to meet the real-world needs of programmers, developers, and IT professionals. Focused and relevant, they address the issues technology professionals face every day. They provide examples, practical solutions, and expert education in new technologies, all designed to help programmers do a better job.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Professional Visual Studio 2008

Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 is the latest version in the ongoing evolution of the Integrated Development Environment (IDE), and this resource examines the diverse facets of the IDE—from common tasks to intricate functions to the powerful tools that accompany the main code editing and design windows. Written by a unique author duo and offering an in-depth look at the powerful and fascinating features and techniques of the IDE, this book explores each aspect of the development life cycle from the perspective of how Visual Studio 2008 can make your life easier.

Each chapter is packed with examples that illustrate uses for various tools, commands, and shortcuts of Visual Studio 2008. You will gradually learn to identify where a feature is used, conclude how you can use it to its fullest potential, and then seamlessly apply that feature to help solve real-world problems.

What you will learn from this book

• How to create project templates and wizards

• Methods for using IntelliSense, code refactoring, class modeling, and unit testing

• Tips for using DataSets, LINQ, and Synchronization Services for working with data

• How to build web applications using ASP.NET AJAX, Silverlight, and ASP.NET MVC

• Ideas for building Office and Mobile applications, WPF, WCF, and WF projects

• Ways to effectively analyze and identify bugs using the advanced debugging features

• How to automate repetitive tasks using the Visual Studio 2008 add-ins and macros

• Suggestions for using Visual Studio Team System components coupled with Team Foundation Server

• Techniques for building more secure applications

Who this book is for
This book is for programmers who want to become proficient with the latest version of Visual Studio and are interested in the advanced capabilities of the IDE.

Wrox Professional guides are planned and written by working programmers to meet the real-world needs of programmers, developers, and IT professionals. Focused and relevant, they address the issues technology professionals face every day. They provide examples, practical solutions, and expert education in new technologies, all designed to help programmers do a better job.

About the Author

Nick Randolph is currently the Chief Development Officer for N Squared Solutions, having recently left his role as lead developer at Intilecta Corporation where he was integrally involved in designing and building that firm ’ s application framework. After graduating with a combined Engineering (Information Technology)/Commerce degree, Nick went on to be nominated as a Microsoft MVP in recognition of his work with the Perth .NET user group and his focus on mobile devices. He is still an active contributor in the device application development space via his blog at http://community.softteq.com/blogs/nick/ and via the Professional Visual Studio web site, http://www.professionalvisualstudio.com/ . Over the past two years, Nick has been invited to present at a variety of events including Tech Ed Australia, MEDC, and Code Camp. He has also authored articles for MSDN Magazine (ANZ edition) and a book entitled Professional Visual Studio 2005 , and has helped judge the 2004, 2005, and 2007 world finals for the Imagine Cup.

David Gardner is a seasoned.NET developer and the Chief Software Architect at Intilecta Corporation. David has an ongoing passion to produce well - designed, high - quality software products that engage and delight users. For the past decade and a bit, David has worked as a solutions architect, consultant, and developer, and has provided expertise to organizations in Australia, New Zealand, and Malaysia. David is a regular speaker at the Perth .NET user group, and has presented at events including the .NET Framework Launch, TechEd Malaysia, and the Microsoft Executive Summit. He holds a Bachelor of Science (Computer Science) and is a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer. David regularly blogs about Visual Studio and .NET at http://www.professionalvisualstudio .com/ , and maintains a personal web site at http://peaksite.com/ .

Product Details

• Paperback: 1032 pages
• Publisher: Wrox; 1 edition (July 28, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470229888
• ISBN-13: 978-0470229880
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.4 x 2.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #662,688 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars `everything you wanted to know about Visual Studio 2008 but were afraid to ask', September 9, 2008

By 

Mitchell Wheat - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Professional Visual Studio 2008 (Wrox Programmer to Programmer) (Paperback)

Let me start with a disclaimer: I know Nick Randolph and Dave Gardner personally through my involvement with the Perth .NET user group. They are both very talented and skilled developers and active in their support of the developer community. I tried not to let this fact bias this short review too much!

I reviewed the Visual Studio 2005 predecessor of this book some time ago, and I think the new 2008 is an improvement. It's a big book and not just by its size. It covers a huge amount of material and could probably have been subtitled `everything you wanted to know about Visual Studio 2008 but were afraid to ask'! The Visual Studio 2008 Integrated Development Environment (IDE) is a complex beast, and worth getting to know well, if like me, you spend most of your working life in it! You could, of course, still do most of your development in Notepad, but you could also wear a hair shirt...

The primary focus of this book is on the IDE itself, rather than the specific languages that can be used within .NET or indeed the .NET Framework itself. I'm not going to give a chapter by chapter account of what is contained in this book, mainly because it would take a loooooong time, but also because I fear my head might explode! Seriously though, I have read around 75% of it. The writing style is clear and I doubt whether you could make any book about Visual Studio more engaging than they have achieved.

The authors' goals, as stated, were not just updating the Visual Studio 2005 version of this book or simply to explain how to use Visual Studio, but also to create a set of productivity best practices and recommendations on how to use Visual Studio features in an effective way. I think they have achieved that goal.

One of the first Amazon reviews was not favourable, but that reviewer was looking for a book that would teach C# and an introduction to the .NET framework. As Dave mentioned in his response to that reviewer, although both authors do have a bias towards Visual Basic, approximately 40% of the code samples are written in C#. There is also a chapter that provides coverage of F# (http://mitch-wheat.blogspot.com/2008/09/new-net-f-ctp-release.html)

It is probably not the sort of book you would read cover to cover, but rather delve into specific chapters to gain insight into particular features. It's great for quickly finding out what features are available. The first day it was on my desk at work, I used it to quickly find a debugging gem that might have otherwise remained undiscovered.
Kudos goes to Nick and Dave for producing a great resource for developers.

There is a companion website and blog here: http://www.professionalvisualstudio.com/

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Enlightened me to Visual Studio's subtler side, July 6, 2009

By 

William E. Diehl - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Professional Visual Studio 2008 (Wrox Programmer to Programmer) (Paperback)

I've been working with Visual Studio since.... well, a long time. Despite the fact that I've literally been through a bookshelf of language books, design patterns, best practices, and so forth, when I saw this book I realized I hadn't really investigated the very tool I was using every day.

The first few chapters were seemingly humdrum, but I started picking up these little chunks of things I didn't know. Like the Object Test Bench had just been something I had skimmed past a few times, but had never seriously looked at. Or the Command Window, which I kept closed before (now I use it like crazy). I kept running into these little "nuggets" that talked about things I either didn't know about, or hadn't paid serious attention to.

This book has helped my overall productivity a great deal. I would recommend it to any programmer who wants to use Visual Studio more effectively (yes, even with add-ins like ReSharper). The things you can pick up can change your day to day coding significantly.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book, December 15, 2008

By 

Bassam Muhammad (Alexandria) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Professional Visual Studio 2008 (Wrox Programmer to Programmer) (Paperback)

I found this book to be really amazing , authors did great job to explore all difficult to find details in VS2008 , I'm a professional experienced programmer but still , I found many many things I did not know that I can do with [...] by reading this book, I think Microsoft should buy it and give it for free with each copy of [...] 2008 sold, it is an indispensable material and will make you really productive with the IDE. Highly recommended.