Programming Visual Basic 2008: Build .NET 3.5 Applications with Microsoft's RAD Tool for Business [Paperback]

Tim Patrick (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0596518439 | ISBN-13: 978-0596518431 | Publication Date: June 3, 2008 | Edition: 1st Ed.

Ever since Visual Basic was merged into .NET, it's become the core language for creating business applications with Windows. The latest version, VB 2008, is even more useful -- and provides even more incentive for migrating from VB 6. All it lacks is a good book on how to harness its power. Programming Visual Basic 2008 fills the void.

Written in a lively and engaging style by a developer who's grown up with Visual Basic, including both VB 6 and VB .NET, this hands-on guide addresses the core topics of the new VB, from basic to complex, with plenty of code examples.

Programming Visual Basic 2008 also examines .NET programming from the application level with a chapter-by-chapter plan for developing, documenting, and deploying a full data-driven application. You learn, step-by-step, how to build and deploy a library management system, complete with patron, inventory, and barcode support.

The book's broad range of topics include:

• VB language and its syntax
• An overview of the .NET Framework
• Object-oriented development in VB and .NET
• Generic objects, collections, and nullable types
• Design and management of software projects
• Integrating desktop features with Windows Forms
• Database design with SQL Server 2008
• Database interface design with ADO.NET
• The new LINQ feature, and how to use it within VB and .NET
• Embedding XML within application source code
• Encryption and authentication in .NET
• Interacting with data stored in files and directories
• Web development using ASP.NET
• Deploying an application to a user's workstation
• And much more

Programming Visual Basic 2008 is ideal for VB 6 programmers who are ready to move to .NET, as well as VB.NET programmers who wish to improve their project-focused software development skills. Programming novices and developers coming from other languages will find the book valuable because of its language instruction and project design knowledge.

Once you finish the book, you will have a firm grasp of VB 2008's core concepts and language elements, and understand how to build VB projects as they were intended -- as complete, cohesive solutions.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Tim Patrick is a software architect and developer with 25 years of experience in designing and building custom software solutions. As a Microsoft MVP and Microsoft Certified Solution Developer, he spends his days writing Visual Basic applications. Tim has published five tutorial and reference books on Visual Basic development, along with several articles on Visual Basic and related technologies. His works include "Visual Basic 2005 in a Nutshell" and "Visual Basic 2005 Cookbook," both published by O'Reilly Media.

Product Details

• Paperback: 784 pages
• Publisher: O'Reilly Media; 1st Ed. edition (June 3, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0596518439
• ISBN-13: 978-0596518431
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #888,711 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars So-so book, May 10, 2010

By 

Shawn Irwin (Tempe Arizona USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Programming Visual Basic 2008: Build .NET 3.5 Applications with Microsoft's RAD Tool for Business (Paperback)

This would be a great book, but for two things . . . 1. The worst was, I got to page 332, then realized that the next page was 359! I want my missing 27 pages! 2. The author's attempts at humor are just plain lame, because they distract from the content. You are in the middle of reading a sentence, and within that content, he throws in some off-the-wall comment . . . it was irritating, when you are trying to follow the flow of information. That said, there is some pretty good information in the book, otherwise, I would have considered it trash.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for getting ideas for your own apps, February 26, 2010

By 

Joel Seguin (Earthquake, California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Programming Visual Basic 2008: Build .NET 3.5 Applications with Microsoft's RAD Tool for Business (Paperback)

I don't feel this is a book for beginners, chapters 2-7 were easy to grasp, but after that it definitely gets complex. I would recommend the book for someone who already read a VB2008 intro book with at least some light OOP and wants to get some ideas for his or her own applications. For the solo developer I think the book is priceless.

One reviewer stated the snippets that are installed in visual studio for quick pasting of code was a bad thing but I found it it to be amazing. If you feel compelled to rewrite the code by hand, you could easily do so, but memorizing code is not the purpose of the book as it might be in a beginners book. The book also comes with a visual studio template project for each chapter, one for "before code" and one for "after code". The author explains where to paste the snippets in the "before code" templates per chapter while explaining what each snippet of code does. If you get stuck, just look at the "after code" template and run it/debug/step through it.

This method was very convenient/original and took away a lot of the tediousness of positioning every little label and button for all the forms and creating repetitive code. This allowed me to quickly understand why the author built the app the way he did and how the code worked.

3.0 out of 5 stars Visual Basic 2008, October 5, 2010

By 

Protractor - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Programming Visual Basic 2008: Build .NET 3.5 Applications with Microsoft's RAD Tool for Business (Paperback)

I thought it was great until Chapter 8 "Classes and Inheritance" which is where I'm at now. This chapter seems overly complex and I question the need for it. There must be easier and clearer ways of accomplishing the goals. It certainly not straight forward. This Chapter is convoluted.