Uml for Visual Basic 6.0 Developers: Using Visual Modeler and Rational Rose 98 [Paperback]

Paul Harmon (Author), Brian Sawyer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 9, 1998

This book will teach Visual Basic developers and designers about the basics of UML (Unified Modeling Language) notation and the use of the UML diagrams, with an emphasis on COM (Component Object Model), OLE, ActiveX and development for Windows platforms. Features: * Includes a complete software application, written in Visual Basic using the Microsoft Visual Modeler and rational Rose for Visual Basic Tools * Includes discussion of the nature and use of Active X components and Microsoft's object repository * Written in-depth and suitable for developers; practical with code and notation examples

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Armed with the Unified Modeling Language (UML), there's little doubt that today's design tools can help you create better software. UML for Visual Basic 6 Developers covers software design and UML using two popular modeling tools. Besides excellent coverage of object design and UML basics, the authors provide a useful case study for a Visual Basic intranet application.

After introducing object fundamentals, Harmon and Sawyer look at today's iterative methodologies for software design. Important concepts such as round-trip engineering are introduced. (This term means that design documents and actual code can be updated throughout the software cycle.) They also present the basic UML design documents, such as use case, class, and implementation diagrams.

Next the authors examine the strengths of Visual Basic 6 as an object-oriented language. The Microsoft Visual Modeler and the more powerful Rational Rose 98 CASE tool come next. It's here that the details of UML emerge. Modeling a Web-based order fulfillment system for a hypothetical furniture company, the authors cover basic UML notation for all common diagrams. (They turn to Rational Rose for their examples when a UML feature isn't supported in Visual Modeler.)

Later sections look at Microsoft DCOM, the technology that underpins Visual Basic components. There is good coverage of Visual Basic's three-tiered architecture. The final product, an intranet Visual Basic application that uses Active Documents, shows that Visual Basic is indeed ready for today's Web. This authoritative and wide-ranging book covers all you need to know to get up to speed with the latest and greatest in UML used with Visual Basic. --Richard Dragan

About the Author

Paul Harmon is the editor of Component Development Strategies newsletter and the former editor of CASE Strategies newsletter. He is also Service Director of the Cutter Consortium's Distributed Computing Architecture service. He consults with major corporations on trends in the software industry and has authored many books, including Understanding UML: The Developer's Guide (Morgan Kaufmann), The Object Technology Casebook (John Wiley), and the international bestseller Expert Systems: Artificial Intelligence for Business (John Wiley). Brian Sawyer is a software designer and writer who has developed several successful products, including VP Expert, the best-selling expert system-building tool, and ObjectCraft, a visual modeling tool for OO system development. Brian is the author of Creating Expert Systems for Business and Industry (John Wiley) and holds a BA in computer science from the University of California, Berkeley.

Product Details

• Paperback: 383 pages
• Publisher: Morgan Kaufmann Pub; 1st edition (November 9, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1558605452
• ISBN-13: 978-1558605459
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,845,860 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Worthless, useless, total rip off, March 17, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Uml for Visual Basic 6.0 Developers: Using Visual Modeler and Rational Rose 98 (Paperback)

This is one of the worst software books I've seen in my life. The title should be "An introduction to the most basic ideas of UML and VB for certified idiots". But the authors have the galls to call this a book for developers, and that is downright dishonest: The book is written in large font and wide margins to fill space (the left margin alone is more than 2 inches -about one third of the page). And that's nothing compared to the amount of code: Out of 450 pages, less than 30 pages contain some, and they are ALL in an appendix. Wait!...it gets worse: the code doesn't have *any* of the new VB6 new features, it's all VB5!!! All database access is done via DAO (that's VB4), there is not even a passing reference to ADO. What? are you still reading? don't waste your time with this book, if you are looking for a serious book on VB6 and UML, check out VB6 UML by Jake Sturm, from WROX Press.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars worst computer book i've read in ages, March 6, 2000

By 

Mark (Ottawa, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Uml for Visual Basic 6.0 Developers: Using Visual Modeler and Rational Rose 98 (Paperback)

I buy at least 25 technical/computer books a year and I can definitely say this is the worst one I've bought in the last year. I think I'll go and buy the Addison-Wesley one.

This book is vague and littered with manager-speak. Not for developers at all (there is no code, for a start off). If you have ANY understanding of objects and classes you will find the first 4 chapters completely useless.

It did have a reasonably good bibliography, but it's like they're saying, haha we tricked you into buying our book, now go read the good ones...

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars good uml & oop intro, November 16, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Uml for Visual Basic 6.0 Developers: Using Visual Modeler and Rational Rose 98 (Paperback)

This book is a good intro to the object features of Visual Basic 6.0 and a good intro to UML Notation as well. The book illustrates various kinds of UML diagrams using Visual Modeler and Rational Rose, which are in many cases quite similar. Gives lots of attention to the structured analysis/design phases of building an app, and some discussion of component-based application development. Book has lots of diagrams and an appendix with a web-enabled sample application which has example of implementing OOP techniques using VB.