Visual Basic 6: Design, Specification, and Objects [Paperback]

Billy S. Hollis (Author)

Book Description

Series: Prentice Hall Series on Microsoft Technologies | Publication Date: July 19, 1999

Visual Basic 6 enables the creation of sophisticated enterprise applications, but few VB programmers have the design and specification skills needed to develop them effectively. Visual Basic 6: Design, Specification, and Objects is the solution. You'll find practical coverage of the entire lifecycle: requirements gathering, functional/technical specifications, user involvement, data modeling, object design, and much more. Hollis addresses n-tier design, special considerations associated with commercial software, prototyping (and its limits), and UML. The book also includes detailed coverage of the Microsoft Solutions Framework (MSF), Microsoft's official development methodology. The accompanying CD-ROM contains complete VB code for all programs in the book, as well as Microsoft Word design and specification document templates designed to help any experienced VB developer write specifications faster and more effectively.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

• Hands-on, real-world VB object design—not an academic treatise!
• Finding out what users need—even if they don't know how to tell you
• Why you shouldn't touch the user interface until the specs are complete
• How to create better interfaces when the time is right
• Practical examples covering the entire development lifecycle
• Key design techniques that deliver the most value
• Includes coverage of the Microsoft Solutions Framework

Master object-based disciplines for building great VB6 enterprise apps!

“I hate waste. I hate to see development dollars flushed down the toilet. I hate to see grumpy, dissatisfied developers hacking away at code no one will ever use. You probably hate those things, too. But do you hate them enough to do something about it?”
—Billy S. Hollis, author of Visual Basic 6: Design, Specification, and Objects.

Right now, somewhere, a VB project is failing—because nobody took the time up front to define, specify, and design that project. It's so easy to create slick dialogs, many developers forget that designing screens and designing software systems are two different things!

The solution: Visual Basic 6: Design, Specification, and Objects, by Billy S. Hollis. Forget those academic, “head-in-the-clouds” object design guides, this is real-world, hands-on stuff. You'll learn requirements-gathering techniques that work: who to interview, how to prepare, how to follow up, and more. You'll learn the most effective ways to write requirements documents (with MS-Word templates on CD-ROM to jumpstart the process). You'll master data modeling; n-tier design; unique considerations for commercial software; even the Microsoft Solutions Framework (MSF), Microsoft's official development methodology.

With VB6, you already have the technology to build enterprise-class applications. By the time you finish this book, you'll have the design, analysis, and specification skills you need, too!

CD-ROM included

The accompanying CD-ROM contains all Visual Basic 6 code from the book, plus easy-to-use Microsoft Word templates that help you jumpstart your own project designs and specifications!

About the Author

Billy S. Hollis is Director of Consulting Services at Oakwood Systems Group, Brentwood, TN, and Microsoft's MSDN Regional Director of Developer Relations in Tennessee.

Product Details

• Paperback: 350 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall PTR (July 19, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0130850845
• ISBN-13: 978-0130850843
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.9 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,690,188 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Felt like a long conversation with an expert, May 25, 2000

By 

Chip Carlson (Denver, Colorado) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Visual Basic 6: Design, Specification, and Objects (Paperback)

I have never seen a technical book this easy to read. Nice conversational tone, and the material just flowed well. Several times I had a question in my mind and the next paragraph answered it. It was like having a conversation with someone really experienced.

I got several tips to start using immediately - very practical stuff. I also had my manager read several chapters because this book explains why definition and design are important and save money in the long run.

The object material is good, but basic, and doesn't go far into 3 tier. If you want more details on objects, something like Lotkha's book on Business Objects in VB is a good next step. But for analysis, design, and fundamentals of objects, this book stands out.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing, October 22, 2000

By 

Eric S. Ford (Beavercreek, OH USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Visual Basic 6: Design, Specification, and Objects (Paperback)

I saw this book on a colleague's desk and immediately ordered a copy for myself. I should have borrowed and read it first. I expected a more thorough treatment of VB software design and specification preparation but over half of the book is just another treatise on how to program objects using VB. There are significantly better books on this topic, notably Peter Wright's and Debra Kurata's. The first few chapters of this book deal with analysis, requirements documentation, and functional specifications and are well written but the more difficult task of writing technical specs is all but ignored. It almost appears that, after expending too much effort on object programming, the author simply ran out of steam and gave only token effort to the rest of the book. He simply states that writing technical specifications is difficult and therefore is out of scope for the book. Then goes on to provide very sketchy vignettes of various design tools and techniques. I expected at least a sampling of real world document styles if not significant content. Two templates (requirements document and functional spec) are provided on the the accompanying CD but both are little more than very top level outlines (nearly identical at that) with instructions for using the templates themselves. Much better sample documents are available from Steve McConnell's web site. If you just need some passionate arguments regarding the need for upfront design and documentation then this book provides that. However, if you need some concrete examples to use to make the preparation of such documents less painful or if you need some ideas for how to go about performing these steps then you'll have to look elsewhere.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Read This First - Then Charge!, May 17, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Visual Basic 6: Design, Specification, and Objects (Paperback)

One of the best purchases I ever made. This book is an invaluable resource for me. It points you in the right direction for developing VB apps and objects by helping you to draw on your experiences, intellect and insight and offering his. It exposes weaknesses with VB developers and offers some real, workable, practical solutions.

Please Read This First. The tackle you next project with renewed vigor, increased insight and I'm sure, a greater probability of success.