Visual Basic 6 Weekend Crash Course [Paperback]

Richard Mansfield (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0764546791 | ISBN-13: 978-0764546792 | Publication Date: March 28, 2000

Is it possible to learn Visual Basic 6 in a weekend? It is with the Visual Basic 6 Weekend Crash Course. Start with programming fundamentals on Friday evening and wrap it up with understanding classes and objects on Sunday afternoon. Come Monday morning, you'll know how to create Visual Basic programs.

Packed with tips, screenshots, and code, the book's 30 step-by-step lessons will have you programming in only 15 hours. A companion CD-ROM features Visual Basic 6 Working Model Edition, assessment software to help gauge your progress, and all code for the sample programs featured in the book.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Bonus CD-ROM includes:

Visual Basic 6 Working Model Edition Assessment software to help gauge your progress All code and auxiliary files for the sample programs Plus trial software from Sheridan Software Systems, LEAD Technologies, and VideoSoft

From the Back Cover

Get up to Speed on Visual Basic 6 -- in a Weekend!
The big day is Monday. The day you get to show off what you know about Visual Basic 6. The problem is, you're not really up to speed. Maybe it's been a while since you worked with Visual Basic or maybe you just like a challenge. In any event, we've got a solution for you -- Visual Basic 6 Weekend Crash Course. Open the book Friday evening and by Sunday afternoon, after completing 30 fast, focused lessons, you'll be able to jump right in and start developing VB 6 applications. It's as simple as that.

THE CURRICULUM
FRIDAY
Creating Your First Visual Basic Program
Evening: 4 lessons, 2 hours:
Programming Fundamentals; The VB Editor; Creating an Interface; Writing Code

SATURDAY
Mastering the Essentials
Morning: 6 lessons, 3 hours:
Forms and Buttons; OptionButtons and CheckBoxes; TextBoxes; Labels and Scrollbars; Shapes, Images, and Pictures; Adding Menus
Afternoon: 6 lessons, 3 hours:
Dialog Boxes; Procedures; Variables and Scope; Getting User Info; Math, Comparison, and Logical Operators; Strings
Evening: 4 lessons, 2 hours:
Looping; Branching; Subroutines; Debugging

SUNDAY
Tying it All Together
Morning: 6 lessons, 3 hours:
Designing a Personal Database Manager; Building the User Interface; Creating and Connecting a Database; Displaying Records; Searching Records; Updating
Afternoon: 4 lessons, 2 hours:
Using the Clipboard; Letting Users Customize the Application; Printing Reports; Understanding Classes and Objects

BONUS CD-ROM INCLUDES
* Visual Basic 6 Working Model Edition
* Assessment software to help gauge your progress
* All codes and auxiliary files for the sample program
* Plus trial software from Sheridan Software Systems, LEAD Technologies, and VideoSoft

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 403 pages
• Publisher: Wiley (March 28, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764546791
• ISBN-13: 978-0764546792
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,918,709 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Quick Review, July 29, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Visual Basic 6 Weekend Crash Course (Paperback)

I got this book to help get a head start with a university course. I'm new to Visual Basic so I thought this book would be a great help. It was, I was disapointed that some of the code quoted in the book did not work. Most notably the example on reading the contents of a file in chapter 4. It actually puts the path and filename into your little wordprocessor window. Got to admit I got extremely good with the online Visual Basic Help facility. I made it work eventually, I'm now on weekend number 2. Overall it achieves it's purpose, but that early glitch caused some concern over the rest of the text.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Great concept with a very poor execution, November 5, 2001

By 

Joe Waynick - See all my reviews

This review is from: Visual Basic 6 Weekend Crash Course (Paperback)

When I looked at this book, I thought "What a great idea!" It was just what a beginner like me needed. However, when I tried to go through the sessions, I found that I was unable to complete the exercises because of the numerous errors throughout the book. Those errors included missing code and sample programs that just plain didn't work. In frustration, I abandoned the book after the 10th session.

I know some of the other reviewers think the errors are actually "good" because it forces the reader to debug their code. If I wanted to learn in that fashion I would have chosen a book specifically designed to teach debugging skills. No, I wanted what the author promised, "30 step-by-step lessons that will have you programming in only 15 hours." Yeah, right.

I imagine that the book has some marginal value as a reference tool. After all, I did pay for it. But it certainly didn't turn out to be the jump-start on Visual Basic it hyped itself to be.

My advice: save your money. Look for another book without the glaring errors, omissions, and faulty code.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Weekend warriors worry no more...., November 8, 2000

By 

Michael S. Pelone (Buffalo, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Visual Basic 6 Weekend Crash Course (Paperback)

If you can keep the author's marketing catch phrase of "learn VB6 in a weekend" in perspective you will quickly appreciate the organizational and presentation features incorporated into this book. I am taking a college course in VB6 and was trying to find supporting resources to supplement the assigned text book. The "weekend" Crash Course book is excellent for what it does - which is present in short condensed sections a lot of material that would otherwise be difficult to absorb in a short time. The short little quizzes at the end of each chapter (which also provide a short "hint" as to where to go back to re-read the paragraph to get the answer) are subtle yet effective. Like most things in life - you don't get good at something unless you practice! I have had this book for almost 3(+) weeks and have found that I can pick it up - jump around in it - and get back into the material without going straight through the chapter sequence.