Visual Basic 6: Error Coding and Layering is a short, ambitious book designed to increase the productivity of the working VB programmer. It's filled with useful tips and sample code, centering on ways to promote better error handling.
This book is useful in two ways. First, it compiles dozens of tips for writing better VB code--from improving error handling to writing code that is more reusable and "safer." These tips are supplemented by short "hit lists" of dos and don'ts. The focus on preventing, anticipating, and then carefully handling VB errors makes abundant sense. While more advanced programmers might quibble with some of the book's methods, the text is based on a good grounding of expertise in getting control of sometimes unwieldy VB code.
But Error Coding and Layering's aim is much broader than improving VB error handling. It presents the Safe Programming Framework (SPF) with guidelines and sample code to show how to write reusable, robust VB code that processes all errors reliably. This framework is a prelude to a larger strategy called the Layered Architecture Development System (LADS), a design architecture that goes beyond Microsoft's three tiers to create no less than five layers--which can lead to even more maintainable systems. (Following these guidelines, for instance, you can easily add or delete fields in a database without breaking existing code.)
Of course, each organization must decide whether or not to adopt these more global solutions. But even if they don't, any VB developer or manager can benefit from this cleanly written, briskly paced text. Visual Basic: Error Coding and Layering has plenty of useful advice. --Richard Dragan
Topics covered:
- Guidelines for improving the corporate software process with Visual Basic
- The Smart Coding Triangle (reuse, error coding, and standardization)
- Barriers to improvement
- Tutorial and tips for better error coding in VB
- Explicit coding techniques
- Code recommendations
- Error traps and handlers versus in-line error handling
- Error prevention
- Types of errors
- The Safe Programming Framework (SPF) for improved reusability
- Sample SPF design and coding guidelines
- Building layered applications (the user, business, data, user connection, and data connections layers)
- Layered Architecture Development System (LADS): a custom guideline for distributed VB applications
- Managing and improving software quality with LADS
- VB naming conventions
Book Info
Provides concrete strategies for excellence in Visual Basic development, architecture for easier development and maintenance, and breakthrough solutions for managing Visual Basic 6 enterprise projects. Softcover. DLC: BASIC (Computer program language).
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