Introduction to Visual Basic Using .NET - Softcover

Wyatt, Dana L.; Oberg, Robert J.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0130418048 ISBN 13: 9780130418043

Publisher: Pearson, 2002

Synopsis

Using real-world examples and a detailed case study, Introduction to Visual Basic Using .NET helps you master VB.NET from the ground up, or rapidly migrate from VB6. The authors introduce the .NET Framework and Visual Studio.NET from the VB developer's perspective, examine VB.NET's basic coding constructs, and thoroughly explore both object-oriented programming and Windows Forms development. Coverage also includes: ADO.NET, threads, collections, delegates, attributes, and much more.

About this title

About the Author

DANA L. WYATT, Ph. D. formed EMCA Consulting in 1993 to provide advanced object-oriented training, mentoring, and consulting services. She received a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Texas A&M University and taught computer science for 13 years at Texas A&M, TCU, and the University of North Texas, receiving a NASA-ASEE fellowship for research at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.

ROBERT J. OBERG is founder and President of Object Innovations, a leading developer of integrated courseware on fundamental software including Microsoft .NET, COM+, and Java. His books include Understanding and Programming COM+, Introduction to C# Using .NET and Application Development Using C# and .NET (Prentice Hall PTR). He is editor of The Integrated .NET Series. Oberg holds a Ph.D. from Harvard University.

From the Back Cover

Master VB.NET step-by-step, through practical examples and a case study.

Using real-world examples and a detailed case study, this book helps you master VB.NET from the ground up—or rapidly migrate to VB.NET from earlier versions of Visual Basic. Dana L. Wyatt and Robert Oberg present a thorough introduction to VB.NET the language, the .NET Framework, and Visual Studio.NET. They examine VB.NET's basic coding constructs, thoroughly explore object-oriented design with VB.NET, and offer systematic guidance for building next-generation Windows applications with Windows Forms. Coverage includes:

• Classes, inheritance, and other elements of VB.NET object-oriented programming
• Windows Forms: form design, controls, events, menus, toolbars, and dialogs
• Visual Basic.NET's key interactions with the .NET Framework
• Major .NET classes: collections, files, ADO.NET database access, and multithreading
• Core VB.NET language features: data types, operators, control structures, and more
• Attributes, custom attributes, metadata, and reflection
• Techniques for building reusable .NET components

From the Inside Flap

Master VB.NET step-by-step, through practical examples and a case study.

Using real-world examples and a detailed case study, this book helps you master VB.NET from the ground up—or rapidly migrate to VB.NET from earlier versions of Visual Basic. Dana L. Wyatt and Robert Oberg present a thorough introduction to VB.NET the language, the .NET Framework, and Visual Studio.NET. They examine VB.NET's basic coding constructs, thoroughly explore object-oriented design with VB.NET, and offer systematic guidance for building next-generation Windows applications with Windows Forms. Coverage includes:

• Classes, inheritance, and other elements of VB.NET object-oriented programming
• Windows Forms: form design, controls, events, menus, toolbars, and dialogs
• Visual Basic.NET's key interactions with the .NET Framework
• Major .NET classes: collections, files, ADO.NET database access, and multithreading
• Core VB.NET language features: data types, operators, control structures, and more
• Attributes, custom attributes, metadata, and reflection
• Techniques for building reusable .NET components

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Preface

Microsoft's .NET is a revolutionary advance in programming technology that greatly simplifies application development. In addition to providing support for traditional desktop Windows applications, it provides tremendous support for Web-based services.

Microsoft's popular Visual Basic programming language has been upgraded to take advantage of the new .NET features. Visual Basic.NET, or simply VB.NET, has become a full object-oriented programming language with capabilities comparable to C++, Java, and Microsoft's new language C# (pronounced "C sharp").

This book is a practical introduction to programming in VB.NET and using services provided by .NET. It emphasizes the VB.NET language and is part of The Integrated .NET Series from Object Innovations and Prentice Hall PTR.

An important thrust of this book is to teach VB.NET programming from an object-oriented perspective. This book introduces object-oriented concepts early and includes a case study on object-oriented programming. The book is intended to be fully accessible to programmers who do not already have a background in object-oriented programming. Previous knowledge of Visual Basic is not essential.

The book may also be read by more experienced programmers who desire a simple introduction to VB.NET with many example programs. Although designed for working professionals, the book includes enough detail, careful explanations, and sample programs so that it can be useful as a college textbook.

VB.NET is now a fully object-oriented language. It supports classes, interfaces, interface and implementation inheritance, and polymorphism. It is also highly integrated with the .NET Framework. These features make VB.NET a compelling language for developing object-oriented and component-based systems. This book provides thorough coverage of all these features.

One of the strengths of Visual Basic, and the reason it has enjoyed such widespread use, is the ease with which Windows application can be developed. Microsoft has revamped the way that Windows applications are built under .NET. Windows Forms, used by .NET languages, represents a class library that brings uniformity to the components of a Windows application. The book includes substantial coverage of using Windows Forms in VB.NET.

VB.NET, as a language, is elegant and powerful. However, to fully utilize its capabilities, you must have a good understanding of how it works with the .NET Framework. The book examines several important interactions between VB.NET and the .NET Framework, and includes an introduction to major .NET classes for collections, files, databases, and threads.

Organization of This Book

This book is organized into five major parts and is structured to make it easy for you to isolate what you most need to know.

Part 1, which everyone should read, begins with an introduction to the .NET Framework. The second chapter provides a short introduction to hands-on programming using VB.NET, so that you can start writing code on .NET right away. The third chapter introduces Visual Studio.NET. It is the latest version of Microsoft's popular Visual Studio development environment and has many features that make application development easier and more pleasant. These chapters will equip you to use Visual Studio throughout the rest of the book.

Part 2 covers the core features of VB.NET. If you know Visual Basic, you will have a definite leg up in learning VB.NET, and you can quickly skim this section, paying attention to the information in the sidebars. Sidebars alert you to either (1) the first time a concept new to VB.NET is introduced, or (2) a significant change to the VB.NET language that experienced VB programmers should note. If you are not familiar with Visual Basic, this section is for you. It will quickly bring you up to speed on the core topics of data types, operators, and control structures.

Part 3 examines the object-oriented features of VB.NET. This language is now fully object-oriented, which is one of the most significant improvements in VB.NET. In this part, we begin by examine how classes are built. Subsequent chapters discuss implementation and interface inheritance. These topics are covered gradually and thoroughly, making this part of the book accessible to readers without previous object-oriented experience.

Part 4 covers Windows programming in VB.NET. Microsoft has adopted a new approach to developing Windows applications that will be readily apparent to previous VB programmers. Systematic coverage is presented on the core topics in Windows Forms, including form design, controls, events, menus, toolbars, and dialogs. The rich variety of useful controls provided by Windows Forms is covered in detail.

Part 5 explores the relationships between VB.NET and the .NET Framework. .NET collection classes are introduced. We also examine the .NET interfaces that classes must implement for fundamental operations such as copying and comparing objects. Delegates, a .NET callback mechanism, are discussed. We also introduce both VB.NET file I/O and database programming using ADO.NET. We look at multiple thread programming and attributes. Attributes are powerful in .NET, enabling the programmer to accomplish tasks declaratively, even while writing very little code. You can implement custom attributes in VB.NET. You can read information about custom attributes, or any other metadata, by a mechanism known as "reflection." The book concludes with an introduction to components and assemblies.

Sample Programs

The only way to really learn a programming language is to read and write many, many programs. This book provides many programs that illustrate features of VB.NET. The programs are clearly labeled in the text, and they can all be found in the software distribution that accompanies this book, available through our associated Web site. Also, a case study illustrates many features of VB.NET working together in combination, as they would in a practical application. We make a special point of demonstrating the object-oriented features of VB.NET. If you are new to OO, reading the case study is a must!

The sample programs are provided in a self-extracting file. When expanded, a directory structure is created, rooted in C:\OI\IntroVb. The sample programs are in directories Chap01, Chap02, and so on. All the samples for a given chapter are in individual folders within the chapter directories. The names of the folders are clearly identified in the text. An icon in the margin alerts you to a code example. The case study is in a directory called CaseStudy, at the same level as the chapter directories.

This book is part of The Integrated .NET Series. The sample programs for other books in the series are located in their own directories beneath \OI, so all the .NET examples from all books in the series will be located in a common area as you install them.

Web Site

Here's the Web site for the book series:

www.objectinnovations.com/dotnet.htm

A link is provided at that Web site for downloading the sample programs for this book.

Edition details

• Publisher: Pearson
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0130418048
• ISBN 13: 9780130418043
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 704