Product Description
The HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO VISUAL BASIC AND SQL SERVER, Sixth Edition, is for hands-on developers, development managers in medium-sized to large MIS development shops, and everyone else who wants to use Visual Basic to tap the power of SQL Server. Readers need a working knowledge of Visual Basic, an understanding of how SQL Server is administered, and the ability to create Transact-SQL commands and batches. The enclosed CD-ROM contains sample code from the book, a sample database, white papers, The Microsoft SQL Server Developer's Resource Kit, archived VBSQL and ODBC API chapters from the fifth edition and more.Amazon.com Review
Focusing on Visual Basic 6's new data-access resources,Hitchhiker's Guide to Visual Basic and SQL Server is thedefinitive guide to Microsoft's database development tools. If you'reconcerned with creating a way for a Visual Basic application orcontrol to talk to an SQL Server back end, this book most likely hasthe answers you need.

Microsoft has six major SQL interfacesolutions: Visual Basic SQL (VBSQL), Open Database Connectivity(ODBC), Data Access Objects (DAO)/Jet, DAO/ODBCDirect, Remote DataObjects (RDO), and ActiveX Data Objects (ADO). William Vaughn coversall of them in this book, plus the low-level SQL Server interfaces. Heincludes quite a lot of sample code (in the text and on the companionCD-ROM) that shows how different access mechanisms open connections,perform queries, and return values. Sidebars and other supplementarynuggets of text use the first person to great effect--they enableVaughn to share his considerable experience in a straightforwardway.

ADO, the apparent replacement for most of Microsoft's otherdatabase-access technologies, receives especially lavishtreatment. The author details each part of an ADO-facilitatedtransaction, and goes into depth on how to build custom ADO objectsand how (and whether) to convert from RDO to ADO.

If yours is aMicrosoft shop, this book will prove invaluable in connecting peopleto the data they need. --David Wall ... Read more

Customer Reviews (35)

Arrogant MS "Guru" Cant Write
This book in a nutshell is horrible.I don't know what some of these other guys in the ratings are talking about...maybe they work for MS..who knows.They might as well call this book RDO VB5 and SQL Server 7..its out of date.The jokes vaughn makes (which is the whole book) are boring...you'd fall asleep after the first chapter.To make things worse...there is absolutely no pictures showing steps or a procedure to follow to create examples..its straight through boring text.A lot of this stuff barely works since at the time ADO was being worked on a bit more.There is NOT enough information on bounding data to VB from SQL Server.Do not waste your money....this book royally stinx!!!!

Badly In Need of an Update
This is not a bad book, but it is long out of date.If you're getting it to learn how to use ADO to connect to SQL Server 2000, like me while not totally useless I found most of the book dated.I would say I found only a few chapters that were relevant and then again even those were dated. If you want Vaughn go with his "ADO Examples and Best Practices"which is more up to date and is beautifully written and organised. But this book will do the trick, particularly if you have other supplemental books. I probably wouldn't buy it though if I had to do it again.

Visual basic and SQL Server Sixth Edition
I was hoping for a HOW-TO type of book and thought it would be. It is not a HOW-TO type of book. This book is a discussion about the various ways that VB can attach to a database and why to use those particular avenues. The first 2/3 of the book is a leading up to ADO but once you are there, the how-to part is NOT.

I should have listened!
This book will someday be a great show on PBS. But as far as learning VB and SQLS dont buy it. After several hundred pages of recent history I finally got to the reason I bought the book. On about page 800 andsomething the author finally talks about using an ADO Datagrid to SQL-S.Unfortunately he never goes beyond a simple example using the Data ObjectWizard. I'm still looking and out $40.

Excellent Book
The BEST guide for development with VB and SQL Server. Entertaining style makes for fun reading. Mr. Vaughn knows this subject cold. I am looking forward to his new book on ADO. ... Read more

Product Description
This book shows how to use Access to create complete applications. It shows when and how to use the language, and teaches the fundamental principles of programming along the way. Each feature of Access is covered in depth, with extensive examples. Also covers debugging, multiuser and optimization issues. Disk contains all the source code from the book. ... Read more

Product Description
The perfect introduction to programming for the complete beginner using QBasic 1.1. It assumes no prior knowledge of computers or programming and leads you by the hand from introductory concepts through using all the features of QBasic to create programs of professional standard. Every step is illustrated with graduated example programs, all of which are included on the accompanying Beginner's Tutorial Disk. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Excellent book for a beginner
This is a very good book for the novice starting out in programming. It has a superb tutorial on disk which is very informative and understandable. The code is included with the book and is well organized into chapters.This book is a must have for programmers just starting out in Qbasic.

A total waste of money
This book is a useless beginners guide. It is confusing and extremely poor at describing codes and such. It put me of QBASIC and put most of the people I loaned it to off as well DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK ... Read more

Product Description
Computer games are by far the most popular type of software. The market for game software is huge--practically anyone with a PC can use games. This book was written as a guide for the intermediate to advanced Visual Basic programmer interested in writing games using Microsoft Visual Basic 2.0. The disk includes all the source code and files to run all of the programs in the book, plus a number of shareware Visual Basic games. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Poker Card Game Code has Bug
Poker game code has bug. If you get a King in a flush hand. Hand credit as a Hi card hand? Would like to find the bug fix ... Read more

Product Description
Create professional-quality applications, components, and user interfaces faster and more efficiently than ever with the powerful object-oriented programming capabilities in the Visual Basic 6.0 development system. From Windows® common controls to data access, Internet, and ActiveX® programming, this book covers core development topics for version 6.0—providing insightful explanations and expertly rendered examples for rapid acceleration of your Win32® productivity.• Expedite development with the object-oriented capabilities in Visual Basic 6.0—including events, polymorphism, and object hierarchies• Develop great user interfaces that use the full range of controls in Visual Basic and take advantage of OLE drag and drop, data-driven forms, and advanced Windows API techniques• Build datacentric solutions using ActiveX Data Objects (ADO) 2.0 and 2.1, the DataEnvironment designer, and RDS components for remote activation over the Internet • Master ActiveX technology to create controls, learning advanced techniques such as COM callbacks, multithreaded components and applications, and windowless ActiveX controls• Deploy rich, Web-ready components and applications with Dynamic HTML (DHTML) and Microsoft Internet Information ServerAn electronic version of this book is available on the companion CD. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (89)

A great book for any serious VB programmer
I'm a C/C++ programmer, but for some reason I had to learn VB too. I tried two different books (both with good ratings), but as far as I'm concerned this book is ways better. I recommend it to all those programmers who really want to start using VB as their second (or first) programming language.

Why am I writing a review for this supposedly outdated book
Because Visual Basic 6 remains a very useful programming environment for me.Mr. Balena's style goes way beyond a tutorial through menu creation.He tells us about pratfalls ofthe Microsoft environment ( while writing for Microsoft! ) and useful ways to work around limitations ofthe environment.If you are still using VB6, like I am, this is a useful reference.We might want to start looking at .NET, eh?

Staright forward walk through
Good book for the novice with some experience programming but new to VB 6. Walks through the differences between other versions, and has some nice documentation.
I would recommend.

author shoud be banned from writing programming books
code snippets are fragmented and some variables are used without
naming their types, causing confusion in many cases.

the chapters on classes and objects and databases are worthless:
i'm glad i didn't learn objects and databases from this guy.

many explanations are needlessly lengthy and confusing.

i've documented with profane remarks so many problems in this book that are simply not sharable.

Best VB 6.0 book I own.
This book is a must have for any VB 6.0 programmer period. So buy it.

Not only is this book extremely informative, but Balena writes excellently. The way he communicates the information help's make the info stick in your head.

As for the informative part Balena covers all the major bases in depth and some of the more obscude/advanced topics to get your feet wet. He also shows you different and more efficent ways to write code.

If I had one complaint is that his code is not the most readable, Balena seems to center more on condensing his code and making it as efficent as possible rather than making it readable. He attempts to offset this with comments.

But that is also a postive about the book Balena covers different ways to write a statment to make it most efficent. ... Read more

Product Description
After introducing the ideas of programming in the first eleven chapters, the book describes many algorithms and programs from a number of fields - simulation, modeling, business, mathematics, music and so on. The student can thus see how the algorithmic processes from those fields can be successfully transcribed into computer programs. And this book teaches the writing of large programs as an aspect of problem-solving by concentrating on the notion of a subroutine and on collections of external subroutines called libraries as well as on the notion of a leveled design sometimes referred to as a 'top-down' design. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Old but relevant book for learning True BASIC
In 1964, the BASIC programming language got its start as Dartmouth BASIC, so named because it was designed and implemented at Dartmouth College by John Kemeny and Thomas Kurtz. BASIC was invented to give Dartmouth students in the Arts a simple programming language that was easy-to-learn. BASIC was cooked up to let operators sitting at remote terminals write and run programs interactively instead of serially, a single job at a time, wherein punched cards were fed in batches to a computer in s room filled with large equipment. Consequently, Dartmouth BASIC is best known for giving computer programming a human face and making it accessible to everyone. Teletype teleprinters were used as the terminal units of choice for the innovative Dartmouth Time Sharing System.

Twenty years later, three years after the birth of the IBM personal computer, True BASIC was developed by the same John Kemeny and Thomas Kurtz. They hoped it would supplant Bill Gates' Microsoft BASIC which they regarded as a corruption of their brain child, Dartmouth BASIC. Incidentally, when the street fight was over, Bill Gates' "corrupt" version of Microsoft BASIC, later QuickBASIC, and finally Visual BASIC, emerged as the winner, not True BASIC.

Structured BASIC Programming (1987) was written by John Kemeny and Thomas Kurtz as a textbook for an introductory course in BASIC. It is assumed that students either will be in possession of or will have access to a True BASIC reference manual, True BASIC being the version of BASIC used in this book. It is also assumed that the readers of this book are reasonably competent in high school algebra.

The emphasis in this book is on algorithms and problem-solving. The book is divided into four parts: (1) Introduction to Programming, (2) Text Applications, (3) Mathematical Applications, and (4) Other Applications. Part One should be studied in its entirety before moving on to the rest of the book. Parts Two, Three, & Four can be read in any order.

The book also stresses the use of subroutines, both internal and external, for building reusable libraries of code. DO-LOOP and SELECT-CASE are promoted in the place of the GOTO statement for creating structured BASIC programs. Mathematical applications are enhanced by the presence of True BASIC's powerful MAT statements for matrix manipulation, a capability that is missing from all versions of Microsoft BASIC. Some of the "Other Applications" in Part Four include business applications, game applications, and graphics applications with animation and music.

As this review is being written, forty-six years have passed since BASIC was given life. Its direct descendant, True BASIC, is still in use in spite of its usurpers and detractors. At True BASIC's internet site [...] you will find web pages devoted to Free Demos, Products, Support, FAQ, Schools, Books, Polls, and What's New. ... Read more

Product Description
"OBasic Made Easy" is a tutorial on OBASIC with a format similar to "Quick Basic Made Easy". Step-by-step, hands-on instructions teach the reader this versatile programming language. No prior experience with computers is necessary. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Great all around guide for QBASIC!
Teaches you the basics and on up. Has good text and examples. Excellent reference stuff (ASCII values; color values; summary of every statement) Teaches the basics of a computer, using a mouse, using windows, and an intro to VisualBasic. The only problem: Some of the statements it lists in the summary section aren't mentioned anywhere else, hence there aren't many details and no examples. :( Together with the QB help file and a great website where you can ask other programmers questions (like The QBASIC Forum - just ask Alipha, she knows everything!) you can write anything in no time!

The Real Deal of QBasic
QBASIC is a 'rarely used' .It is still on MS Windows CD, however, and is better then VISUAL BASIC for the hobbyist IMHO. This is a great 2nd BASIC book. Chock full of goodies and tidbits; (some of no value.) Some versionsof QBASIC don't seem to act 'just' as the book's tells. Nothing fatal oreven major. Not a lot of folks are going to use many of the more remotebits in this physically heavy volume but most of the obscure [butfascinating] info I have not seen in print for 20 years. ... [printing theASCII number when you know the letter, by example.] A disk comes with thebook. I have never used it.This book is the real deal. Heavy-Duty bucksbut good card binding and low acid paper ... should last a while. ... Read more

Product Description
Based on Bradley's best-selling Quick BASIC and QBASIC Using Modular Structure, Second Edition, this alternate edition includes a 48-page appendix that covers the essentials of VisualBASIC programming. This text is perfect for instructor's wishing to expose first-time programmers to Microsoft's object-oriented BASIC language while still covering the fundamentals of programming using modular structure. It is intended for undergraduate course, introduction to programming using BASIC. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The price is not cheaper.
The price is not cheaper elsewhere.unfortunately, the reviewer who made this claim was neglegent in making sure it was correct.i have checked the other two "biggie" online bookstores, ..., and the price is the same. ...P>I thought this needed clearing up.Amazon.com provides a needed service and is very good at what they do.

Thank You ... Read more

Product Description

For the non-techie, programming languages can look like a mystery code, translatable by only the most proficient propeller-head. Where does one begin with such an insurmountable task? Beginning Programming For Dummies is your most logical starting point. In no time, you can be plugging away at a variety of programming possibilities.

With Beginning Programming For Dummies, you can master the basics of QBASIC and then graduate to more-advanced QBASIC tasks, such as creating graphics and sounds, debugging, and saving and retrieving data in files. Uncover a variety of pointers on C, C++, and Java. Learn to deal with data structures and play with object-oriented programming, one of the most important concepts in programming today. Discover the places to get compilers and other tools online for less cash or even for free. Beginning Programming For Dummies even gives you the basics on internet programming with a long chapter on HTML followed by basic information about using JavaScripts and Java Applets.

Develop your the programming fundamentals and get hooked on code with Beginning Programming For Dummies.

Customer Reviews (46)

A Life Saver!
I ordered this and two other "Dummies" guides while taking computer programming classes in college and they saved me from failing! Not everyone immediately understands the course materials given, but these guides simplified everything I needed to know and got me through the tough parts of my courses! Thank you!!

Too many mistakes
I typically like the dummies books for introductions into subjects.For basic concepts, this book does very well.However, the programming language examples are in a couple different forms of BASIC, C++ and a mac compiler.

I don't know if it's the book itself or the accompanying cd, but NONE of the C++ programs work properly.I've been forced to try and learn how to correct some of the most basic mistakes off of the internet, but it has really hampered my ability to learn this programming language, especially as the programs get more complex.

This is the 4th and most recent addition.I would assume that enough sales to quantify four iterations would qualify this book for a technical editor, not just someone with a firm grasp of English.

Wiley Publishing, please stop making computer study aids edited by people that don't understand the technical terms and programs.I've wasted hours just trying to figure out what's wrong instead of actually LEARNING.

Rview opinion
This is a good product but it most -if posible- to show grafic refernce for better comprehention

Excellent Teacher
This book is very good to have the basics of programming in your mind.. After this book, I was able to read other programming books without trouble. However always remember practice makes the teacher not just a simple book...

Wanna learn programming? Buy this book, NOW!!
I just finished a course in object-oriented programming (Java) as part of a master's program in information systems management. Yeah, I aced it, but not without a lot of help from professional programmers. Trouble was, I couldn't understand Java because I had no programming experience; even the textbook, Head First Java, assumes prior programming experience. HFJ read like the proverbial Greek. (Trust, I will let my school know they need to revamp this part of the program.)

Now, I'm doing a course related to software frameworks, so this program isn't gonna get any easier.

So I went out and bought Beginning Programming for Dummies, and it hasn't disappointed. It clearly breaks down the languages BASIC, Revolution and C++, and presents the fundamentals of logic and programming in an uncomplicated way. This book is one giant ephiphany. "Oh, that's was a string is! Wow, is that was .NET is designed to do? Holy moly, loops are really that simple?" Before reading this, I had no idea that programs in differing langugages could be stored on Dynamic Link Library (DLL) files and linked together into a larger program using Visual Basic. I'd heard of DLLs, but had no idea what they were.

I work for an IT integration firm in an administrative position, and now I feel like what this company does has been somewhat demystified.

I usually don't comment on books on this site, but if you want to get a good overview what computer programming is all about before you delve into the programming language of your choice, do yourself a favor and buy this book. ... Read more

Product Description
The author team of Julia Bradley and Anita Millspaugh remain the guiding light in Programming with Visual Basic 2008 for countless students around the world. How better to master the most popular object-oriented programming language than to use the bestselling textbook? Be at the cutting edge of technology with examples, feedback questions, and a full Hands On Programming Example.Apply the concepts yourself with Case Studies and Exercises.Screen captures, step-by-step exercises, and thorough appendices ensure that Programming Excellence Begins Here. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

Excellent
It was the book i need for one of my classes and was very informative.

Aweful college textbook, beg your school to use another
I am not going to repeat the exact words of all who have disliked this book as I agree with all of the other examples given by reviewers, jumpy, confusing, missing info, etc. This book along with my instructors use of short cut words for commands has me totally lost. I believe that to get thru this class I might need to purchase a better rated book for explanation.

Not sure what everyone's problem is?? It's a good book.
I've read so many reviews of this book and everybody says it is hard to follow or ... I think this book is excellent and makes visual basic fun to learn, granted I've had a little programming experience before entering this class. I took an online programming class with Python through MIT and compared to what I had to read for that, Programming in Visual Basic 2008 by Millspaugh is a picture book.

Absolutely the worst textbook I've had to purchase yet!
I'm taking a beginning Visual Basic course and this is our textbook.The book jumps around from topic to topic and doesn't actually show you what anything is doing.It's not chronological, so it's not like you can even follow the book, type in the code and get something to work.It's all very random and meaningless.When I need to figure out what something does, the book doesn't even explain it well.Also, the Case Studies the end of each chapter are USELESS!It shows you how to create the user-interface AND it gives you all of the code.Talk about a no-brainer???You don't have to use your brain in order to do the homework, which means you aren't learning ANYTHING!So, now I've been given the "calculator" challenge.I'm completely clueless, because the book taught me nothing so far!If I could give this book a 0 stars, I would!

Programming in Visual Basic 2008
It is a very explicit and easy-to-follow textbook; it's flowing from one chapter to another.
Its clarity and many illustrative examples I wished I would have had in all my textbooks.... and they were plenty! ... Read more