Product Description
Very few programmers know that Visual Basic is an excellent tool forcreating shell extensions that more closely tie an application to theWindows shell. All of the available documentation focuses on using C++for such shell extensions, but even C++ programmers find the task roughgoing, given the woefully inadequate state of the documentation. Visual Basic Shell Programming shows how to take advantage ofshell services to develop such extensions. Each major type of shellextension gets attention, including customized context menu handlers,per instance icons (such as a data file icon that's based on thecontents of the file), and customized property sheets.Visual Basic Shell Programming ventures where none have gonebefore by giving readers the know-how to develop shell extensions whileat the same time providing an advanced tutorial-style treatment of COMprogramming with Visual Basic.Amazon.com Review
Windows users take advantage of shell extensions on the desktop every single day, but understanding what they are and how to program with them can be tricky and, until now anyway, usually required the use of Visual C++. Filled with expert knowledge of the underlying Windows shell COM objects, Visual Basic Shell Programming is all that you need to write shell-enabled applications that look more professional, as well as rival the functionality of programs that are written in C++.

First and foremost, this efficiently packaged text is a reference to all of the COM objects and APIs that are needed to program with the Windows shell successfully. Each section is organized by topic, with an explanation of what kind of functionality you can add, and then all of the COM objects, methods, and constants that you'll need to use in VB, along with sample code. For many of the examples, a custom file extension (.rad) illustrates how to integrate this file into the desktop, and extend what it can do within the Windows desktop.

Reading this book is also an education in the features that the Windows shell actually offers. For example, you'll learn how to add dynamic, context-sensitive menus to desktop icons, and drag-and-drop processing and custom property sheets that pop up on the desktop.

Later sections turn to the Internet, with browser extensions, which can customize the look and feel of Internet Explorer (and File Explorer). One sample presents the code for a Web site crawler, which automatically downloads a group of files. Throughout, the book is careful to point out those features that are easy to do in VB and those that require advanced programming techniques. (Generally speaking, there's a lot of VB expertise on display here.) The author provides a custom COM type library for exposing all of the shell functionality to VB programmers. Of course, you can use this file to develop your own VB shell applications.

Overall, this book helps explain a rather difficult topic in Windows programming, and makes accessible for the very first time this exciting area of functionality to experienced VB programmers. Read Visual Basic Shell Programming to create applications that both are more professional looking and take full advantage of every available feature in today's Windows desktop. --Richard Dragan

Topics covered:

• Introduction to Visual Basic and the Windows shell
• COM basics (including type libraries, IUnknown, and IDispatch)
• Introduction to shell extensions
• Context menu handlers (static and dynamic)
• Icon and property-sheet handlers
• Drop handlers (and drag-and-drop processing)
• Data handlers
• Copy hook handlers
• InfoTip handlers
• Basics of namespace extensions
• Pointer to identifier list (PIDL)
• Browser extensions
• Browser help objects
• Band objects
• Sample code for a Web site crawler
• Docking Windows
• VBShell (custom type library for letting VB programmers access shell objects)
• Reference material on all Windows shell COM objects and APIs
• Techniques for copying memory and using pointers within VB

Customer Reviews (8)

Lot's of info, many mistakes
I have a love hate relationship with this book.There are a lot of useful techniques spelled out in the book, unfortunately there are serious bugs in the demo code.I have been able to fix a few of them, but am still working on others.Maybe this was on purpose to get the reader to truly understand the code rather than blindly copy it.

Overall good, but some sample codes crash in Win2K ...
I particularly like the Shell Extension part which is very
useful to understand somthing more advanced in Windows Shell.

However, what disappoints me is that I found the sample codes from
Chap 11 (Both sample projects DemoSpace and RegSpace) crash in
machines running Win2K. This means that if you want to use the
techniques taught from the book to implement a Shell Extension
by VB, you can only support platforms below Win2K. That will not
be much useful at all.

As far as I know, the author has not yet figured a solution
(through private communications with Orielly's book support).

Good Introduction to Shell Programming in VB
First off, if all what you want to do is to add an icon to the systray, go find _any_ Win32 API book or even search on the web. This book does not cover simple tricks like this. But if you want to write your own namespace extensions or property sheet handlers, read on.

Many people think VB and windows shell programming don't mix very well. Honestly, I was one of them. But after reading this great introduction, I figured I was wrong. Well, mostly wrong.

There are two issues that make shell programming hard in VB:

(1) As in most "advanced VB programming tasks", the first realization must be you _can't_ do it in pure VB. You need to import Win32 APIs and then fake you are writing your program in C. But that's a very old and well-solved problem, and in fact this book assumes you know how to do it: it shows the import statements without explaining how to get them. But that's fine, for I think most advanced VB programmers have already picked up this old trick.

(2) The windows shell is built heavily on COM, so must be the shell extensions. But this book is not about writing COM servers in VB... Apparently the author did not expect the readers to know COM before, so he offered a short chapter on COM basics that I find too short to be sufficient for the purpose of this book. For example, later on he started using jargons like "in-process COM servers" and "apartment threaded" (these are COM jargons) without explaining what they are. I tried to look up these terms in the index to quote the page number. They are absent---yet another proof of insufficient coverage of COM. I admit that shell extensions are in-process COM servers and so in most cases the readers are not expected to do anything else anyway, but this kind of treatment much weakens a reader's understanding of what he/she is doing.

And there are other problems that plague this almost excellent book:

(1) There is no separate treatment of what should the programmer do when a new shell extension comes out. As an example, icon overlay is not covered in this book. I think this is really the major reason I have to take half a star off: this book is more like "how I wrote those shell extensions" rather than "how you can write your own ones". For example, it does show many examples of how to turn a given IDL into more VB friendly, but not how can the programmer obtain the IDL of an interface that's not covered in the book. (OLE View won't answer all such prayers. Go check the platform SDK or, _cough_, wait for the second edition of the book to have a new chapter on that extension. :P)

(2) There is no coverage of debugging shell extensions. It's not as easy as one may expect, especially as VB will automatically re-register your COM servers when you execute your code while Explorer loads some registry entries only once...

Overall, this is a more than decent introduction to shell programming using VB. If you want to do some typical shell programming like having your own property sheet or namespace extensions, then this book is really good for the job and is worth every single penny. I would rather say it's 4.5 star, but I have to round down for the minor problems I mentioned.

Awsome Book !!
A must read for those who like to push VB beyond the limits, previously viewed as 'impossible to do in VB'. Very well organized and lots of examples.

Excellent reference material and a worthly investment.

Not neccessary but fun to read
Visual Basic and Shell Extension? I thought it should be Visual C++'s territory. The book proves Visual Basic can do anything as Visual C++ can. It might take more works to finish the same task compared to Visual C++ but the experience is simply rewarding and fun. ... Read more

Product Description
Microsoft Office, the largest installed base among the various office suites, has become a development platform in its own right. This guide shows how to use Visual Basic for Applications to automate daily activities and share data through programmed OLE communications between applications such as Microsoft Word, Microsoft Access, and Microsoft Excel.Amazon.com Review
Teach Yourself Excel Programming with Visual Basic forApplications in 21 Days covers programming in Excel 95. The authors dedicate most of the book to a tutorial on Visual Basic and, as a result, you can apply the lessons to programming other Office applications. Harris begins with a discussion of how to create Excel macros, a simple task that even new Word users can perform. He then shows you how to look at the Visual Basic code that defines the Word macro and build more sophisticated Visual Basic programs. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Great for the VB-ginner
Truthfully, I am not yet through the entire book yet.But this is a very well written book for someone that has a desire to learn VBA programming with Excel, or to eventually move into VB. Examples build on prior chaptersto drive the message home.Every concept is explained two or three timesmaking it slow to read, but thorough.Each chapter includes a summary,questions and exercises.Do your homework and you'll be getting that raiseyou deserve! And don't be discouraged that this book doesn't come with aCD. You'll need the practice typing code. However, if you already know whatVB is and can make your way around the Editor, I suggest Reed Jacobson'sExcel 2000 VBA Fundamentals.I bought that book at the same time and it ison the shelf waiting for me to catch up.I think it will be a greatreference for real world examples later on. ... Read more

Product Description
It doesn't matter if you're new to programming or just to VB.NET, Visual Basic .NET Programming gets you up and running with the new version and offers a comprehensive introduction to Windows and web application development. From language fundamentals to ADO.NET, XML, and Web Services, Harold Davis's thoughtful approach emphasizes meaningful tasks that tie in with VB.NET's principal strengths. For example, you'll learn to build a Web Service, implement XML support, and use object-oriented techniques-without getting mired in theory but also without sacrificing the understanding you need to apply your skills in new situations. Much of the book is devoted to Windows application development, covering new ways to program standard elements, as well as emphasizing Visual Basic's new programming features. Want to build a desktop program with an oval interface? Want to create robust class libraries, components, and controls? Implement printing as a program feature? Start and stop a service? Every chapter provides solid examples that will help you learn the language and, more importantly, create effective applications with it. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (15)

Excellenct resource for beginning programmer
I have finished reading this book for a long time, but I still use it with the task at my office. Now I design my database application using VB.NET as the interface. Whether this book guide in overall concept but the explaination style is very good and easy to uderstand. I recommend this book for the other people who want to learn VB.NET from the beginner should try to use this book.

A Special Treat
I have been programming since IBM produced the 7090/7094, with the first symbolic assembler/compiler.I have not completely adapted to object oriented programming yet (but am commited to modular, well-documented code that avoids arbitrary assumptions that prevent smooth future growth).

The first time I got one of Harold Davis' books, I was impressed: "Finally, a book for programmers that is really accessible!"I was tired of voluminous books of "how to"s that did not provide a good conceptual structure.(Some of us need that to help the memory, and sense of mastery.)

He writes in an easy-to understand style in which the basic concepts are included along with the clear and straightforward "how to"s.It is clearly a book suitable for beginners and for experienced, moderately advanced, programmers at the same time.(Something I formerly did not believe was possible.)As one reads and occassionally rereads the material, it becomes evident that the content is really quite dense.One can read simply, follow the instructions - that are clear and easy to follow - and, if a deeper understanding is desired, then go back and re-read the material, more slowly.It is all there.

In this latest book, he has brought this style to a very fine level.I was intending to "retire" with Visual Studio 6.After, reading the first few chapters of this book, I am eager to take his "journey" into VB .net.

November 24 review below has it ALL WRONG!
First and foremost, let me say that this is a **GREAT** book! I don't know who that guy (or gal) is that blasted this book on November 24th, but I'd bet that s/he hasn't even read it and obviously doesn't understand the target audience--people like me who want to learn how to program using VB.Net. This book is one of the clearest books about VB.Net that I have found. I own 3 other VB.Net books and I wish I had found this one first.

Waste of time, waste of money
This book is both a waste of time and a waste of money. Why?

1. The book tries to be too many things to too many people, and fails miserably on all accounts. If you're new to programming, "nondeterministic finalizers" are introduced on page 6. If you're an experienced object-oriented programmer, OOP isn't introduced until Chapter 15. If you're a VB6 programmer, I couldn't find a clear attempt by the author to demonstrate the differences between 6 and .NET.

2. In my understanding, the most important update to VB.NET is its uptake of object-oriented programming principles. The back cover of the book says that the author also wrote "Visual Basic 6 Visual Quickstart." I have not read that book, but would not be surprised if its contents were similar to this new book. The author has basically ignored all of the important updates to VB.NET, and has provided a tutorial for VB6. If you're a new programmer, this book will teach you the wrong things right from the start. If you're an experienced programmer, you'll be frustrated by the mickey-mouse approach which doesn't make use of your prior knowledge.

3. Chapters 16-20 (the last 5 in the book), which "introduce" ADO.NET and working with XML, among other things, are pretty obvious page-fillers. If you're looking for pages 90% filled with screenshots, this is your place to find them. Appendices A - E are also page-fillers. Appendix A tells you how to use the VB Help System. If you need help using help, what are you doing programming?

4. The author expressly states that his favorite update in VB.NET is the ability to use windows of any shape. That about sums this book up.

Let me restate - this book misses just about every target audience I can think of.

Finally, an easy approach to VB NET!
I bought Harold Davis's "Visual Basic 6: Visual QuickStart Guide" because I've always wanted to learn to program. And I did! Now that VB .NET is here, I've been at a loss as to how to proceed. Thank goodness, Mr. Davis has written a book about this latest (and greatest!) version of VB. This book has everything I've been needing to get going with tips on migrating my programs and what's new or just changed from the previous version. I really don't understand the one star review from "The Geek" down below. He's comparing this book which is for novices and intermediate programmers with books for experts. Sounds like apples and oranges to me. If you're looking for a great book to get you started with VB .NET, then buy this book! ... Read more

Product Description
For courses in Visual BASIC.This text examines the important programming fundamentals of both Windows desktop and ASP.NET web applications using Microsoft Visual Basic.NET, while introducing students to the important object-oriented features of that platform. Its comprehensive approach to programming utilizes integrated cases that build from chapter to chapter, and are based upon common business problems and the processes integral to solving them. A consistent four-step design methodology encourages problem-solving as students learn how to create Windows and Web applications. This text also emphasizes data storage, and important new topics such as ADO.NET, ASP.NET and XML. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Not quite the best choice for a VB.NET text
After a hiatus of several years, in the summer of 2008 I am once again teaching a course in Visual Basic, this time the .NET version. For this session, I am using "Microsoft Visual Basic Reloaded, Second Edition" by Diane Zak as the text, but as is always the case, I troll for other and better options. That is the context within which I examined this book.
I found the coverage to be what I consider the necessities for a beginning course in programming with visual basic. The basic GUI objects and fundamental programming concepts such as variables and their types, the control constructs and functions and subroutines are all covered in a manner accessible to the beginner. Other, less basic concepts such as connecting to databases using ADO.NET, object-oriented programming in the VB.NET environment, creating distributed applications with ASP.NET, XML and using Crystal Reports are also covered.
After some serious thought, I decided to stick with the Zak book. The students and I have both found it easy to use and this book does not quite reach the level that I believe the Zak Book does.

Good Idea, Bad Execution
Used this book for a .Net course I teach. Topics presented in book were appropriate for a beginners class. The business focus of the book was a primary reason for choosing this particular book. So far so good.

Unfortunately, many chapter end examples had errors. One in particular had code jumbled and out of order. Supplied exercise files were incorrect, it was in fact the same file for several chapters.

Checking the errata section of the website was fruitless. Apparently the book had no errors...

Anyway, I am switching our text next semester - probably to Deitel.

Good book if you are starting with VB
This book has some good examples. Its pretty basic stuff and covers most topics. It has some decent code examples. By the end of this book, you will be decent with VB but not an expert.
This book is good for people who are starting with VB. If you are doing advanced stuff with VB then this is not the book for you. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

If not for the book, at least for the CDs.
The book comes with the CDs for the compiler. The software for Visual Basic is 100$ by itself, while the book gives it to you for free.

The book is better than the previous version. It has a few more examples, more indepth, and a lot of the errors have been corrected. All the examples worked in the compiler (which can be rare for many programming books). The book offers all the basic skills to start programming. It is a detailed book from elementary to intermediate programming. It was a great introductory book for my college.

Even though Visual Basic and the authors make coding simple, it seems that not all people are cut-out to be programmers. There isn't much programming simpler than this.

Expensive text with a vague introduction to VB.NET
It is not my nature to write a negative `book report', but this book (and the Advanced Programming Using Visual Basic.NET - by the same author(s)) does really not deserve the price. This text is full of poorly written vague explanations, the OOP terminology and coverage is watered down to bare minimum. The exercise section in this text do need more work to be understandable and to be more generic to work on the Visual Studio 2003 environment.
The code reviews in general are superficial and unorganized. The reader/student is presented with chunks of poorly explained material like in the database section for example, where very little detail is given on the how, why questions, that goes beyond the mechanics of clicking and dragging data base components.
There are a lot better texts available for a less price.
The "Visual Basic.NET Primer - by Jack Purdum", book is a great, clear introduction to programming and to Visual Basic.NET for far less price.

Great Buy
This is a great price for this product.It also makes VB easy to learn.The samples are great.I love this book and software.

EXCELLENT
I had to return my first one because the software set was missing but the customer service was the BEST and I got a new one right away. My e-mails were answered the same day and were very polite!

Quality entrey level VB book
Very well written text book on learning VB.The only problem I had was that the source code at the end of the chapter could have been presented in a different way.That is because I am a code junky; if you are into the concepts of programming, well then you might rate this at five stars.The included copy of VB with the book is worth the price alone.Buy this if you need to learn VB.NET or move up from older versions ... Read more

Product Description
In order to create scalable, distributed objects with Visual Basic, a programmer must understand the underlying architecture and complexities of Microsoft's Component Object Model (COM)-information that until now has been primarily available in resources aimed at the C++ programmer. PROGRAMMING DISTRIBUTED APPLICATIONS WITH COM AND MICROSOFT VISUAL BASIC 6.0 teaches COM fundamentals in language Visual Basic programmers understand, and explains how to exploit the significant COM-based capabilities in Visual Basic 6.0. Businesses that can leverage existing VB proficiency to develop business objects in the middle tier can realize tremendous gains in their enterprise development strategy.Amazon.com Review
Microsoft's DCOM is the key technology for enterprisedevelopment for the Windows platform. Written for the working VisualBasic developer or project manager, Programming DistributedApplications with COM and Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 introducesthe basics of DCOM objects in a clear style. All examples are writtenin Visual Basic, and the reader learns about new Microsoft BackOfficetechnologies such as Microsoft Transaction Server (MTS) (fortransaction processing) and Microsoft Message Queue Server (MSMQ) (formessage queuing). If your shop uses Microsoft tools, Visual Basic 6stands ready to write today's scalable distributed applications usingDCOM. This well-organized text shows you how DCOM works and whatadvantages it offers for today's enterprise developer using VisualBasic 6. --Richard Dragan ... Read more

Customer Reviews (61)

Excellent book
I didn't have a very good undersdtanding about internal of COM. This book gave me lot of information regarding COM servers and threading and is a great book i suggest for any VB programmer who wants to know more about how COM works. The presentation of this book is excellent!. Thanks Ted, for your wonderful work.

Eventhough i tried to read "inside COM" i found it hard for me because i am not a C++ programmer. I don't suggest "inside com" for a VB programmer.

An Informative Explanation of COM for the VB Programmer
I thought this book was great.I've working with VB for 5 years and developing COM components in VB for 2 years.Did you ever wonder what really goes on when you build COM components in VB?Do you want a clearunderstanding about how COM really works?If not, this book is not foryou.

The author explains COM programming in a very clear way.I foundthe book very easy to read and I rarely feel that way about computer books. I don't think this book is for total VB novices that have never created aCOM component in VB.This book does not have many examples either.If youare looking for a strictly "how to" book, this is not for you. But, if Visual Basic is you're bread and butter this book is a must read. A little familiarity with C++ would also be helpful to get the most out ofthis book.

Excellent book on COM technology, a must for all COM develop
I had no idea about COM and this book helped me a lot to get me started. You should be familiar with object-oriented programming no matter C++, JAVA or Visual Basic. It explains how COM works and describes its threadingmodel. This book also contains few chapters on MTS environment showing howlife could be easier with MTS instead of writing complex code to deal withissues such as connection management, thread pooling, and transactionmonitoring.

I don't know why Ted Pattison named this book "ProgrammingDistributed Apps with COM and Microsoft VB 6", of course the authorprovided few sample code in VB but don't count on that to start developingCOM components. Get the "Fitch & Mather" sample code from Microsoftsite and study it, that would help be sure of that.

Even if you are a COMprogrammer you will still find a lot of tips to optimize your code. I'veread this book many times and each time I find few things that helps me.IT'S A MUST for all COM programmers.

I would also recommend:

"CreatingLightweight Components with ATL". With these two books and some coding youwill master COM and ATL.

"Inside COM+ Base Services" should be your nextbook if you want to continue, it will take you to the next stage ofevolution of the COM programming model.

Enjoy it

comprehensive and easy to understand
I read this book after trying lots of other VB COM books. This is the one which you need if you wantan in-depth but easy to read book on COM and DCOM. For a introductory VB COM book get Microsoft Mastering : EnterpriseDevelopment Using Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 (ISBN:0735609012 ). Thats alsoa GREAT book. Stay away from VB COM by Thomas Lewis. It's a mess

A Classic
This is a direct, no-nonsense book on the inner-workings of COM.Ted Pattison diagrams a convincing argument for programming by way of interface based component designs and outlines several strategies for sending dataover the wire in a distributed network environment.Pattison has writtenthorough low-level explanations on the mechanics of apartment threading andremote procedure calls and instructively examined how Microsoft TransactionServer works.I am convinced that understanding this (relatively small)book can't help but make you a better VB programmer. ... Read more

Product Description
Advanced Programming in Visual Basic.NET, by best-selling authors Bradley & Millspaugh, maintains the strong pedagogy that has been used to teach students how to program in Visual Basic since VB 4.0. Instructors and students like this book because it does not just teach Visual Basic, it incorporates basic concepts of programming, problem solving, and programming logic. Advanced Programming in Visual Basic.NET has been completely revised: including the text, website, and instructor’s materials. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

Not too good
I have to agree with the majority of the reviews concerning this book. It's a very difficult book to read, and grasp the first (or second) time around. The information just does not seem to flow very well, at least to me.

You can learn from it, however the average student is probably going to have a hard time grasping the information the way it's laid out. I hope the newest edition for VB 2008 has been completely redone, and they just didn't copy 90% of this book and throw it into the latest book. Maybe I was spoiled by Diane Zak's books, I don't know.

I really enjoy VB programming in school, and I never view the assignments as homework. But, after this book I found myself even wondering if I could do the work because the book was so vague in many areas.

Good book!
In fairness to the authors, this book is actually good at teaching on how to do a 3-tier application. The title says "ADVANCED", so the authors are assuming the reader to have a decent knowledge with VB.net. It does not go into detail as to explain the basic programming concepts, but teaches the student straight forward application design and implementation. From the many books I've purchased and read regarding 3-layer designs using VB, this one I consider to be one of the best, following the books on OOP by Dan Clark and Doing Objects in vb 2005 by Deb Kurata. One qualm I don't like about this is the way coloured pages are structured, eye glaring, but totally recommended to programmers who want to have an understanding how to design interface,business and data layer application.

Not useful as a textbook
This was used as the primary textbook in a class I had in advanced programming. The book itself has no clear explainations. If you are a programmer this book just might show a way you may compact your code, since this book is nothing more than one long programming example with unclear explaination. [...]

1 star is generous
This book is the worst programming book I have ever read.I get much more out of the O'Reilly books, SAM's "teach yourself" series, Peachpit Press, etc... There are so many other options than this.Still, professors have a tendency to recommend books that make good "textbooks" not necessarily good learning devices.That's the only reason my professor selected this... that and he knew the authors.I encourage you to look elsewhere unless it is required.

Very Average Text Book
This is a very average quality Text Book.It will not be a book for a beginning programmer to grab and expect to run with.The book has quite a few vaugue examples but most are fairly well documented.But, you better have some VB/VS background. The writers skip the basics here.

This is an expenseive book for what you will be getting.I highly recommend anyone wanting to buy this to spend a little while flipping through to see what you will be getting. Buyer Beware! There are several better books avail on this subject.

However, This is not a terrible book. It is just "Very Average" as Text Books go.For the price, I would recommend finding something more friendly.Or, at least try to wait for a newer revision and see if Bradley & Millspaugh will tick-up the quality when they rewrite for .NET 2005.If they don't, grab something cheaper and better, like WROX Beginning VB.NET Databases.If you're forced to get this for a class, good luck. I hope your prof is a better than this book.

I give it two and half stars for average content. But rounded down to 2 stars for being over priced. ... Read more

Product Description
Sams Teach Yourself Database Programming with Visual Basic 6 in 24 Hours takes a straight forward, no-nonsense approach to teaching Visual Basic database programming.The book will focus on five primary areas of database programming:The Fundamentals of Visual Basic 6 and the database capabilities built into the programming environment; The concepts and practices that are applicable to multiple user and group access situations; Connecting to remote database servers; Database solutions for the Internet and intranets; and The future of databases and Visual Basic programming.Sams Teach Yourself Database Programming with Visual Basic 6 in 24 Hours does not try to be a compendium of all the questions any person may ever have, rather, the book focuses on teaching the reader how to use Visual Basic for database applications. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (28)

I can't believe this
I don't know how �SAMS� could publish a book like this! The author of this book seems that he does not know anything about VB. I did not believe what was said about it until I "unfortunately" bought it and discovered that those guys were 100% right about what they said. BTW, this book is full of typos, incorrect code, etc. and the source code is not available anywhere! I am very sad to say that this is the worst book I have ever bought in my life and I wish if Amazon can remove it from their shelves or add a negative (-) rating option, because this book does not even deserve the lowest rating (1 star).

Great kick-off point for beginners
OK - some of the code examples have bugs (the publishers web site has an errata for a lot of the issues), and like every other 24-hours style book, performing the workshop and quiz material will double your time. For a programmer who wants to learn about database programming, likes to experiment on their own, and learns just as much from trial and error as they do from having the information set forth for them, this book is great. I learned more from going off on my own and solving some of the book's bugs and expanding on their workshop exercises than I would have from an error free environment.

The book is easy to read, written in plain English, has many pictures and diagrams, a lot of code examples and even has a small reference section - delivered in a small enough book (350+ pages) that you don't feel overwhelmed before you open the cover. It touches on a lot of concepts, some a little too brief for my tastes, but gives the reader a wide enough exposure to allow you to move on in your desired direction once you have finished. By the end of the book you will know if you like database programming (without having spent a fortune for the book) and be able to implement many of the learned skills right away as you go on to intermediate and advanced levels via other training materials.

If You Have Half A Brain, Don't Buy This Book
Even with my very limited background in client side web scripting and Flash ActionScript, I thought this book was slow and stupid.Its coverage of VB is very superficial.I don't see why they produce books like this.If you have to read a book this dumb then you will probably never be able to write a usueful program in VB of any kind because you're not smart enough to write code.

If you have no idea about programing I suggest starting by learning JavaScript.

You get what you pay for....
I am at hour 14 and agree with others about the buggy examples. Debugging is the bonus 25th chapter, I guess! The topics progress naturally and the chapters are short enough to keep you going. If you work through the exercises at the end of each chapter, you'll definitely learn something but it will likely take more than 1 hour!

This is a "discount" book so I guess you get what you pay for when compared with other books. Like any learning tool, this is just one of them. I've always liked the readable layout format of Sams books. Too bad they don't edit them as well.

Good for a 24 hour coverage
In order to get an overall review of database programming, this book is good. The Author is trying to cover everything in 24 hours; so what do you expect. But you defintely need a detail book if you are serious about programming Visual Basic 6. This book will give you a head-start, before you spend a lot of money in purchasing a more expensive book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Clear language, well organized, careful
A popular professor I know chose this book for his Visual Basic class after reviewing several possible texts.Both I and my son have used this book -- he to learn his first programming language, and I to learn a modern programming language after having studied and largely forgotten regular BASIC and Pascal twenty years ago.

We also have Visual Basic for Dummies, but both of us greatly prefer the Bronson text.Yes the "for Dummies" series books have some juicy phrases here and there, but after awhile that becomes an irritating distraction.Much better to go with a book like Bronson's, which though it has no 'tude, is a paragon of clarity and stepwise organization.

The book also avoids the the other extreme -- the bog of geekspeak in which many programming books mire themselves.In its structure, examples, text, and exercises, Bronson is straightforward, simple, and effective.I highly recommend this text. ... Read more

Product Description
Based on the newest version of Microsoft's VB. NET, this revision of Schneider's best-selling guide is designed for readers with no prior computer programming experience. The author uses Visual Basic .NET 2005 to explore the fundamentals of programming, building a strong foundation that will give students a sustainable understanding of programming. Offers a broad range of examples, case studies, exercises, and programming projects to give readers significant hands-on experience. Includes a new section on Graphics. Provides fully updated example text and data, including tax codes, social security forms/data, baseball statistics, and more. Contains all new, robust, interesting programming projects. Updates screenshots throughout using Windows XP. Bundles Visual Basic .NET Express automatically with each copy of the text. A useful reference for both beginning and experienced programmers who want to learn more about the latest version of Microsoft's VB. NET. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Missing Manual for VB.NET !
You can buy this book learn a lot of useful VB.NET stuff especially if you are a newbie.
Or like me you can buy all the other newbie books on VB.NET and when you get stuck with concepts like events, and advanced stuff in OOP, buy this book and learn it thoroughly. Quite contrary to some of the poor reviews you wont need a second instructor to learn VB.NET from this book. After reading this book, I was looking on amazon for other computer books by the same author. I found this book so much useful...

visual basics
the book was brand new and i got it at almort 1/3 the price at the bookstore at school!It was a great investment!

this book is the worse book i ever read.
same as the person said "this book is a garbage" he is right, this book is really a garbage.
it's explanation is so terrible you can not believe.
it says thing that it doesn't even mention on the previous pages.
for example text alignment.
one practice this book as you do do some text alignment, i was going crazy about that. i say "WHAT"
i try to search thought the entire chapter about text alignments, there is nothing there.
i just gave up on it.
THERE ARE MANY MANY PARTS THAT AUTHOR DIDN'T REALLY EXPLAIN IT WELL.
practice is awful, there is no help at all, he tell you to do something that he didn't even mentioned in the book.
so i STRONGLY BE CONSIDER DON'T BUY THIS BOOK, UNLESS YOU HAVE A GOOD TEACHER TO TEACH YOU HOW TO PROGRAM IN VISUAL BASIC. MY TEACHER HE DIDN'T TEACH MUCH EITHER, HE ONLY SHOW YOU THE TEXT, WITHOUT EXPLAIN HOW U DO IT. "I WLL DROP THIS COURSE AND TRY TO TAKE ON ANOTHER TIME"

The Bestof the Bunch - by far!
I really must take issue with the contributor who described this book as garbage.
Having decided to learn programming on my own,I tried several "beginners" books without much success. I could complete most of the projects offered by these books which were, by and large, well intended and well-written. And yet... somehow I never really got to grips with the language. That is - until I bought David Schneider's book. Sure its old fashioned but, in my opinion, thats one of its major strengths. It lays down a solid programming foundation following a logical well-established pattern. The best way to learn programing is by doing and there is an abundance of graded exercises to complete to ensure the message really sticks.
I can't understand why Dietel'a book on this subject is so popular. Yes it's good - but not as good as this one!
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GARBAGE!!!
This book is, almost, total garbage. Only reason why I bought the book is becuase my course requires it. In the book, author talks about one thing, then all of a sudden you are faced with a new concept, and 2 lines later, another concept. I was very dissapointed becuase the key terms sometimes,or never, are not clearly explained and leaves you in frustration and deep anger. ... Read more

Product Description
Eventually all Visual Basic programmers discover that Visual Basic is like a Ferrari--yes, it's faster, but that means the user can get into a crash situation a lot quicker. This book teaches Visual Basic programmers the fundamentals of good programming and project management with advice on structured programming, designing a graphical user interface with VB, testing and troubleshooting, and more. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

The Art of Programming With Visual Basic
This and Code Complete are my favorite programming books, and I have read a bunch. This book is hilarious, his stories are out there. Covers a good number of real world difficulties that other books don't cover. I wish this guy would write more, he is a genius.

Dated for VB but timeless advice in general
Mark Warhol has given us a book full of very sound advice for writing real, maintainable applications.The programming tips are applicable to any language; I work mostly in Tcl/TK and Perl where Mark's advice holdsjust as well as in VB.It's a darn shame this one is now out of print.Anote to Wiley & Sons: bring it back!

The best programming book I have ever read
While dated in specific VB examples (it was written for VB3), this book is far more important in what it teaches you about the programming industry in general. It teaches how to write clean, structured code, and what to expectas a professional programmer. Anyone who writes code for a living shouldbuy this book immediately, regardless of whether you're just out of school,or have been in the industry for years.

A must for every programmer - promotes responsible code
I really enjoyed this book which is more than I can say about most of the programming books I read.The author is humorous while his is delivering his message about responsible programming.He reminds us of the need to be consistent and sensible about the way we code - in the real world, other people eventually have to deal with our code and it can sometimes be very painful.In fact, we can save ourselves the pain of going back to work on code we wrote months ago only to find we can't understand it now.Follow the techniques in this book and save yourselve and others a lot of grief.

The copy of this book that I have is for VB 3 and I don't know if it has been updated, but it really doesn't matter, because the main points apply to all versions.

Quite possibly the best book on how to program ever written.
By following Mark's advice you can avoid months, even years of the blood, sweat, and tears he's already been through creating- and the more importantly- maintaining code. How much would you pay for that? This rich book is well worth the meager price ... Read more

Product Description
FoxPro Programming Basics shows novice FoxPro users how to develop applications using all of FoxPro's programming tools. It will focus on giving the reader alternative methods of accomplishing tasks. For experienced users, there are tips and code examples to increase a database's speed, productivity, and efficiency. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Excellent
Concise and clear.. and Helpful...( I think I found one error... but itwas very minor)

It takes you through a worked example.. THE WAY ONE WANTSTO BE TAKEN THROUGH A WORKED EXAMPLE...

DO NOT BUY the "VFPDummies" book.. it is ABSOLUTELY worthless incomparison...

"USING FOX PRO" (Antonovich) is much morecomplex... much more complete BUT you need to work up to it... not one foranyone to attack without a dose of AlkaSeltzer

This book VF ProgammingBasics is v v good.. I congratulate the authors ... Read more

Product Description
Take the Object-oriented approach!Utilize Microsoft’s powerful new development language, Visual Basic .NET, to explore Object-oriented programming with Object-oriented system development.Perfect for the CIS/MIS student. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Silly book
I hated the book. The authors should have at least completed the entir project according to the class diagram and use cases.

They should atleast have the complete project for download.

Don't Buy
It Sucked.. Poorly writen..Bad examples.. ... Read more

Product Description
Learning Programming Using Visual Basic.NET, by William Burrows, teaches students programming while using VB to illustrate the concepts and techniques. This text uses Windows Forms for Visual Basic programming. Beginning with fundamental programming concepts and gradually moving toward complex methods, this text guides students through realistic end-user applications that they will encounter in the real world. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

I recommended that it be used for a VB.NET course
For years, I have taught a course in Visual Basic version 6 in the community education department of the local community college. With the movement to VB.NET, it is time to make the change. After examining this book, I have recommended that we use it for the updated course. The first seven chapters contain all of the standard examples of using the GUI objects and the constructs such as if - then -else and loops. It introduces the object-oriented features as early as possible. For example, try-catch blocks for exceptions are incorporated into the examples as early as page 88. There is no chapter devoted to object-oriented concepts in VB.NET; they are scattered throughout, introduced when appropriate.
Chapter eight covers processing databases and an introduction to ADO.NET and chapter nine is an introduction to XML and how it is used in VB. In chapter eleven, the collection objects such as hashtables and sortedlists are examined. Chapter twelve demonstrates how to use VB.NET to create web applications. At the end of each chapter, a large project is completely presented with a list of each of the GUI objects and the assignments to the properties as well as complete listings of the code for each module. Exercises are interspersed inside the chapters and solutions to some of them are included at the end. Sets of multiple-choice and programming problems are also at the end of each chapter.
VB.NET is quite different from VB 6, but is not all that hard to learn. However, if you are experienced in VB 6 and trying to learn VB.NET, then the worst approach is to suddenly be bombarded by a list of all the differences. The best way to learn VB.NET is to have the differences incorporated into your learning one idea at a time. It is that approach that sold me on this book.
... Read more

Product Description
Learning Programming Using Visual Basic.NET, by William Burrows, teaches students programming while using VB to illustrate the concepts and techniques. This text uses Windows Forms for Visual Basic programming. Beginning with fundamental programming concepts and gradually moving toward complex methods, this text guides students through realistic end-user applications that they will encounter in the real world. ... Read more

Product Description
You can get there

Where do you want to go? You might already be working in the information technology field and may be looking to expand your skills. You might be setting out on a new career path. Or, you might want to learn more about exciting opportunities in computer programming.

Wherever you want to go, Introduction to Programming Using Visual Basic will help you get there. Easy-to-read, practical, and up-to-date, this text not only helps you learn the fundamental concepts of programming with Visual Basic, it also helps you master the core competencies and skills you need to succeed in the classroom and in the real world. The book's brief, modular format and variety of built-in learning resources enable you to learn at your own pace and focus your studies.

With this book, you will be able to:
* Understand the fundamentals of programming using Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 and Microsoft Visual Basic 2005, from the ground up
* Break down what a program should do into steps and write code that describes those steps to the compiler
* Use variables, constants, and operators to store and perform operations on data within a program
* Save time with reusable code
* Use arrays and collections to manage lists of data
* Design an effective, easy-to-use user interface
* Apply object-oriented programming to build your own classes and use them in your projects
* Access relational data in an application
* Read data from and write data to files using Visual Basic
* Debug and handle exceptions in an application
* Deploy an application
* Build a Web application with Visual Basic, ASP.Net, and HTML.

Wiley Pathways helps you achieve your goals

Not every student is on the same path, but every student wants to succeed. The Information Technology series in the new Wiley Pathways imprint helps you achieve your goals. The books in this series--Introduction to Databases, Introduction to Programming Using Visual Basic, Introduction to Operating Systems, Networking Basics, Windows Network Administration, Network Security Fundamentals, and PC Hardware Essentials--offer a coordinated information technology curriculum. Learn more at www.wiley.com/go/pathways ... Read more

Product Description
ADO.NET Programming in Visual Basic .NET teaches all you'll need to know to make the most of ADO.NET - whether you're an experienced VB database programmer or not. Its realistic code examples and practical insights illuminate ADO.NET from its foundations to advanced data binding and application optimization. Coverage includes: VB.NET database programming tools, ADO.NET class libraries, data providers, DataSets, DataGrids, and more. Includes detailed Web services coverage, plus a complete case study application. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Love Holzner but despise this book....
I was looking for a more indepth look at ADO.NET to connect to databases. I thoroughly enjoyed Holzner's Sam's book ("Teach Yourself Visual Basic.NET in 21 Days"), but this book is awful. First off, it's bound up like a paperback novel, the screen shots barely legible at times. I had to break the binding to get it to cooperate while I worked through the examples.
The content was put together decent but in a strange order. You'd be right in the middle of putting something together and then the authors would cut away to another project. I also found some of the "tone" to be offensive, talking about "real programmers" and what-not. I highly suspect that to be the co-authors voice, Bob Howell, but there's no way to know for sure.
Don't waste your time on this book. Seriously, I'm not just being picky here. I've never thrown a book away before but I'm considering doing that, either that or donating it to my library.

Fair to Mild
I found this book to be quite useful, however the subject matter was derived from an early edition of VB.Net and so found some things difficult to translate. The layout of the book is poor with new major topics starting at the bottom of the page, and the quality of the screenshots is very poor to be unreadable at times. I could not get the demo example to work - but this may be due to version conflicts.

Great book
This book may be tough going if you are new to Visual Basic .NET but it's worth it weight in gold. You'll end up with a better understanding of connection strings, data providers, data adapters, datasets, dataviews, tables, writing and reading XML, and data binding.
Anyone can drag and drop tables onto a form.This book teaches you how to write everything in code in addition to using the drag and drop method.
I'm using the book as the textbook for the ADO.NET programming couse that I'm teaching. Very few mistakes and the sample code compiles without any problems.

Well Written Book
I've gone through only three chapters in this book, but it's already my favorite ADO.NET book.The authors write in an understandable, lucid manner and they don't dumb down the material.They also don't waste time rehashing ADO, DAO, and other (now) legacy technologies.The book is about ADO.NET only and it is obviously written by authors who are truly knowledgable about the material and know how to communicate that knowledge.This is a five star book all the way. ... Read more

Product Description
A complete program with textbook, lab manual, and software, this ACADEMIC LEARNING SERIES title provides everything students need to build the knowledge and skills necessary to begin programming, using Visual Basic .NET 2003 as the development tool. Coverage includes early treatment of debugging and database connectivity topics, enabling students to delve into real-world projects earlier in the course. The textbook provides a structure and approach that is flexible enough to meet the needs of students who are brand-new to coding, along with those who may have some experience in another tool or language. A complete set of instructor resources supports the book. ... Read more

Product Description
This book teaches Visual Basic programming with a focus on the most required skills in the industry. It enables readers to develop awareness of the concepts behind Visual Basic through hands-on teaching. Each chapter presents a short theory basis of the topic to be covered and then involves readers directly into a guided VisualBasic project building activity.Extensive coverage of material current in the industry provides readers with industry-crucial material including Internet programming and incorporating database programming into programming applications. Website provides updated examples and revisions as new versions of Visual Basic and patches are released. CD-ROM provides readers with sample programs, exercises for reinforcement and practice, and detailed solutions to the programming examples in the text. Hands-on programmingapproach trains readers to effectively code in Visual Basic. Programming hints provided throughout highlight for readers those important programming ideas that improve the way readers write and understand code.For Visual Basic programmers and trainers. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Book is Great
This book came in perfect condition with the cd in the back. Im seriously loving it.

object oriented programming
One of biggest complaints I have about asp.net is they do not start with the basics of object oriented programming. This book reviews classes, variables, arrays and ado.net sql programming. THIS BOOK STARTS WITH THIS, however please you Shouldhave some background in object oriented programming before starting this book.!! This book provides a nice reference. Muti-architectural asp.net has many facets classes, controls,sql-ado.net etc. I have yet to see a perfect(ASP.Net book(I did search in columbia md and white flint mall) so this book is just one piece of a large piece of the asp.net puzzle. The other books should be in sql-ado.net, hashes, parse, controls, data grids etc

object oriented programming
One of biggest complaints I have about asp.net is they do not start with the basics of object oriented programming. This book reviews classes, variables, arrays and ado.net sql programming. THIS BOOK STARTS WITH THIS, however please you Shouldhave some background in object oriented programming before starting this book.!! This book provides a nice reference. Muti-architectural asp.net has many facets classes, controls,sql-ado.net etc. I have yet to see a perfect(ASP.Net book(I did search in columbia md and white flint mall) so this book is just one piece of a large piece of the asp.net puzzle. The other books should be in sql-ado.net, hashes, parse, controls, data grids etc

object oriented programming
One of biggest complaints I have about asp.net is they do not start with the basics of object oriented programming. This book reviews classes, variables, arrays and ado.net sql programming. THIS BOOK STARTS WITH THIS, however please you Shouldhave some background in object oriented programming before starting this book.!! This book provides a nice reference. Muti-architectural asp.net has many facets classes, controls,sql-ado.net etc. I have yet to see a perfect(ASP.Net book(I did search in columbia md and white flint mall) so this book is just one piece of a large piece of the asp.net puzzle. The other books should be in sql-ado.net, hashes, parse, controls, data grids etc ... Read more