Tim Patrick - Programming Visual Basic 2008: Build .NET 3.5 Applications With Microsofts RAD Tool for Business

In the programming world, there are four types of people: (1) those who already program joyfully; (2) those who don't program, but will learn it and love it; (3) those who don't program, but will learn it and struggle with it; and (4) those who should return this book immediately to the bookstore. If you are in one of the first three groups, this book is definitely for you. I believe that anyone who can break down a task into its basic step-by-step instructions can successfully program in Visual Basic. If you are unsure about your ability to quantify tasks in this way, you might want to start out with a book on basic programming concepts.

And that's OK, because this book will teach you. Most of the chapters introduce important topics in Visual Basic and .NET development, such as object-oriented programming concepts, or using the different types of variables available to you, or interacting with a database. If you already know how to use Visual Basic 6 or earlier, that's great, but it's not a prerequisite.

Most programming books teach you to write code in 10-line increments. At least that's what's scattered throughout their pages. I've put some of those "code snippets" in this book. But I spend my days writing real programs, not 10-line sample programs. If you want to write whole programs, you should learn using whole programs. That's why I also put a program in my book a whole program . Over the next several hundred pages, I will develop a real programa database for a small libraryand you will write it with me.

I put all of these ideas into 26 easy-to-read chapters, and had O'Reilly Media glue the pages together for your convenience. When you reach the index, you will have learned how to write complete programs in Visual Basic and .NET. It will be a programming adventure, so let's get started!

Since we are going to be spending a lot of time together, you probably want to know something about me. Well, my name is Tim Patrick, and for many years I lived just up the street from the big Microsoft campus. I've been writing programs for 25 years, and these days I write custom database-oriented Visual Basic applications for small to medium-size businesses. And I'm not alone. Most Visual Basic developers write business-level software. If that's what you do, or plan to do, you're in great company.

As you move through the pages of this book, you will read about the major .NET and Visual Basic activities that drive the development of business-level and general consumer applications. If you plan to do some other type of programming, such as game development, this book will be somewhat helpful, but I don't talk about advanced or specialized features such as interactive 3D models or geometric transformations.

Each chapter discusses a major programming topic, and then follows it up with a practical implementation of that topic: the creation of the Library database program. I don't show every line of code in the book; if I did, the book would weigh 53 pounds and cost $254.38, plus tax. To get every line of source code, you'll have to download the accompanying source code from the book's web site. The code and the book's text are united in one purpose: to train you in the skilled use of Visual Basic on the .NET platform so that you can develop the highest-quality applications possible. The text and the source code both include valuable resources that you can use every day in your programming life.