Mastering Microsoft Visual Basic 2005 (Mastering)
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| Mastering Microsoft Visual Basic 2005 (Mastering) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Definitive Word on Visual Basic 2005
The release of Visual Basic 2005 solidifies Visual Basic's first-class position in the world of object-oriented programming. Written by the author of the best-selling Mastering Visual Basic .NET, this is the authoritative resource you'll need to master the most powerful version of the Visual Basic language and the newest tools comprising Visual Studio(r). Inside, you'll find in-depth explanations and practical examples addressing dozens of key techniques, along with transition tips for the VB 6 developer. Coverage Includes * Mastering the new Windows Forms Designer and controls * Building dynamic forms * Using powerful Framework classes such as Collections and Cryptography * Persisting objects to disk files * Handling graphics and printing elaborate reports * Achieving robustness via structured exception handling * Developing your own classes and extending existing ones via inheritance * Building custom Windows controls * Building menus and list controls with custom-drawn items * Using ADO.NET 2.0 to build disconnected, distributed applications * Using SQL queries and stored procedures with ADO.NET 2.0 * Facilitating database programming with the visual database tools * Building web applications with ASP.NET 2.0 and the rich web controls * Designing data-driven web applications * Detailed discussion of the DataGridView and DataList web controls * Building XML web services to use with Windows and web applications Get up to Speed on the Major Classes of the New Version of the Framework Build Custom Classes and Controls Take Advantage of Enhanced Web and Database Programming Features |
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| 07-11-08 | 5 | (NA) |
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This book saved me! After looking through several other books and numerous web researches I was about to jump out of the window, but thank God this book came along. It answered my questions relating to the use of collections which many other books simply touch upon without sufficient explanations and examples because it's considered an "advanced" topic. Well, I am working on my first real world web application and I need to use collections! So skip those beginner books (because their life on your shelf will be short) and buy this one because it covers a lot more and yet still present topics in a way that a biginner like me can follow!
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-10-11 05:00:47 EST)
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| 09-12-07 | 5 | (NA) |
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I borrowed this first from the public library, then I recommended it to my boss and we ordered several copies. Covers a vast scope of applications. I haven't been thru the complete book (almost 1400 pages) but every time I have looked up topics, it has been helpful. It stays off the shelf and on my desk most of the time.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-07-11 16:13:12 EST)
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| 06-12-07 | 4 | (NA) |
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While I bought this book for reference it appears to be a very good book.
If you do buy the book...check for pages 963-994. My copy has excluded these pages and were only found while attempting to use it as a reference. I've contacted the publisher and at this point it does not look good for correction since my purchase is over 90 days. My purchase was 6 months ago and I've sent them the receipt. (Review Data Last Updated: 2007-09-07 17:51:41 EST)
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| 06-12-07 | 4 | 1\1 |
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While I bought this book for reference it appears to be a very good book.
If you do buy the book...check for pages 963-994. My copy has excluded these pages and were only found while attempting to use it as a reference. I've contacted the publisher and at this point it does not look good for correction since my purchase is over 90 days. My purchase was 6 months ago and I've sent them the receipt. (Review Data Last Updated: 2007-09-13 06:28:35 EST)
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| 04-19-07 | 2 | 1\1 |
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I purchased this book to learn programming in a visual environment. I have not programmed since I took some courses back in college programming on a main frame. There are many typos in this book and the code Does not work in many of sections. I am trying to learn by following along with the code in the book and get hit with many errors. When you look at the code from the web site it is completely different from what he has in the book which is taking huge amounts of time to figure out what he has done. I would not refer this book to anyone trying to learn the language.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2007-07-06 12:55:58 EST)
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| 03-28-07 | 3 | (NA) |
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This book provided good entry level coverage of the VB2005 language. I found it a little on the elementary side as I am a very experienced programmer in VC++. If you are just learning to program in VB or are just beginning to code in an Object Oriented environment than this books would be an OK book to buy. However, for beginning programmers I always reccommend "Deietl" books for the very structured system of teaching you programming concepts.
If you are an experience OO programmer in another language (VC++ or Java) looking to bring those skills into the VB2005 language then I don't reccommend this book. I highly reccommend "Visual Basic 2005 : The Language" as it covers the more advanced features and methods available and is a great reference to learn VB. (Review Data Last Updated: 2007-04-11 12:43:39 EST)
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| 03-27-07 | 3 | (NA) |
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This book provided good entry level coverage of the VB2005 language. I found it a little on the elementary side as I am a very experienced programmer in VC++. If you are just learning to program in VB or are just beginning to code in an Object Oriented environment than this books would be an OK book to buy. However, for beginning programmers I always reccommend "Deietl" books for the very structured system of teaching you programming concepts.
If you are an experience OO programmer in another language (VC++ or Java) looking to bring those skills into the VB2005 language then I don't reccommend this book. I highly reccommend "Visual Basic 2005 : The Language" as it covers the more advanced features and methods available and is a great reference to learn VB. (Review Data Last Updated: 2007-04-11 08:04:32 EST)
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| 03-08-07 | 5 | 0\1 |
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Muy buen libro para todos los niveles, los ejemplos son claros y trae muchos trucos. En todos los capitulos y ejemplos, se explica las diferencias para quien esta migrando de vb6 a vb2005, por ello es una muy buena guia para quienes venimos de vb6.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2007-07-06 12:55:58 EST)
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| 02-12-07 | 5 | 0\1 |
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This book covers the basics but is the only reference I've found to also cover the new and more advanced topics which I needed! Easy to follow and good examples.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2007-07-06 12:55:58 EST)
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| 02-10-07 | 5 | (NA) |
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If you are looking for a VB 2005 book that has it all (all levels of programming) - you've found it.
What impressed me was its writing style - plain, highly informative and instantly accessible (a joy to read). Most programming books (whatever language) are written by programmers that are NOT good at translating programming concepts into plain language - good programmers, but VERY poor teachers. This is where Petroutsos excels. He writes in a plain and clear style, yet the information is detailed and easily understood. This book will serve not only to teach you VB 2005 but also as a good reference for the future (very detailed index). Conclusion: Very good book, very good value, this book is a WINNER, enjoy! (Review Data Last Updated: 2007-02-12 16:15:55 EST)
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| 01-26-07 | 5 | (NA) |
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Definitely a nice book for the money. Great VB coverage, a few chapters on databases, ado, and asp.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2007-02-10 17:11:12 EST)
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| 11-18-06 | 3 | 2\2 |
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I agree with other reviewers that this is an excellant book on the Express version of VB 2005. Since I installed the FREE Express version of VB 2005, I bought this book to help me finally transition from VB6 to VB.net. Having purchased the author's VB6 book, I found this VB 2005 Express book to be of similar quality. And I would highly recommend it to anyone using VB 2005 Express.
The only reason I did not give the book 5 stars is because there are numerous errors in the book. On the Sybex website, the Errata page for this book is BLANK. I personally have submitted over a dozen errata (and I am not talking about grammatical errors, these are programmatical errors) to Sybex for this book. According the Sybex these errata submittals have been passed along to the author, but the author apparently never responded. IMHO this is simply inconsiderate. I have tried to contact the author directly to his "supposed" email address, published in the book, but again NO RESPONSE. If I wrote a book that would be the foundation for future editions and if people, like myself, were reporting errors in my book for FREE, I would be very grateful and I would send each one of them a personal "Thank You". I hope the author is listening. The truth is that I have probably learned a lot simply by reading this book carefully enough to uncover these errors and then taking the time to go to my PC and verify that indeed that these were errors. (Review Data Last Updated: 2007-01-26 12:45:27 EST)
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| 08-13-06 | 4 | 2\5 |
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Very useful reference book as well as a textbook
(Review Data Last Updated: 2006-11-19 08:09:15 EST)
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| 08-10-06 | 5 | (NA) |
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If are you thinking about buying a book on VB then please do not waste another minute on thinking. Buy this book with you eyes closed. You will not regret. You will know all the stuff you have to know about VB from this book. The way the book is written, it is very easy to follow and even more easy to understand. This is a book that is like a BUTTER, just waiting to MELT in your mouth. A job very well done.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2006-08-13 10:27:28 EST)
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| 07-22-06 | 5 | (NA) |
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After dragging my feet for years to make the switch from VB6 to DotNet I finally purchased VS 2005, but the stilted Micro$oft documentation just doesn't help you get started. In fact the so-called beginners examples in the Visual Studio help files simply don't work, and they don't provide any insight. I was frustrated, not being able to do the simplest thing like switching between forms.
But, after reading this book I have been inspired to dive into VB 2005 and update my skills. The author clearly explains the exciting new features of 2005 and the differences from VB6. Chapter 5, "Working with Forms", is alone worth the price of the book. I believe this book is a great bridge for old timers like me who have used VB.Old for years and who did not understand all the hubub about VB.New. Now I understand what all the fanfare is about, Microsoft finally got it right with VB 2005, and this book did indeed help me master it. (Review Data Last Updated: 2006-07-29 08:15:57 EST)
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| 07-15-06 | 5 | 1\1 |
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This book is the best book I have found on VB.NET hands down. One of the reasons I bought this book, was the fact that it covers printing and graphics which other books just skim over.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2006-08-13 07:05:13 EST)
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| 07-13-06 | 4 | (NA) |
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This is an excellent introduction to Visual Basic 2005 and the .Net Framework. It covers all the important topics. The pace is just right (at least for me, an experienced VB6 programmer new to .Net). The author gives you a good foundation, without confusing you with esoterica. The code samples are well-designed, practical applications, many of which could serve as templates for on-the-job tasks. Kudos to the author for a job well done!
My only complaint, and the reason I gave the book 4 stars only, is the quantity of errors. While one expects errors in technical books, which are written under deadline pressure, this one seems to contain more than most. There are the inevitable typos, most of which are fairly obvious. There are also many coding errors. I suggest that anyone using this book recreate and run the source code listings. You will be surprised at what you encounter! Some of the code will not compile; that which will sometimes will generate output you didn't expect. I found it added to the learning experience to correct the bugs. However, I don't think the author or the publisher had this in mind. Another vexation was the source code on the website. Most of it would not compile on my machine. The reason for this (according to the author, who was kind enough to respond to my email) is that the source code was compiled using a beta version of the software. I found that creating a new project and adding the forms from the sample solved the problem in most cases. (Review Data Last Updated: 2006-08-13 07:05:13 EST)
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| 07-10-06 | 3 | (NA) |
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The book is excellent, however, the downloaded program files used in the examples rarely work. That's what keeps me from giving this book 5 stars.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2006-08-13 07:05:13 EST)
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| 07-08-06 | 5 | (NA) |
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Best book on Visual Basic 2005. Unfortunatelly, I started learning VB with Rod Stephens's Programmer's reference, which is adequate but this book is a lot better in so many ways. I definitely recommend it.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2006-08-13 07:05:13 EST)
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| 07-03-06 | 4 | (NA) |
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This book is literally chopped full of information and has helped me find some of those small hard-to-find bits of info. It's saved me in the workplace on several occasions already. I am giving it 4 stars simply because there is very little--and I mean scant--information on the new datagridview, which I found disappointing and mind-boggling.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2006-08-13 07:05:13 EST)
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| 03-18-06 | 4 | 13\18 |
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The book is filled with examples of bad Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs). This is one of the reasons VB developers were given a bad name - their (our) Interfaces look like they are in pain and were put together by a novice. Here, all controls have odd sizes; they are not aligned; captions are rather unfriendly; fonts and text sizes are all over the place, and even the most common prefix for the Command Button control, "cmd", has been forgotten in favor of "bttn". You will NOT learn to build user-friendly applications here.
Moreover, just the first 40 pages were full of randomly-placed double quotes (") that will prevent the code from compiling, e.g. " End Sub Additionally, the author states, as he did in the last book, that in VB.NET you must "first design the interface, then implement the internal logic of the application". WRONG. This is what gave VB developers a very bad name (again)! You should first design the logic, then build the GUI that will WORK WITH THAT LOGIC. Not the other way around. Don't drop 20 controls on the form, then decide what code will go behind them. This leads to code that is not easy to extend because you simply "fill out" event handlers rather than write modules, procedures, and then wire them to the event handlers. Overall, this is a good introduction to the language and covers a LOT, but not so good for learning software design methodologies or GUI design. 3.7 stars. (Review Data Last Updated: 2006-07-07 13:07:11 EST)
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| 03-17-06 | 5 | 1\3 |
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This book is full of practical examples. Most books contain trivial examples (a few controls thrown on a form to demonstrate the code), Petroutsos hasn't spared the effort to design functional sample applications-the kind of applications you can easily reuse in your own projects. He explains the Windows controls in detail with lots of practical advice and non-trivial examples. Excellent coverage of the .NET Framework (by the way, shouldn't it be Framework 2005?) and the principles of object oriented programming with real-world examples. The sections on building custom classes and the examples on inheritance are written for the average non-OOP programmer; I've found them very helpful. If you're tired of examples with animals and vehicles, you need this book. In the last part of his book the author discusses some very practical aspects of application development, like deploying Windows applications and designing practical interfaces.
I'm a VB6 programmer and learned quickly the new features of the language and how to use the Framework for tasks like using files and printing. There's a whole lot more to read in this book (1300 pages), and I plan to do so as needed. The book has helped me a lot already. (Review Data Last Updated: 2006-07-07 13:07:11 EST)
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| 02-25-06 | 5 | 1\2 |
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I used this book right away because it was one of the first VB 2005 books (though not the first out there). It had information on things I usually do which I found extremely helpful, such as details on search/replace in the RTF control and many others.
I emailed the author and told him that he forgot the code in the replace feature in the RTF control (which I figured out anyway), but he graciously responded promptly and said he would send me the update which I thought was nice of him. Excellent beginner/intermediate book and does have some advanced feature material discussed. This book along with "Programming Visual Basic 2005: The Language" by Balena are books that should be on every VB.net programmers shelf. (Review Data Last Updated: 2006-07-07 13:07:11 EST)
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| 02-10-06 | 5 | 8\10 |
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This book isn't for the absolute beginner, but it's one of the best VB 2005 books yet. It covers a lot of topics and in much more depth than most relevant books. I'm new to .NET, but not a beginner programmer and this book helped me get quickly through the basics of the language and learn some of the more advanced features. It contains many comprehensive tutorials and examples, some of them quite interesting. Also, a lot of advanced techniques, and valuable comments on designing practical Windows interfaces (how to minimize the use of the mouse and make the most of the Enter key, and how to use the TreeView and ListView controls in practical UIs beyond directory listings). The chapter on cryptography is the most comprehensive reading on data encryption, from simple encryption to public key encryption and digital signatures. The examples in this chapter are awesome. Very satisfied with the book.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2006-07-07 13:07:11 EST)
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