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Visual Basic 2005 Programmer’s Reference
Rob Walling
October 30, 2009
2 Min Read
PRObooks
Visual Basic 2005 Programmer s Reference
Visual Basic 2005Programmer s Reference by Rod Stephens is aimed at Visual Basic .NET 2005developers of all levels. With 28 chapters and 19 appendixes totaling more than1,000 pages, it s an indispensable reference for VB.NET developers working onWindows-based applications. In a smart move by the author, the book does notattempt to cover ASP.NET development, thereby providing a focused and completelook at Windows development in VB.NET.
Overall, I was impressed by the number of topics covered.As I flipped through the chapters I was unable to think of a single aspect ofVB.NET development the book didn t cover. Packing all of this information into morethan 1,000 pages means the book reads more like a reference text than atutorial (as you would expect from the title). Each chapter is completelyself-contained and written in classic Wrox style, with a brief introduction to thesubject, followed by code samples, then delving into advanced information for experienceddevelopers and those who want to more thoroughly understand the subject.
The book is divided into five parts:
Part 1 explains the basics of VB.NET programming,including the VS.NET IDE, controls, data types, operations, subroutines andfunctions, controlling program flow, error handling, Windows Forms controls,working with databases, and custom controls.
Part 2 explores object-oriented programming withVB.NET: classes and structures, namespaces, collection classes, and generics.
Part 3 discusses graphics, printing, andreporting.
Part 4 explores how applications interact withtheir environment, including: configuration, resources,streams, file system objects, and commonly used namespaces.
The appendixes provide an exhaustive 236-pagereference of the VB.NET language, including: useful controls, variabledeclarations, operators, subroutine and function declarations, controlstatements, error handling, classes and structures, generics, graphics, dateand time format specifiers, the application class, the My namespace, streams,and file system classes.
Despite the title, VisualBasic 2005 Programmer s Reference goes beyond a simple programmer sreference, with each chapter providing code samples and the appendixesproviding brief, no-nonsense reference to many of the same subjects. In theend, the book does an excellent job at its intended purpose.
For new developers I recommend looking to a book thattakes a step-by-step approach, such as Wrox s BeginningVisual Basic 2005 by Thearon Willis and BryanNewsome. But for developers familiar with VB.NET development andlooking to make the leap from 1.x to 2.0, this is likely the only book you llneed to get up to speed on the new features VB.NET 2005 Windows Formsdevelopment has to offer.
Rob Walling
Rating:
Title: Visual Basic 2005 Programmer s Reference
Author: RodStephens
Publisher: Wrox
ISBN: 0-7645-7198-2
Web Site: http://www.wrox.com
Price: US$39.99
Page Count: 1,022
About the Author
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