Recommended books about Visual Basic

Compared to industrial-strength database products such as Microsoft's SQL Server, Access is a breeze to use. It runs on PCs rather than servers and is ideal for small- to mid-sized businesses and households. But Access is still intimidating to learn. It doesn't help that each new version crammed in yet another set of features; so many, in fact, that even the pros don't know where to find them all. Access 2007 breaks this pattern with some of the most dramatic changes users have seen since Office 95. Most obvious is the thoroughly redesigned user interface, with its tabbed toolbar (or "Ribbon") that makes features easy to locate and use. The features list also includes several long-awaited changes. One thing that hasn't improved is Microsoft's documentation. To learn the ins and outs of all the features in Access 2007, Microsoft merely offers online help.

Access 2007: The Missing Manual was written from the ground up for this redesigned application. You will learn how to design complete databases, maintain them, search for valuable nuggets of information, and build attractive forms for quick-and-easy data entry. You'll even delve into the black art of Access programming (including macros and Visual Basic), and pick up valuable tricks and techniques to automate common tasks -- even if you've never touched a line of code before. You will also learn all about the new prebuilt databases you can customize to fit your needs, and how the new complex data feature will simplify your life. With plenty of downloadable examples, this objective and witty book will turn an Access neophyte into a true master.

After reading this book cover to cover, I was able to put together my first database and understand alot more of Access. I have had a difficult time grasping this software and have read 3 other books before this one. The Missing Manual was filled with great information and was easy to read.

This is one of the best technical manuals I have read. Everything is easy to find and easy to understand. I have several manuals where you spend hours trying to find the answer to a question only to be frustrated in either not finding the answer or the answer being so vague that it makes no sense. This book does not do that; answers are both understandable AND quick to find. I highly recommend this book.

Access 2007: The Missing Manual

I'm not a complete newbie to Access or to database design, but I would still qualify as a beginner. This manual spent too much time on things I already know how to do (like set up a table with basic relationships) and not enough on the things I have not quite figured out (like how to create subforms that pop up at helpful intervals).

I bought this Missing Manual after having a really good experience with the Missing Manual to Dreamweaver CS3, but while the Dreamweaver book had helpful step-by-step tutorials to cover concepts that would apply to a wide range of websites, this book seemed to only cover the specific case of building a customer/sales database.

This book is perfect for the novice. It guides you to the key components for MS Access without all the "techie" language. It also points out informative tips and clues to improve your database. This is specific for 2007, which really does make a difference since the security features have changed dramatically. There is a website for the examples. It is easy to download. The book states you have access to the online version or a CD of the book. This is misleading. There is one available but it requires you to sign up for it.

I bought this book to go straight to the information I need when I need it. It is well organized and clear. Would recommend.

• This book is a single reference that�fs indispensable for Excel beginners, intermediate users, power users, and would-be power users everywhere
• Fully updated for the new release, this latest edition provides comprehensive, soup-to-nuts coverage, delivering over 900 pages of Excel tips, tricks, and techniques readers won�ft find anywhere else
• John Walkenbach, aka "Mr. Spreadsheet," is one of the world�fs leading authorities on Excel
• Thoroughly updated to cover the revamped Excel interface, new file formats, enhanced interactivity with other Office applications, and upgraded collaboration features
• Includes a valuable CD-ROM with templates and worksheets from the book

Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file.

Walkenbach hasn't lost his touch. Belongs on the desk of anyone using VBA with Excel 2007 .

I was happy to find a product that was exactly what I needed. It shipped quickly and is in excellent condition.

Excellent reference for VBA in an Excel setting. Expect to get many years service from this book.

I am a novice to VBA and this is the first book I have purchased on the subject. It has alot of useful information. However, it skims so briefly over many topics. If you have a good grasp of VBA and what it can do, I think this is a nice reference. For someone like me, who is just starting, there is probably something better out there.

Got the book a couple of weeks ago and am about 350 pages into it. Although I have only scratched the surface, I've been able to put together a couple of macros that did exactly what I was asked to accomplish. Great Book.

ASP.NET 3.5 brings the power of Visual Studio 2008 along with the multitude of language improvements in C# 2008 and Visual Basic 2008 as well as powerful new technology called LINQ, together with the ASP.NET 2.0 Framework you already know and love. Combine all this with the release of IIS 7.0, and you have a truly revolutionary leap forward in web application development. Greatly expanded from the original best-selling Professional ASP.NET 2.0, this new edition adds hundreds of pages and dozens of code samples so youll be prepared to put these new technologies into action.

This book is a great walkthrough for the beginning ASP.NET programmer. It covers all of the major topics and areas of the framework in enough detail to get you started. It has lots of example code, but only for the common scenarios. I am an advanced ASP.NET programmer and I bought the book to help me understand some of the new features in the 3.5 framework. For that purpose, the book is just okay. The coverage of Ajax, and Linq is pretty shallow, but I was able to supplement it with some Internet based research and figure out the more nuanced aspects of the framework. Overall, I think this would be a great book for the beginner, but for the advanced user looking for a detailed reference of the ASP.NET 3.5 features, this is probably not the right book.

I found this book a good reference, however, there was a .NET class called Repeater that I was surprized wasn't mentioned in the book. Hmmm I guess it's not a complete reference. I wonder what else is missing. Thank goodness for the internet.

This book is a good all-around book on ASP.NET. This means that the book covers a lot of topics to get you up to speed on ASP.NET, rather than focusing on specific areas like other publishers do. That's what makes this book pretty versatile, as it covers a lot of ground and exposes its readers to some new arenas they may never have developed in before (like IIS 7).

It's also written by some talented writers, so that makes for an easier read as well.

Simply put, this is the best tech book I've read on a topic in quite a while. The authors do a great job of covering almost all important topics of asp.net. For any given topic, the writing is easily readable, thurough, filled with examples, and a mimimum of full. If you want to learn about asp.net 3.5, start here.

Bill, Scott, and Devin really did a great job pulling together key topics in ASP.NET 3.5.
This book is huge... weighting in at 1,584 pages not counting the online resources and index.
It basically covers everything any developer would want to brush up on or learn completely from scratch. I was only looking to learn about caching for scaling issues( and it was a great chapter 23), but I learned about so much more. I recently got a new job as a Lead ASP.NET developer and the site I have to fix is a poorly written asp.net 2.0 site with lots of table adapter code, custom role management based on a nasty switch statement, custom logging based on a file and poor threading synchronization, etc. It's bad... not to mention all the ASMX stuff. :-(
Anyway, every time I flipped to a new section of the book it had a solution to the problem I was facing with the nasty 2.0 site. For instance, I can use LINQ to SQL to get rid of the table adapter code, role based management is obvious and should have been leveraged from the beginning, custom logging is cool because now I can leverage System.Web.Management.EventLogWebEventProvider which handles writing to the eventlog and database at the same time... for free! Not to mention System.Web.Management.SimpleMailWebEventProvider which handles emailing me about any warnings or errors. A few more chapters in the book that I really like are IIS7, Membership and Role Management (might as well be under the hood), and of course... LINQ.
LINQ to Objects, LINQ to XML, and LINQ to SQL. The book even ends with a chapter on Silverlight. Awesome stuff!

Theirs so much in this book that I couldn't possibly due it justice by listing it all here. All I can say is go pick it up if you're a Dev... or at least thumb through it the next time your in the book store. :-)

Having Excel and just using it for standard spreadsheets is a little like getting the ultimate cable system and a 50�h flat panel plasma HDTV and using it exclusively to watch Lawrence Welk reruns. With Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) programming, you can take advantage of numerous Excel options such as: creating new worksheet functions; automating tasks and operations; creating new appearances, toolbars, and menus; designing custom dialog boxes and add-ins; and much more.

This guide is not for rank Excel amateurs. It�fs for intermediate to advanced Excel users who want to learn VBA programming (or whose bosses want them to learn VBA programming). You need to know your way around Excel before you start creating customized short cuts or systems for speeding through Excel functions. If you�fre an intermediate or advanced Excel user, Excel VBA For Dummies helps you take your skills (and your spreadsheets) to the next level. It includes:

• An introduction to the VBA language
• A hands-on, guided, step-by-step walk through developing a useful VBA macro, including recording, testing, and changing it, and testing it
• The essential foundation, including the Visual Basic Editor (VBE) and its components, modules, Excel object model, subroutines and functions, and the Excel macro recorder
• The essential VBA language elements, including comments, variables and constants, and labels
• Working with Range objects and discovering useful Range objective properties and methods
• Using VBA and worksheet functions, including a list and examples
• Programming constructions, including the GoTo statement, the If-Then structure, Select Case, For-Next loop, Do-While loop, and Do-Until loop
• Automatic procedures and Workbook events, including a table and event-handler procedures
• Error-handling and bug extermination techniques, and using the Excel debugging tools
• Creating custom dialog boxes, also known as UserForms, with a table of the toolbox controls and their capabilities, how-to for the dialog box controls, and UserForm techniques and tricks
• Customizing the Excel toolbars
• Using VBA code to modify the Excel menu system
• Creating worksheet functions and working with various types of arguments
• Creating Excel add-ins such as new worksheet functions you can use in formulas or new commands or utilities

Author John Walkenbach is a leading authority on spreadsheet software and the author of more than 40 spreadsheet books including Excel 2003 Bible and Excel 2003 Power Programming with VBA. While this guide includes tons of examples and screenshots, Walkenbach knows there�fs no substitute for hands-on learning. The book is complete with:

• A dedicated companion Web site that includes bonus chapters plus all sample programs to save you a lot of typing and let you play around and experiment with various changes
• Information to help you make the most of Excel�fs built-in Help system so you can find out other stuff you may need to know

What are you waiting for? Sure, learning to do VBA programming takes a little effort, but it�fs a Very Big Accomplishment.

I purchased this book as an assist to me - to build upon the knowledge that I have already, regarding Macros and VBA. I know some VB6, and am translating that knowledge through this book. I don't think that I am alone in asserting that any type of "Dummies" book provides good insight/information to those who may even have some existing knowledge of the topic. I will probably purchase another more intermediate book for VBA programming, to extend the experience. The purchase came very quickly as Amazon always does !

The book is poorly written and poorly organized. The book covers very similar types of processes using different syntax without explaining why it used different VB code, so one wonders what why it uses one type of code here and another type of code there. Literally, the book has codes which, when I type verbatim, generates errors. Thoroughly frustrating book. Breezing and useless.

This book is exactly what I needed. I know several program languages so I just needed a good introduction to syntax and the basic functions. This was what I needed. Thanks.

I've purchased other JWalk products in the past and this is another in a line of great JWalk Excel,Access, VBA offerings. This is a very good addition for the user who is not comfy with VBA for Excel. Get this if your delving into Excel VBA for the first time.

I have tried to pick up VBA for Excel a few times, but the pieces just didn't seem to fall together for me. I am in IT, but I don't have a development background. I have solid Excel skills, but still got frustrated with VBA and would put it down. Recently, I had a very specific problem to solve for work and thought I would give it another try.

I decided to get a book with the basics and read it completely first, then try to start coding my project. I was in a hurry so I also got the online upgrade to start reading even before my book got here. I found the book an easy read and occasionally tried a few of the examples as I went along. I got through the book easily in a few days and feel as if I had a good knowledge base to begin.

I am happy to say within 2 weeks, I have completed the project I had first planned and then an even more complex project. I have a third planned now. I used other Excel VBA resources along the way, but have to give credit to this book for getting me started and with the basics so I could even understand where to go next. I see the time and money I invested in this book coming back to me many times over due to the hours and hours of work the macros I have been able to write will save both myself and my team members.

I still have a lot to learn, but I am very satisified with this book. I picked this book because of the other good reviews it has on this Amazon site, so I hope you will find my review helpful to you!!

Teach yourself the fundamentals of working with Visual Basic 2008 one step at a time. With STEP BY STEP, you work at your own pace through hands-on, learn-by-doing exercises. Whether you re a beginning programmer or new to this specific language, you ll understand the core capabilities and fundamental techniques for Visual Basic 2008 and rapidly build robust, elegant applications. Each chapter puts you to work, showing you how, when, and why to use the latest features of Visual Basic guiding you each step of the way as you create actual components and working applications for Windows. You ll also explore data management and Web-based development topics. PLUS get practice files with sample code and data sets on the companion CD.

Key Book Benefits

Covers the latest enhancements and features of Visual Basic 2008

Provides step-by-step guidance on how to use Visual Basic 2008 with Microsoft Visual Studio���� 2008 to create smart-client and Web applications

Features easy-to-follow, logically planned lessons in the popular STEP BY STEP format ideal for anyone with fundamental programming skills

Includes a companion CD with data sets and code samples

good book. but i kind of lost during first readings. whenever i tried to find quick links to my problems, i go to the content list but i feel that the content list is not helping me to be able to find asnwer to do this and that very quick. i was disspointed by that difficulties during my first readings, coz i bought this book to help me quick-solve my problems when i practice VB at hand.

Started from scratch with a VB 2008 Experss Edition project. Even though this book was not written for Express, it was an excellent guide. I purchased a book written for VB 2008 Express and did not even use it becaues this book was so much better.

I'm almost to the very end of the book now and I must say Halvorson did a great job with this book. Someone here complained that he kept making references back to other things in the book. Well, yes. However, you gotta keep in mind if you pick this book up just to refresh yourself on a particular task, say learning Printing, you might need to also refer to an earlier part of the book for a particular aspect of programming that is used in Printing. Michael does an excellent job of making references to other stuff in the book just for this very reason. If you need only a particular part of programming, then you'll get it AND the references to other areas of coding in case you've forgotten how they work.

As far as I'm concerned this book is set up wonderfully for those who are new to the language as I was. I've dabbled in programming for years now but this was the first time I have tried my hand at developing Windows programs. Michael does quite well at not only explaining different points of the language, but he also gives excellent examples of how you can relate the coding to different Windows functions. I would most definitely recommend this book to anyone who is wanting to learn the Visual Basic language.

Bravo Michael! Bravo!

Good book for who do not have some experience with VB programming but not for those who wanted some in-depth knowledge.

I found some free documentation of vb.net 2005 and, to me, was very helpful.

This book is great for starters and pro alike. But you need to keep your mind open as you do the exercises. For instance i encountered this problem while i was doing MyCheckBox exercise. The author gave the code in the book as

If CheckBox1.Checkstate = 1 Then
PictureBox1.Image = System.Drawing.Image.FromFile _
("c:\vb08sbs\chap03\calcultr")
PictureBox1.Visible =True
Else
PictureBox1.Visible = False
End IF

and

If CheckBox2.Checkstate = 1 Then
PictureBox2.Image = System.Drawing.Image.FromFile _
("c:\vb08sbs\chap03\copymach")
PictureBox2.Visible =True
Else
PictureBox2.Visible = False
End IF

I got this kind of message while trying to debug the program
"A first chance exception of type 'System.IO.FileNotFoundException' occurred in System.Drawing.dll"

the code should have been given as


If CheckBox1.Checkstate = 1 Then
PictureBox1.Image = System.Drawing.Image.FromFile _
("c:\vb08sbs\chap03\calcultr.bmp")
PictureBox1.Visible =True
Else
PictureBox1.Visible = False
End IF
and

If CheckBox2.Checkstate = 1 Then
PictureBox2.Image = System.Drawing.Image.FromFile _
("c:\vb08sbs\chap03\copymach.bmp")
PictureBox2.Visible =True
Else
PictureBox2.Visible = False
End IF

instead.I could not figure out the problem at first until i compared the code i wrote with that of the completed exercise the author gave.
Another minor problem i encountered was in chapter 4 pg 116. The author assumes that we all are using a Microsoft Office suite that has Microsoft publishers file,but it was not the case for me as I am using Microsoft Office student and home edition which does not have Microsoft publishers files, so i was not able to complete this exercise as i was supposed to.
Microsoft Visual Basic 2008 Step by Step

"Today, no accomplished Excel programmer can afford to be without John's book. The value of Excel 2003 Power Programming with VBA is double most other books-simultaneously the premier reference and best learning tool for Excel VBA."
--Loren Abdulezer, Author of Excel Best Practices for Business

Everything you need to know about:
* Creating stellar UserForms and custom dialog box alternatives
* Working with VBA subprocedures and function procedures
* Incorporating event-handling and interactions with other applications
* Building user-friendly toolbars, menus, and help systems
* Manipulating files and Visual Basic components
* Understanding class modules
* Managing compatibility issues


Feel the power of VBA and Excel

No one can uncover Excel's hidden capabilities like "Mr. Spreadsheet" himself. John Walkenbach begins this power user's guide with a conceptual overview, an analysis of Excel application development, and a complete introduction to VBA. Then, he shows you how to customize Excel UserForms, develop new utilities, use VBA with charts and pivot tables, create event-handling applications, and much more. If you're fairly new to Excel programming, here's the foundation you need. If you're already a VBA veteran, you can start mining a rich lode of programming ideas right away.

CD-ROM Includes
* Trial version of the author's award-winning Power Utility Pak
* Over one hundred example Excel workbooks from the book


System Requirements: PC running Windows 2000 SP3 or later, or Windows XP(TM) or later. Microsoft Excel 2003. See the "What's on the CD" Appendix for details and complete system requirements.

I used to write macros by cutting and pasting recorded macros. Many lines of cods made my macros unreadable to others. After using this book with its clear examples I understand what I did wrong in the past and how I can write efficient code in the future. This book is very usefull because of its structure, every chapter is a compleet book.

This book is...I can't find the words. It has helped me tremendously. I have gone further with Excel then I ever dreamed I could on my own. I recommend this book for anyone wanting to get more use out of their spreadsheets.

While I had used this for a course in VBA, and noted that it was an extremely concise text, I found it near useless when I was working on my assignments. This book had the information in it, but oftentimes, I simply could not find this information quickly (if at all), and instead Googled much of my information.

On a positive note, this is a well-written book (note: not well-indexed), and therefore useful if you're learning VBA and exploring each chapter one-at-a-time. If you're looking strictly for a reference book for VBA, however, I would strongly advise against getting this particular text.

Also, this text is not written for beginners (a point that the author makes clear), even though some of the material in this book could only be for beginners (for example, the introductory VBA material).

Excellent book for anyone looking to quickly get up and programming VBA in Excel. Don't have to be familiar specifically with Visual Basic but a reasonable knowledge of programming a help. Would have given it 5 stars if it had a thorough reference section on VBA.

Book was helpful in the setup of various 'maintenance' routines. It gave me a fresh look at the use of properties, allowing me to streamline the coding. Unfortunately, company directives have us converting the work to 'active server pages' with a SQL 2005 database server. Since the source data is Oracle, I have been working on DB to DB utilities.

Visual Basic Orcas Programmer's Reference is a language tutorial and a reference guide to the upcoming Orcas release of Visual Basic. The tutorial provides basic material suitable for beginners but also includes in-depth content for more advanced developers.

The second part of the book is a reference that quickly allows programmers to locate information for specific language features. The entries in these appendices allow the reader to quickly review the details of important programming, objects, properties, methods, and events.

Visual Basic Orcas Programmer's Reference will be fully revised (30%) to cover the latest features of the Orcas release, including:

• Changes to variable declaration and initialization
• XLinq support for XML data types; query comprehensions for using SQL-like syntax to extract data from arrays and other data structures
• Extension methods for adding new features to existing classes
• Nested subroutines and functions
• Anonymous subroutines and functions ("lambda expressions")
• Nullable types
• Relaxed delegates
• Dynamic interfaces
• Dynamic identifiers

The author expects about 100 new pages of new examples covering these features; he will also extensively revise and retest all code to ensure compliance with the Orcas release.

Your VB2008 book is terrific. I'm now using it all the time.
It's a great reference library. It has been very helpful in making my applications user friendly and accomplishing my objectives. Great Job.

I have taught programming for about 20 years in a local college. I have several other Rod Stephens books so when I needed a book to help me with the new features in Visual Basic 2008, this book was my first choice. I was not disappointed. At over 1000 pages it covers just about everything you might need, whether you are a beginner or an expert. The good explanations are backed up by good examples. I highly recommend it.

For the novice user this book will take you by the hand, and guide you through VB.NET from the IDE, to basic principles and concepts of OO programing, and into concrete examples, covering a vast amount of information. There is an incredible 200+ page appendix.

Like most other books on the subject, the sections that cover parts of VB that I work with daily (and thus understand well) offered few new insights. The other 75% of the book has proved to be extremely helpful!

If you truly "know" VB.NET '08 inside and out, then you don't need this book (or any others for that matter!), for the rest of us the useful information abounds.

A weighty tome with substance to match the heft. Mr. Stephens knows his material and knows how to make his knowledge accessible. This book has become a necessary adjunct all of my VB projects.

I'm experienced with VB.Net but needed a quick reference book for the new features (esp. LINQ) and that would also provide an overview for features I might not otherwise discover.

My first project with VB 2008 sent me right to the book. I was able to easily adapt code lifted right off the page on the first task. However, different code from the book for a second task was less successful (LINQing on a data set table). The syntax (in the book) for the ORDER BY clause was erroneous and raised a perplexing error. (Perhaps the Wrox web site corrects this; I haven't checked.) Googling brought me to a Microsoft web site with an example with the correct syntax.

I guess you should expect such issues when applying 15th century technology (i.e., printed paper) to a bleeding edge tool.

All in all, however, the book was worth the modest investment. Make use of Amazon's excerpts to evaluate it for your own needs (I did).

By the way, the (first) one I received was damaged (crumpled pages, torn backcover) in packaging, but Amazon redeemed themselves by promptly sending an intact replacement.

This resource provides the tools you need to leverage Access 2007�fs built-in functionality and VBA in order to build more dynamic applications. The author team explores all aspects of VBA programming for Access, describes the latest innovations, and explains how to take advantage of key new objects, enhanced macros, and the Office Ribbon. Plus, you�fll find several commonly used techniques and sample code to help you get started, as well as expert tips to make your code easier to maintain.

I have definitely come to respect the Wrox writers. Whenever I am in need of additional assistance, I look to these books first. The Access 2007 VBA Programmers Guide has everything I need in it and is written in an easy to follow manner. My skill level is just above beginner, but there are sections of the book for more advanced programming that I have not looked at. I highly recommend all books by Wrox (I have used their SharePoint books extensively).

This books was a TREMENDOUS help in writing a Human Resources application for my company. I'm no programmer--but this book helped me a great deal with some of the VB that was needed for the database. I did also rely on the internet a lot but this was a handy tool that covered a majority of the basics--the internet was for more advanced scripting. I highly recommend the book for those who work with Access often...and even for those who want to take advantage of the cool things code will enable you to do.

Access 2007 VBA is a great book for experienced and novice programmers alike. It is thoroughly detailed and yet covers the VBA basics at the beginning. What I like about this book is that it covers details that other books seem to always miss. This would include Microsoft Office integration. Or, in other words, the code that lets you work with other Office applications like manipulating Excel from Access or Word from Access. It also goes into working with Outlook and even SharePoint, which are two of the hardest to find information on when working with Access VBA. I am finding this book to be a great addition to my library and I believe you will too.


Bob Larson
Access World Forums Super Moderator
Utter Access VIP

This book delivers exactly what it promises - namely, to provide the reader with the necessary tools to use VBA against the various Access 2007 object models to amplify the capabilities of a custom Access 2007 solution. You will be shown the differences between using the DAO and ADO data access technologies, as well as the costs and benefits of using the older mdb file types versus the new accdb and project-related adp file types. A cogent explanation of the additional security features embedded in Access 2007 is also nicely covered.

The authors present a broad coverage of the subject matter which is amplified by their substantial real world experience - a nice benefit considering the myriad of texts that simply offer a better organized rehash of the help files.

A final comment will address the number of helpful sidebars presented in the text dealing with such issues as: using the "SQL Server Profiler", how to programmatically add, delete, and modify registry entries to persist user related variables; and receiving insider's expert information on undocumented legacy functionality.

An excellent text for what it sets out to accomplish.

I've been using Access off and on since Windows 95 and Access 2. This is absolutely one of the best texts on VBA I have read. Examples are clear, and appropriate; and explainations are complete without being longer than the need to be. The coverage of Access 2007's new features appears to be right on the money.

In just 24 sessions of one hour or less, you will be up and running with Visual Basic 2008. Using a straightforward, step-by-step approach, each lesson builds upon a real-world foundation forged in both technology and business matters, allowing you to learn the essentials of Visual Basic 2008 from the ground up. Step-by-step instructions carefully walk you through the most common questions, issues, and tasks. The Q&A section, quizzes, and exercises help you build and test your knowledge.

�|

By the Way notes present interesting pieces of information. Did You Know? tips offer advice or teach an easier way to do something. Watch Out! cautions advise you about potential problems and help you steer clear of disaster.

�|

Learn how to�c

• Use the powerful design environment of Visual Studio 2008
• Design feature-rich interfaces using components such as tree views and tabs
• Create robust applications using modern error-handling
• Draw fast graphics using GDI+
• Build a database application using ADO.NET
• Distribute a Visual Basic 2008 Application
• Manipulate the Windows Registry
• Create, read, and write text files
• Use event-driven techniques to build responsive applications

DVD Includes: Microsoft Visual Basic 2008 Express Edition

On the Web:�|Register your book at informit.com/title/9780672329845 for access to author code, examples, updates and corrections as they become available.

I have Just started learning Visual Basic.
This Book covers in detail all that I wanted to know about getting My first applications op and running.
R.W.

I have never written a serious book review, but I feel compelled to document that after a few false starts with other books, THIS IS THE BOOK I HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR! I paid more than I had to when I bought it at a bookstore, but I don't even mind. I was able to bring it home with me and start immediately! My enthusiasm for Visual Basic.NET has been restored.

The book is very straight forward and to the point but not cryptic. The concepts are presented in a very easy to understand format. The book helps you build an excellent, practical, example of a program and I appreciated the Summary, Q&A and Workshop sections at the end of the chapters.

Great book, Thanks!

It is obvious that no subject as complicated as Visual Basic can actually be taught in 24 lessons, each of which is designed to be completed in an hour. Therefore, to criticize any book on that basis is to miss the point. These books should be called "Teach Yourself the Fundamentals ..." but that of course is not as catchy a title. When I examine such books, my standards of evaluation are based on the topics covered in the context of what is a reasonable set of necessary knowledge.
In that area, Foxall succeeds at a high level. The fundamental GUI objects, their properties and methods are covered as well as the events that they are associated with. Variable, functions, subroutines, arrays and most importantly, objects are introduced to significant depth. Control constructs such as the if - then and loops are covered as well the basics of error handling via the catching of exceptions.
If you are interested in getting a quick and effective introduction to Visual Basic and do not want to take a formal class, then this is the book for you. All you need is the motivation to learn, as the Visual Basic 2008 Express Edition is included with the book.

I love this book! The only programming I had had was Basic back in 1984-85 so obviously I am starting from the beginning. I needed basics (like general definitions, logic of how programming works, and specifics for how the Visual Basic works) so I could understand the programmers I work with. After reading and going through the exercises in this book, I can speak the same language and I've even been able to do automation for my quality assurance testing.

BTW - took me about 2 1/2 weeks to get through it all ;-)

I would classify myself as a "hobby" programmer. I enjoy programming, but aside from a few courses taken years ago, I have little formal training. I frequently write programs for myself, my clients, and my friends (I'm a computer technician). Although I know a little about OOP (object-oriented programming), I find it to be overkill for many of the programs I like to write. Most of the time good, old-fashioned procedural programming does the trick, and although maybe if I choose to revisit my code twenty years from now, I will regret not having laid out my code using a proper class hierarchy, I sort of doubt it.

If the preceding paragraph somewhat describes you as well, you may enjoy this book. To me, it takes VB2008 and makes it simple and enjoyable like VB6. The author, James Foxall, doesn't try to cover everything, but he covers enough to be able to actually use VB2008 to solve real problems, and along the way he teaches the fundamentals of Visual Basic (even a blessedly short chapter on custom classes).

When done, you can use VB2008 to: develop and use forms (dialog boxes), manipulate the objects that VB and .NET provide, work with the keyboard, manipulate graphics within your own windows, manipulate files and directories, read/write text files, databases, and the registry. You can use automation to manipulate other applications, and even package your creation for distribution using Microsoft's "ClickOnce" technology.

The book is a good size, large enough to cover major areas, but not so large as to intimidate. I only wish there was more coverage of common .NET classes such as the print / print previewing classes. Overall, I would say this is a great book for all us old VB6 types wanting to "modernize."

LLINQ, Language INtegrated Query, is a new extension to the Visual Basic and C# programming languages designed to simplify data queries and database interaction. It addreses O/R mapping issues by making query operations like SQL statements part of the programming language. It also offers built-in support for querying in-memory collections like arrays or lists, XML, DataSets, and relational databases.

LINQ in Action is a fast-paced, comprehensive tutorial for professional developers. This book explores what can be done with LINQ, shows how it works in an application, and addresses the emerging best practices. It presents the general purpose query facilities offered by LINQ in the upcoming C# 3.0 and VB.NET 9.0 languages. A running example introduces basic LINQ concepts. You'll then learn to query unstructured data using LINQ to XML and relational data with LINQ to SQL. Finally, you'll see how to extend LINQ for custom applications.

LINQ in Action will guide you along as you explore this new world of lambda expressions, query operators, and expression trees. As well, you'll explore the new features of C# 3.0, VB.NET 9.0. The book is very practical, anchoring each new idea with running code. Whether you want to use LINQ to query objects, XML documents, or relational databases, you will find all the information you need to get started

But LINQ in Action does not stop at the basic code. This book also shows you how LINQ can be used for advanced processing of data, including coverage of LINQ's extensibility, which allows querying more data sources than those supported by default. All code samples are built on a concrete business case. The running example, LinqBooks, is a personal book cataloging system that shows you how to create LINQ applications with Visual Studio 2008.

I was pleased with overall quality of this book. By and large this is the most comprehensive LINQ book currently available on the market. The writing style is easy to follow and the material is presented in logical manner. I rate it four instead of five because it follows a trend very common to books written by multiple authors - uneven quality of writing. LINQ to Objects for example is pure please to read, but I wish LINQ to SQL was covered better. Overall this is a solid book and I'd recommed it to any working developer.

I think the expression is "don't cry over spilled milk...", well when my son spilled milk on this book I almost cried. Why would you cry over a book you ask? There are many reasons. Not only does the book go into LINQ in depth (I know there is a C# in Depth book) but the authors cover all of the parts of the .NET framework that were created and needed for LINQ to function. In addition, all of the samples provided are both in C# and VB.NET. These samples are not your basic "Hello World" samples but useful reusable code snippets that get the point of the book section across.

The book starts of with an introduction to LINQ and the different versions of LINQ to xxx, more than enough to wet your whistle. The authors then go into the prerequisites of the .NET framework required, generics, anonymous types and lambda expressions. This chapter was so good I read it twice. The third chapter discusses how LINQ is made up. After this, the authors go in depth in describing the different types of LINQ, including LINQ to SQL, LINQ to Objects and LINQ to Amazon with useful examples.

This book will be a reference book on my book shelf. I expect to refer to this book constantly.

Most of the reviewers have given high marks for this book. No issue with that, as long as the first six chapters of this book are concerned. It gives the best intrduction on subjects such as lambda expression and various Linq syntaxes. But the most important chapters should have been those dealing with Linq in N-tier architecture - chapters 7 and 8. But those were written in such a confusing manner that, at the end of those two chapters, you are left wondering why you spent money and time on this book. It is a pitty that almost all internet articles, including those on MSDN, deal with Linq as if it is an add-on to Microsoft Access programming and show pages and pages of "drag-and-drop and voila it works great!!" approach. I don't think anyone could write a successfull n-tier Linq code with that approach. Although this book goes little further than the drag-and-drop gimmic, it could have avoided so much fluff and concentrated just on what is needed for a real world n-tier programming using Linq. But unfortunately I don't know whether there is any better book treating Linq as a serious enterprise development tool.

This book is a well-written tutorial that is generally easy to understand. The logic is straightforward and the language is much better than in most of the other books I have been studying on ASP.NET 3.5 and C#. My only complaint is that I would have liked to see more depth in some sections. To fill in some of the gaps I have found "C# 3.0 in a Nutshell," from O'Reilly Media, to be very helpful, but I wouldn't consider it a replacement for this book. There is an online forum that goes with "LINQ in Action," and two of the authors and some other contributors are very responsive to questions. There are also some files of source code that can be downloaded from the Internet.

This was one of the best technical books I've ever read. It was easy to follow and understand. The examples were very clear and the section on the new features of VB and C# were wonderful and needed in order to understand the rest of the book.

I was slightly disappointed that most of the examples in the book were printed in C# instead of VB. BUT, I downloaded all the example projects and utilities and those are excellent! ALL of the examples are available in C# and VB. They are correct and a great on-the-go blueprint for my routines.

It was also very nice that they talk about (in easy-to-understand terms) the performance implications of different implementations.

The cover is a bit dorky, but you shouldn't judge a book by its cover!

A great buy for the novice LINQ programmer.