2 comments about Microsoft Office Access 2007 VBA (Business Solutions).

1. Very poorly written and a complete waste of money. There are many more helpful books written by competent authors right here on Amazon. 1 star.



2. I found this to be an incredible book. When I began using the book I was a novice Access user. The book was an incredible tool to vastly improving my knowledge of Access and it's use in the business world. I own a business and with the help of this book I created a database to run the entire operation.

2 comments about VBA for the 2007 Microsoft Office System (Business Solutions).

1. I have a nagging feeling that for some readers, this book will be their first ever on programming. Perhaps they are heavy Microsoft Office users, and are frustrated by constantly doing repetitive tasks, and want a way to automate these. That is the main motivation for the text.
   
   If this describes you, then McFedries' narrative is a gentle introduction to the overall field of programming. The VBA borrows from its original Basic the characteristic of being easy to understand and code. As you go through the text, you get introduced to key programming ideas, common to all languages. Like using for loops, where a control element iterates over a collection. Then there is the while command for conditional execution only once. Well, VBA calls it the do while command, but more generally, programmers just think of it as while.
   
   The book also introduces you to elementary graphics programming. There are various form controls which are graphical elements that you can cause to popup when the user does certain actions. These give rise to event handling issues, which are true of most graphics coding. Microsoft has built an extensive framework within its Office suite so that you can easily code these objects.



2. This is a great book for those new to VBA. It covers Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Access and Outlook so it does not go into much depth in any particular product. The writing style is easy to follow and all of the examples work. Not for experienced VBA developers.

2 comments about Structured Finance Modeling with Object-Oriented VBA (Wiley Finance).

1. I had been waiting for this book for more than 5 months (preordered since December 2006). The content is excellent, but I expect to see a complete VBA code as a wrap up. It should also help if the code is provided in soft file so that the readers can see how the model actually runs without the need to merge all the examples and manually type the code into the computer first.
   
   Montri



2. This is an outstanding textbook on how to master the intricacies of a structured finance (especially, home-equity ABS) deal. It teaches ABS from several angles: modeling (chapter 1-4), structuring (chatper 5), and ABS analytics (chapter 6).
   
   Although definitions and explanations about any given deal can be readily found from prospectus and prospectus supplements, for practitioners like myself, this book improves one's understanding of what's, how's and why's of any particular feature of a typical RMBS structure. This is a book I wished I had read when I started in this business.
   
   In this book, the process of modeling a RMBS deal was shown step-by-step, with definitions, equations, tables and figures accompanying easy to understand explanations. The equations are written in a way that if is straightforward to be coded into VBA (or any other language) and be implemented.
   
   This is a book about learning about modeling and implementing an ABS. End of chapter programming excercises reinforce the notion of learning by doing. To respond to the prior reviewer's desire of having a complete program to run and test, I believe that the only way one is going to learn a complex structure is to read, follow, implement and experiment with self-written codes. This book provides you with all the tools and explanations you need to get started in this interesting field.
   
   

No comments about Learning ASP.NET 3.5.

1 comments about Professional VB 2005 with .NET 3.0 (Programmer to Programmer).

1. This is a great intermediate book but it should have been more focused on new features in .NET 3.0 instead of VB & .NET from beginning to end.

2 comments about Visual Studio Tools for Office: Using Visual Basic 2005 with Excel, Word, Outlook, and InfoPath (Microsoft .Net Development Series).

1. Carter and Lippert demonstrate one of the key reasons for Microsoft's continued success over almost 30 years. From its inception, Microsoft was a tool developer, writing and selling compilers and other programming aids to programmers. In similar wise, developers who wish to extend Microsoft Office applications will be pleased by the depth of detail shown in the book. Visual Studio is the IDE that gives you a comfortable and powerful platform.
   
   The book is rather lengthy. Few readers will likely scan it end to end. But the main reason for the heft is the number of applications within the Office suite. Excel gets 4 chapters, and so does Word. While Outlook has 3 chapters and InfoPath has one. Of these applications, it is perhaps Excel that is the most likely to be extended by third party developers. A spreadsheet is something that inherently lends itself to the idea that someone would write more intricate relations. Given that the default mode is for a user to associate cells in some formulaic fashion.
   
   It should also be said that there are several other chapters, mostly concerned with the overall aspects of programming within VSTO. Speaking of which, there is a nice passage showing how to tie an Excel spreadsheet back to a SQL database, through the use of Binding Sources. This takes what is essentially the UI coding of the MS Office applications to a deeper level.



2. With a more reality-like setup example that uses several dll:s, perhaps on a machine with a policy that prohibits new code to run this would have been a perfect book!

1 comments about Microsoft SharePoint: Building Office 2007 Solutions in VB 2005 (Expert's Voice in Sharepoint).

1. This is as close to being a PERFECT computer book as I have ever read. I'm a SharePoint architect/developer with 30+ years of IT experience, and I own every SharePoint title that has been published since SharePoint started shipping 8 years ago. This book is the best. It throughly covers almost every aspect of SharePoint 2007 in layman's (and technical) terms with solid, complete, well-thought examples of every aspect of SharePoint implementation. There is simply page after page where you pause and think "Wow! That's interesting!"
   If you only plan to buy one SharePoint 2007 book make sure its this one.

2 comments about .NET 2.0 for Delphi Programmers.

1. As someone who used to use Delphi almost all the time, I hate to admit that in order to stay employable today, I'm having to know and use .NET. If you find yourself in the same situation, and you want a fast-track to .NET 2.0, then this book is at the top of the list.
   
   It's the single most used book in my collection today when it comes to .NET.
   
   At first, I read it cover to cover. It's not hard reading like some books can be, and it made sense to me since I know Delphi.
   But with Jon's writing style, it's organized in a way that I reach for it when I need a quick reference as well.
   
   It comes with special tidbits about the inner workings of the CLR, which I always find fascinating.
   
   I keep it at the front of my bookshelf. I've had other programmers that C++ guys come by and ask to use it. So you don't need to know Delphi to make good use of it. Borland C++ Builder users will find it an easy read as well since Builder is built on Delphi.
   
   Five thumbs up for this one. Well done Jon!



2. The best way to go from Delphi to Net Framework. Use the Delphi skill to learn Net.

5 comments about User Interfaces in VB .NET: Windows Forms and Custom Controls.

1. It is interesting to compare this book to the one by Petzold which I also regard as a "must buy" - but for different reasons. Macdonald's book is much more manageable than Petzold but still seemed to contain everything I wanted to know about Windows forms.

   Petzold on the other hand is roughly twice as long and thus far more complete. Petzold is also perhaps a slightly more interesting writer than MacDonald - but then I am not sure everybody needs the details provided by Petzold...

   In sum if you can afford only one book and need the definitive reference, get Petzold as it is *so* complete. However if you want a book you will turn to on a day to day basis and likey read from cover to cover get Macdonald.




2. This book is about the details of form building. It is not about the details of backending a form to a database or website. It has a very specific remit and if you are not an experienced VB.Net programmer you could be badly caught out here. This is not a book to cut your UI building teeth on. There are introductory texts to do that. It is also not a UI design book. So don't expect lashings of advice on usability theory, design and test. They are just not here.

   The focus on the book is on form controls creation and the various arcana in .Net that support them. Many interesting and useful topics are raised in the book (there is an overlap between some of these and the coverage in other books, e.g. MDi and GDI+). However, the extent to which they will generalise for the 'average' programmer is another question. I am not convinced that the book has sufficent novel content over an above other more general texts of the market.

   Unless you specifically need detail about form controls, form splitters, personalised system trays etc, this book may be overkill. A good deal of topics in the book is covered in Deitel and Deitel (and more besides),and Balena. So if you are learning VB.Net be careful in your choice.




3. I found this book to be excellent. It isn't 100% comprehensive, but it is full of real, practical code and suggestions for using controls. It's the only book I've found that dealt with the treeview, listview, and imagelist in enough detail. Particularly noteworthy are the descriptions on how to create custom controls based on these controls that have built-in application meaning. For example, the book explains how to create a treeview that has a hard-coded "structure" and exposes custom methods for adding/navigating your type of data. Similar advice is given with validation, drag-and-drop, form inheritance, MDI workspaces, and data binding strategies. Basically, the book is a solid guide to mastering .NET controls. Note that this book isn't the best place to learn GDI+. Although there are two excellent chapters on the subject and the basic charting control, both Apress and Wrox provide dedicated GDI+ books that focus more closely on custom drawing.

   Probably the best example in the book is the document-view architecture with the print preview--simple, elegant, and worth the trouble. Overall, high-content, well-written and genuinely **USEFUL**!




4. For someone who has already used other languages for GUI design, this is a great book to get quickly up to speed in the .Net view of Windows forms. It didn't cover everything in enough detail for me but good enough to get me started. I would of liked more on data grid (how about a whole book on it as it's complex enough) and context menus but I eventually figured it out on my own. I could go for an advanced version of this book too.



5. I'm a fairly new programmer in vb.net(finished vb.net II) and I found this book to be VERY good. Yes it is very theory intensive but the examples it gives are fairly straight forward and if you aren't the world's best programmer they show you how to make controls to make some really slick looking programs.

   There are a few .net 1.0 examples that will not work in the new 1.1 (notably the xp theme visualizations) but this book is well worth it if you are interested in making some "professional" looking forms for your application.

5 comments about C# & VB.NET Conversion Pocket Reference.

1. I picked up this book on a fling... but I am amazed at how useful I've found it. Most book authors today are gauged (by the publishing houses) according to the number of pages they turn in. This book on the other hand tries to squeeze a lot of good solid information into a small space without beating the topic to death.

   It goes over some of the core differences of VB.NET and C# making not just a valuable reference in conversion between the two, but amazing for learning both languages if you're coming from a high level language (I'm a very strong VB programmer). Within a few minutes I learned how to build classes in both C# and VB.NET from this book. About 10 minutes later I had basic Overloading and Inheritance down. Granted, this book won't teach you what Inheritance is, but if you already know it your only problem is to learn the syntax and this book gives you the syntax quickly.

   Another cool thing about this book is that it quickly also shows you what's WRONG with the languages at the IL level and will give you a quick bit of info about things that can cause problems (i.e., case sensitivity in C# which allows you to write functions that would result in ambiguous interpretation in VB.NET)

   Remember: this book won't tell you what object oriented design is and won't tell you how to build an n-tier app in .Net, but it will teach you how to write a class in C# and VB.NET in about 1 minute :-) Its just as helpful to learn the basics, such as loops, indexing, calling conventions, etc...

   If you are already good in high level languages and have gotten dropped head first into .NET, get this book and keep it nearby.




2. This book has been a lot of help for me. I came from an all C# programming background and took a job as a VB.NET programmer. With what I already knew, and this book as a reference I was programming VB.NET almost as well as I had programmed C# the very first day.

   This book is a very handy tool for anyone to have especially for the price. My one compliant is that there is no index but you can quickly get use to thumbing though to find what you need in a hurry.




3. This is a great pocket reference for those of us who go back and forth between C# and VB.NET. It is also good for those who do not have to do that, but want to know the differences.
   
   Granted, much of the .NET platform allows almost line-for-line conversion between languages, but there are many syntax differences. This book covers those for these two languages, as well as a special section of significant differences between the languages (in addition to the item-by-item coverage).
   
   This is a handy little book, but because it is little, it sometimes slides to the back of the bookshelf (between two larger books). Still, well worth the price and peace of mind.



4. There are at least two advantages to knowing both languages.
   - Understanding sample code and examples.
   - Flexibility on multi-language projects.
   
   I'm from a C++ background in the bad old days before .NET, but now I'm equally comfortable in either C# or VB.NET, largely due to this book.
   
   Exclusive of conversion between the two langauges, it's also the best quick reference I have for either. Many times I've continued to search for my copy rather than turn to another source. Now I also subscribe to it on Safari, and when my hardcopy falls apart I'll probably buy another one.
   
   It would be nice if it had an index, but I'm still giving it five stars since as far as I know there is no adequate substitute.



5. This is a great book to start programming in C#. I have been programming in VB.NET for over three years and this book has been very helpful while making the transition from VB to C# and every time I am going from one language to the other. It is nicely organized and you can quickly find the information and exmaples you need to start working.I definitely recommend this book. I got it (...)at my local bookstore and it is worth alot more than that.