No comments about Building Applications with Microsoft Office/Visual Basic.

No comments about Wiley Pathways Introduction to Programming using Visual Basics Project Manual (Wiley Pathways).

5 comments about Programming with Visual Basic 6.0: An Object-Oriented Approach-Comprehensive Text and CD.

1. I've been a fan of the Deitels' How to Program books. Since this book is our school's text on VB, I was forced to go through the chapters, even after stubbornly purchasing and doing some advanced reading on the Deitel VB6 book. As a beginning VB programmer, I'm happy to say that this book has helped me systematically learn so many concepts in a short span of time & in an organized and digestible manner. Mastering the concepts simply requires going through the detailed step-by-step examples provided in each chapter, and then simply comleting the provided exercises at the end of each chapter. This book is a gem!!!My poor Deitel book now gathers dust in a corner.



2. This book does not help you bring your own programming ideas to a reality, it simply has a set of programs and haves you type them out and watch. The small section on textboxes in chapter 2 does not teach a thing. It simply shows that if all you have is a form the textbox will work, but does not get into if you have loaded a form from within a class and then want to get text from the user. OOP should be all about classes. This book fails in this category.



3. I've been lecturing VB for a while and I've been through various different books and I must say this is probably the best I've ever come accross. Dietel is excellent for reference but useless for "studying from", while most of the other books are "filling in the blanks" and students don't actually get to understand what an object is and what data driven is concepts are.

   Sure this book has it's downside but untill I find something better it's "Tops" with me.




4. Having worked with Microsoft BASIC since "Basica" aka GW-Basic and QuickBASIC, I've had a chance to look at a **lot** of books about the language that's grown into Visual BASIC. Hands-down Ekedahl & Newman is one of the worst I've seen.

   It's incomplete! When discussing substring splicing it covers the MID function but completely ignores the complementary RIGHT and LEFT functions. Yes, you can use MID to perform a RIGHT or LEFT slice, but when you're writing self-documenting code it's better to have all three functions available for the sake of clarity. (Update your code six months from now, and you'll be GLAD you used self-documenting techniques!)

   It rambles! Information that should be in a sidebar or appendix, or that should be in a list are placed in long drawn-out paragraphs in the main text. Typical paragraph: "The Database object contains a reference to several other collections and objects. For example, each Database object contains a reference to the Recordsets collection. This collection contains a reference to zero or more Recordset objects representing the open Recordsets in the database. One recordset object exists for each open recordset in the database. You can open several Recordsets at the same time." (page 387 paragraph 3). Note the inconsistent capitalization on "Recordsets" and the ongoing repetition of one concept. This information would make just as much sense -- maybe more so! -- as a "bulleted list" in a sidebar. Clarity is not the strong suit for these authors.

   Inadequate illustrations! Figure 8-15 on page 416 is the most ambitious illustration in the book, consisting of long horizontal boxes stacked atop each other. These boxes shrink to the right as you read down from the top, and they are all attached with a line. Other illustrations in the text use the same horizontal-box technique only with fewer boxes, which helps drive home the point that the authors may not know HOW to properly show relationships between functions and objects. (A look at the documentation from the Microsoft Developers Network shows the authors lifted the concept from Microsoft -- and sometimes the exact images -- just to have some sort of illustration. And no, they don't acknowledge Microsoft as the source of their images).

   There is no succinct "language reference" anywhere in the appendices, a shocking lapse that should be corrected.

   In a classroom setting, there was a lot of grumbling and complaints about the shortcomings of the text, followed by a significant dropout rate -- close to 50%. The few who stuck with it began purchasing supplemental books, referring to prior texts, scouring the Internet, and gleaning what they could from the MSDN CD-ROM.

   If you're considering teaching a Visual BASIC class, give this book a pass. If you're going to take a Visual BASIC class, make certain you've got a good instructor to overcome the weaknesses of the text. And if you're just looking to improve your programming skills on a self-study basis, this is not the book for you.




5. This book describes, step-by-step, how to write a few specific programs, but does not adequately generalize the concepts it presents.

   Each chapter guides the reader through creating a particular program, detailing each step that must be taken. ("Name this control x," then, "Make the width of this control 123," and so forth). Even the "homework problems" assigned at the end of each chapter list each step the reader should take toward finishing the program.

   Of course, readers can certainly ignore these details and focus on the text's conceptual explanations, but since the whole book is organized around the examples, these explanations are not designed to be read alone. The information is organized according to where it's needed in the example program, not necessarily according to where it's easiest to understand.

   In sum, beginners should look elsewhere for a good introduction that helps build an understanding of the language conceptually, and experts would prefer a more organized reference.

No comments about Visual Basic Animation Graphics Programming/Book and Disk.

No comments about Computing Projects in Visual Basic.NET.

No comments about Visual Basic Database Programming.

5 comments about MCSD Visual Basic 5 Exam Guide (Covers Exam #70-165).

1. I recently appeared for the MCP exam in Visual Basic 5.0. I had bought this book to prepare for the exam and I would like to say that it is a comprehensive guide, the author has a very methodical way of explaining each concept, and the liberal use of code examples, tips and notes not only helped me clear the exam but also improved my skills in Visual Basic programming. I recommend this book for anyone who wishes to take the exam.



2. According to me this is the best book for VB certification till date, Its huge but very detailed, interesting this is u can use it to refer stuff while u r programming too.



3. I have never done programming before. This book helped me understand VB and I have passed the exam with a score of 85%. This book covers in great detail and you get a sense of mastery.Though I must admit that it is a huge book but once you have finished reading the book you can be sure that you have covered all the topics required for the exam.I used transcender also to prepare for the exam



4. I passed the VB5 certification exam today with the help of Howard's exam guide and the Transcender practice tests. The reason I took the VB5 exam instead of the current VB6 is because of the time I spent in late 1998 and into 1999 learning VB5 (also, VB5 can be used as an elective in the new MCSD track). This Exam Guide presents in a concise, comprehensive way all of the details needed for certification. Granted, there are a lot of pages to read, but the material is well organized and the layout is reader-friendly. The After-Chapter questions are helpful to determine if you really understood the material. The Mastery Test at the end gives a good overall review of the kinds of questions you can expect to see (although some are really into the excruciating details that may not be needed). I intend to use the Exam Guide as a reference book since it contains information and coding examples that may be hard to find elsewhere. It's worth your time and effort to read this book if you are serious about certification. You can bet I'll be buying Howard's "MCSD Training Guide for VB6" later this year.



5. In all the books I bought to study this book was the best.
   I hope in a few months when I become certified this will pay off. I advise people to buy this book. This book is absolutly terrific!! It provides great material unlike other books Evreybody who wants to pass us this book

No comments about Essentials of Microsoft Visual Basic 5.0.

No comments about Fast Track to Visual Basic 4.

4 comments about Microsoft® Office 2000 Developer's Guide.

1. If you want to get more of office 2000, you must have this book



2. The book is a bit of a rehash for me since most of the commands are accessible through Access and that is my primary program. However this is one of the few books that attempts to take on the Powerepoint object model, eventhough it is a bit unstable. If you are looking for a reference for the basic possibilities of all the programs and the unique objects of the office suite rather than the programs themselves this is a good book. Definitly a good starter book!



3. What I have needed in a VB/VBA/Office computer book was what this book gives! What I have needed was someone to break-down, and explain VB code. This book does it. To be sure, it is not a fast read. There is so much information. I reconmend this book for Visual Basic programers as well as Office Developers. In the field of computer books, this one is a grand slam, home run!



4. This book is extremly hard to read. It does not cater to the novice or professional programmer. Basically, it is the most confusing book I have ever read. It tries to use senseless analogies to make obvious points, which were probably added to "pad" the book.
   AVOID THIS BOOK.