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

5 comments about Visual Basic Programmer's Guide to the .NET Framework Class Library (Kaleidoscope).

1. I found this book to be a handy 2nd book to have on .NET programming... it doesn't have much content to help you make the transition to .NET (I'd have to recommend Gary Cornell's Programming VB .NET: A Guide for Experienced Programmers for that task), but it does do a great job of helping you find the right class libraries and write code with them once you are up and running with your language of choice.

   Each chapter is focused on a namespace. The authors then spend a few pages bringing people up to speed on the spotlight technology (I am new to XML and particularly liked the intro to XML piece). Then they dive right into the details of using the .NET classes to achieve your desired end-result. The class library that ships with .NET is huge, and I found it helpful to use this book as a guide to highlight the classes I should worry about to get 80-90% of my programming work done.

   Now for the cons: the sample applications could have been a bit more in-depth, and I really think they should have spent the time to make the book "bi-lingual" by providing some C# code as well - but overall, a great addition to your .NET bookshelf.




2. Because of a project, I needed to finally make the jump from VB6 to VB.NET. After reviewig several books, I grabbed the book by Powers and Snell. It helped tremendously on the key pieces of my project. What I really like are the numerous code examples - worth the price of the book alone! I even contacted the authors to get their thoughts on something and ask a few questions. Not only did they reply with great answers, but their indepth knowledge of .NET helped finalize an important part of my project architecture. Looking forward to more titles by Powers and Snell. Thanks again guys!



3. The challenge for a reference book like this is to be better the documentation that Microsoft provide - MSDN and the .Net framework SDK. My experience is that this book certainly achieves that.

   For example, today I needed to show the "save file" dialog and then write the contents of a text box to a text file. I know how to do that in VB6, but I hadn't done it in VB.Net before. I searched MSDN which gave me accurate descriptions of the menthods and properties of at least four classes for writing data to files, but I still had no idea which one(s) I needed to use.

   I am sure the sample code I needed is somewhere in MSDN, but I hadn't found it after 20 minutes searching when I gave up and referred to this book. In five minutes I had found what I was after, my code worked and I was able to get on with my next task. That is what this book is for. If you want to learn about the new programming features in VB.Net (like polymorphism, delegates etc) this is not your book. But if you want help getting your .Net program to talk to anything (files, printers, active directory, browsers, TCP/IP Sockets, XML/XSLT or whatever) This book will be a valuable resource.

   Just note that while this book covers ASP.Net and ADO.Net, if you work with these a lot you might want more depth than is provided here. I will be considering the Wrox "ASP.Net Namespace Reference" when it is released.




4. Visual Basic experts Lars Powers and Mike Snell effective collaborate in the Visual Basic Programmer's Guide to the .NET Framework Class Library to instruct intermediat to advanced level users on a full range of issues including: delineating and define the pieces of .NET; explaining how/why .NET was conceived and what this means to VB6/Windows DNA developers; how to execute Windows programming using the .NET namespaces; position the .NET namespaces within the context of the reader's project; how to make architecture decisions when using .NET namespaces; as well as details about the construction of Web Services and how they programmatically communicate with each other. Visual Basic Programmer's Guide to the .NET Framework Class Library is enhanced further with call-outs and highlighted sections will illustrate concepts by relating previous VB6/Windows DNA best practices with the new .NET approach. 1152 pages. User Level: Intermediate-Advanced. Highly Recommended.



5. BUt why do VB when c# is just as easy and you can write unmanaged within it. Its just a no brainer with all the limitations of VB still.

No comments about Microsoft Excel Visual Basic for Applications: Step by Step : Version 5 for Windows/Book and Disk (Step by Step).

5 comments about Professional Visual Basic 6 XML.

1. This is has been a disappointment for me. I purchased this book because of a project I am working on. It told me everything I already know and gave terribly laid out examples.

   I was never quite sure working through the examples if the code was required or if the Authors were merely showing us what they could do with XML/VB.




2. The following is a sentence from page 131 paragraph 1 of this book: "After declaring a generic Node object to serve as the parent node for the new node, and a variable to hold our function response, which we optimistically set to True - which will be changed if our attempt at adding the node fails, we check to see if the node index is within bounds, using IsNodeIndexOK, described just after this function."

   The logical flow to the entire book in not much better.

   This makes learning anything about XML and VB difficult. I have spent more time attempting to determine what the authors are tring to say than I have learning about XML.

   I was able to work with the sample code to some extent. But even the sample code was incomplete and more difficult to follow than necessary.

   With a complete rewrite this could possibly be a good book.




3. I purchased this book to learn to do DOM programming, not to use the code provided by the authors. I was hoping for clear examples, instead I got a book that expects me to download their sample code or type it all in (and there is ALOT) in order to easily follow the samples. Typically this would be fine, but a majority of the functions and classes you can download are poorly explained, or not explained at all. This book is more like instructions on how to use a lot of code written by the authors to manipulate XML.
   I own two other WROX books, these book were easy to follow and gave just the right amount of code to get me going. This book does neither. Big disappointment.



4. Although Microsoft has moved on to VB.net, many developers are still using VB6. It has become increasingly hard to find VB6 XML info on, say, MSDN, so a book like this is essential.

   The code examples are clear and practical. The book manages to work well both as a how-to and a reference. If I were to nitpick, there are two things would mention. First, because of when the book was published, it does not cover the most currenrt version MSXML. However, porting the code samples to newer versions of the DLL is quite easy. Second, the book does not come with a CD. An HTML or PDF version of the book, with a searchable index, would be sweet.

   Overalll, though, this is a good deal if, like so many, you are still working with VB6.




5. According to an e-mail I recieved from Wiley, "Wrox Press Book Company was liquidated in the Spring and no longer exists. The books were sold to various companies. Wiley acquired only 34 of the over 350 books and the rights to the www.wrox.com website address. You'll find the complete list of books currently available from Wiley/Wrox Press at http://www.wrox.com/misc-pages/booklist.shtml "

   This book is not on that list. That means that the publisher no longer provides support for it, and it will probably never be updated.

   I bought this book because it was one of the very few books available that covers using XML in Visual Basic. Altho not the easiest book to follow, it does contain a great deal of useful information. Unfortunately, both VB and XML are changing rapidly, and the information is getting out of date fast.

   By the way, don't even bother sending in the registration card that comes with this book. Wiley didn't renew the business reply permit, so the card will just bounce back in the mail.

2 comments about Object-Oriented Programming with Visual Basic .NET.

1. As the name indicates, the contents of this book are truly object-oriented.
   It has all the lessons that learners would need in order to comprehend the various options and applications that Visual Basic .NET offers. This book provided exemplary guides, which would encourage learners to endure some self-tests. It anticipates problems and helps provide solutions that programmers can count on. Almost everything about it is positive.
   However, its information are not as detailed as some experts would like them to be. Again, anybody who has poor knowledge of Visual Basic 6.0 will not find this book easy. Its writer assumed that its readers are already familiar with VB 6.0.



2. I purchased this book in order to help me migrate from Visual Foxpro to Visual Basic 2005. Overall, I am very pleased with it. The examples are clear-cut and touch on real-world scenarios. The chapters on object oriented and interface programming are almost worth the price of the book. The remaining chapters are more geared towards objects specific to the .NET framework, not object-oriented programming per se. I would recommend this book to people who already have a fairly good knowledge of VB/VBA or another OO language such as Java.

5 comments about Computer Programming Fundamentals with Applications in Visual Basic(R) 6.0.

1. This is an unusual book. Clearly intended as a teaching aid, its approach is substantially different than most of the other well done VB books. The authors take a very methodical, step-by-step approach to VB and presume that you are a newcomer. But what they've actually done is to create one of the finest references for BASIC, Visual Basic and programming languages in general. Each element of VB is described in detail with excellent examples. From the IDE to building ActiveX controls. Unlike some VB books, this one doesn't intend to turn the neophyte into an "expert," but rather provides the core knowledge that every programmer should possess. I enjoyed it so much that I'm adding it to my VB collection, despite having a number of other volumes already. This one is just plan handy as a quick reference when I forget - as I suspect we all do from time to time - the basics of BASIC.

   Jerry




2. A+++..... A completely satisfactory book for the beginning programmer.



3. The worst VB tetxbook I've ever read. What a waste of time and money!



4. If you already know Visual Basic then you might find this book useful. If you are just learning then it is not the book for you. Most other VB books do a lot more explaining about the fundamentals than this one does. Some concepts are just presented with almost no explaination where other books I've read take about half of a chapter to this. I think the authors forgot that the simple things are not simple if you don't know them yet.



5. This book was so bad our professor dropped it mid-semester and used power point slides instead. It fails the most in its lack of examples. Some VB functions were completely left out. Example - How to create a Control Array. It is a total waste of money.

5 comments about Developing Solutions with Office 2000 Components and VBA (Microsoft Technologies Series).

1. I liked this book quite a bit. It covers the material well and the author does a fair, but adequate job of explaining the concepts. All in all it will serve you well.

   This book seems to skip around quite a bit, but there is always a lot of material to cover.

   One of the best books on Office Automation and getting things to work together is Learn Word 2000 VBA Document Automation (author: driza). Another book that some people liked (and some people didn't!) was by Steven Roman on Developing Office Add-ins. Roman's Word macro book is also fair.




2. "Developing Solutions With Office 2000 Components and VBA" is a good book for someone who understands the big picture of the hows and whys of VBA. If you need to be led through a few complete examples or see why you would want to program a certain situation, this book is not for you. Aitken warns you of this in the introduction. For those of us a little slow on the uptake, better find another book with which to start. Come back to this book when you are ready to develop.



3. I had been working with the Office 2000 Suite and needed to create some automation. I was able to successfully link a Word document to an Access database in order to create an automated status report. The book also assisted in the creation of the template (in the Word document) and how to lock cells/data within the Word document to prevent manipulation.

   What I did not like was the slow pace of the book. Two-thirds of each application section (Word, Excel, etc.) was just a rehash of "Office automation 101", information that could be gleaned from working with macros. I think that may be beneficial to someone just beginning work with Office Automation and VBA, however it is not to useful for the intermediate/advanced user.




4. I don't generally complaing about books so much, but this one I feel like burning. It was so skimpy in its coverage of each topic, that I found it pretty much useless. 30 pages about microsoft word - not very much, IMO. I would reommend Michael Kofler's "Definitive Guide to Excel VBA" (Apress) for Excel. Possibly Guy Hard-Davis "Word 2000 Developer's Handbook" (Sybex) for Word. And MS-online help for the other applications, i guess. Others have had better luck with this book it seems, so good luck in your own choice!



5. Let me right away start with a disclaimer. I bought this book even without browsing it through because I have enormous respect for the guy based on his older books such as
   The Peter Norton PC Programmer's Bible-(where he was a coauthor)
   and books on C.
   Those at their times were very useful to me because they were written from field experience.
   
   This one.... seems just a rehash of online help.
   
   I rather read on this subject from someone who has been in trenches in this particular subject, even if they are not decorated veterans. For just Excel VBA for example Walkenbach and Koefler are much more useful.

2 comments about Microsoft Visual Basic . NET Programming Fundamentals.

1. I am a beginner in Visual Basic .NET and was looking for a book for beginners. When I read this book or do lab projects there is nothing left to guess or search in other sources. That's what I like about this book and also a very clear and simple writing style. Another positive feature is that there are plenty of code examples for each and every topic. But the best thing about this book is the lab projects that show step by step how to build the user interface and how to write code and even how to test and debug the application. I definitely recommend this book as a self-training course for beginners.



2. I think it's a great book for beginners. In the first three chapters it presents a very detailed explanation of how to use Visual Studio development and navigation tools and gives many code examples. Then the author does a great job explaining VB NET data types and variable creation, which is especially important for beginners. A few large chapters are devoted to application errors and debugging techniques. Here the author explains how to debug applications and prevent coding errors and walks you through each debugging technique. All object-oriented concepts are explained very clearly and with multiple code examples. In the final chapters setup and ClickOnce installation technologies are covered. Overall the book covers all the most fundamental programming topics. I believe that the lab projects attached to each chapter greatly increase the value of the book and make it an excellent self-training course.

1 comments about Visual Basic 6 for Dummies Quick Reference.

1. this is the bestest-estest book in the whole world. it's so concise. yay!

5 comments about Advanced Programming Using Visual Basic.NET.

1. I used this book for an advanced VB.NET course and found it to be the most difficult textbook to follow. Most subjects are skimmed over and the writing style is poor.
   As others have said, the writing is in line, so it is hard to link concepts together or figure out why you need to use a certain piece of code. It does a terrible job of explaining how to build a class, so look else where for instruction in this area.
   The database section could have been much better, and it did not help that at the time I bought the book, one of the databases was structured incorrectly, making it impossible to finish one of the case studies unless you knew how to change the db schema.
   Avoid this book at all costs and if it is required for a course, I would see if there are other instructors in the same subject that use a better book.



2. This is a very average quality Text Book. It will not be a book for a beginning programmer to grab and expect to run with. The book has quite a few vaugue examples but most are fairly well documented. But, you better have some VB/VS background. The writers skip the basics here.
   
   This is an expenseive book for what you will be getting. I highly recommend anyone wanting to buy this to spend a little while flipping through to see what you will be getting. Buyer Beware! There are several better books avail on this subject.
   
   However, This is not a terrible book. It is just "Very Average" as Text Books go. For the price, I would recommend finding something more friendly. Or, at least try to wait for a newer revision and see if Bradley & Millspaugh will tick-up the quality when they rewrite for .NET 2005. If they don't, grab something cheaper and better, like WROX Beginning VB.NET Databases. If you're forced to get this for a class, good luck. I hope your prof is a better than this book.
   
   I give it two and half stars for average content. But rounded down to 2 stars for being over priced.



3. This book is the worst programming book I have ever read. I get much more out of the O'Reilly books, SAM's "teach yourself" series, Peachpit Press, etc... There are so many other options than this. Still, professors have a tendency to recommend books that make good "textbooks" not necessarily good learning devices. That's the only reason my professor selected this... that and he knew the authors. I encourage you to look elsewhere unless it is required.



4. This was used as the primary textbook in a class I had in advanced programming. The book itself has no clear explainations. If you are a programmer this book just might show a way you may compact your code, since this book is nothing more than one long programming example with unclear explaination. [...]



5. In fairness to the authors, this book is actually good at teaching on how to do a 3-tier application. The title says "ADVANCED", so the authors are assuming the reader to have a decent knowledge with VB.net. It does not go into detail as to explain the basic programming concepts, but teaches the student straight forward application design and implementation. From the many books I've purchased and read regarding 3-layer designs using VB, this one I consider to be one of the best, following the books on OOP by Dan Clark and Doing Objects in vb 2005 by Deb Kurata. One qualm I don't like about this is the way coloured pages are structured, eye glaring, but totally recommended to programmers who want to have an understanding how to design interface,business and data layer application.