Visual Basic 2005: A Developer's Notebook

Preface

TEST When Beta 1 of Visual Basic .NET hit the programming scene in 2001, the new tool challenged experienced Visual Basic developers to step up to an entirely new programming platform and a whole new way of writing code. Fortunately, four years later, it's clear that the rewards of moving to .NET make up for the steep learning curve developers experience when they try to do so. Developers who have made the jump have a powerful set of tools for building Windows and web applications—a set that other programming frameworks are hard-pressed to match.

Visual Basic 2005 and the platform it's built on, .NET 2.0, don't represent the same seismic change. Instead, Visual Basic 2005 and .NET 2.0 are the latest releases of what are now a mature language and platform. Microsoft architects have ironed out inconsistencies, corrected flaws, and added dozens of requested features, from VB 6's edit-and-continue debugger to new Windows and web controls for displaying data. Still, even the keenest developer could use a quick tour of Visual Basic 2005 and .NET 2.0 to come to terms with all the changes.

This book provides a series of hands-on labs that take you through the new features you'll find in Visual Basic 2005, the .NET Framework 2.0, and the Visual Studio 2005 development tool. Visual Basic 2005: A Developer's Notebook is perfect for developers who have worked with a previous version of .NET and need to quickly get up to speed with what's new. Best of all, you'll learn everything through concise, focused examples (all of which are just a short download away).

Who This Book Is For

This book is written for anyone who's asked the question "What's new in .NET 2.0?" or, even more importantly, "What does it let me do now that I couldn't do before?" As the latest in the Developer's Notebook series of books, this book answers these questions without requiring you to wade through pages of remedial VB lessons or .NET theory.

The most important requirement for this book is a solid familiarity with VB .NET 1.0 or 1.1, and experience building .NET applications. Visual Basic 2005: A Developer's Notebook covers very little of the material that an experienced VB .NET 1.1 programmer already knows. Instead, this book aims to help you build on your current knowledge, rather than waste your time covering old material. If you're a VB programmer who hasn't made the jump to .NET yet, you'll find the labs in this book interesting, but you'll need to supplement your .NET knowledge with another book first. Try one of the many great introductions, such as Jesse Liberty's Programming Visual Basic .NET (O'Reilly) or my own The Book of VB .NET (No Starch Press).