Visual Basic Introduction Books

Sams Teach Yourself Visual Basic 2008 in 24 Hours: Complete Starter Kit (Sams Teach Yourself -- Hours)

James Foxall

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

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…

• 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.

Mastering Microsoft Visual Basic 2008 (Mastering)

Evangelos Petroutsos

Amazon Price: $37.79 List Price: $59.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Sybex Amazon Marketplace: 36 new & used starting at $29.55

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 5 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Wonderful Visual Basic 2008 Learning Tool!! 5 out of 5 stars.
12 of 15 people found this review helpful.

'Mastering Microsoft Visual Basic 2008' by VB expert Evangelos Petroutsos is a fantastic way to get up and running with one of the most popular programming languages in the world. Visual Basic has come so far since it's early days and now the reasons for using VB have gone far beyond just RAD (Rapid Application Development) as you can write world-class applications far beyond the most basic tasks you would have chosen VB for 10 years earlier.

Everything that you would want covered is here in this book, from the basics of how to use VB to condition clauses to array and string access to database connectivity and the newest goodies .NET 3.5 has to offer. Written in a clear, concise manner that calmly takes you from one chapter to the next, I found this book to be an absolute joy to learn from. Sybex has a rich history of publishing easy to use computer books that nearly anyone can learn from and this text is no exception.

Chapter Overview:

01. Getting Started with Visual Basic 2008
02. Variable and Data Types
03. Programming Fundamentals
04. GUI Design and Event-Driven Programming
05. Vista Interface
06. Basic Windows Controls
07. Forms
08. More Windows Controls
09. TreeView and ListView Controls
10. Building Custom Classes
11. Working with Objects
12. Building Custom Windows Controls
13. Handling Strings, Characters, and Dates
14. Storing Data in Collections
15. Accessing Folder and Files
16. Serialization and XML
17. Querying Collections and XML with LINQ
18. Drawing and Painting with Visual Basic 2008
19. Manipulating Images and Bitmaps
20. Printing with Visual Basic 2008
21. Basic Concepts of Relational Databases
22. Programming with ADO.NET
23. Building Data-Bound Applications
24. Advanced DataSet Oprations
25. Building Web Applications
26. ASP.NET 3.5
27. ASP.NET Web Services

My only qualm with this magnificent book is that I wish some color could have been introduced, especially in the sections that discuss the new WPF way of creating applications. These new style apps are meant to have a great look for the user and I feel the tried and true black/white/grey look hurts the book a little bit but this in no way lowers my rating of it.

***** HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Editorial Review:

This expert guide covers what you need to know to program with Visual Basic 2008, employ the latest Visual Studio 2008 tools, and operate efficiently within the .NET Framework. In an easy-to-follow style, the book moves from in-depth explanations to practical instruction to real-world examples. Explore basic coding in VB 2008 and learn to build interfaces without coding by using Visual Studio 2008's drag-and-drop visual tools. Youll get up to speed on LINQ and handle key tasks such as programming TreeView controls, and more.

Beginning Microsoft Visual Basic 2008 (Wrox Beginning Guides)

Thearon Willis, Bryan Newsome

Amazon Price: $29.69 List Price: $44.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Wrox Amazon Marketplace: 38 new & used starting at $24.46

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Editorial Review:

If you want to learn Visual Basic 2008 so you can create powerful, database-driven applications, then this is the book for you. It walks you through this robust programming language and shows you how to build a variety of different Windows applications and web services. Youll discover how to utilize object-oriented techniques and create your own business objects and Windows controls. Exercises at the end of each chapter help you build rich and professional-looking applications that will take your Visual Basic development skills to the next level.

Introduction to Programming Using Visual Basic 2008, An (w/VS2008 DVD) (7th Edition)

David I. Schneider

Amazon Price: $88.20 List Price: $98.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Prentice Hall Amazon Marketplace: 20 new & used starting at $67.03

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Editorial Review:

This revision of Schneider’s best-selling guide is designed for readers with no prior programming experience. It focuses on developing good problem-solving skills, building a strong foundation that will give readers a sustainable understanding of programming. KEY TOPICS: Based on Visual Basic 2008, the book starts with a brief review of the preliminaries of Windows, and then focuses on problem-solving. A broad range of real-world examples, section-ending exercises, case studies, and programming projects gives readers significant hands-on experience. A useful reference for both beginning programmers and those moving from another language and that want to learn more about programming with the latest version of Microsoft’s Visual Basic.

Introduction to Programming Using Visual Basic 2005, An (6th Edition)

David I. Schneider

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 5 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

The Best of the Bunch - by far! 5 out of 5 stars.
8 of 9 people found this review helpful.

I really must take issue with the contributor who described this book as garbage.
Having decided to learn programming on my own,I tried several "beginners" books without much success. I could complete most of the projects offered by these books which were, by and large, well intended and well-written. And yet... somehow I never really got to grips with the language. That is - until I bought David Schneider's book. Sure its old fashioned but, in my opinion, thats one of its major strengths. It lays down a solid programming foundation following a logical well-established pattern. The best way to learn programing is by doing and there is an abundance of graded exercises to complete to ensure the message really sticks.
I can't understand why Dietel'a book on this subject is so popular. Yes it's good - but not as good as this one!
.

Editorial Review:

Based on the newest version of Microsoft's VB. NET, this revision of Schneider's best-selling guide is designed for readers with no prior computer programming experience. The author uses Visual Basic .NET 2005 to explore the fundamentals of programming, building a strong foundation that will give students a sustainable understanding of programming. Offers a broad range of examples, case studies, exercises, and programming projects to give readers significant hands-on experience. Includes a new section on Graphics. Provides fully updated example text and data, including tax codes, social security forms/data, baseball statistics, and more. Contains all new, robust, interesting programming projects. Updates screenshots throughout using Windows XP. Bundles Visual Basic .NET Express automatically with each copy of the text. A useful reference for both beginning and experienced programmers who want to learn more about the latest version of Microsoft's VB. NET.

Introduction to Programming with Visual Basic.NET, An (5th Edition)

David I. Schneider

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 10 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

This book is just like a... 2 out of 5 stars.
4 of 7 people found this review helpful.

The way this book is written the author throws you a scrap of information and does not reinforce this scrap whatsoever and thus leaves you confused, stressed, and upset !

This may sound harsh, but please do not purchase this book unless required to do so by your university (like me). I am an MIS major, and must admit my serious weakness is in programming. This book has done nothing to help me ! If you are a programming person, pickup this book and you'll enjoy. If you are more of a systems administrator type and you know programming knowledge is necessary, but are not the programming type then run far, far away from this book !

I do not like this book 1 out of 5 stars.
2 of 6 people found this review helpful.

I am giving the book one star because of the number of exercises in it and no stars is not an option.
I have read a fair number of books on programming before this book and I must say this is the worst one yet.
I can't believe my school used this book.
The exercises in the book are fine; even good.
The rest of the book is almost useless.
The writing is cryptic at best.
I can look at the exercises and read the programs fine.
The instruction on the other hand I can't make heads or tails out of most of the time.
It is like one person wrote the chapters and another wrote the exercises.
I finally gave up on reading the chapters and just started doing the exercises.
I can't discourage this book enough.

Editorial Review:

An excellent introduction to programming using Visual Basic.NET. The examples start with basics and gradually develop to solve real-life problems. Features a wealth of learning aids, including exercises, practice problems, case studies, summaries and detailed appendices. Softcover.

Microsoft Visual Basic .NET Programming for the Absolute Beginner (For the Absolute Beginner)

Jonathan S. Harbour

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 12 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Seen Worse, Found Better 3 out of 5 stars.
8 of 9 people found this review helpful.

I purchased this book based mainly on the reviews written here at Amazon.com. While I would not say I am dissapointed, I do think this book (and every other "beginners" book I have read) could be alot better.

This book starts off well enough giving pretty detailed information on what is going on and why, however, as soon as you think you are beginning to get a grasp on the material, the author seems to forget that you are a "beginner." About half way through the book, you begin to feel as though you are simply writing the code that is presented and not actually learning what is going on.

If you are more of a visual learner, as I am, I would suggest a membership to LearnVisualStudio.Net instead of purchasing any more books. (No, I am not affiliated with them) After only two days of watching videos from that site, I have learned more than I did reading the entire Microsoft Visual Basic .NET Programming for the Absolute Beginner book.

Editorial Review:

If you are new to programming with Visual Basic .NET or upgrading from Visual Basic 6.0 and are looking for a solid introduction, this is the book for you. Developed by computer science instructors, books in the for the absolute beginner series teach the principles of programming through simple game creation. You will acquire the skills that you need formore practical Visual Basic .NET programming applications and will learn how these skills can be put to use in real world scenarios. Best of all, by the time you finish this book you will be able to apply the basic principles you've learned to the next programming language you tackle.

Mastering Microsoft Visual Basic 2005 (Mastering)

Evangelos Petroutsos

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 21 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

The Definitive Word on Visual Basic 2005

The release of Visual Basic 2005 solidifies Visual Basic's first-class position in the world of object-oriented programming. Written by the author of the best-selling Mastering Visual Basic .NET, this is the authoritative resource you'll need to master the most powerful version of the Visual Basic language and the newest tools comprising Visual Studio(r). Inside, you'll find in-depth explanations and practical examples addressing dozens of key techniques, along with transition tips for the VB 6 developer.

Coverage Includes
* Mastering the new Windows Forms Designer and controls
* Building dynamic forms
* Using powerful Framework classes such as Collections and Cryptography
* Persisting objects to disk files
* Handling graphics and printing elaborate reports
* Achieving robustness via structured exception handling
* Developing your own classes and extending existing ones via inheritance
* Building custom Windows controls
* Building menus and list controls with custom-drawn items
* Using ADO.NET 2.0 to build disconnected, distributed applications
* Using SQL queries and stored procedures with ADO.NET 2.0
* Facilitating database programming with the visual database tools
* Building web applications with ASP.NET 2.0 and the rich web controls
* Designing data-driven web applications
* Detailed discussion of the DataGridView and DataList web controls
* Building XML web services to use with Windows and web applications

Get up to Speed on the Major Classes of the New Version of the Framework

Build Custom Classes and Controls

Take Advantage of Enhanced Web and Database Programming Features

Beginning Visual Basic 2005

Thearon Willis, Bryan Newsome

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 33 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

How did this book get 5 stars by other reviewers 1 out of 5 stars.
10 of 12 people found this review helpful.

I am a seasoned programmer learning the .NET platform. At first this book seemed okay...the layout was pretty good and I found their presentation methods easy to learn from. Then I started running into some serious coding problems. Their ASP code examples are outdated and riddled with errors. No error errata on the website either to fix anything I saw. I spent more time trying to fix their stuff than I did acutally learning. It would be a good book if it wasn't for all the errors. They desperately need some technical editors... I wouldn't recommend this book at all.

Editorial Review:

• After a brief introduction to Visual Studio 2005 and the .Net Framework, the expert authors introduce readers to the fundamentals of the Visual Basic 2005 language
• End-of-chapter exercises help readers to quickly learn to build rich and professional-looking applications for Microsoft Windows, intranets and the Internet, and mobile devices
• Offers thorough coverage of the new Visual Studio 2005 tools and features
• Covers object-oriented programming, creating custom controls, working with databases, creating menus, and working with graphics
• Addresses building class libraries, Web services and .NET remoting, and deploying applications

Beginning Visual Basic 2005 Databases (Programmer to Programmer)

Thearon Willis

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Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Programming -> Languages & Tools -> Visual Basic Introduction

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 10 Average rating: 2.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

As one of the most popular programming languages in the world, Visual Basic continues to expand on the functionality and flexibility of its framework. This book explains how to use Visual Basic 2005 to write efficient database applications that can be used throughout an enterprise.

With this teaching tool, you'll learn how to use queries, views, and stored procedures to efficiently access and manipulate data from your applications. You'll get a firm grasp on using ADO.NET as well as OleDb, SQL, and Oracle to access specific databases. Plus, hands-on examples and try-it-out exercises help you put your reading into practice so that with each chapter, you'll gradually build the pieces of a single application.

What you will learn from this book

• How ADO.NET continues to evolve as a building block for accessing and manipulating data in relational databases
• Ways to encrypt and decrypt data, hash passwords, and further secure access to your data
• Techniques for accessing your Web Service from both Windows(r) and Web applications
• Best practices for using business logic and data access components to produce report data or update data in your back-end databases

Who this book is for

This book is for developers who want to learn to write database applications and back-end databases, such as Microsoft(r) Access, Microsoft(r) SQL Server, and Oracle(r). Some experience with Visual Basic 2005 is helpful but not required.

Wrox Beginning guides are crafted to make learning programming languages and technologies easier than you think, providing a structured, tutorial format that will guide you through all the techniques involved.