Foreword by Ted Pattison

I have been programming in VB for more than a decade . I started long ago in the days of Visual Basic 1.0. Way back then, most folks didn't know what to think of a VB guy. End users thought we were programmers. C programmers thought we were end users. We have always been hard to categorize because we are the world's first type of mammal that has the characteristics of being both a programmer and a human at the same time. As luck would have it, this particular combination of skill sets was just the ticket for rapidly creating business applications that were actually useful.

If you're a VB guy, the .NET Framework is probably the biggest opportunity you've ever had. The days of those arrogant C++ programmers with their semicolons, their curly braces, and their case sensitivity kicking silicone in your face are over. The playing field couldn't be any more level. There's nothing that's stopping you from using inheritance, multithreading, or low-level security APIs. The world is yours for the taking.

The .NET Framework introduces WinForms as the modern framework for building desktop applications. If you're planning on using this framework, this book is an invaluable resource. Chris dives straight into the heart of what makes the WinForms framework tick. He has a real talent for striking the proper balance between showing you the theory behind the software and demonstrating coding techniques that will make you instantly productive. Furthermore, Chris has the respect to treat you the way you deserve to be treated: as a first-class developer who's not afraid of hearing how things really work.

You should read this book because it will help you to build a solid understanding of how forms, dialogs, controls, and advanced graphics work in the WinForms framework. This book is also a great resource for teaching you how to utilize resources and how to localize your applications for users who speak different languages. Furthermore, this book takes on several advanced topics, such as how to use data binding and how to use background threading in a safe and responsible manner.

The bottom line is that this book will give you the critical skills you need to develop and deploy WinForms applications. You'll be able to create desktop applications that look better and do more than ever before. This is something that will make your users very happy. It will probably also prompt all those C# developers to ask you what you did to make your latest application so successful. Whether you tell them or not is up to you.

Ted  Pattison
June  2003