| Computer programming books can serve different audiences. Some readers may need a reference to find information about a particular topic quickly. Other readers might want to follow the book in tutorial style by reading each chapter start to finish. Readers of Special Edition Using Visual Basic .NET should be able do either. Each topic is explained in a narrative fashion, with lists, pictures, and sample code to allow the reader to quickly absorb the technical details. For those seeking instant gratification, many chapters include exercises that provide step-by-step instructions to try out a particular topic on your own. Special Edition Using Visual Basic .NET is divided into six parts and a section of appendices. Getting Started with Visual Basic .NET If you're enthusiastic about learning how to program, one of the best ways to remain so is to see results quickly. That's why we've targeted the first section of this book at the new-to-.NET developer. If you have never used Visual Basic before, the introductory chapters will provide real experiences you can keep in mind to better understand other topics. If you are already an experienced user of a previous version of Visual Basic, this section should give you a good feel for what has changed in the .NET world. Chapter 1, "Introduction to Visual Basic .NET," discusses some general programming concepts and high-level design strategies. As you will learn, design is very important in creating a successful application. In Chapter 2, "Creating Your First Windows Application," you work step-by-step through the process of building a fully functional application in Visual Basic. Chapter 3, "Creating Your First Web Application," walks you through setting up an interactive Web site using Visual Basic .NET. Chapter 4, "Understanding the Development Environment," gives you a tour of the new development environment and points out some of its useful features. In Chapter 5, "Visual Basic Building Blocks," you learn the fundamentals about the Visual Basic language and how you use that language to write programs. Each of these chapters in the first part of the book is designed to quickly make you comfortable with creating applications in the Visual Studio .NET development environment. Visual Basic Programming Fundamentals The second section of the book explores the Visual Basic language in more detail. This section is designed to explain language concepts that are critical to creating Visual Basic applications. In Chapter 6, "Storing Information in Variables," you are led into the world of variables and data types. You learn how to create and use variables, and how to perform math and string operations. Chapter 7, "Controlling the Flow of Your Program," discusses loops and decision structures. In this chapter you will learn how to control what your program does, based on the input given to it. Chapter 8, "Managing Program Tasks with Procedures," takes a look at how to create custom program functions and subroutines. By learning about these concepts, you can become a more efficient programmer. Object-oriented programming is covered in Chapter 9, "Creating Code Components." Not only does this chapter take a look at how to create and use custom classes, but we also describe how to access these classes as part of a multi-tier Web application. Building Windows Applications Part III, "Building Windows Applications," expands the fundamental knowledge that you have gained so far by exploring various types of components you can use in Windows-based applications. Chapter 10, "Understanding Windows Forms," introduces you to the techniques used when designing and interacting with a Windows form. Chapters 11 and 12 provide a useful reference to some of the built-in components Visual Basic provides for you to use when you build your programs. These components, or controls, can be used for a variety of application tasks, such as displaying text or initiating actions within a program. Chapter 11, "Fundamental Controls," explores some of the more commonly used controls, while Chapter 12, "Advanced Controls," discusses some additional, more specialized controls. Chapter 13, "Using Dialog Boxes," takes an in-depth look at a familiar user-interface component, the dialog box. In Chapter 14, "Designing an Effective User Interface," you learn about some user interface design principles that can make your application more appealing to the end user. In addition, we introduce you to adding graphics and pictures to your programs. Chapter 15, "Multiple Document Interface (MDI) Applications" explores a special type of user interface in more detail. As you will learn, an MDI application provides a framework by which you can easily organize multiple forms in a visually pleasing manner. You learned a lot about the built-in Windows controls in Chapters 11 and 12. Chapter 16, "Creating Your Own Windows Controls," walks you through the process of creating, and then enhancing, your own Windows controls. Working with the Web The fourth section in the book is devoted to building Internet applications. Chapter 17, "Using Active Server Pages.NET," takes a tour of creating dynamic Web content through the use of Visual Basic code. Chapter 18, "Web Applications and Services," shows you how to program within the Webforms model, using Visual Studio to create versatile Web-based programs. Chapter 19, "Web Controls," introduces you to some of the built-in components that you can use in a .NET Web application. Visual Basic and Databases Database programs make up a large percentage of all programs in use in the business world today. These programs range in complexity from simple programs for managing mailing lists to complex programs handling reservations and billing for major corporations. Part V, "Visual Basic and Databases" takes you through the process of building database applications to meet a variety of needs. Chapter 20, "Database Basics," discusses the Structured Query Language (SQL) and shows you how to use SQL to create and manipulate data. Chapter 21, "ActiveX Data Objects (ADO)," shows you how to use the ADO programming model to access your data from within Visual Basic code. In Chapter 22, "Using ADO.NET (ADO)," we discuss Microsoft's latest model for working with databases, ADO.NET. ADO.NET, which is part of the .NET framework, brings some new structures and concepts to the Visual Basic world. Finally, Chapter 23, "Creating and Using Reports," shows you how to output data from your database applications to a printed report using Crystal Reports and other techniques. Advanced Programming Topics In Part VI, "Advanced Programming Topics," you are exposed to some additional material that is useful for any application developer. Chapter 24, "Working with Files," discusses how your programs can use different types of files for information storage and retrieval purposes. Chapter 25, "Interacting with Other Applications," shows you how to have your programs interact with other Windows applications, such as your word processor or e-mail system. In doing so, you can add features of these applications to your own program. In Chapter 26, "Debugging and Performance Tuning," you learn how to make your programs faster and more efficient, as well as how to identify and report errors. Chapter 27, "Writing a Pocket PC Application," takes a look at an exciting emerging technology and describes how you can use a Pocket PC application to capture data. Additional References You can use the Appendices as a guide to some of the things you'll need to know as you develop your Visual Basic .NET applications. Appendix A, "Packaging Your Applications," shows you how to prepare the Visual Basic programs that you write for distribution. Appendix B, "Tips on Conversion from VB6," is for users of previous versions of Visual Basic. We discuss some ways to get the most out of VB .NET when converting an existing application. | 
