Table of Contents

Visual Basic 2005 Cookbook
By John Clark Craig, Tim Patrick
...............................................
Publisher: O'Reilly
Pub Date: September 2006
Print ISBN-10: 0-596-10177-5
Print ISBN-13: 978-0-59-610177-0
Pages: 740

Table of Contents  | Index

		Copyright
		Dedication
		Preface
		Chapter 1.  Visual Basic Programming
			Introduction
			Recipe 1.1.  Creating a Windows Forms Application
			Recipe 1.2.  Creating a Console Application
			Recipe 1.3.  Creating an ASP.NET Web Forms Application
		Chapter 2.  The Development Environment
			Introduction
			Recipe 2.1.  Discovering and Using a Code Snippet
			Recipe 2.2.  Creating a New Snippet
			Recipe 2.3.  Sharing Snippets
			Recipe 2.4.  Adding Snippet Files to Visual Studio
			Recipe 2.5.  Getting an Application's Version Number
			Recipe 2.6.  Letting Visual Studio Automatically Update an Application's Version Number
			Recipe 2.7.  Setting the Startup Form for an Application
			Recipe 2.8.  Setting the Startup to a Sub Main Procedure
			Recipe 2.9.  Getting an Application's Command Line
			Recipe 2.10.  Testing an Application's Command Line
			Recipe 2.11.  Obfuscating an Application
			Recipe 2.12.  Determining if an Application Is Running in the Visual Studio Environment
			Recipe 2.13.  Accessing Environment Variables
			Recipe 2.14.  Accessing the Registry
			Recipe 2.15.  Getting System Information
			Recipe 2.16.  Getting the User's Name
		Chapter 3.  Application Organization
			Introduction
			Recipe 3.1.  Creating a Code Module
			Recipe 3.2.  Creating a Class
			Recipe 3.3.  Creating a Structure
			Recipe 3.4.  Creating Other Item Types
			Recipe 3.5.  Creating Object Instances
			Recipe 3.6.  Initializing a Class Instance with Data
			Recipe 3.7.  Releasing an Instance's Resources
			Recipe 3.8.  Using Namespaces
			Recipe 3.9.  Splitting a Class Across Multiple Files
			Recipe 3.10.  Creating a Form Based on Another Form
			Recipe 3.11.  Passing and Returning Structures and Other Objects
			Recipe 3.12.  Creating and Using an Enumeration
			Recipe 3.13.  Converting Between Numeric and String Enumeration Values
			Recipe 3.14.  Creating a Method That Accepts Different Sets of Arguments
			Recipe 3.15.  Using Standard Operators for Nonstandard Purposes
			Recipe 3.16.  Enforcing Strong Data Typing in an Otherwise Weakly Typed Collection
		Chapter 4.  Forms, Controls, and Other Useful Objects
			Introduction
			Recipe 4.1.  Creating and Adding Controls at Runtime
			Recipe 4.2.  Iterating Through All Controls on a Form
			Recipe 4.3.  Sharing Event-Handler Logic Among Many Controls
			Recipe 4.4.  Working with Timers
			Recipe 4.5.  Determining If a Control Can Take the Focus
			Recipe 4.6.  Programmatically Clicking a Button
			Recipe 4.7.  Drawing a Control
			Recipe 4.8.  Making a Form the Top-Most Form
			Recipe 4.9.  Indicating the Accept and Cancel Buttons on a Form
			Recipe 4.10.  Remembering a Form's Position Between Uses
			Recipe 4.11.  Attaching a Control to the Edge of a Form
			Recipe 4.12.  Moving or Resizing Controls as a Form Resizes
			Recipe 4.13.  Limiting the Sizing of a Form
			Recipe 4.14.  Centering a Form
			Recipe 4.15.  Creating and Moving a Borderless Form
			Recipe 4.16.  Creating a Fading Form
			Recipe 4.17.  Creating a Nonrectangular Form
			Recipe 4.18.  Changing Menus at Runtime
			Recipe 4.19.  Creating Shortcut Menus
		Chapter 5.  Strings
			Introduction
			Recipe 5.1.  Using a StringBuilder
			Recipe 5.2.  Creating a String of N Identical Characters
			Recipe 5.3.  Creating a String by Repeating a String N Times
			Recipe 5.4.  Obfuscating a String
			Recipe 5.5.  Converting Binary Data to a Hexadecimal String
			Recipe 5.6.  Extracting Substrings from Larger Strings
			Recipe 5.7.  Converting a String's Case
			Recipe 5.8.  Comparing Strings with Case Sensitivity
			Recipe 5.9.  Comparing Strings Without Case Sensitivity
			Recipe 5.10.  Converting Strings to and from Character Arrays
			Recipe 5.11.  Converting Strings to and from Byte Arrays
			Recipe 5.12.  Tallying Characters
			Recipe 5.13.  Counting Words
			Recipe 5.14.  Removing Extra Whitespace
			Recipe 5.15.  Using the Correct End-of-Line Characters
			Recipe 5.16.  Replacing Substrings
			Recipe 5.17.  Inserting a Character or String
			Recipe 5.18.  Inserting a Line
			Recipe 5.19.  Double-Spacing a String
			Recipe 5.20.  Formatting Numbers into Strings
			Recipe 5.21.  Trimming Sets of Characters from a String
			Recipe 5.22.  Identifying and Validating Types of Data in a String
			Recipe 5.23.  Converting Strings Between Encoding Systems
			Recipe 5.24.  Determining a Character's Type
			Recipe 5.25.  Parsing Strings
			Recipe 5.26.  Concatenating Strings
			Recipe 5.27.  Speeding Up String Manipulation
			Recipe 5.28.  Counting Occurrences of a Substring
			Recipe 5.29.  Padding a String for Exact Length and Alignment
			Recipe 5.30.  Converting Tabs to Spaces
			Recipe 5.31.  Reversing a String
			Recipe 5.32.  Shuffling a String
			Recipe 5.33.  Using a Simple String Encryption
			Recipe 5.34.  Converting a String to Morse Code
			Recipe 5.35.  Adding Strings to an Application's Resources
			Recipe 5.36.  Converting Any Data to a String
			Recipe 5.37.  Using Regular Expressions to Extract All Numbers
			Recipe 5.38.  Getting a Count of Regular Expression Matches
			Recipe 5.39.  Getting the Nth Regular Expression Match
			Recipe 5.40.  Compiling Regular Expressions for Speed
			Recipe 5.41.  Using Regular Expressions to Validate Data
			Recipe 5.42.  Using Regular Expressions to Count Characters, Words, or Lines
			Recipe 5.43.  Converting a String to and from Base64
			Recipe 5.44.  Splitting a String
			Recipe 5.45.  Creating a String of Space Characters
		Chapter 6.  Numbers and Math
			Introduction
			Recipe 6.1.  Using Compact Operator Notation
			Recipe 6.2.  Choosing Integers of the Right Size and Type for the Job
			Recipe 6.3.  Using Unsigned Integers
			Recipe 6.4.  Swapping Two Integers Without Using a Third
			Recipe 6.5.  Using Single- and Double-Precision Variables
			Recipe 6.6.  Using Decimal Variables for Maximum Precision
			Recipe 6.7.  Converting Between Number Types
			Recipe 6.8.  Rounding Numbers Accurately
			Recipe 6.9.  Declaring Loop Counters Within Loops
			Recipe 6.10.  Converting Between Radians and Degrees
			Recipe 6.11.  Limiting Angles to a Range
			Recipe 6.12.  Creating Double-Precision Point Variables
			Recipe 6.13.  Converting Between Rectangular and Polar Coordinates
			Recipe 6.14.  Creating Three-Dimensional Variables
			Recipe 6.15.  Converting Between Rectangular, Spherical, and Cylindrical Coordinates
			Recipe 6.16.  Working with Complex Numbers
			Recipe 6.17.  Solving Right Triangles
			Recipe 6.18.  Solving Any Triangle
			Recipe 6.19.  Determining if a String Contains a Valid Number
			Recipe 6.20.  Converting Numbers to Integers
			Recipe 6.21.  Calculating π to Thousands of Digits
			Recipe 6.22.  Getting a Number's Prime Factors
			Recipe 6.23.  Using Recursion to Calculate Factorials
			Recipe 6.24.  Manipulating Bits with Bitwise Operators
			Recipe 6.25.  Storing and Retrieving Bits in a BitArray
			Recipe 6.26.  Enhancing the Random Number Generator
			Recipe 6.27.  Generating Random Integers in a Range
			Recipe 6.28.  Generating Random Real Numbers in a Range
			Recipe 6.29.  Generating Normal-Distribution Random Numbers
			Recipe 6.30.  Generating Exponential-Distribution Random Numbers
			Recipe 6.31.  Creating a Matrix
			Recipe 6.32.  Inverting a Matrix
			Recipe 6.33.  Calculating the Determinant of a Matrix
			Recipe 6.34.  Solving Simultaneous Equations
			Recipe 6.35.  Listing of the MatrixHelper Class
		Chapter 7.  Dates and Times
			Introduction
			Recipe 7.1.  Getting the System Date and Time
			Recipe 7.2.  Accessing the System's Time Zone
			Recipe 7.3.  Using System Ticks
			Recipe 7.4.  Timing Application Activities
			Recipe 7.5.  Calculating Elapsed Time Using Ticks
			Recipe 7.6.  Calculating Elapsed Time with the Stopwatch
			Recipe 7.7.  Extracting Year, Month, and Day Numbers from a Date Value
			Recipe 7.8.  Extracting Hour, Minute, and Second Numbers from a Date Value
			Recipe 7.9.  Creating a Date or Time Value from Its Parts
			Recipe 7.10.  Formatting Dates and Times
			Recipe 7.11.  Parsing and Validating Dates and Times
			Recipe 7.12.  Adding to Dates and Times
			Recipe 7.13.  Subtracting from Dates and Times
			Recipe 7.14.  Determining the Number of Days Between Two Dates
			Recipe 7.15.  Determining the Day of the Week for a Date
			Recipe 7.16.  Determining the Day of the Year for a Date
			Recipe 7.17.  Determining the Number of Days in a Month
			Recipe 7.18.  Using Controls to Enter or Select a Date
			Recipe 7.19.  Calculating the Phase of the Moon
			Recipe 7.20.  Creating a Calendar
			Recipe 7.21.  Checking for Leap Years
			Recipe 7.22.  Dates and Times in ISO 8601 Formats
		Chapter 8.  Arrays and Collections
			Introduction
			Recipe 8.1.  Filling an Array While Declaring It
			Recipe 8.2.  Sorting Array Elements
			Recipe 8.3.  Reversing an Array
			Recipe 8.4.  Inserting into an Array
			Recipe 8.5.  Shuffling an Array
			Recipe 8.6.  Swapping Two Array Values
			Recipe 8.7.  Resizing Arrays Without Losing Existing Values
			Recipe 8.8.  Quickly Copying Part of an Array into Another
			Recipe 8.9.  Writing a Comma-Separated-Values File from a String Array
			Recipe 8.10.  Reading a Comma-Separated-Values File into a String Array
			Recipe 8.11.  Using a Multivalue Array Instead of a Two-Dimensional Array
			Recipe 8.12.  Converting Between Delimited Strings and Arrays
			Recipe 8.13.  Formatting an Array as a Single String
			Recipe 8.14.  Iterating Through Array Elements
			Recipe 8.15.  Passing Arrays to Methods
			Recipe 8.16.  Returning Arrays from Functions
			Recipe 8.17.  Creating a Collection
			Recipe 8.18.  Inserting an Item into a Collection
			Recipe 8.19.  Deleting a Collection Item
			Recipe 8.20.  Iterating Through a Collection
		Chapter 9.  Graphics
			Introduction
			Recipe 9.1.  Creating Graphics Objects
			Recipe 9.2.  Drawing on Controls for Special Effects
			Recipe 9.3.  Letting the User Select a Color
			Recipe 9.4.  Working with Coordinate Systems (Pixels, Inches, Centimeters)
			Recipe 9.5.  Creating a Bitmap
			Recipe 9.6.  Setting a Background Color
			Recipe 9.7.  Drawing Lines, Ellipses, and Rectangles
			Recipe 9.8.  Drawing Lines One Pixel Wide Regardless of Scaling
			Recipe 9.9.  Forcing a Form or Control to Redraw
			Recipe 9.10.  Using Transparency
			Recipe 9.11.  Scaling with Transforms
			Recipe 9.12.  Using an Outline Path
			Recipe 9.13.  Using Gradients for Smooth Color Changes
			Recipe 9.14.  Drawing Bezier Splines
			Recipe 9.15.  Drawing Cardinal Splines
			Recipe 9.16.  Limiting Display Updates to Specific Regions
			Recipe 9.17.  Drawing Text
			Recipe 9.18.  Rotating Text to Any Angle
			Recipe 9.19.  Mirroring Text on the Canvas
			Recipe 9.20.  Getting the Height and Width of a Graphic String
			Recipe 9.21.  Drawing Text with Outlines and Drop Shadows
			Recipe 9.22.  Calculating a Nice Axis
			Recipe 9.23.  Drawing a Simple Chart
			Recipe 9.24.  Creating Odd-Shaped Forms and Controls
			Recipe 9.25.  Using the RGB, HSB (HSV), and HSL Color Schemes
			Recipe 9.26.  Creating a Rubber-Band Rectangular Selection
			Recipe 9.27.  Animating with Transparency
			Recipe 9.28.  Substitutions for Obsolete Visual Basic 6.0 Features
		Chapter 10.  Multimedia
			Introduction
			Recipe 10.1.  Playing an Audio File
			Recipe 10.2.  Displaying Image Files
			Recipe 10.3.  Playing a Video File
			Recipe 10.4.  Making Your Computer Beep
			Recipe 10.5.  Creating an Animation Using Multiple Images
			Recipe 10.6.  Creating an Animation by Generating Multiple Bitmaps
			Recipe 10.7.  Creating an Animation by Drawing at Runtime
			Recipe 10.8.  Creating Animated Sprites
			Recipe 10.9.  Resizing and Compressing JPEG Files
			Recipe 10.10.  Getting JPEG Extended Information
			Recipe 10.11.  Creating Thumbnails
			Recipe 10.12.  Displaying Images While Controlling Stretching and Sizing
			Recipe 10.13.  Scrolling Images
			Recipe 10.14.  Merging Two or More Images
			Recipe 10.15.  Using Resource Images
			Recipe 10.16.  Capturing an Image of the Screen
			Recipe 10.17.  Getting Display Dimensions
			Recipe 10.18.  Speeding Up Image Processing
			Recipe 10.19.  Converting an Image to Grayscale
			Recipe 10.20.  Performing Edge Detection on an Image
			Recipe 10.21.  Full Listing of the LockImage Class
		Chapter 11.  Printing
			Introduction
			Recipe 11.1.  Enumerating Printers
			Recipe 11.2.  Sending "Raw" Data to a Printer
			Recipe 11.3.  Get Details About the Default Printer
			Recipe 11.4.  Creating a Print Preview
			Recipe 11.5.  Prompting for Printed Page Settings
			Recipe 11.6.  Drawing Text and Graphics to a Printer
			Recipe 11.7.  Determining the Print Destination
			Recipe 11.8.  Creating Graph Paper
		Chapter 12.  Files and File Systems
			Introduction
			Recipe 12.1.  Enumerating Drives
			Recipe 12.2.  Determining if a Directory Exists
			Recipe 12.3.  Creating a New Directory
			Recipe 12.4.  Copying Directories
			Recipe 12.5.  Moving Directories
			Recipe 12.6.  Renaming Directories
			Recipe 12.7.  Parsing File and Directory Paths
			Recipe 12.8.  Searching Iteratively Through Directories and Subdirectories
			Recipe 12.9.  Finding Directories and Files Using Wildcards
			Recipe 12.10.  Determining If a File Exists
			Recipe 12.11.  Getting and Setting File Attributes
			Recipe 12.12.  Accessing Special User and Windows Directories
			Recipe 12.13.  Determining the Space on a Drive
			Recipe 12.14.  Browsing for a Directory
			Recipe 12.15.  Getting File Information
			Recipe 12.16.  Using File-Access Methods
			Recipe 12.17.  Reading and Writing Files as Strings
			Recipe 12.18.  Reading and Writing Binary Files
			Recipe 12.19.  Copying or Moving a File
			Recipe 12.20.  Sending a File to the Recycle Bin
			Recipe 12.21.  Creating a Temporary File
			Recipe 12.22.  Calculating a Checksum for a File
			Recipe 12.23.  Comparing Two Files for Equality
			Recipe 12.24.  Locking a File During Access
			Recipe 12.25.  Reading from a File at a Specific Position
			Recipe 12.26.  Reading and Writing Objects in a File
			Recipe 12.27.  Creating a Comma-Separated-Values File
		Chapter 13.  Databases
			Introduction
			Recipe 13.1.  Connecting to a Data Provider
			Recipe 13.2.  Issuing SQL Commands
			Recipe 13.3.  Retrieving Results from a Database Query
			Recipe 13.4.  Using SQL Parameters
			Recipe 13.5.  Using Stored Procedures
			Recipe 13.6.  Using Transactions
			Recipe 13.7.  Storing the Results of a Query in Memory
			Recipe 13.8.  Creating In-Memory Data Tables Manually
			Recipe 13.9.  Writing In-Memory Data Tables to an XML File
			Recipe 13.10.  Reading an XML File into In-Memory Data Tables
		Chapter 14.  Special Programming Techniques
			Introduction
			Recipe 14.1.  Preventing Multiple Instances of a Running Application
			Recipe 14.2.  Creating a Simple User Control
			Recipe 14.3.  Describing User Control Properties
			Recipe 14.4.  Starting Other Applications by EXE, Document, or URL
			Recipe 14.5.  Waiting for Applications to Finish
			Recipe 14.6.  List All Running Processes
			Recipe 14.7.  Terminating a Running Process
			Recipe 14.8.  Pausing Execution of a Program
			Recipe 14.9.  Control Applications by Simulating Keystrokes
			Recipe 14.10.  Watching for File and Directory Changes
			Recipe 14.11.  Creating an Icon in the System Tray
			Recipe 14.12.  Accessing the Clipboard
			Recipe 14.13.  Adding Tooltips to Controls
			Recipe 14.14.  Dragging and Dropping Files to a ListBox
			Recipe 14.15.  Dragging and Dropping Between ListBox Controls
			Recipe 14.16.  Disposing of Objects Appropriately
			Recipe 14.17.  Fine-Tuning Garbage Collection
			Recipe 14.18.  Moving the (Mouse) Cursor
			Recipe 14.19.  Intercepting All Key Presses on a Form
			Recipe 14.20.  Accessing the Registry
			Recipe 14.21.  Running Procedures in Threads
			Recipe 14.22.  Reading XML into a TreeView
			Recipe 14.23.  Creating an XML Document
			Recipe 14.24.  Validating an XML Document
			Recipe 14.25.  Using Generic Collections
			Recipe 14.26.  Creating a Screensaver
			Recipe 14.27.  Localizing the Controls on a Form
			Recipe 14.28.  Adding Pop-up Help to Controls
			Recipe 14.29.  Maintaining User-Specific Settings Between Uses of an Application
			Recipe 14.30.  Verifying a Credit Card Number
			Recipe 14.31.  Capturing a Console Application's Output
			Recipe 14.32.  Reading an Assembly's Details
			Recipe 14.33.  Performing Serial I/O
			Recipe 14.34.  Rebooting the System
		Chapter 15.  Exceptions
			Introduction
			Recipe 15.1.  Catching an Exception
			Recipe 15.2.  Throwing an Exception
			Recipe 15.3.  Catching Unhandled Exceptions
			Recipe 15.4.  Displaying Exception Information
			Recipe 15.5.  Creating New Exception Types
			Recipe 15.6.  Ignoring Exceptions in a Block of Code
		Chapter 16.  Cryptography and Compression
			Introduction
			Recipe 16.1.  Generating a Hash
			Recipe 16.2.  Encrypting and Decrypting a String
			Recipe 16.3.  Encrypting and Decrypting a File
			Recipe 16.4.  Prompting for a Username and Password
			Recipe 16.5.  Handling Passwords Securely
			Recipe 16.6.  Compressing and Decompressing a String
			Recipe 16.7.  Compressing and Decompressing a File
			Recipe 16.8.  Generating Cryptographically Secure Random Numbers
			Recipe 16.9.  Complete Listing of the Crypto.vb Module
			Recipe 16.10.  Complete Listing of the Compress.vb Module
		Chapter 17.  Web Development
			Introduction
			Recipe 17.1.  Displaying Web Pages on a Form
			Recipe 17.2.  Accessing Content Within an HTML Document
			Recipe 17.3.  Getting All Links from a Web Page
			Recipe 17.4.  Get the Local Computer's IP Address
			Recipe 17.5.  Resolving a Host Name or IP Address for Another Computer
			Recipe 17.6.  Pinging an IP Address
			Recipe 17.7.  Using FTP to Download Files
			Recipe 17.8.  Calling a Web Service
			Recipe 17.9.  Sending Email Using SMTP
			Recipe 17.10.  Getting POP3 Emails
			Recipe 17.11.  Sending a Message to Another Computer
			Recipe 17.12.  Adding Hyperlinks to a (Desktop) Form
		About the Authors
		Colophon
		Index