Vb .Net Language in a Nutshell

by Roman, Steven; Petrusha, Ron; Lomax, Paul

• ISBN13: 9780596003081
• ISBN10: 0596003080
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2002-05-01
• Publisher: Oreilly & Associates Inc

Summary

With the release of the Microsoft .NET platform comes a new version of Visual Basic dramatically unlike its predecessors. So extensive are the changes, in fact, that some VB programmers argue that Visual Basic .NET is an entirely new programming language. In the updated second edition of this popular book, you will find complete documentation for the Visual Basic .NET language. Beginning with a brief overview of the language, VB.NET Language in a Nutshellcovers basic programming concepts, and introduces the .NET Framework Class Library and programming with attributes. The bulk of the book consists of an alphabetical reference to Visual Basic .NET statements, procedures, functions, and objects. Each entry has a standardized listing containing the following information: Its syntax, using standard coding conventions Differences in the operation of the keyword in Visual Basic .NET and in VB 6.0 A list of arguments accepted by the function or procedure A description of the data type returned by a function The finer points of a language element?s usage that are often omitted from or blurred over by other sources Tips and warnings that include undocumented behaviors and practical applications for particular language elements An invaluable section for diagnosing or avoiding potential programming problems A cross-reference to related keywords On the CD-ROM (included with print edition of the book) is a plug-in that adds a copy of the book's language reference to the dynamic help within Visual Studio .NET. The plug-in requires any edition of Visual Basic .NET or Visual Studio .NET. No matter how much experience you have programming with VB, you want this book close by, both as a standard reference guide and as a tool for troubleshooting and identifying programming problems.

Table of Contents

Preface	ix
Part I. The Basics
Introduction	3	(12)
Why VB.NET?	4	(4)
What Is VB.NET?	8	(6)
What Can You Do with VB.NET?	14	(1)
Program Structure	15	(15)
Getting a VB Program to Run	15	(5)
The Structure of a VB Program	20	(10)
variables and Data Types	30	(32)
Variables	30	(4)
Declaring Variables and Constants	34	(2)
Data Types	36	(15)
Arrays	51	(3)
Object Variables and Their Binding	54	(2)
The Collection Object	56	(1)
Parameters and Arguments	57	(5)
Introduction to Object Oriented Programming	62	(29)
Why Learn Object-Oriented Techniques?	62	(1)
Principles of Object-Oriented Programming	62	(5)
Classes and Objects	67	(8)
Inheritance	75	(7)
Interfaces, Abstract Members, and Classes	82	(3)
Polymorphism and Overloading	85	(1)
Accessibility in Class Modules	86	(5)
The .NET Framework: General Concepts	91	(6)
Namespaces	91	(1)
Common Language Runtime (CLR), Managed Code, and Managed Data	92	(1)
Managed Execution	93	(1)
Assemblies	93	(2)
Assemblies and VB.NET	95	(2)
The .NET Framework Class Library	97	(11)
The System Namespace	98	(5)
Other Namespaces	103	(5)
Delegates and Events	108	(8)
Delegates	108	(5)
Events and Event Binding	113	(3)
Attributes	116	(12)
Syntax and Use	117	(2)
Defining a Custom Attribute	119	(4)
Using a Custom Attribute	123	(5)
Error Handling in VB.NET	128	(15)
Error Detection and Error Handling	128	(1)
Runtime Error Handling	129	(8)
Dealing with Logical Errors	137	(3)
Error Constants	140	(3)
Part II: Reference
The Language Reference	143	(500)
Part III: Appendixes
Appendix A-What's New and Different in VB.NET	585	(17)
Appendix B-Language Elements by Category	602	(14)
Appendix C-Operators	616	(9)
Appendix D-Constants and Enumerations	625	(9)
Appendix E-The VB.NET Command Line Compiler	634	(6)
Appendix F-VB 6 Language Elements Not Supported by VB.NET	640	(3)
Index	643