Includes index.

From VB6 to VB .NET -- Using the New Operators -- Operator Shortcuts -- Bitwise Operators -- Still Missing -- Using the Operators -- New Tricks in Variable Declaration -- Integer Type Changes -- The Dim Statement Behaves Differently -- No More Variants -- Initializers -- Local Scope -- An Array of Usefulness -- Declaring Arrays -- Working with Arrays -- Multi-Dimensional Arrays -- Boxing, Unboxing, and a Bit of ILDASM -- ILDASM -- Avoiding Redundant Function Calls -- A Simple Speedup -- Even Speedier--The StringBuilder -- Delving into Docking and Anchoring -- Beyond the Tag Property -- Along Came Beta 2 -- Using an Inherited Class -- Handling Control Arrays Another Way -- Letting Go of the Windows API -- Short Circuiting -- The Potential Inefficiencies of VB -- The Short Circuit -- The .NET Framework -- Getting Resourceful -- Resource Strings -- Bitmaps, Too -- Reading from a Text File: An Introduction to Streams -- Writing to a Text File: More on Streams -- Reading and Writing to the Registry -- Keeping Regular with Regular Expressions -- Improving File Copies, Moves, and Deletes -- Using the EnhancedFileOps Class -- Detecting File Changes in a Folder -- Warning Unsuspecting Users -- Watching for Files -- Thinking in Threads -- Timing Up Events with Timers -- At Your (Windows) Service -- Actively Researching Active Directory -- The DirectoryEntry Class -- The DirectorySearcher Class -- Diving into Collections -- The Name Value Collection -- The HashTable -- The Stack -- The Queue -- Creating a Type-Safe Collection -- A Second Type-Safe Solution -- Yet Another Type-Safe Solution -- Pass the Collection Plate One More Time -- StringCollection -- The ListDictionary -- Don't Be So Insensitive -- System Trays in Their Full, Upright Positions -- What's on the Menu? -- Seeing the Inner Workings of Your Code -- Writing Code for Your Code -- Using Attributes for Documentation -- My Code Can See Itself: Reflection -- Filling the Types Treeview -- Examining a Type -- Programs Writing Programs: The CodeDOM -- Writing Code from Table Structures -- Discovering the New Diagnostic Classes -- Sending Output to the Debug Window -- Switching Debug Output On and Off -- Setting Different Levels of Debug Output -- Customizing Trace Output -- Outputting Trace Data to Text -- Automatically Removing Debug Code -- Logging Events the Easy Way -- Writing to an Event Log -- Reading from an Event Log -- Monitoring an Event Log for Changes -- Using a Custom Event Log -- Monitoring Your Application's Performance -- Retrieving Performance Counter Instances -- Querying the Performance Counter -- Middle Management -- The ManagementObject and ManagementObjectSearcher -- Braving the Basics of GDI[subscript +] -- The Graphics Class -- Good Penmanship -- Brushes -- Graphics Class Methods -- Advanced GDI[subscript +]: The GraphicsPath and Transform Objects -- The GraphicsPath -- Do You Know What the Matrix Is (Neo)? -- Putting it Together: The SimpleSprite Class -- Using the SimpleSprite Class -- Something About Screensavers -- Screensaver Basics -- Screen Capture -- The SaverSprite -- The ScreenSaver Class -- Having a Dialog with your Users -- The OpenFileDialog -- The SaveFileDialog -- The FontDialog -- The ColorDialog -- OOP Techniques -- Embracing Object-Oriented Programming -- Non-OOP -- OOPs Away! -- Encapsulation Fascination -- WorldEntity Class Details -- The World Class Details -- Merits of Inheritance -- The Church of Polymorphism -- In Your Face Interfaces -- Coding to an Interface -- Creating Your Own Interfaces -- Calculating Elapsed Time -- Reading and Writing INI Files -- The API Calls -- Digging into the INI Class -- Adding Controls to the Toolbox -- Developing the Control -- Adding the Control to the Toolbox -- Using the New Control -- Earning Your Inheritance -- Performing a Ping -- So What to Do? -- Using the Pinger Class -- A Big Savings: Object Graph Serialization -- Delegate Some Authority -- Why? -- How? -- Handling the Event -- Taking Out the Trash: The Garbage Collector -- Deallocating Resources -- Controlling Garbage Collection -- Saving Your RAM and Using It, Too -- Using Weak Peferences -- Controlling Garbage Collection -- Get Off My Property! -- Properties the "Bad Way" -- Properties the "Good Way" -- Got Any Cache I Can Borrow? -- Using Assemblies in the Global Assembly Cache -- Viewing the Contents of the Global Assembly Cache -- Databases -- Speed Reading: Using the DataReader -- The Missing Link: The DataSet -- Filling a Treeview -- Adding and Removing Rows -- Applying Changes to the Database -- Filtering, Sorting, and Searching with the DataView -- SQLDataAdapter Command Performance -- The SqlCommandBuilder -- Custom Commands -- Testing the Two Methods -- Tackling Typed DataSet Objects -- Why Use a Typed DataSet? -- Creating a Typed DataSet -- Using the Typed DataSet -- A Legally Binding Form -- Binding Controls -- Still More Binding -- Complete the (Database) Transaction -- Legal (Stored) Procedures -- Kiss My Grids! -- Data to Display -- Custom Formatting -- Using the New Class -- More Framework Topics -- Creating Owner-Drawn Menus -- Creating Your Menu -- Placing Your Menu -- Creating UI Elements at Runtime -- Creating Buttons on the Fly -- Creating Menus Dynamically -- Dynamic Object Creation Using RTTI -- Using RTTI in the Real World -- Debugging RTTI -- Versioning and the End of DLL Hell -- What's a Version? -- Setting the Version -- A Version Example -- Version 2 (Actually, 1.1.0.0) -- Version Control -- The New Security Model -- Permissions -- Declarative Security -- Excel-lent--Talking to Excel -- Word Up--Talking to Word -- Visual Studio -- The Visual Studio "HoneyDo" List -- Macro-Economics -- Recording a Macro -- Editing a Macro -- Adding a Macro to the Toolbar -- Adding in Add-ins -- Coding the Add-in -- Testing the Add-in -- Add-ins and Event Hooks -- Event Hook on Solution Open -- Event Hook on Solution Build -- Beyond Visual Basic -- Expanding Your Horizons: Mixing Languages -- Trying It Out -- Mixing It Up -- The Joy of Console Applications -- Creating a Console App -- Producing Input/Output in a Console App -- Getting Entangled in Some Web Development -- An ASP.NET Primer -- Creating Page 2 -- ASP.NET Reusability -- A User Control Example -- Using the User Control -- Internet and Distributed Development -- XML Speed Reading -- The Class to Know -- Scanning the XML Document -- Producing XML -- Database XML -- Manual XML -- Using XML from SQL Server -- XSL to the Rescue -- Special Delivery: Sending E-mail -- Message for You, Sir -- Sending a Message -- Get the Message (?) -- Application Transactions: A Big COM[subscript +] -- Automatic Transactions -- Manual Transactions -- Writing the COM[subscript +] Client -- Remoting Control -- The Server Class -- Listen Up! -- Remoting Control Calling -- Web Service Creation -- Testing, Testing... -- Web Service Usage -- Talking to Microsoft TerraServer -- Accessing a Web Service -- Using the Web Service Classes -- Working with the Graphics -- More Web Services -- I did? No, UDDI! -- SalCentral.com -- Additional Web Service Examples -- Getting Mobile -- .NET Delegates: A C# (and Now VB .NET) Bedtime Story -- Type Coupling -- Interfaces -- Delegates -- Static Listeners -- Events -- Harvesting All Results -- Async Notification: Fire & Forget -- Async Notification: Polling -- Async Notification: Delegates -- Happiness in the Universe.

Microsoft's new .NET version of Visual Basic is its most radical revamping of the product since it was first released. Even if you know your way around VB6, the latest version presents special challenges. There are some new ways of doing things, some new things to do, and a new environment in which to work. With a few tips and tricks from expert Matt Tagliaferri, however, you'll be well on your way to VB.NET mastery. Visual Basic .NET Codemaster's Library offers a collection of 99 clear, concise programming examples, which show you how to use VB.NET and Visual Studio .NET to make the most of the functionality available for the first time in the .NET Framework. You can begin with any topic and read only the ones that matter to you. Each topic provides a solution that you can incorporate into your own work, in areas ranging from garbage collection to database transactions, from memory management to XML Web Services. You even get coverage of mixing C# and VB.NET in the same application. Taken together, the tips in this book help you make the transition to thinking and working effectively within the object-oriented world of .NET.