In-Depth
Books: Learn the Fundamentals of VB.NET
The Visual Basic .NET Programming Language targets both beginning and experienced developers alike. Paul Vick explains how VB works clearly and concisely, and he covers data types, conversions, exceptions, object-oriented properties, events, delegates, attributes, and more.
Ever wondered why banks end up with all the money? Perhaps they're using Visual Basic. Paul Vick, one of the core architects of Visual Basic .NET, has written a wonderful book on the Visual Basic .NET language. In it, he covers data types, conversions, exceptions, object-oriented properties, events, delegates, and attributes. In addition, he includes many details about how Visual Basic works, such as the "Banker's Rounding" conversion, which leads one to wonder if maybe the banking industry is using VB.NET.
Having a good language reference is vital for learning and applying a complex language such as VB.NET. Of course, some of you might be snickering at this last statement, but with its inclusion in the .NET Framework, Visual Basic has become an equal among equals.
From my early Visual Basic programming days (VB 2.0) until recently, many books have covered the complex details of writing applications, communication, and connecting with databases. However, the coverage of the language was often limited. I often needed to know the correct syntax for a piece of code or why a conversion didn't work as expected. I usually had to spend hours sifting through documents or discovering the answer by writing test code.
This outstanding book targets both the beginning VB.NET programmer and the experienced developer. The explanations are clear and concise, and the author provides ample anecdotes on some of the language's nuances that will appeal even to those who have a long history with Visual Basic.
So, what is Banker's Rounding? It is used in the conversion of a floating point to an integer. It rounds numbers to the nearest even number. Thus, 4.5 is rounded to 4, while 5.5 is rounded to 6. This might explain why my checkbook is never balanced.
The Visual Basic .NET Programming Language
by Paul Vick
Addison-Wesley
ISBN: 0321169514
Price: $44.99
Quick Facts: Definitive VB.NET reference by one of Microsoft's core language architects.
Pros: Excellent VB.NET language reference for both novice and experienced readers.
Cons: Not a "how-to" problem-solving reference for using VB.NET.
About the Author
Hal Hayes is the president of ACRITECH Corp., which specializes in enterprise application development. He is also the founder of the Capital Area Visual Basic User Group in Washington, D.C. (now www.caparea.net). Hal is also a member of the staff of the International .NET Association. You can reach him at [email protected].