Overview
The same attributes that make Visual Basic® .NET exceptionally productive and easy to use can also lead to unexpected problems, especially when you upgrade. Using standardized programming techniques can help you solve those problems so that you can exploit all the power of rapid development—without creating hidden land mines in performance and maintainability. This book shows you proven practices to help you eliminate “voodoo” variables, create interfaces that make users more productive, write self-documenting code, simplify code modifications, and more. Each chapter illustrates common pitfalls and practical solutions with code samples—many from real-world projects. Whether you’re writing just a few lines of code or working with a team to build an enterprise application, you’ll learn how to use practical standards to develop better, more reliable code for every process.
TOPICS COVERED INCLUDE:
- Creating object and project templates
- Designing modules and procedures
- Naming conventions
- Using constants and enumerations
- Variables
- Formatting code
- Commenting code
- Looping structures
- Controlling code flow
- Exception handling
- Programming objects
- File operations
- Debugging
- Interface design
- User input and notification
- Distributing solutions
- Version control
- Source code control
PRAISE FROM THE VISUAL BASIC .NET TEAM
“This book provides a simple remedy for the lax programming style that we can all fall victim to from time to time. It shows you all the practical steps you can take to standardize your code in Visual Basic .NET—from creating object and project templates to using sensible naming conventions, and from commenting and formatting code so that anyone can understand it years later to controlling your source code and distributing your solutions the professional way. This invaluable resource goes beyond teaching how to simply write Visual Basic .NET code—it teaches you how to write your Visual Basic .NET code more effectively.”
Mike Iem, Product Manager, Microsoft Visual Basic .NET
Editorials
From Barnes & Noble
The Barnes & Noble ReviewWhen you’ve written 100,000-plus lines of commercial VB code, like James Foxall, you can’t help but appreciate standards. They help you write more reliable code, avoid those stupid head-shaking errors we all make, and help others maintain your code once you’ve ridden off into the sunset. Unlike the rest of us, though, Foxall doesn’t merely like standards: he’s compiled a definitive set of them for every VB.NET developer.
This book builds on Foxall’s respected VB6 standards guide to reflect all that’s new or changed in VB.NET, from Web Forms to multithreading. Much of this is common sense -- crystallized into exceptionally useful form. For example, to write self-documenting code, avoid ambiguities. How can you tell if a statement references a variable or a control? Option Strict helps, but it isn’t enough: use Hungarian notation for variables.
Form matters. Program structure matters more. Does each variable serve only one clearly defined purpose? Have you avoided hard-coded “magic numbers”? Are you making the most of objects? Are your solutions packaged appropriately? Foxall shows what to do -- and not to do. From page 1 to his reusable object templates on CD-ROM, this book will be indispensable to your entire team. Bill Camarda
Bill Camarda is a consultant, writer, and web/multimedia content developer. His 15 books include Special Edition Using Word 2000 and Upgrading & Fixing Networks For Dummies®, Second Edition.