Microsoft Visual Basic 2013 Step by Step by Halvorson, Michael -- Read -- Imperial Library of Trantor

Index

Microsoft Visual Basic 2013 Step by Step A Note Regarding Supplemental Files Introduction

Who should read this book

Assumptions

Who should not read this book Organization of this book

Finding your best starting point in this book

Conventions and features in this book System requirements Code samples

Installing the code samples Using the code samples

Acknowledgments Errata & book support We want to hear from you Stay in touch

I. Introduction to Visual Studio development

1. Visual Basic 2013 development opportunities and the Windows Store

Visual Basic 2013 products and opportunities

An impressive range of development opportunities and platforms Taking a multiplatform approach to learning Visual Basic

Evaluating the Windows Store

What is the Windows Store? Accessing the Windows Store Sales information and price tiers Or your application could be free… Planning ahead for certification Windows Store requirements checklist It’s all in the details

Summary

2. The Visual Studio Integrated Development Environment

Getting started The Visual Studio development environment Important tools in the IDE

Organizing tools in the IDE The Designer and XAML markup Running and testing Windows Store apps

Working with the Properties window Organizing the programming tools

Moving and docking tools

Autohide Tabbed documents, manual docking, and docking guides

Hiding tool windows

Configuring the IDE for step-by-step exercises Exiting Visual Studio Summary

3. Creating your first Windows Store application

Lucky Seven: A Visual Basic app for the Windows Store Programming step by step Designing the user interface Final property settings and adjustments Writing the code A look at the SpinButton_Click event handler Running Windows Store apps Creating a splash screen for your app Building an executable file Summary

4. Windows desktop apps: A walkthrough using Windows Forms

Inside Windows desktop apps Visual Basic and Windows desktop apps Creating a Windows desktop app Setting properties

The picture box properties Naming objects for clarity

Writing the code Behind the scenes in the SpinButton_Click event handler Running the Lucky Seven desktop app Building an executable file Publishing a Windows desktop app Summary

II. Designing the user interface

5. Working with Windows Store app controls

Understanding Windows Store app controls

Roots in Windows Presentation Foundation and XAML Designing for Windows 8.1

Using the TextBox control to receive input

Assigning TextBox contents to a variable Multiline TextBox controls Check spelling in a TextBox control

Using the FlipView control to display a series of images Using the MediaElement control to play entertainment media Use the WebView control to display live web content Summary

6. Working with Windows Forms controls

Using the DateTimePicker control Controls for gathering input

Using the CheckBox control Using group boxes and radio buttons Processing input with list boxes

Adding menus by using the MenuStrip control

Menu features Adding access keys to menu commands Processing menu choices

Adding toolbars with the ToolStrip control Using dialog box controls Event handlers that manage common dialog boxes Summary

7. XAML markup step by step

Introduction to XAML

XAML in the Visual Studio IDE XAML in Blend for Visual Studio XAML elements Namespaces in XAML markup Examining XAML project files

Adding XAML elements using the Code Editor Summary

8. Using XAML styles

Introduction to XAML styles

Where did StandardStyles.xaml go? Creating new XAML styles Considering the scope of a style Sample markup for a new XAML style Referencing a style Using explicit and implicit styles

Practicing XAML styles Building new styles from existing styles IDE shortcuts for applying styles Summary

9. Exploring Windows 8.1 design features: Command bar, flyout, tiles, and touch

Creating a command bar to manage common tasks

Command bar features Designing your command bar Command bar practice step by step

Using the Flyout control to collect input and display information Designing custom tiles for your app

The Assets folder Required tiles and uses Programming live tiles

Planning for touch input

XAML controls handle touch automatically Common gestures Usability considerations

Security and permissions settings Summary

10. Creating console applications

Console applications in Visual Studio

Creating a console application Modules and procedures The Sub Main() procedure

Interactive math games

Find the number Simulating dice

Building, publishing, and running console apps Summary

III. Visual Basic programming techniques

11. Mastering data types, operators, and string processing

Strategies for declaring variables and constants

The Dim statement

Explicit variable declaration Implicit variable declaration

Defining constants

Scope for variables and constants

Guidelines for naming variables and constants

Data types and the ListBox control Operators and formulas

Arithmetic operators Advanced arithmetic operators Shortcut operators How Visual Basic calculates formulas

Converting data types

The ToString method The Parse method The Convert class Older type conversion functions and their uses

Processing strings with the String class

Common tasks Sorting text Working with ASCII codes Sorting strings in a text box Examining the Sort Text program code

Protecting text with basic encryption

Using the Xor operator Examining the encryption program code

Summary

12. Creative decision structures and loops

Event-driven programming

Using conditional expressions

If…Then decision structures

Testing several conditions in an If…Then decision structure Using logical operators in conditional expressions Short-circuiting by using AndAlso and OrElse

Mastering Select Case decision structures

Using comparison operators with a Select Case structure

Mastering For…Next loops

Using a loop to fill a TextBox with string data

Complex For…Next loops

The Exit For statement

Writing Do loops

Avoiding an endless loop Converting temperatures Using the Until keyword in Do loops

Summary

13. Trapping errors by using structured error handling

Processing errors by using the Try…Catch statement

When to use error handlers Setting the trap: the Try…Catch code block Path name and drive errors Windows Store apps and built-in exception handling

Writing a flash drive error handler Using the Finally clause to perform cleanup tasks More complex Try…Catch error handlers

The Exception object Specifying a retry period Using nested Try…Catch blocks

Comparing error handlers with defensive programming techniques The Exit Try statement Summary

14. Using arrays, collections, and generics to manage data

Working with arrays of variables

Creating an array Declaring an array with set elements Setting aside memory Working with array elements Declaring an array and assigning initial values Creating an array to hold temperatures The GetUpperBound and GetLowerBound methods

Setting an array’s size at runtime Preserving array contents by using ReDim Preserve

Using ReDim for three-dimensional arrays

Processing large arrays by using methods in the Array class

The Array class Get your sort on

Working with collections

Creating collections and generic lists Declaring generic collections Sample app with generic list and background image

Summary

15. Innovative data management with LINQ

LINQ tools and techniques

Fundamental query syntax

Extracting information from arrays Using LINQ with collections Using LINQ with XML documents Summary

16. Object-oriented programming techniques

Inheriting a form by using the Inheritance Picker Creating your own base classes

Adding a new class to your project

Inheriting a base class Polymorphism

Syntax for overriding methods and properties Referring to the base class with MyBase Experimenting with polymorphism

Summary

IV. Database and web programming

17. Database controls for Windows desktop apps

Database programming with ADO.NET

Database terminology Working with an Access database The Data Sources window

Using toolbox controls to display database information SQL statements and filtering data Summary

18. Data access for Windows Store apps

Data binding in XAML

A variety of data sources Binding elements Binding a control to a class Using a collection as a source of data

Accessing data in XML documents

Reading an XML file Searching for items in an XML file Writing to an XML file A user interface for data entry

Summary

19. Visual Studio web development with ASP.NET

Inside ASP.NET

Web Forms ASP.NET MVC Web Pages (with Razor) HTML5 and JavaScript

Building a Web Forms website with ASP.NET

Software requirements for ASP.NET development Essential steps Webpages vs. Windows Forms

Server controls HTML controls

Using the Web Designer Adding server controls to a website Writing event handlers for webpage controls Customizing the website template Displaying database records on a webpage Editing document and site master properties Summary

V. Microsoft Windows Phone programming

20. Introduction to Windows Phone 8 development

Opportunities in the Windows Phone 8 platform

Key Windows Phone 8 features Hardware requirements Integration and collaboration

The Windows Phone Store

What is the Windows Phone Store? Accessing the Windows Phone Store How much money do developers make? Planning ahead for certification

Working with Windows Phone SDK 8.0

Downloading the SDK

Comparing Windows Phone 8 and Windows Store platforms

Differences Similarities

Summary

21. Creating your first Windows Phone 8 application

Creating a Windows Phone project Designing the Golf Caddy user interface Writing the code Testing Windows Phone apps Application life cycle considerations

Closing or deactivating? The PhoneApplicationSerivce class Life cycle management with the IsolatedStorageSettings class

Setting options in the Window Phone manifest file Summary

A. About the author Index About the Author Copyright

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