Microsoft Visual Basic 2008 Step by Step :: Education by Design Store

Customer Reviews

Excellent tutorial and reference.

2008-08-29
Started from scratch with a VB 2008 Experss Edition project. Even though this book was not written for Express, it was an excellent guide. I purchased a book written for VB 2008 Express and did not even use it becaues this book was so much better.

Well done Michael!

2008-08-27
I'm almost to the very end of the book now and I must say Halvorson did a great job with this book. Someone here complained that he kept making references back to other things in the book. Well, yes. However, you gotta keep in mind if you pick this book up just to refresh yourself on a particular task, say learning Printing, you might need to also refer to an earlier part of the book for a particular aspect of programming that is used in Printing. Michael does an excellent job of making references to other stuff in the book just for this very reason. If you need only a particular part of programming, then you'll get it AND the references to other areas of coding in case you've forgotten how they work.

As far as I'm concerned this book is set up wonderfully for those who are new to the language as I was. I've dabbled in programming for years now but this was the first time I have tried my hand at developing Windows programs. Michael does quite well at not only explaining different points of the language, but he also gives excellent examples of how you can relate the coding to different Windows functions. I would most definitely recommend this book to anyone who is wanting to learn the Visual Basic language.

Bravo Michael! Bravo!

Good for beginners

2008-08-24
Good book for who do not have some experience with VB programming but not for those who wanted some in-depth knowledge.

I found some free documentation of vb.net 2005 and, to me, was very helpful.

Great Book

2008-07-03
This book is great for starters and pro alike. But you need to keep your mind open as you do the exercises. For instance i encountered this problem while i was doing MyCheckBox exercise. The author gave the code in the book as

If CheckBox1.Checkstate = 1 Then
PictureBox1.Image = System.Drawing.Image.FromFile _
("c:\vb08sbs\chap03\calcultr")
PictureBox1.Visible =True
Else
PictureBox1.Visible = False
End IF

and

If CheckBox2.Checkstate = 1 Then
PictureBox2.Image = System.Drawing.Image.FromFile _
("c:\vb08sbs\chap03\copymach")
PictureBox2.Visible =True
Else
PictureBox2.Visible = False
End IF

I got this kind of message while trying to debug the program
"A first chance exception of type 'System.IO.FileNotFoundException' occurred in System.Drawing.dll"

the code should have been given as

If CheckBox1.Checkstate = 1 Then
PictureBox1.Image = System.Drawing.Image.FromFile _
("c:\vb08sbs\chap03\calcultr.bmp")
PictureBox1.Visible =True
Else
PictureBox1.Visible = False
End IF
and

If CheckBox2.Checkstate = 1 Then
PictureBox2.Image = System.Drawing.Image.FromFile _
("c:\vb08sbs\chap03\copymach.bmp")
PictureBox2.Visible =True
Else
PictureBox2.Visible = False
End IF

instead.I could not figure out the problem at first until i compared the code i wrote with that of the completed exercise the author gave.
Another minor problem i encountered was in chapter 4 pg 116. The author assumes that we all are using a Microsoft Office suite that has Microsoft publishers file,but it was not the case for me as I am using Microsoft Office student and home edition which does not have Microsoft publishers files, so i was not able to complete this exercise as i was supposed to.
Microsoft Visual Basic 2008 Step by Step

Step by Step says it all

2008-05-17
I am almost finished with this book. I am working my way through this and one of the "dummies" guides at the same time. I am getting much more out of this book. The examples are clear. Everything has worked (so far!) and I like the general pace. A side note: make sure to check out all the (free) help on the web if you are learing a new language! Before I beat my head against the wall too long, normally a quick google will help point me the right direction.

Good idea

2008-05-15
Teach yourself the fundamentals of working with Visual Basic 2008 one step at a time. With STEP BY STEP, you work at your own pace through hands-on, learn-by-doing exercises. Whether you re a beginning programmer or new to this specific language, you ll understand the core capabilities and fundamental techniques for Visual Basic 2008 and rapidly build robust, elegant applications. Each chapter puts you to work, showing you how, when, and why to use the latest features of Visual Basic guiding you each step of the way as you create actual components and working applications for Windows. You ll also explore data management and Web-based development topics. PLUS get practice files with sample code and data sets on the companion CD.

Key Book Benefits

Covers the latest enhancements and features of Visual Basic 2008

Provides step-by-step guidance on how to use Visual Basic 2008 with Microsoft Visual StudioÂ® 2008 to create smart-client and Web applications

Features easy-to-follow, logically planned lessons in the popular STEP BY STEP format ideal for anyone with fundamental programming skills

Includes a companion CD with data sets and code samples

Michael Halvorson Does It Again! 2008-04-22
Michael H. is now an old hand at producing VB Step by Step books, and it shows. His treatment of the subject is thorough and to-the-point, as you can see by looking inside the book at the Table of Contents (above). His style is easy to follow, and your confidence level at the end will be high if you carefully follow his lead through this book. If his "Database and Web Programming" section at the end of the book doesn't pique your interest, nothing will. By inserting this section he shows you where VB 2008 is headed.

My biggest complaints are minor: 1) he wasted too much ink telling us how things were done back in the days of VB 6.0. Programmers have had about four years to get over that, Michael, but thanks for an otherwise very useful book, and 2) a few menu calls were to menu functions that don't exist. (That's inevitable when a book is based on pre-release software. None of the errors were difficult to overcome.)

Halvorson Gets it Right! 2008-04-16
I am new to Visual Basic.
I've taken a couple of programming classes, but still have had a hard time grasping all of the little nuances.

I recently started as an intern working with developers in the medical field. I found myself completely overwhelmed and started buying and reading every programming book I could get my hands on, specifically Visual Basic.

This book is great! I'm half way through the book and haven't gotten lost yet! Halvorson walks the reader through each and every process and does it in the correct order. The order in which he presents the materal and the way engages the reader is critical to success! For the first time, I feel like I can jump in and get programming.

This is the best book if you are trying to learn Visual Basic!

Extremely poor product. 2008-03-19
Very poor product. Could not get the software to work in two of my computers. I recommend that you move on to some other product and stayaway from books by Michael Halvorson.

Beginner Programers 2008-03-18
I have found many books from this publisher (Microsoft Press) to be helpfull in learning a programming language. This title, "VB 2008- Step by Step", I've found to be a very good book to learn VB. Easy to read and understand (Better than the "Dummies" books). Would not use as my first book to learn VB from scratch. But if you know the basics. This is the book to get! A very good investment as well as a addition to your collection!