Explore Visual Basic 2012 and .NET 4.5 with this fully updated resource After a quick review of the of introductory topics of Visual Basic 2012 and .NET 4.5, this book moves quickly into advanced topics such as data access with ADO.NET, security, ASP.NET web programming with Visual Basic, Windows workflow, and threading. You'll explore the essential Visual Basic 2012 functions you need, including .NET features such as LINQ, WCF, and more. Plus, you'll examine exception handling and debugging, Visual Studio features, and deployment. * Puts the new Async keyword and Iterators to work * Explores new options and interfaces presented by Windows 8 development and WinRT * Continues strong coverage of core language elements and tools and creating componentized applications This updated version of Professional Visual Basic 2012 and .NET 4.5 retains its expert author team, including one of the best-known and respected Microsoft Visual Basic MVPs, Bill Sheldon, and Microsoft Regional Director Software Legend Billy Hollis.
INTRODUCTION xxxi PART I: LANGUAGE CONSTRUCTS AND ENVIRONMENT
CHAPTER 1: VISUAL STUDIO 2012 3 Visual Studio 2012 4 Visual Basic
Keywords and Syntax 5 Console Applications 10 Creating a Project from a
Project Template 11 The Solution Explorer 14 Project Properties 15
Assembly Information Screen 16 Compiler Settings 18 Debug Properties 21
References 23 Resources 24 Settings 26 Other Project Property
Tabs 27 Project ProVB-VS2012 28 Enhancing a Sample Application 31
Customizing the Code 33 Building Applications 44 Running an Application
in the Debugger 45 Reusing Your First Windows Form 52 Useful Features
of Visual Studio 2012 52 The Task List 52 Server Explorer 53 Class
Diagrams 54 Summary 56 CHAPTER 2: THE COMMON LANGUAGE RUNTIME 57
Framework Profi les and Platforms 58 Client and Full Framework Profi les
59 Framework for Metro 59 Silverlight, Windows Phone, and Others 60
.NET 4.5 Portable Class Library 60 Elements of a .NET Application 61
Types 61 Modules 62 Assemblies 63 Cross-Language Integration 65
The Common Type System 65 Metadata 66 The Reflection API 69 IL
Disassembler 70 Memory Management 71 Traditional Garbage Collection 72
Faster Memory Allocation for Objects 77 Garbage Collector Optimizations
79 Namespaces 81 What Is a Namespace? 81 Namespaces and References
84 Common Namespaces 86 Importing and Aliasing Namespaces 86
Aliasing Namespaces 89 Referencing Namespaces in ASP.NET 89 Creating
Your Own Namespaces 90 The My Keyword 93 My.Application 94
My.Computer 97 My.Resources 99 My.User 99 Extending the My Namespace
100 Summary 102 CHAPTER 3: OBJECTS AND VISUAL BASIC 103
Object-Oriented Terminology 105 Objects, Classes, and Instances 105
Composition of an Object 105 System.Object 108 Working With Visual
Basic Types 109 Value and Reference Types 109 Primitive Types 112
Commands: Conditional 114 If Then 114 Comparison Operators 115
Select Case 117 Value Types (Structures) 117 Boolean 118 Integer
Types 119 Unsigned Types 120 Decimal Types 121 Char and Byte 123
DateTime 124 Reference Types (Classes) 125 The Object Class 125 The
String Class 126 The DBNull Class and IsDBNull Function 130 Parameter
Passing 131 ParamArray 132 Variable Scope 133 Working with Objects
134 Objects Declaration and Instantiation 134 Object References 135
Early Binding versus Late Binding 136 Data Type Conversions 137
Performing Explicit Conversions 138 Creating Classes 143 Basic Classes
143 Handling Events 152 Handling Multiple Events 153 The WithEvents
Keyword 154 Raising Events 154 Declaring and Raising Custom Events 155
Receiving Events with WithEvents 156 Receiving Events with AddHandler
158 Constructor Methods 160 Object-Oriented Concepts 161 Overloading
Methods 161 Overloading Constructor Methods 164 Shared Methods,
Variables, and Events 165 Operator Overloading 169 Delegates 172
Summary 176 CHAPTER 4: CUSTOM OBJECTS 179 Inheritance 180 When to
Use Inheritance 181 Implementing Inheritance 183 Interacting with the
Base Class, Yourself, and Your Class 202 Constructors 206 Object Scope
209 Events and Inheritance 211 Shared Methods 213 Creating an
Abstract Base Class 213 Multiple Interfaces 216 Object Interfaces 216
Abstract Interfaces 217 Abstraction 225 Encapsulation 228
Polymorphism 228 Method Signatures 228 Implementing Polymorphism 229
Summary 235 CHAPTER 5: ADVANCED LANGUAGE CONSTRUCTS 237 Preparing the
Sample Application 238 Lambda Expressions 240 Creating a Lambda
Expression Subroutine 241 Creating a Lambda Expression Function 242
Using Lambda Expressions 243 Handling Events with Lambdas 244 LINQ with
Lambdas 245 Async and Await 247 The Core Concept 248 Using Async and
Await 252 Iterators 256 The Core Concept 256 Using Iterators 259
Summary 261 CHAPTER 6: EXCEPTION HANDLING AND DEBUGGING 263
System.Exception 264 Handling Exceptions 265 Try, Catch, and Finally
265 The Throw Keyword 267 The Exit Try Statement 268 Using Exception
Properties 269 Logging Errors 273 The Event Log 273 Using the Trace
and Debug Objects 275 Summary 278 PART II: BUSINESS OBJECTS AND DATA
ACCESS CHAPTER 7: ARRAYS, COLLECTIONS, AND GENERICS 281 Arrays 282
Multidimensional Arrays 284 The UBound Function 284 The ReDim Statement
285 The Preserve Keyword 286 Collections 286 Iterative Statements
288 Boxing 291 Generics 292 Using Generics 293 Nullable Types 294
Generic Types 295 Generic Methods 298 Creating Generics 300
Generic Types 300 Generic Methods 307 Constraints 308 Generics and
Late Binding 311 Covariance and Contravariance 312 Summary 314
CHAPTER 8: USING XML WITH VISUAL BASIC 315 An Introduction to XML 316
XML Serialization 318 Serializing 318 Deserializing 320 Source Code
Style Attributes 322 System.Xml Document Support 324 XML Stream-Style
Parsers 325 Document Object Model (DOM) 337 LINQ to XML 342 LINQ
Helper XML Objects 343 XML Literals 347 Querying XML Documents 349
Reading and Writing XML Documents 351 XSL Transformations 354 XSLT
Transforming between XML Standards 357 Other Classes and Interfaces in
System.Xml.Xsl 360 XML in ASP.NET 361 The XmlDataSource Server Control
361 The XmlDataSource Control s Namespace Problem 365 The Xml Server
Control 366 Summary 368 CHAPTER 9: ADO.NET AND LINQ 369 ADO.NET
Architecture 371 Basic ADO.NET Features 372 Common ADO.NET Tasks 372
Basic ADO.NET Namespaces and Classes 377 ADO.NET Components 378 .NET
Data Providers 380 Connection Object 380 Command Object 381 Using
Stored Procedures with Command Objects 382 DataReader Object 385
Executing Commands Asynchronously 387 DataAdapter Objects 389 SQL
Server .NET Data Provider 394 OLE DB .NET Data Provider 394 The DataSet
Component 395 DataTableCollection 395 DataRelationCollection 395
ExtendedProperties 396 Creating and Using DataSet Objects 397 ADO.NET
DataTable Objects 398 Advanced ADO.NET Features of the DataSet and
DataTable Objects 399 Working with the Common Provider Model 401
Connection Pooling in ADO.NET 403 Transactions and System.Transactions 403
Creating Transactions 403 Creating Resource Managers 405 Summary 406
CHAPTER 10: DATA ACCESS WITH THE ENTITY FRAMEWORK 407 Object-Relational
Mapping 408 Entity Framework Architecture 408 Conceptual Model 410
Storage Model 416 Mapping Model 417 LINQ to Entities 417 The
ObjectContext 418 Mapping Objects to Entities 419 Simple Mapping 419
Using a Single Table for Multiple Objects 422 Updating the Model 425
Summary 426 CHAPTER 11: SERVICES (XML/WCF) 429 Web Services 430 How
This All Fits Together 431 What Makes a WCF Service 431 The Larger Move
to SOA 432 Capabilities of WCF 433 Contracts and Metadata 434
Working with the WS-* Protocols 434 Building a WCF Service 436 Creating
the Interface 437 Utilizing the Interface 438 Hosting the WCF Service
in a Console Application 439 Reviewing the WSDL Document 443 Building a
WCF Consumer 445 Adding a Service Reference 445 Reviewing the Reference
447 Configuration File Changes 449 Writing the Consumption Code 451
Working with Data Contracts 453 Namespaces 455 Building the Host 456
Building the Consumer 456 Looking at WSDL and the Schema for
HelloCustomerService 459 Summary 461 PART III: SPECIALIZED TOPICS AND
LIBRARIES CHAPTER 12: XAML ESSENTIALS 465 Features Shared by All XAML
Platforms 466 The XAML Markup Language 466 A Sample Page of XAML 467
Code-Behind and Naming of Elements 468 Getting Our Terminology Straight
469 The UIElement and FrameworkElement Classes 469 Commonly Used
Elements 469 Property Setting: Attribute Syntax vs. Element Syntax 470
Referencing Additional Namespaces in XAML 471 The Layout System 472
Measurement Units 472 Panels 472 Sizing and Layout of Elements 479
Controls and Content 484 Content Controls 484 Implications of the
Content Model 485 Brushes 486 Resources in XAML 488 The Resources
Property 488 More About Resource Dictionaries 489 Scope of a Resource
489 Data Binding 489 Data Binding: Fundamental Concepts 490 The
Binding Class and Binding Expressions 491 DataContext 492 Data Bindings
between XAML Elements 492 Other Ways to Specify a Data Source 493
Property Change Notifi cation 494 Data Conversion during Binding 494
Dealing with Binding Failures 497 Complex Binding Paths 498 Working
with Data Bindings in Code 498 Data Templates and ItemControls 499
Setting the Stage with Some Sample Data 500 ItemControls 501 The XAML
ListBox 501 Data Templates 503 Data Binding in Data Templates 506
Switching between Data Templates 507 Changing Layout of ListBox Items with
ItemsPanel 510 Additional ItemControls 510 Styles 510 What is a
Style? 510 Determining the Scope of a Style 511 Implicit Styles 512
BasedOn Styles 512 ItemContainerStyle 512 Control Templates 513
Lookless Controls 513 Reskinning a CheckBox 514 Creating Control
Templates 515 Summary 515 CHAPTER 13: CREATING XAML APPLICATIONS FOR
WINDOWS 8 517 How XAML Diff ers in Windows 8 518 Missing Elements 518
Old Elements Replaced by Functional Equivalents in Windows 8 519 Syntax
Diff erences 519 Using Page as the Root Visual Element 520 Windows 8 UI
Conventions 520 UI/UX Guidelines 522 Interaction between Your App and
the Windows 8 OS 522 Chromeless Apps 522 Snapped Views 522 Typeface
and Font Guidelines 523 Sizing and Layout of Visual Elements in an App 523
New Visual Elements in Windows 8 524 AppBar 524 ListView, GridView,
and FlipView Controls 527 Pickers 542 ProgressRing 543 ToggleSwitch
544 Other New Elements 544 Old Elements with New Usage 545 Changes
to the Visual Designer in Visual Studio 2012 547 Better Resource Selector
547 Common vs. Advanced Property Categories 548 Transform Properties
549 Animation 549 Application Templates in Visual Studio 2012 551
Split App 552 Grid App 552 Layout Aware Pages 555 Items in the
Common Folder 555 StandardStyles.xaml 555 Online Documentation for Grid
App and Split App Templates 556 Implementing a Live Tile 557
Implementing Contracts 558 Summary 560 CHAPTER 14: APPLICATIONS WITH
ASP.NET, MVC, JAVASCRIPT, AND HTML 561 Visual Studio Support for ASP.NET
562 Web Site and Web Application Projects 562 Web Server Options 562
Server-Side Development 563 Web Forms 563 Web Pages and Razor 586
ASP.NET MVC 602 Client-Side Web Development 624 Web Development with
HTML and JavaScript 624 Building Windows 8 Style Apps with HTML and
JavaScript 638 Summary 644 CHAPTER 15: LOCALIZATION 645 Cultures and
Regions 646 Understanding Culture Types 647 Looking at Your Thread 647
Declaring Culture Globally in ASP.NET 649 Adopting Culture Settings in
ASP.NET 650 Translating Values and Behaviors 652 Understanding Diff
erences in Dates 652 Differences in Numbers and Currencies 654
Understanding Diff erences in Sorting 656 ASP.NET Resource Files 658
Making Use of Local Resources 658 Localization for Windows Store Apps 663
Summary 665 CHAPTER 16: APPLICATION SERVICES 667 Using IIS for
Application Services 668 Windows Services 668 Characteristics of a
Windows Service 669 Interacting with Windows Services 669 Creating a
Windows Service 671 The .NET Framework Classes for Windows Services 671
Other Types of Windows Services 674 Creating a Windows Service in Visual
Basic 675 Creating a File Watcher Service 676 Creating a Solution for
the Windows Service 677 Adding .NET Components to the Service 677
Installing the Service 680 Starting the Service 681 Uninstalling the
Service 682 Communicating with the Service 683 The ServiceController
Class 683 Integrating a ServiceController into the Example 685 More
about ServiceController 686 Custom Commands 686 Passing Strings to a
Service 688 Debugging the Service 689 Summary 690 CHAPTER 17:
ASSEMBLIES AND REFLECTION 693 Assemblies 694 The Manifest 694
Assembly Identity 696 Referenced Assemblies 700 Assemblies and
Deployment 701 Application-Private Assemblies 701 Shared Assemblies 701
Versioning Issues 703 Application Isolation 703 Side-By-Side
Execution 704 Self-Describing Components 704 Version Policies 704
Configuration Files 706 Basics of Refl ection 709 The Assembly Class
710 Getting Currently Loaded Assemblies 711 The Type Class 711
Dynamic Loading of Assemblies 713 The LoadFrom Method of the Assembly
Class 713 Dynamic Loading Example 714 Putting Assemblies to Work 716
Summary 716 CHAPTER 18: SECURITY IN THE .NET FRAMEWORK 719 Security
Concepts and Defi nitions 720 Windows Store Projects 722 The
System.Security.Permissions Namespace 723 Code Access Permissions 727
Identity Permissions 728 Role-Based Permissions 728 Managing Code
Access Permission Sets 731 User Access Control 734 Defining Your
Application UAC Settings 735 Security Tools 737 Exceptions Using the
SecurityException Class 738 Encryption Basics 739 Hash Algorithms 741
Cryptographic Hash Algorithms 741 Symmetric Key Encryption 744 PKCS
747 Secure Sockets Layer 752 Summary 754 CHAPTER 19: PARALLEL
PROGRAMMING USING TASKS AND THREADS 757 Launching Parallel Tasks 758
System.Threading.Tasks.Parallel Class 758 Parallel.Invoke 759
Transforming Sequential Code to Parallel Code 764 Detecting Hotspots 765
Measuring Speedups Achieved by Parallel Execution 767 Understanding
Parallel 769 Parallelizing Loops 770 Parallel.For 770
Parallel.ForEach 775 Exiting from Parallel Loops 781 Specifying the
Desired Degree of Parallelism 786 ParallelOptions 786 Understanding
Hardware Threads and Logical Cores 788 Creating and Managing Tasks 788
System.Threading.Tasks.Task 790 Understanding a Task s Life Cycle 791
Using Tasks to Parallelize Code 793 Returning Values from Tasks 802
Preparing the Code for Parallelism 805 Understanding Concurrent Collection
Features 807 Transforming LINQ into PLINQ 810 Summary 813 CHAPTER
20: DEPLOYING XAML APPLICATIONS VIA THE WINDOWS 8 WINDOWS STORE 815 A New
Deployment Option for Windows 8 Apps 815 Deployment of WinRT Apps 816
Developer License 817 Working with the Windows Store 817 Getting an
Account at the Windows Store 817 Microsoft Account is Required 818
Windows Store Account Types 818 Steps to Obtain an Account 818
Requirements for Apps in the Windows Store 821 Specific Requirements 822
General Requirements 822 Working with the Windows Store in Visual Studio
2012 823 Options on the Store Menu 824 Creating an App Package 825
Checking to See if an App Meets Requirements 826 Deploying the App to the
Windows Store 827 Side-loading for LOB Apps in an Organization 828
Packaging and Validation 829 Preparing Client Machines for Side-loading
829 The Side-loading Operation 830 Summary 831 INDEX 833
Bill Sheldon, Visual Basic MVP for 8 years, is the Vice President of Information Technology for Rubio's Restaurants. He can be found at @NerdNotes. Billy Hollis, MVP, is a developer and UX designer at Next Version Systems. He is also a well-known and prolific speaker and trainer. Rob Windsor, MVP, is Lead SharePoint Consultant with Portal Solutions a Microsoft Gold Partner. David McCarter, MVP, is a principal software engineer/architect and editor-in-chief of dotNetTips.com. Gaston C. Hillar, MVP, is tech leader and architect at Bootsoft Inc. He contributes to Dr. Dobbs and blogs for Intel Software Network. Todd Herman is a senior software engineer at Apx Labs focused on developing a library to support the XMPP standard.
