Visual Basic 6 for Dummies (for Windows)

Visual Basic 6 for Dummies (for Windows)
by Wallace Wang

Visual Basic 6 for Dummies (for Windows)
List Price: $29.99
Category: Book
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Book Summary Information

Author: Wallace Wang
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 1998-09-04
ISBN: 0764503707
Number of pages: 504
Publisher: For Dummies

Book Reviews of Visual Basic 6 for Dummies (for Windows)

Book Review: Not so hot
Summary: 2 Stars

I generally like Dummies books, but this one is a little weak. The book covers a lot of topics but is really short on examples. I went through 90% of it and still didn't feel like I could actually write a meaningfull program. I purchased "Microsoft Visiual Basic 6.0 Professional step by step" by Michael Halvorson and found it to be MUCH better. I'm about 50% of the way through it and have learned a lot more.

Summary of Visual Basic 6 for Dummies (for Windows)

Create your own custom Visual Basic programs fast for Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows NT with the power and friendly object-oriented interface of Microsoft's Visual Basic 6 with Visual Basic 6 For Dummies.

Here's a great resource to help you

  • Understand the art of object-oriented programming in Visual Basic
  • Build attractive user interfaces with buttons, boxes, and scroll bars
  • Master menus and submenus -- plus expanding, pull-down, and pop-up menus -- quickly and easily
  • Discover how to write subprograms that everyone can share
  • Save and retrieve information in databases like Microsoft Access
  • Integrate your own special ActiveX controls into applications
From the fundamentals of writing BASIC code to the thrill of distributing your very own custom applications, programming expert Wallace Wang brings a fresh and humorous perspective to the world of Visual Basic in terms everyone can understand. Plus, the bonus CD-ROM that comes with Visual Basic 6 For Dummies includes all the source code and examples from the book, along with demo or trial versions of some cool VB and ActiveX programs.
"A witty, well-written guide to Visual Basic 6.0."

I have a stack of Visual Basic books to wade through, and I chose this one because, well, I love Wally Wang. We go way back, back to obscure computer magazines and that one night in Vegas when we found $600 (plus an unknown amount of a certain South American currency) in our hotel room. But that's a story for another day.

I love the way Wally (known as Wallace on the cover because "Wally Wang" just doesn't translate well in England) writes. He can certainly make a dull subject bright. There is no denying his humor in the figures and throughout the text and examples.

The book is massively entertaining. But the question is, does it teach Visual Basic well? And therein lies the rub, not only in this but also with all Visual Basic books. Unlike traditional programming languages, Visual Basic is both a language and a product. So, the question is, which do you talk about first, creating a Visual Basic program or using the Visual Basic interface? Wally opts for the interface first, which he handles well. Alas, my goal in learning any new programming language is to write the first program. In this book, that doesn't happen until chapter 4. Ouch.

Happily, though, once the book gets going, there's no stopping it--it is packed. The pace is swift, and the steps outlining each project are thick. This may be too much for some beginners, but it sated my appetite for relearning this programming language. (My first books were on GW Basic way back in the mid-1800s.)

The book's hefty cover price means it has a CD-ROM, which I didn't look at. But even without looking at it, I enjoyed reading Wally's text--something I haven't done in too long a time. --Dan Gookin

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