Create a Custom Application Block That Decouples Your Code
Rating: Paul Kimmel - 05/31/2005 Implement Paul Kimmel's Radio pattern to separate internal messaging within an application. Along the way, you'll learn how to create a reusable custom application block for the same purpose.
Prime Programming Proficiency, Part 3: Lines-of-Code Counter
Rating: none Paul Kimmel - 08/12/2004 You can track the number of projects, files, and lines of code in any given solution implemented with VS.NET. Just invoke a built-in, lines-of-code counter in VS.NET and implement it as a macro that other teams can share.
Selecting a Geometrical Object
Rating: Lea Hayes - 07/09/2004 Learn about a method of selecting a geometrical object which is described by its vertices. This article might be of use if you are creating 2D or 3D shape related software.
How Visual Basic 6 Stores Data
Rating: Pinky98 - 06/29/2004 This article describes how VB 6 stores Bytes, Booleans, Integers, Longs, Singles, Doubles, Strings (Fixed- and Variable-Length), Currencys, Dates, Variants, Arrays and UDTs.
Creating a Transposition Table
Rating: none Ziad Cassim - 09/03/2003 Use a transposition algorithm in Visual Basic. Using any text, the algorithm produces every permutation possible. (The article, demo project, and source code were updated.)
Console Applications Shutdown Manager
Rating: TT(n) - 08/28/2008 The Windows "Turn off" buttons are three or more steps away from the desktop work area,
depending on your personal settings. This can be not only inconvenient, but downright bothersome at times. These programs can power down the computer, in just one or two steps.
A Prize Console-ation in VB 2005
Rating: Josh Fitzgerald - 05/22/2006 Think console applications are old news? Then you haven't tried the cool new console application features available in VB 2005. Check out some of this author's favorites.
Taking the Visual out of Visual Basic
Rating: none Karl Moore - 09/24/2003 Learn how to creating a DOS-style console application with Visual Basic. The simplicity of doing this may surprise you!
Calculating the Years Between Dates
Rating: none Karl Moore - 03/18/2004 Business applications often find it useful to calculate the number of years between two particular dates, such as the date a customer first ordered and the present date, perhaps to see whether they apply for a "loyalty" discount or a free gift.
Figuring Out Quarters in .NET
Rating: Karl Moore - 03/16/2004 Calculating the opening and closing quarter dates for a particular date is a common task for programmers. So, to save you from figuring out how to write that code, here are some ready-to-run functions that do it all for you.
Calculating the Next Working Day in .NET
Rating: Karl Moore - 03/11/2004 Sometimes you don't just want to add a certain number of days to a date; you want to take working days into account.
Leap Year Validation
Rating: none Thomas A. Cassano - 01/30/2004 Check if a given year is a leap year - fully Y2K compliant. (Added: 2-May-1999)
Julian Date Code
Rating: none Thomas A. Cassano - 01/30/2004 Calculate dates from a Julian calendar. (Added: 2-May-1999)
Debugging and Tracing XML Documents from Comments
Rating: none Paul Kimmel - 01/08/2008 Intellisense is a programmer's best friend. The framework is too big to memorize, but Intellisense can make finding things manageable. Extend Intellisense into your own code with XML comments in Visual Studio 8 and 9.
Implementing a Custom TraceListener
Rating: none Paul Kimmel - 12/04/2002 A mainstay of software engineering is a concept called tracing. The basic idea is that you insert statements into your code that provide information about your application while it is running. (.NET)
Encryption VB .NET Tip: Encryption in Just Twelve Lines of Code!
Rating: Karl Moore - 08/05/2005 If you don't want the overhead or complexity of a government-standard encryption technique, there is a simple solution.
Encrypt DataSets for Offline Storage
Rating: none Paul Kimmel - 01/28/2005 Learn how to encrypt offline data, .NET style. Paul Kimmel offers you the opportunity to experiment with ADO.NET, XML serialization, streams, and the DPAPI—technologies you can use to encrypt user data.
Combining Symmetric and Asymmetric Encryption
Rating: larryjf - 11/01/2004 Explains symmetric and asymmetric encryption, and then shows how to combine them. The .NET framework is used. All code snippets are written in VB.NET.
Encrypting Data in .NET 09/17/2003 If you want to conceal chunks of data like connection strings or data written to a database or XML file then you could use the simplified class resting on the CryptoAPI demonstrated in this article.
Games and Fun The Amazing GroupBox, Part 2
Rating: none Hannes du Preez - 07/21/2008 Gain the ability to contain controls and add a little preview for your control in design time.
The Amazing GroupBox, Part 1
Rating: Hannes du Preez - 07/01/2008 Learn how to create your own GroupBox, with added features such as Alignment for the Title, and a scrollbar for child controls.
Creating a Pong Game
Rating: none Quasar - 06/05/2008 It's a simple game, but this tutorial will get you playing in a very short time.
Animation in VB (Part 1)
Rating: Richard Newcombe - 02/11/2008 Look at doing a simple stick figure animations, and then use similar methods to create a simple, fast-paced 2D vector animated game.
Developing an Application for Facebook
Rating: Hannes du Preez - 11/28/2007 Discover, and learn to use, some of the behind-the-scenes technologies used with Facebook, and learn how to write an application that interfaces with Facebook.
[Updated] Wallpaper Changer
Rating: Hannes du Preez - 11/06/2007 Learn how to create an application that changes your wallpapers after a specified period, as well as how to apply the Tile, Center, and Stretch wallpaper styles.
Customising Your Desktop with Visual Basic.NET 2005
Rating: Hannes du Preez - 10/09/2007 Learn how to launch, configure, and preview screen savers on your own form; also, learn how to change the computer's Visual style (along with the fonts and colours pertaining to the particular visual style), and other useful things.
A WebCam Class in Visual Basic
Rating: none Liam Bateman - 07/12/2007 Discover a simple class to control the settings in your Web Cam.
Why Most Code Looks Like a Rube Goldberg Invention
Rating: Paul Kimmel - 01/10/2007 Reliability is a by-product of beautiful code, so conscientious programmers care about the look of their code. But who's got the time to write beautiful code when deadlines and end users couldn't care less what the code looks like? Here's how to make the time.
Old Programmers Never Die, They Just Become Managers. Not!
Rating: Paul Kimmel - 03/17/2006 What young programmers have in energy, we veteran programmers have in experience. Find out how to use that experience to stay one step ahead of the eager youngsters.
More: You Might Be Suffocating in a Constipated Bureaucracy If...
Rating: Paul Kimmel - 06/30/2005 Paul Kimmel sends up the IT workplace with another parody based on the comedy of Jeff Foxworthy. Depending on how close to home these comical scenarios hit, you may not know whether to laugh or cry.
All I Want for Christmas Are Words
Rating: none Paul Kimmel - 12/03/2004 Dear Santa, all Paul Kimmel wants for Christmas is code that employs whole words and a sane use of capitalization, abolishing funny prefix characters and prefix notations. Is he asking too much?
Moses Delivers the Ten Commandments for Programmers
Rating: Paul Kimmel - 10/22/2004 If you asked Charlton Heston, Moses in the epic film The Ten Commandments, to list 10 useful commandments for programmers, Paul Kimmel believes this would be his answer.
You Might be Suffocating in a Constipated Bureaucracy If...
Rating: Paul Kimmel - 08/13/2004 If every project you work on has a schedule before it has a plan, you might be suffocating in a constipated bureaucracy. That's just one of the 36 workplace quips you'll find as Paul Kimmel does for programmers what Jeff Foxworthy did for rednecks.
Programming for Fun and Profit
Rating: none Paul Kimmel - 01/26/2004 Learn to tap into the cards.dll provided with Windows to give your card games the same professional look used in Windows' card games!
Creating the Brainvita Game
Rating: none Sachin Arun Chavan - 01/09/2003 A simple VB game program that takes advantage of using the image control's index property. Created with just a few lines of code (less than 10).
Icons Getting Associated Icons Using VB .NET
Rating: Parvez Ahmad Hakim - 10/21/2003 Learn how to use Visual Basic .NET with the SHGetFileInfo function to get the icons that are associated with files.
Misc Creating an Ultra-Thin Client 02/04/2004 Learn two techniques for creating thin .NET clients without the inflexibility of Web applications.
Polynomial Fit Functions
Rating: Frank Schindler - 01/30/2004 Learn about a class that provides an easy way to add polynomial regression functionality to any application. (Added: 24-Sep-2000)
An Othello / Reversi Game in VB5 / 6
Rating: none Stefaan Casier - 01/30/2004 Build a Reversi Game in VB. It also demonstrates some good graphical techniques. (Added: 7-Mar-2000)
Command Line Parsing and More
Rating: none Mike Poulin - 01/30/2004 Simplify Command Line Parsing (Added: 28-Jun-1999)
Check Credit Card Number
Rating: none BrewGuru99 - 01/30/2004 Validate a Credit Card number, returning true/false on the results. (Added: 24-Sep-2000)
Detecting Mouse-Clicks Globally
Rating: Aaron Young - 01/30/2004 Learn how to detect a mouse click anywhere in Windows. (Added: 1-Feb-2000)
The Trick to Temporary Files 12/01/2003 Learn how to create (and then remove) temporary files from your Visual Basic programs.
How Big Is That File'—in English? 12/01/2003 What a human being would call one gigabyte, a computer would call 1073741824 bytes. How do you translate one into the other? Karl shows you how in Visual Basic.
Multi-Language Support Slow Chat with the MS Visual Basic Team
Rating: none Bradley Jones - 08/08/2008 VBForums had a Slow Chat with some of the members of the Microsoft Visual Basic team. Find out what's new and important with VB here.
Numbers Base Number Conversion Routines
Rating: John Pirkey - 01/30/2004 Learn to convert decimal numbers to any base system (up to base 36) and back again. (Added: 3-May-2000)
OOP OP-ED: Do You Hear the Sirens' Song?
Rating: Paul Kimmel - 11/21/2007 Everyone has ideas about how to build software. Explore some common fallacies and collect some hints that may help you along the way. All of the ideas are the opinion of the author (who is sometimes wrong).
When OOP Becomes POO
Rating: Paul Kimmel - 03/31/2005 Many people who understand OOP well enough to use it are trying to create it too. Paul Kimmel says that's often when OOP becomes POO.
Has Visual Basic Lost Its Way?
Rating: Paul Kimmel - 02/22/2005 Paul Kimmel says the next big paradigm shift in programming will be based on .NET. Find out what he predicts VB's role will be in this coming change, and why he wonders whether Microsoft dropped the ball with VB.NET.
It Is a Matter of State
Rating: Paul Kimmel - 06/02/2004 Learn about the State pattern, which permits an object to change its behavior dynamically by changing its internal state, creating the illusion that the object has changed.
Data Transfer Object Pattern Goes VB.NET
Rating: none Achtermeier Andre - 04/29/2004 How to implement the dto-pattern in VB.NET, so that the client side has nothing to know about the data structure.
PDF A PDF Solution for All Programming Platforms
Rating: none Victor Volkman - 07/12/2006 To begin writing raw PDF files, you need a solid working knowledge of PostScript—and that's not pretty. In reality, you need a complete PDF library that handles all your document-creation needs.
Write to a PDF File From VB
Rating: Dinesh Asanka - 11/14/2003 Learn how to create a PDF file using Visual Basic. (The source code and demo project were updated.)
Add-Ins for Ms-Excel
Rating: none Nileema Sadar - 08/16/2006 Learn about two add-ins, one for case sensitivity and one for a non-case sensitive search.
VB and Voice Recognition: Part 4
Rating: Richard Newcombe - 03/03/2006 Although many use text to speech, this covers most of the controls, properties, and how to add it to a diction application.
VB and Voice Recognition, Part 2
Rating: none Richard Newcombe - 01/26/2006 Delve in a little deeper into Voice recognition and add Voice diction to your Voice text editor.
VB and Voice Recognition
Rating: Richard Newcombe - 12/13/2005 Adding voice commands to your application is not as difficult as many may think.
Everything About Plugins
Rating: B. Westerbaan - 10/07/2003 A relatively abstract article on building and using plug-ins. The focus is on VB .NET.
Understanding Plugins
Rating: David Zimmer - 06/27/2003 Learn how to create plugins for your applications using Visual Basic.
Printing with Formatting in VB .NET
Rating: none Jereme Guenther - 05/04/2006 Learn about a printing class that allows text to be formatted at the character level.
An EMF Spoolfile Viewer
Rating: none Clearcode - 05/19/2005 Windows NT (and decendants) has the option of spooling print files in EMF format. This application allows you to view these files onscreen as they would appear on the printed page.
Fill a combobox with current defined printers
Rating: none Andri Masson - 01/30/2004 Populate a list/combo box with a list of all installed printers on your system. (Added: 22-Jun-1999)
The Secret Rebirth of Visual Basic's .PrintForm
Rating: none Karl Moore - 01/30/2004 Like a number of older features, Visual Basic's .PrintForm got sold out in the name of 'standardization.' Learn how to bring it back!
A .NET Text Printing Class... That Works! 10/31/2003 Because not all of Microsoft's examples work as expected, Karl will show you how to have your applications print from the .NET Framework.
Samples Text to Speech Using Windows SAPI
Rating: none saifi hasan - 06/26/2007 Learn how to use the Windows Text-To-Speech (TTS) API.
[Updated] Sample Code: Sudoku in VB .NET
Rating: Michael Champion - 12/22/2006 Sudoku is a logic-based location puzzle game normally played using numbers. This is simply an introduction to some of the facets of VB .NET using the mathematics behind Sudoku.
An Orcas Preview: Go Inside the Next Version of VB
Rating: none Josh Fitzgerald - 07/07/2006 Visual Basic 9 (codename: Orcas) promises exciting new features to make developers' lives easier, especially in the areas of data access and management. Get a feature preview of a few standouts.
Discovering Visual Basic .NET: Using Functions and Arguments
Rating: Bill Hatfield - 12/30/2004 A lot of functionality it already done for you. Learn how to use built-in functionality in Visual Basic .NET. with this installment of our Visual Basic .NET tutorials.
[Updated] Writing Your Own GPS Applications: Part I
Rating: Jon Person - 12/29/2004 What is it that GPS applications need to be good enough to handle in-car navigation? Also, how does the process of interpreting GPS data actually work? This two-part series will cover both topics and give you the skills you need to write a commercial-grade GPS application that works with a majority of GPS devices in the industry today.
Excel 2 Win!
Rating: Sids - 03/10/2004 This tutorial demonstrates how to copy Excel data into a Windows DataGrid Control from the Clipboard.
DuckHunt - a game
Rating: none John M Whittle - 01/30/2004 Program a look-alike of a classic game. (Added: 31-Dec-1998)
Text "Search and Replace" in Visual Basic Applications
Rating: none zipcn046 - 03/24/2005 Implementing "Search and Replace" functionality in your VB application is very easy. The straightforward and to-the-point algorithm that I developed for this will make it easier for you to understand it.
String Function - CountWords
Rating: none M. Tufail - 02/07/2004 Learn how to code a routine to return the number of words in a string (including strings containing CR/LF codes). (Added: 4-Apr-2000)
VB Syntax Coloring
Rating: none Sam Huggil - 02/07/2004 Learn about another method to color code VB Syntax in an RTF control. (Added: 9-Jun-1999)
Formatting Strings
Rating: none clabbott76 - 02/07/2004 Learn how to left, right, or center text within a specified length. EG. format "Hello" right justified within a length of 10 characters. " Hello". (Added: 9-Jun-1999)
Removing Characters and Strings from a String (VB6)
Rating: none Konstantin Komissarchik - 02/07/2004 Learn how to wrap the VB6 Replace command to remove any characters from a string, eg. StripOut("abcdefg", "bdf") This will return a string that had all of its 'b', 'd', and 'f' characters removed. (Added: 12-May-1999)
String Functions - Library of Routines
Rating: none Craig Shea - 02/07/2004 Learn about a BAS file with a powerful collection of routines to handle string parsing / splitting. (Added: 4-Apr-2000)
Extracting Path / Filename from a String
Rating: none clabbott76 - 02/07/2004 Take a Windows compatible path and break it into the filename with extension and without extension, the extension alone, the path, and whether it's a valid file or not. (Added: 9-Jun-1999)
Standard Name Formatting Routine
Rating: none Konstantin Komissarchik - 02/07/2004 Discover a standard routine for formatting a name in a string'—useful for formatting fields from databases (such as ForeName, Surname, Initial etc). (Added: 12-May-1999)
Creating Gradient Text
Rating: none Osama Abdel-Karim - 02/07/2004 Learn interesting methods of producing gradient filled text within a picturebox. (Added: 20-Jan-2000)
Improved Mid$ Statement
Rating: none Konstantin Komissarchik - 02/07/2004 Learn how to wrap the VB Mid$ statement into an error free piece of code. Negative values are automatically checked and handled. (Added: 12-May-1999)
Insert Strings into a String
Rating: none John Stendor - 02/07/2004 Learn how to insert strings inside an existing string with different alignments. Good for building fixed page headers on reports. (Added: 27-Jul-1999)
Improved Trim$ Statement
Rating: none Konstantin Komissarchik - 02/07/2004 Learn how to wrap the VB Trim$ statement to trim all the whitespace in a string (or any other character that you want). (Added: 12-May-1999)
Tips OP-ED: Software Development from Core to Cosmetics
Rating: Paul Kimmel - 11/25/2008 Few projects end up having too much time. Successfully completing a project often depends on tackling core, significant, and risky aspects of any custom solution first—like the long hard march up hill—and finishing with the trim, or cosmetic work, last.
OP-ED: The Realities of an Uncertain Economy
Rating: Paul Kimmel - 10/23/2008 When handed a crate of lemons, make lemonade. Success in a tough economic climate is about perspective and attitude.
OP-ED: What Kind of Boss...
Rating: none Paul Kimmel - 09/16/2008 Wisdom is figuring out whether every time you encounter a pointy-headed manager you are going to roll over and save your sanity (and possibly your job) or stand up, be counted, and risk greatness or the guillotine. There is a temporary sense of safety in staying with the herd, but all herd-roads lead to the butcher.
Op-Ed: Fish or Cut Bait
Rating: Paul Kimmel - 07/16/2008 If a person or group does something successfully one time, ten times, or a hundred times, there is an increasingly better chance that group will succeed again. All of the books in the world won't turn a ten year old kid into Gordy Howe or Wayne Gretzky. There is an element of talent. Find the talent.
Unit Testing with Service Stubs or Mock Types
Rating: none Paul Kimmel - 05/19/2008 Build your applications with built-in "mock types" (aka "services stubs") to facilitate continued development and unit testing even when essential systems services are unavailable.
OP-ED: Fixed-Price Software Projects, or, The Quickest Way to a Financial Calamity
Rating: none Paul Kimmel - 02/15/2008 Successful software projects have to begin with the premise that a fixed price, time, and project that is accurate may be a fantasy because there are too many unknowns—people sometimes being the worst offenders. Fix a time and price to what can be fixed and pay for what must be paid for.
Sanity Checks for Your ASP.NET Web Site
Rating: mendhak - 02/01/2008 Discover a few points to keep in mind during and after the creation of your web site, such as form referrer check, URL canonization, and so forth.
OP-ED: Monday Morning Quarterbacking Is Alive and Well
Rating: Paul Kimmel - 12/21/2007 A Monday morning quarterback is a person who, after the event, offers advice or criticism concerning decisions made by others; or, one who second guesses. Too many Monday morning quarterbacks on Sunday evening can screw up your Focus IQ. Learn what "Focus IQ" is, why you want the score as high as possible, and how to get it there.
Project Estimation Geometry
Rating: none Paul Kimmel - 09/10/2007 Learn how to estimate projects (the tangible and intangibles) effectively in the real world to ensure success.
Speeding Up .NET
Rating: Bill Hatfield - 07/31/2007 .NET programmers can become a little lazy when it comes to performance optimization. Discover a few easy tips to keep performance at a peak!
OP-ED: Process is Irrelevant
Rating: none Paul Kimmel - 07/25/2007 Knowledge, flexibility, and the discretion of smart individuals beats a one-size fits all rule book any day.
Exploring the Value of .NET Users Groups
Rating: none Paul Kimmel - 03/14/2007 Participating in your local .NET users group can lead to greater job satisfaction, money, and prestige. Don't doubt it; the author is living proof.
[Updated] Fuzzy Matching Demo in Access
Rating: none DataClean - 01/30/2007 Dare to enter the world of approximate string matching with this introduction, tutorial, and Access 2000 database demo with a 99% precision/recall.
Can $ Reduce the Size of VB6 Applications?
Rating: Homaioon Eslami - 12/11/2006 Study the effect of the dollar sign on reducing the size of Visual Basic 6.0 applications.
Your Guide to Fast, Fail-Proof Software Development
Rating: Paul Kimmel - 10/03/2005 Software projects fail because some critical management principles remain largely ignored. Find out what the prerequisites are for building software as quickly as humanly possible.
Why I'm Testy About Tests
Rating: Paul Kimmel - 07/29/2005 Paul Kimmel says tests are impersonal, impractical, and inefficient for evaluating potential. Worst of all, they promote laziness in personnel departments that use them as the determining factor for hiring.
Working with ASP.Net and Crystal Reports 9 with and Without RAS 9 Server
Rating: Muhammad Musa Ali - 06/22/2005 You know the problems that you face when working with Crystal Reports due to its poor and confusing documentation. See ready-to-go code to access reports developed in Crystal Reports 9 (with or without RAS 9) using ASP.NET.
Generate Excel Pivot Reports Using VB 6.0
Rating: Ramdeep Bhattacharya - 10/07/2004 Learn how a common procedure can be written in VB to generate Excel pivot reports using COM.
Update Tables in WISE Using VBScript
Rating: none OsnatHassner - 08/12/2004 Learn how change a Property value (in the Property table) in Wise using a VBScript.
Creating Excel Spreadsheets and Charts from VB
Rating: none jp140768 - 08/10/2004 Learn how to fill in a work sheet, create new worksheets, and also create a chart based on details of your sheets.
VB .NET Versioning
Rating: Josip Medved - 06/04/2004 Use VB6 AutoIncrement versioning in .NET projects.
Hottest Forum Q&A on CodeGuru from the week of March 14th, 2004
Rating: none Sonu Kapoor - 03/22/2004 Lots of hot topics are covered in the Discussion Forums on CodeGuru. If you missed the forums this week, you missed some interesting ways to solve a problem.
Handling Multiple Command Line Arguments
Rating: Konstantin Komissarchik - 02/05/2004 how to handle multiple command line arguments that can be used with a VB EXE program. (Added: 12-May-1999)
Date Function : IsGoodFriday
Rating: none Thomas Cassano - 02/05/2004 Learn how to check whether a date is the 'Good Friday' holiday. (Added: 12-May-1999)
User Defined Types (UDTs) Anonymous Types (or Projections) in VB9
Rating: none Paul Kimmel - 06/08/2007 Anonymous types (or projections) are a new feature that permits you to define strong types on the fly without writing the nominal—full class—definition. Learn how to implement Anonymous types in VB9.
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