Developing Multitier Applications

• Dividing logical layers into multiple components
• Reusing components with different UIs
• Persisting component data into databases

The .NET Framework

Common Language Runtime (CLR)

• CLR architecture and services
• Compiling VB code into Intermediate Language

Framework Class Library (FCL)

• Windows and Web Forms and controls
• File I/O
• Regular Expressions
• Data access with ADO.NET
• Heterogeneous and generic collections

Key Visual Basic Advantages

User interface design

• Web and Windows Forms and controls
• Automating data-driven application construction
• Leveraging data binding with binding sources
• Web Forms with ASP.NET
• Validating Web Forms declaratively

VB productivity enhancements

• Documenting with XML code comments
• Edit and continue debugging
• Code snippets
• Debugger visualisation
• My namespace characteristics
• Integrated unit testing

VB language enhancements

• Type inference and anonymous types
• XML literals

Object-Oriented Programming

Encapsulation

• Designing classes with the Class Designer
• Protecting private data with properties
• Comparing constructors and object initialisers
• Creating shared, overloaded and extension methods

Inheritance

• Implementing inheritance hierarchies
• Eliminating code duplication
• Overriding base class methods
• Accessing protected base class data

Polymorphism

• Types of polymorphism
• Interface-based programming
• Supporting sorting with IComparable
• Creating MustInherit base classes

Exceptions and Events

Designing and consuming events

• Responding to UI control interaction
• Creating custom business object events
• Handling events dynamically and statically
• Applying WithEvents and Handles
• The AddressOf operator

Structured exception handling

• Catching and deciphering exception messages
• Throwing exceptions in business objects
• Cleaning up resources with Finally blocks
• Automating cleanup with Using blocks

Data Manipulation with ADO.NET and LINQ

The ADO.NET model

• Working with SQL Server
• Connected vs. disconnected approaches
• The System.Data namespace

Programming ADO.NET objects

• Coding connections, commands and datareaders
• Executing parameterised queries from VB
• Maximising performance with stored procedures
• Maintaining data consistency with transactions

Programming Language Integrated Query (LINQ)

• Constructing LINQ expressions
• Employing the standard query operators: Where, OrderBy, Select
• Applying the LINQ to SQL object relational mapper
• Filtering and generating XML with LINQ to XML

Deploying Visual Basic Applications

• Preparing the release build
• Comparing XCopy and Setup projects
• Publishing Windows and Web applications