- Paperback: 381 pages
- Publisher: Microsoft Press,U.S.; Pap/Cdr edition (1 Feb 2000)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0735607338
- ISBN-13: 978-0735607330
- Product Dimensions: 18.8 x 4.6 x 3.1 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,481,326 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
It's no secret that Visual Basic is a popular choice for today's developers, but it's also true that there is a lot of bad code out there too. Practical Standards for Microsoft Visual Basic seeks to remedy this situation with a compilation of dozens of useful hints for writing clearer, faster and more maintainable code. Presented in a simple, easy-to-understand style, this is a book that can benefit any VB programmer, regardless of your level of expertise.
Based on the author's extensive experience with Visual Basic, this text compiles dozens of hints for programming more effectively. The most important suggestions have to do with naming and coding style. The author recommends using "Hungarian Notation," in which prefixes are used with variable names to describe the scope and data type of all variables. Tables and sample code show you how to get going here. There are many suggestions for writing more maintainable code. A chapter on writing effective comments is a standout. Throughout this book, the author provides examples and "incorrect" and "correct" code practices. (This edition makes good use of two-colour presentation and highlighted text to show off key concepts effectively.) A final section looks at the importance of source version control with Microsoft Visual SourceSafe.
While more expert programmers may quibble with some of the author's preferences here, there's much to mine in Practical Standards for Microsoft Visual Basic. Whether or not your shop adopts all of these suggestions, there's little doubt that any VB programmer can benefit from this compilation of some excellent ideas for writing better code. --Richard Dragan, amazon.com
Topics covered: Problems with Visual Basic code today, advantages of coding standards, using custom object and project templates, effective module design (cohesion, fan-in and fan-out), naming conventions and the Hungarian Notation, creating descriptive names, constants vs. magic numbers, enumerations, error handling tips and techniques, indenting code, using white space, guide to writing effective comments, end-of-line comments, flow control statements, user interface design hints, form and menu design, consistency, using system colours, user input, mouse and keyboard interaction, version control, using readme files, and installing and using Microsoft Visual SourceSafe.
Product Description
The same attributes that make the Visual Basic development system exceptionally productive and easy to use can also inadvertently lead to sloppy programming. But "Practical Standards for Microsoft Visual Basic" introduces developers to the proven practices that allow them to exploit the power of rapid development -- without creating hidden land mines in performance and maintainability. Designed for the recreational as well as the professional programmer, this book uses illustrative code samples -- many from real-world commercial projects -- to demonstrate practical solutions to programming just about any process -- with better, more reliable code!
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
As members of a functional society, we adhere to standards every day of our lives. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
As members of a functional society, we adhere to standards every day of our lives. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Part of my role is to provide guidance on VBA programming standards and best practices, but I was keen to find supporting documentation for my approach.
This book contains all the VBA standards I propose and then some and really gives some nice examples of WHY such standards should be adhered to.
There is nothing in this book that I would not agree with, and as Mr Foxhall, the author, states, it's better to adopt a standard and stick with it rather than chopping and changing the approach.
Highly recommend - and should be required reading for all VB(A) programmers!
This book contains all the VBA standards I propose and then some and really gives some nice examples of WHY such standards should be adhered to.
There is nothing in this book that I would not agree with, and as Mr Foxhall, the author, states, it's better to adopt a standard and stick with it rather than chopping and changing the approach.
Highly recommend - and should be required reading for all VB(A) programmers!
Format:Paperback
As a new user to VB I read the book because I was asked to define VB standards for my department. The book was easy to read and it covered some subjects in great detail, for example, error handling, using constants and enumerations and commenting code. The code examples in the book all used the standards Foxall describes and they show quality in the techniques he is trying to promote. Some of the standards set out in the book can be applied to other languages, but some VB specific subjects are covered in detail. The book helped me complete my task and many of the standards in the book have been adopted for my department.
If you are new to VB then reading this book will allow you to write quality code right from the start. If you are an experienced programmer then many of the techniques will seem like common sense, but it will show you what your bad habits are, I found mine.
Format:Paperback
I found the book very useful and an easy read. There is a chapter devoted to error handling strategies and a workaround for the lack of a try..finally syntax in VB i.e. ensure there is only a single exit point for every procedure.
My main criticism is that many of the points were very general and could apply to any langauge i.e. make procedures simple, use constants or enumerated types instead of 'magic' numbers. Other books, such as Steve McConnell's 'Code Complete', already cover these points very comprehensively so including them again here provides less room for dealing with VB-specific issues. For example, I'd have liked some reference to using (or not using) conditional compiler directives, or re-emphasising OO techniques.
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