Professional Visual Basic 2012 and .NET 4.5 Programming

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.

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