Programming for Technology Students Using Visual Basic

Ideal for those who have never programmed before or who have only rudimentary programming experience. This introduction to Visual Basic begins with the problem-solving and programming concepts that are fundamental to all programming-to help students master the fundamentals required to create programs from scratch. The first four chapters use a template to emphasize fundamentals without having to deal with Windows environment considerations (e.g., events and objects). The remainder continues to build on fundamentals in a Windows object-oriented event-driven environment. Along the way, students develop a solid understanding of program analysis, design, language elements, documentation, control structures, testing, algorithms, input/output processing, file processing, and data structures. Note: Book contains CD-ROM containing Visual Basic.* Meets most of the curriculum requirements as specified by the ACM and the IEEE Computer Society for PR: Introduction to a Programming Language. * Discusses algorithms and data structures. * Covers documentation, testing, debugging and troubleshooting.
* Explains multimedia programming, use of the Windows Component object Model (COM) (formerly Object Linking and Embedding (OLE), and database programming. * Covers both Visual Basic 4 and Visual Basic 5. * When there are differences between how Versions 4 and 5 use the Visual Basic development system, the text explains how to perform operations using both versions. * Explains programming principles from the ground up. * Starts with a Visual Basic template (the "Introduction Template") to teach structured code and introduces a simple simulator based on giving instructions to a simulated robot. * As the text progresses, students are eased into using event-driven programming and visual interface design. * Students eventually move beyond the Introduction Template to learn the advanced programming techniques that take full advantage of Visual Basic and third-party add-on resources. * Uses scenarios of a fictitious small manufacturing company - Cougar Canoe Company - to provide context for programming in the real world.
* Introduces new material when it is needed in terms of solving a problem - so immediately uses the knowledge for both business and technical applications as related to the company. * Uses explicit data type variables and conversions and variable naming conventions. * Encourages the use of stringent data typing that would be required for languages such as C++ and Java. * Explains how to use on-line help included with Visual Basic to prepare them to move beyond the text. * Follows the same format in each chapter: * List of objectives. * The scenario of an application requirement that illustrates why the content is covered. * Topics explaining the content - examples, sample problems with solutions, documentation, troubleshooting: debugging and testing, highlights of key points. * Hands-on exercises (with questions) to provide practice with the content. * Additional problem solving to check mastery of content. * Provides appendices with useful references to: * Conventions. * Language elements. * Resources - including Internet resources. * A glossary. * Features an accompanying CD-ROM that includes: * A working copy of Visual Basic 4.
* A simplified on-line help system that can be accessed using a Web browser. * All the programming files and examples. * Supplemental information used in the exercises. * Answers to the questions and solutions to most problems.