Sams Teach Yourself Visual Basic 6 in 24 Hours

By Greg Perry

• Table of Contents
  • Copyright
  • About the Author
  • Acknowledgments
  • Introduction
  • Who Should Read This Book
  • What This Book Will Do for You
  • Can This Book Really Teach Visual Basic in 24 Hours?
  • What You Need
  • Files on the Visual Basic Distribution CD-ROM
  • Conventions Used in This Book
  • Enough! Time Is Ticking!
  • Part I: Introducing Visual Basic
  • Hour 1. Visual Basic at Work
  • Hour 2.Analyzing Visual Basic Programs
  • Hour 3.Controls and Properties
  • Hour 4.Examining Labels, Buttons, and Text Boxes
  • Part II: Coding the Details
  • Hour 5.Putting Code into Visual Basic
  • Hour 6.Message and Input Boxes
  • Hour 7.Making Decisions
  • Hour 8.Visual Basic Looping
  • Part III:Putting Code to Work
  • Hour 9.Combining Code and Controls
  • Hour 10.List Boxes and Data Lists
  • Hour 11.Additional Controls
  • Hour 12.Dialog Box Basics
  • Part IV:Programming with Data
  • Hour 13.Modular Programming
  • Hour 14.Built-In Functions Save Time
  • Hour 15.Visual Basic Database Basics
  • Hour 16.Printing with Visual Basic
  • Part V:Sprucing Up Programs
  • Hour 17.Menus and Visual Basic
  • Hour 18.The Graphic Image Controls
  • Hour 19.Toolbars and More Graphics
  • Hour 20.Writing Correct Applications
  • Part VI:Advancing Visual Basic Applications
  • Hour 21.Visual Basic and ActiveX
  • Hour 22.Object Basics
    • The System Objects
    • Program Objects
    • Using Collections and Object Arrays
    • Introduction to OLE Automation
    • Summary
    • Q&A
    • Workshop
  • Hour 23.Distributing Your Applications
  • Hour 24.Online Visual Basic
  • Part VII:Appendixes
  • Appendix A.Operator Precedence
  • Appendix B.Answers
  • Appendix C.Using the CD-ROM

Q&A

1. Why are collections better than arrays?

   Collections are not better than arrays in all cases. If you need to keep track of 100 integer temperature values, keep those values in an integer array. The array is efficient and you can work with the array using loops as you are used to doing. A collection is nice when you don't know how many items will appear in the group, especially when those items are objects such as controls and not simply regular datatypes. The collection can grow to any size and the methods you use on the collection make for easy programming because you don't have to keep track of the highest item in the collection yourself.

2. What is the real difference between OLE and OLE automation?

   OLE lets users edit objects from other applications inside a Form window. The cross-application platforms that OLE provides let you embed a Paint object in your application without having to code drawing methods that perform as Paint objects perform. Before OLE automation, however, regular OLE did not give your Visual Basic application the capability to control the serving application. Applications that support OLE automation can now expose all their internal properties, events, and methods (if they're not OLE automation compatible, they will have no properties, events, or methods) to applications such as Visual Basic. Visual Basic, therefore, can make Access manipulate database tables or make Excel manipulate a named range in a worksheet. Although you must do some extra work on the front end to code the OLE automation, your applications become much more powerful because they borrow technology from these other applications.

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