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## Introduction If you have chosen Visual Basic as your programming tool, let me be the first to congratulate you. Visual Basic is by far the most popular programming tool in history, and there are a lot of good reasons for this popularity. When Visual Basic was originally introduced, it was the first development tool that took Windows programming out of the realm of the specialist and brought it to a level where normal, intelligent people could get something useful done. The ideas of drag-and-drop interface design and event-driven programming are almost universal now, but Visual Basic was the first to make them available to the general programmer. There are plenty of Visual Basic imitators now, and some of them are quite good. In my opinion—and I am not alone—Visual Basic is still the leader of the pack when it comes to Windows development tools. You have made a wise choice. Now in its sixth release, Visual Basic offers unparalleled power and ease of use for today’s development needs. In particular, features for database programming, client/server deployment, and Internet development provide the capabilities that programmers demand most. If you have used earlier versions of Visual Basic, I bet you will be thrilled with the new features. If you are a novice programmer, Visual Basic’s unparalleled combination of power and ease of use make it the ideal choice. Welcome to Visual Basic 6 Programming Blue Book. This book is aimed at individuals who are just getting started with Visual Basic programming, as well as those who have a bit of experience with Visual Basic and are now ready to learn more. I take a different approach toward teaching programming than you’ll find in most other books. Instead of trying to teach with dry, boring theoretical explanations, I actually show you how things are done in working, real-world programs. Once you see how something works, the explanation is a lot easier to understand. Learn by doing, that’s my motto. The first five chapters provide necessary fundamental information about Visual Basic programming, and I suggest that you read these in order. Although the remaining chapters are probably best read in order also, it is not necessary to do so, and you can skip ahead to a topic of particular interest if you so desire. Later chapters, from Chapter 6 onward, sometimes build on information presented in earlier chapters, but I have tried to keep this to a minimum. The exceptions are Chapters 19 through 24, which deal with database programming and should be read as a unit. You are welcome to contact me at the email address given below. I would love to hear from readers who are enjoying the book, but I also need to hear about errors in either the text or the code. Despite the best efforts of author and editor, mistakes will sometimes slip through into a published book. In addition, Microsoft has been known to make minor changes in software products between the prerelease version (which I used in writing this book) and the final commercial version. If you discover any errors, please email me and let me know. To check for updates and corrections, visit my Web site at the URL below. Also on the Web site, I maintain an up-to-date list of Visual Basic programming-related links. Peter G. Aitken Chapel Hill, North Carolina July 1998 peter@pgacon.com www.pgacon.com/visualbasic.htm
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