Back to Search Results

Training Course Summary:

This hands on Visual Basic training course emphasizes object-oriented programming, component development and deployment, and techniques for connecting client applications to databases. Students start by interacting directly with the Win32 API to provide grounding in important Visual Basic programming principles. Students are then shown how to design and use class hierarchies. In the course's hands on exercises, students gain direct experience creating Visual Basic programs that both use existing components and create new ones. Students create both in-process and out-of-process COM components that can be deployed directly to the client's machine and shared by multiple client programs, as well as in-process components that can be deployed to remote servers.

Students build ActiveX controls that can be used both in Windows applications and on web pages. The course provides extensive practice developing database client/server systems. It provides thorough coverage of building 3-tier, component-oriented client applications that can use both RDO (ODBC) and ADO (OLEDB) to connect to databases. Students practice low-level programming to retrieve and output data from databases, invoke stored procedures, and also use Visual Basic database development tools such as DataView, DataEnvironment, and DataReport. Students also use a suite of Microsoft's ActiveX controls to interact with a local area network and/or the internet.

Pre-Requisites:

Visual Basic programming experience.

Training Course Overview/Content:

Windows API Programming
Understanding the Win32 API
Interacting with the Win32's C Data Structures
Using the API Text Viewer
Using Declare Statements
Calling Win32 Functions
COM Components and Clients

Understanding COM and ActiveX
Creating a COM Component
Registering a COM Component
Using the OLE/COM Object Viewer Tool
Controlling COM Component Versions
Creating a COM Client
Interacting with a COM Server using Late Binding
Interacting with a COM Server using Early Binding
Understanding the Differences between .DLL and .EXE Components
Object-Oriented Programming
Understanding Classes and Objects
Understanding Private vs. Public Members
Defining Classes
Defining Data Members
Defining Methods and Properties
Instancing Objects using New
Instancing Objects using CreateObject
Calling Methods and Properties using Object Variables
Defining Events
Trapping Events
Understanding Interfaces
Implementing Interfaces
Using Interfaces
Defining Type Hierarchies
Using Polymorphism

Multithreaded COM Servers
Understanding Threading
Understanding VB's Limited Threading Capabilities
Comparing Thread Per Object and Thread Pool Options for Threading
Comparing Single Use and Multi Use Options for Instancing
ActiveX Controls
Understanding the ActiveX Control Standards
Building an ActiveX Control
Designing the GUI Interface
Implementing Methods and Properties
Interacting with Extended and Ambient Properties
Implementing Property Pages
Persisting Properties
Testing the ActiveX Control
Using the ActiveX Control Interface Wizard
Deploying Controls

Developing Database Desktop Clients
Understanding RDO (ODBC) and ADO (OleDb) Technologies
Registering a Data Source Name (DSN) using the ODBC Administrator
Using the DataView Tool
Connecting to a Database
Executing Queries
Interating through Records
Working with Transactions
Controlling Record Locking
Working with the DataEnvironment Tool
Handling Database Exceptions
Stored Procedure Programming
Understanding Stored Procedure Concepts
Calling Stored Procedures
Sending Parameters
Retrieving ResultSets and Return Values
Using the Stored Procedure Editor

Data Reporting
Understanding Reporting Concepts
Designing a Report
Interacting with a Report's Properties
Binding a Report to a Query
Displaying a Report
Using Report Functions
Working with Group Sections
Visual Data Manager
Understanding the Visual Data Manager's Capabilities
Creating Databases
Creating and Modifying Tables
Defining Relationships
Creating Schema Diagrams

Data-Aware Components
Understanding Data Providers and Data Consumers
Creating Data-Bound ActiveX Controls
Creating Data Sourced Components