Trying to Learn about .NET

[ryguy7272]

Hello, my name is Ryan. i am trying to learn about .NET. I have been doing
VBA programming in Excel for a while (about 6 years) and recently got into
VBA for Access (one year) because I was starting to outgrow Excel. I have
been getting more and more interested in learning .NET and finally decided to
jump into it.

I read through a book at barnes and noble the other day. I seems quite
similar to VBA. I am wondering what the similarities and differences are
between VBA and .NET (just a few major points). Also, what is the major
advantage to knowing .NET; what can be done in .NET that can't be done in
VBA? Finally, how do I install and run the .NET framework? I have tried a
few things, such as this
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...cb-4362-4b0d-8edd-aab15c5e04f5&displaylang=en

Clicked the 'Download' button, installed app., and restarted my computer.

I don't think this installed .NET on my ThinkPad. I also tried this
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...E3-F589-4842-8157-034D1E7CF3A3&displaylang=en

Once again, I clicked the 'Download' button, installed app., and restarted
my computer. As far as I can tell, the .NET Framework is still not
installed.

When I click Start > All Programs I can see 'Microsoft .NET Framework SDK V
1.1'. It says Framework, but I don't think this is really the Framework.
All I see are three links to three web pages; overview, tools, and samples
and quickstart tutorials. What do I have to do to install the Framework?

Thanks,
Ryan---

 

[Cor Ligthert[MVP]]

Hi this page starts with the text as it is

http://www.microsoft.com/express/vb/

Cor

 

[MBUnit]

Hello, my name is Ryan. i am trying to learn about .NET. I have been doing
VBA programming in Excel for a while (about 6 years) and recently got into
VBA for Access (one year) because I was starting to outgrow Excel. I have
been getting more and more interested in learning .NET and finally decided to
jump into it.

I read through a book at barnes and noble the other day. I seems quite
similar to VBA. I am wondering what the similarities and differences are
between VBA and .NET (just a few major points). Also, what is the major
advantage to knowing .NET; what can be done in .NET that can't be done in
VBA? Finally, how do I install and run the .NET framework? I have tried a
few things, such as this:

http://www.dotnetpowered.com/languages.aspx

And what makes the above possible is the CLI of the .Net Framework,
which VB.NET is only one aspect of a language that uses the .Net Framework.

What is different about VBA as opposed to VB.NET? With VB.NET one can
develop the following application solution types.

1)Windows Desktop form application
2)Windows Console application
3)Windows ASP.NET Web form application
4)Windows Service or NT Service application
5)Windows Web service application
6)Windows Communication Foundation application

Just to name a few

You don't run the Framework it's a library, although there is a runtime
component that must be installed on a client computer. A developer would
use the full version of the Framework

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.NET_Framework

Also this is what VB.Net provides that VBA can't, since VBA is not a OOP
language and VB.NET is one.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Object-oriented_programming

Once again, I clicked the 'Download' button, installed app., and restarted
my computer. As far as I can tell, the .NET Framework is still not
installed.

Maybe, you should start here.

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/beginner/default.aspx

 

[ryguy7272]

Thanks! Both responses were helpful! Cor Ligthert, one more question. I am
now running Visual Basic 2008 express edition. Is this the same as .NET?

Thanks again,
Ryan---

 

[MBUnit]

Thanks! Both responses were helpful! Cor Ligthert, one more question. I am
now running Visual Basic 2008 express edition. Is this the same as .NET?

Thanks again,
Ryan---

VBA and VS 6 with VB 6 and below are COM technology language solutions.
VS 2001 to including VS 2008 are .NET language solutions, which VS 2008
Express editions are .NET language types.

The key to learning .Net is think of everything as an *object*,
including String, Int, Long, Double, etc -- primitive types too,
because they are objects. You should think OOP(s) and objects,
everything is an object.

You should learn about XML in .NET as that is a key component of .NET.

You should learn about ADO.NET, another key component of .NET.

You should learn about Linq too, another key component of .NET, IMHO.

You should learn about *design patterns*, a key component of writing
successful OOP solutions.

<http://www.developer.com/design/article.php/1502691>
<http://www.dofactory.com/Patterns/Patterns.aspx>
<http://computerprogramming.suite101.com/article.cfm/patterns_and_antipatterns>
<http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms954638.aspx>
<http://www.designpatternsfor.net/Presentations.aspx?tid=3&cid=4>

You should be able to find good books on all of the above. You are
switching gears now and leave what you know about VBA for the most part
at the curb.

 

[Herfried K. Wagner [MVP]]

Thanks! Both responses were helpful! Cor Ligthert, one more question. I
am
now running Visual Basic 2008 express edition. Is this the same as .NET?

Visual Basic 2008 is the succesor of Visual Basic 2005, which is the
successor of Visual Basic .NET 2003. As you can see, the ".NET" suffix has
been dropped, but the newer versions of VB (programming language and IDE)
are still .NET-based.

 

[Cor Ligthert[MVP]]

Ryan,

Net frameworks are simple Operating System extentions which have those
things, which were in past delivered as seperate DLL's.

Think about that (but not only) about by instance a runtime, that is now
build in Net. Created is an intermidiate language, which is not as in past
special for VB or for C++ but for all so called managed code program
languages (VB, C++, C#, J#) Unlukely there is gone something wrong between
the version 1.1 and 2.0 as 2.0 is not complete downwards compatible to
version 1.1.

1.0 and 1.1 are upwards compatible and so that will be starting at 2.0, 3.0,
3.5 and 4.0.

Beside these frameworks are languages. That is for VB for version VB7 the
framework 1.0 and for version VB7.1 the framework 1.1.

The program languages are sold in packages with more tools.
VB7 sold as VB.Net 2002 standard which included beside the VB language tools
and IDE as well some extra tools and the framework 1.0.

This is not any more as VB9 is now only sold included in the package VS 2008
(more versions). In fact does VB.Net 2008 therefore not exist as well as
VB.2008 not exist in by instance professional and team editions.

A package like VB.Net 2002 standard does not anymore exist.

However the equivalent version of VB.Net 2002 standard is given as freeware.
The name is then VB 2008 Express.

I hope this explains it a little bit.

Cor