To Katarina, my wife and my blessing: I truly appreciate your strength of character, your tenderness, and your wisdom. Our life together has become an ever-improving adventure now that we're pushing the little red wagon in the same direction. Thanks for supporting me with my professional endeavors, for taking time to add "world-class mommy" to your professional credentials, and for making ordinary events exciting.
Cameron K. Beattie
To my wife, Diane.
Donald M. Benage
To my grandparents, Ruth and Sam Davidson, for your unconditional love.
Robert S. Black
To my beautiful wife, Rebecca, for all of your love and patience, and to my parents Don and Georgia for always believing in me.
Eric M. Brown
Dedicated to my love and best friend, Susan...thank you for all that you do in my life. Also to my father for showing me my first computer and my mother...for everything.
David Burgett
Thanks to my wife Connie and daughter Lauren for their incredible patience during this and all my projects.
J. "Eddie" Gulley
To my wife Amy, our parents, and the rest of our family who have all waited patiently with "honey-do" jobs. A big thanks to my little brother Jason, Bowl Haven, and the Alton Fantasy Baseball League for their support and patience.
David M. Kincade
To my wife, Anna, and six (yes, that's right, six) children. Thanks for putting up with me. To Mom and Dad. You taught me the principles by which I have always strived to live. Thank you.
John W. Leighton
Dedicated to teaching colleagues, past and present.
Joseph P. Lengyel
For Mom & Dad.
Larry D. Millett
To my lovely wife on our first anniversary--from a friend to a friend!
Azam A. Mirza
To my husband Bryan and son Jimmy: Thank you for your love and support. To my Mom and Dad and sisters: Thanks for putting up with me and loving me. In memory of my brother Chuck Vogt (1956-1987)--you are my greatest source of inspiration.
Angela Nielson
To my nephew Brian and niece Mary Kathryn who, by the time they're old enough to care about this dedication, will probably laugh at the technology covered in this book.
David O'Leary
A special thanks to my wife Renee who has always been loving and patient. Thanks to my daughter Allison for always being a source of inspiration.
J. Brad Rhodes
I want to dedicate my work on this book to my grandparents, W.T. and Elizabeth Slinkard, as well as to my mother Martha Eifert, my sister Laurie Glastetter, and my stepfather Bill Eifert.
Kevin D. Runnels
To my wife, Melissa, for her love and patience over the last several months. And to my dogs, Riley and Bailey, for someone to play with after a long day's work.
Jody C. Socha
Thanks to my wonderful wife Cindy and son Will for your patience during my researching and writing!
William F. Spencer V
For Robert and Christina. Thank you.
Chris Striker
To the employees, customers, partners, and vendors of G. A. Sullivan--your loyalty means everything to me.
Gregory A. Sullivan
To God be the glory; great things He has done. A special thanks to my wife Kim for all her love, support, and understanding.
Anthony J. Taylor
To my wonderful wife Pam, son Brad, and daughter Samantha. Thank you for all your patience and understanding in regards to my endeavors. I would never be able to attempt and accomplish such tasks without your inspiration and support.
Ronald W. Terry
A special thanks to my wife Tina for her love and patience. Thanks to my parents for the love and education.
Timothy A. White
To my dear husband Frank for your love, and to my friends Carol and Bill for your friendship.
Yanni Xiao
G. A. Sullivan is one of the fastest growing technology companies in the United States. The company was recently ranked as the 149th fastest growing private company in America according to Inc. magazine's 1997 Inc. 500 list of top companies. G. A. Sullivan is a noted leader in providing high-quality software development services through the application of leading edge information technology. The company specializes in developing core business solutions for its clients. As a Microsoft Solution Provider Partner, G. A. Sullivan is a recognized leader in the development of distributed client/server applications for I-net environments.
G. A. Sullivan provides a full range of service offerings including project management, high-level IT consulting, and staff augmentation. Consultants provide expertise in any area within the software development life cycle including project management, technical team leadership, system/business analysis, software development, database administration, and technical/user documentation.
G. A. Sullivan believes that technical leadership is a key component to continued success and thus participates in the industry through a variety of speaking and publishing engagements. In addition to writing technical publications, the company publishes a technical white paper series, writes articles for trade publications, and presents technical seminars, executive briefings, and informative roundtable discussions on leading edge technology topics at locations across the country.
For information, contact G. A. Sullivan at the following address:
G. A. Sullivan
55 West Port Plaza, Suite 100
St. Louis, Missouri 63146
Email: corporate@gasullivan.com
Web site: www.gasullivan.com
Phone: (314) 213-5600
Fax: (314) 213-5700
Cameron K. Beattie is a veteran information systems manager with over 11 years of experience applying his strategic vision, technical knowledge, and team leadership skills to manage the planning, design, development, operation, and maintenance of enterprisewide information systems.
Mr. Beattie earned a bachelor of science degree in mathematical & computer sciences from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI. Upon graduation, he was commissioned as a communications and computer systems officer in the U. S. Air Force. His exciting career began with extensive technical and management training, and from there he traveled to the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., where he served as program manager for the engineering and installation of secure computer systems. In following assignments, he served as operations manager for mainframe and PC services at Edwards Air Force Base (AFB) and then as the MIS director for the B-2 Stealth Bomber Combined Test Force at the Air Force Flight Test Center in California.
Most recently, he served as chief of transportation systems management for the information systems group of the Air Mobility Command (AMC) at Scott AFB in Illinois, where he managed computer systems support for logistics systems at over 140 airport locations. He directed a 14 million dollar budget, a management staff of 14, a team of over 50 programmers, and multiple contractor teams that all worked together to deliver, support, and improve the information systems that enable the world-wide tracking and management of military cargo and passengers. He also managed life cycle support for the mainframe-based accounting system that collected over $3.5 billion annually for airlift services provided by AMC and migrated that system from a DEC VAX to a Sun/Solaris (UNIX) based architecture on budget and on schedule. During his tenure at AMC, he diligently applied quality management and leadership principles that enabled his software development organization to achieve Software Engineering Institute (SEI) Capability Maturity Model (CMM) Level 2 certification.
When the time came for the next military assignment, the lure of private industry (and the desire to stop moving every few years) proved overwhelming, and Cameron and his wife, Katarina, chose to stay in the St. Louis area. Cameron now provides information systems development and management services for large St. Louis based firms as a consultant for G. A. Sullivan. Additional information on Cameron's experience and adventures can be found at his web site at http://members.aol.com/CamBeattie.
Donald M. Benage is an acknowledged information systems professional and Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer with more than 18 years experience applying leading technologies to complex business solutions. He has provided architecture strategy and technology assessments, as well as detailed systems and network designs, to numerous corporations in many different industries. This, coupled with his vast experience as a network administrator, has uniquely qualified him to handle information technology issues with major corporate clients from initial design through implementation.
Mr. Benage began his career as the personal computer burst into the market. He has since achieved a great deal of experience incorporating knowledge in management of computer support operations, hands-on software and hardware implementation, design of strategic systems for practical implementation, and network administration. Specific Microsoft product expertise was further enhanced by his employment with Microsoft Corporation for more than four years; he left their ranks as a senior systems engineer to pursue other challenges.
Mr. Benage is a frequent speaker at industry seminars and forums dedicated to understanding software development strategies and tools. As a director with G. A. Sullivan, he leads the day-to-day operations of the Technology Center, G. A. Sullivan's research and development facility. He is the lead author of Special Edition Using Microsoft BackOffice, Second Edition (a two-volume set) and BackOffice Electronic Resource Kit, both published by Que. Mr. Benage continues in a career filled with recognition for excellence in technical ability and client service.
Robert S. Black is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, where he earned a bachelor of science in both computer science and system science and engineering. He currently develops software for client/server applications as a software consultant at G. A. Sullivan. Robert is a coauthor of Que's Special Edition Using Microsoft BackOffice, Second Edition.
Eric M. Brown is a Microsoft Certified Professional with G. A. Sullivan, specializing in applications development using object-oriented analysis and design techniques. Eric holds a bachelor of science in computer engineering and a bachelor of science in electrical engineering from the University of Missouri at Columbia. Eric has experience developing applications ranging from single-tier applications to client/server applications using various languages including Visual Basic, C, and C++. Eric can be reached by email at ericb@gasullivan.com.
David Burgett has been programming in various languages for 13 years and is experienced with many aspects of both software and hardware. He has worked on diverse projects ranging from video games to full-scale database applications. He also has experience with several operating systems and databases.
David is a Microsoft Certified Solution Developer (MCSD). He received a bachelor of arts in creative writing from the University of Kansas and spends most of his time either programming or writing, although he often has trouble telling the difference between the two. He is currently pursuing a published novel.
J. "Eddie" Gulley has a bachelor of science in business management and logistics and is almost finished with his master of science in computer science. He has over 14 years of experience applying information technology to business solutions. He applies particular focus to project management and database design. Eddie is currently exploring the world of decision support--as it once was known--or, more recently, data warehousing. He is a Microsoft Product Specialist, certified for Microsoft SQL Server.
As a G. A. Sullivan consultant, Eddie provides project management and database expertise for the implementation of distributed, client/server solutions to client needs. He can be reached by email at eddieg@gasullivan.com.
David M. Kincade has a bachelor of science degree in computer science from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville. He has been working in the computer industry for nine years and has been in microcomputer application development for the last seven years. He has used Visual C++ and Visual Basic over the last five years and is certified in developing applications with Visual C++ and the Microsoft Foundation Classes.
As a G. A. Sullivan consultant, David provides technical skill and leadership for a variety of software projects. He lives in Alton, Illinois (northeast of St. Louis, MO) with his wife, three cats, and two fish. He can be reached by email at davidk@gasullivan.com.
John W. Leighton has been involved in the design and development of leading edge software systems for the past 12 years. These systems range from award-winning television and movie animation systems to controlling 48 axis machining centers to insurance agency management systems.
He has had extensive development experience in Windows, Windows NT, UNIX, and MS-DOS. He is well versed in the various database methodologies and technical software design. John is a strong advocate for the use of object-oriented technologies in software design and development.
John holds a bachelor of arts in mathematics from the University of Missouri, St. Louis.
He currently resides in the O'Fallon, MO, area with his wife and five of his children.
Joseph P. Lengyel began his career 11 years ago as a teacher. He is a well-qualified educator, experienced in teaching business and computer curriculums. With a bachelor of science in business administration from Fontbonne College, St. Louis, Missouri, and upon completing a master of science in computer information systems from Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, he began pursuing a dual career in teaching and applying technology to business and educational applications.
Joe's technical experience includes contributions in all aspects of the development effort, with particular emphasis on Windows NT Server-based applications. These experiences range from participation in business process reengineering engagements and designing detail object and data models to development tool evaluation and the practical application of leading edge technology through various development efforts.
Joe, who resides in the St. Louis area with his wife, Rosalie, is a consultant for G. A. Sullivan. He continues to maintain a presence in education, capitalizing on first-hand experience in industry and his technical leadership roles in the effective use of information technology.
Larry D. Millett, an experienced writer and developer, has worked with microcomputer networks for more than 10 years, consulting, training, and developing software for clients nationwide.
Larry has published widely. His efforts include the first and second editions of Special Edition Using Microsoft BackOffice for Que Corporation, white papers, technical articles, and commercial software. As a G. A. Sullivan consultant, Larry provides technical leadership for distributed multiplatform software projects. As director of technical services, he focuses on important enterprise software development technologies.
A Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) and a member of ACM, Larry holds a master of science in computer science from Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, and a bachelor of arts in philosophy from Harvard University. He lives in St. Louis with his wife and two sons.
Special thanks to Peter Reale.
Azam A. Mirza, a specialist in client/server software development and distributed systems architecture, is a strong proponent of using the Internet to help businesses meet today's challenges while positioning them to better compete in tomorrow's complex business environments.
As director of technology for G. A. Sullivan, Mr. Mirza significantly influences the direction business clients take in applying advanced solutions to their most complex business challenges. He routinely serves as the lead analyst and designer for an array of complex system development efforts across a wide range of industry disciplines. He is an expert in the design, development, implementation, and support of client/server applications in numerous operating system environments and on various hardware platforms. He has extensive software development experience in major software development languages and is well qualified in the field of Internet/intranet technologies.
Mr. Mirza's vast experience with Internet application design and development, coupled with his astute awareness of de facto standards and widely accepted guidelines for software development, has uniquely qualified him to author numerous standards documents on the consistent development of distributed applications. Publication efforts include the first and second editions of Special Edition Using Microsoft BackOffice for Que Corporation. Mr. Mirza has published a white paper on the emerging role the Internet is playing in the corporate world titled, "Intranets and the Internet: An I-net Introduction." He has also authored a white paper on the Microsoft Active Platform titled, "Using Active Platform to Enhance Your Web Site."
Mr. Mirza holds a bachelor of science in computer science from Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, and a master of science in engineering management from the University of Missouri-Rolla.
Angela Nielson is a Microsoft Certified Professional specializing in client/server software development and relational database and data warehouse design using Microsoft SQL Server.
Angela resides in the St. Louis area and holds a bachelor of science in computer science from McKendree College, Lebanon, Illinois, and a master of science in distributed computing from Webster University, St. Louis, Missouri. As a consultant for G. A. Sullivan, Angela continues to leverage her knowledge with her considerable technical expertise to solve complex business problems and to develop new business opportunities for clients nationwide.
David O'Leary is a Microsoft Certified Professional who specializes in the design and development of object-oriented, pattern-based system architectures. David holds a bachelor of science in computer science from Loyola University in Louisiana.
J. Brad Rhodes is an experienced developer of client/server systems with an emphasis on systems architecture. Challenged by his involvement in large and medium business solutions, Brad has acquired a thorough understanding of client/server systems with a special emphasis on open systems technology. His leadership has helped many companies adopt new technologies including relational database management systems, distributed systems, and object- oriented programming and design.
This experience has led Brad to the position of vice president of technology at Hamilton and Sullivan, a leading provider of client/server solutions for the banking and financial industry. At Hamilton and Sullivan, Brad oversees the development of next-generation retail and commercial banking solutions.
Brad holds a bachelor of science in electrical engineering from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, Illinois, and has nearly completed a master of science in electrical engineering from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. Brad is also a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer. He lives in the St. Louis area with his wife Renee and daughter Allison.
Kevin D. Runnels is a Microsoft Certified Solution Developer and a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer with more than 10 years of experience in microcomputer programming, networking, and project management. Kevin has developed numerous systems for the accounting and financial services vertical markets and is a strong proponent of using computers as tools to expand business opportunities and markets as well as for traditional transaction processing. He is expert in the design and development of client/server applications and distributed computing, especially on the Microsoft Windows NT platform.
Kevin resides in the St. Louis area and has a bachelor of science degree in business administration from Southeast Missouri State University and an award in accounting from the University of California, Los Angeles. As a consultant for G. A. Sullivan, Kevin continues to leverage his practical business knowledge with his considerable technical expertise to solve complex business problems and to develop new business opportunities for clients nationwide.
Jody C. Socha has had seven years experience in systems development in project management, requirement analysis, and design roles. He is a graduate of Clemson University in South Carolina and was an officer in the U. S. Air Force for five years before joining G. A. Sullivan two years ago. He has worked on systems in a variety of fields ranging from transportation to banking to insurance.
William F. Spencer V, a senior program manager, designer, and architect, is leading the design of new multitier systems throughout St. Louis. He is an expert in assembling client needs into system requirements, user interface design, and system architectures, and is also an expert at major program management.
After extensive experience in embedded and scientific programming with Northrop Aircraft, he managed software development and test programs for the B-2 Bomber, through the end of the Cold War (with time out to program for Steve Wozniak's U.S. Festival). He is currently designing a multitier land management system as a G. A. Sullivan consultant to a major St. Louis natural resource company.
The programming he did for his last book, 1982's Rubik's Revenge: The Simplest Solution (William L. Mason, principal author) had to be done in BASIC on a DOS 1.0 PC. (Today's software does so much more, but takes the same amount of time...)
Mr. Spencer is currently completing a degree in fine art. He already holds degrees in electrical engineering (Purdue University), aerospace engineering (University of Southern California), and technical management (California Institute of Technology) and is a member of IEEE, Tau Beta Pi, and Eta Kappa Nu.
He enjoys winemaking, offshore sailing, and good coffee. He lives in St. Louis with his wife and son, and he can be reached by email at bills@gasullivan.com.
Chris H. Striker is a consultant with G. A. Sullivan. When not building nets of various sorts, he pounds percussion instruments into submission. Sometimes he uses sticks, and sometimes it sounds like music.
Gregory A. Sullivan, founder and president of G. A. Sullivan, has been an early proponent of many significant advances in software development, and over the years, he has amassed an impressive array of credentials.
Motivated by his enthusiasm for the personal computer revolution and how he believed it would ultimately impact the business community, Mr. Sullivan started G. A. Sullivan in 1982 shortly after receiving his bachelor's degree in systems science and mathematics from the Washington University School of Engineering and Applied Science, St. Louis, Missouri. He applied the simple computer tools available then in support of his personal commitment to the short- and long-term success of his clients. As the personal computer revolution exploded into the business community, he focused his energies on rapidly emerging new technologies.
Mr. Sullivan's recognized participation in the early design and developments of new technology advances were critical to establishing and maintaining an industry leadership role. He successfully established formal relationships and partnership agreements with technology leaders such as Microsoft. Additionally, he has established numerous personal affiliations with leading technical forums and organizations. Mr. Sullivan is an active member of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), and Tau Beta Pi. He is a member of the Washington University School of Engineering and Applied Science National Council, past president of the Alumni Advisory Council and cosponsor of the Stifel Jens Scholarship.
Anthony J. Taylor is a Microsoft Certified Professional with more than six years of extensive experience in software development and technical leadership. His experience includes contributions in all aspects of the development effort and in multiple technology environments.
Mr. Taylor's accomplishments have been in many industries and have required various degrees of knowledge about the specific characteristics of each. He played a vital role in the introduction of Internet-based applications to the corporate workplace. His utilization of quality standards and technical excellence has been a valuable asset and has created an outstanding reputation regarding his abilities.
Mr. Taylor holds an associate's degree in computer science from Longview Community College, Lee's Summit, Missouri. He graduated summa cum laude and was awarded departmental honors in computer science with a bachelor of science in management and computer information systems from Park College, Parkville, Missouri. He also has graduate-level and professional education in the application of project management standards to today's information technology environment.
Mr. Taylor resides in the Kansas City area with his wife, Kim, where he has played an instrumental role in the startup and growth of the G. A. Sullivan Kansas City office.
Ronald W. Terry holds a bachelor of science degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Missouri-Rolla, Rolla, Missouri, along with a master of science degree in mechanical engineering from Washington University, St. Louis. Ron, a proponent of seeking out and applying new technologies, has more than nine years of experience in developing systems using a variety of platforms and languages. His career began at a major military aircraft company where he developed real-time simulations of avionics systems with object-oriented methodologies and C++ in a UNIX environment. In addition, he participated in the development of various aircraft structural analysis related software applications in the FORTRAN and C programming languages on a VAX/VMS platform.
Since joining G. A. Sullivan, Ron has been involved in numerous client/server projects on the Windows NT and Windows 95 platforms, which include Visual Basic and Visual C++ development. It is on these projects that he has gained experience in technologies such as ActiveX, Remote Automation, and DCOM to provide distributed object solutions.
Ron, his wife Pam, son Brad, and daughter Samantha reside in St. Louis, Missouri, where he is a consultant for G. A. Sullivan.
Timothy A. White is a graduate of Southwest Missouri State University where he earned a bachelor of science in computer information systems. Tim has a broad range of experience as a DBA and client/server developer. Tim has worked on projects involving both distributed client applications and legacy integration efforts. Tim currently develops client/server applications as a software consultant at G. A. Sullivan.
Yanni Xiao is a senior consultant with G.A. Sullivan. She has a doctor of philosophy degree in geography specializing in geographic information systems (University of British Columbia, Vancouver), a master of science degree in remote sensing and mapping (Chinese Academy of Sciences), and a bachelor of science degree in computer science (Lanzhou University, China). Before she joined G.A. Sullivan, Dr. Xiao was an assistant professor at the University of Lethbridge in Canada from 1992-1995.
Dr. Xiao has over 10 years of experience with a variety of computer hardware, software, and software development tools in various industries including coal mining, travel, utility, and education. She has strong problem-solving skills and is particularly experienced in geospatial and statistical analysis, computer mapping and digital image processing, user interface development, database design, and user training.
A project of this size involves the hard work and dedication of many people. We would like to thank all the software developers, authors, editors, and their families for the hard work and support they contributed. To the many people at Microsoft who made this book possible and helped us along the way, our sincere thanks. To all the people at Que whose professionalism and effort helped us produce a quality product, thank you. And to the many other people--friends and customers of G. A. Sullivan who pitched in with assistance--we extend our sincere gratitude. Thank you for all your help.
In addition, we would like to thank the following people for their special efforts and assistance: Mark Sundt, Lizzie Parker, Stew MacLeod, Todd Warren, Chris Nelson, and Deana Woldanski.
As part of our continuing effort to produce books of the highest possible quality, Que would like to hear your comments. To stay competitive, we really want you, as a computer book reader and user, to let us know what you like or dislike most about this book or other Que products.
You can mail comments, ideas, or suggestions for improving future editions to the address below, or send us a fax at (317) 817-7070. For the online inclined, the address of our Internet site on the World Wide Web is http://www.quecorp.com.
Thanks in advance--your comments will help us to continue publishing the best books available on computer topics in today's market.
Que Corporation
201 W. 103rd Street
Indianapolis, Indiana 46290 USA
pecial Edition Using Microsoft Visual Studio, a book written by professionals for professionals, is about Microsoft Visual Studio. Authored by a team of senior software developers and information system consultants, this book is designed to guide you through the complex implementation and development issues associated with Microsoft Visual Studio. The authoring team is comprised of software developers from G. A. Sullivan, a premier software development consulting company and Microsoft Solution Provider based in St. Louis, Missouri.
One of the most alluring features of this book is its up-to-date information. The authors worked hard to produce a time-critical, technically complete "how-to" book that offers in-depth coverage of the most important elements of the Microsoft Visual Studio suite of products, including the latest releases of Microsoft's development tool suite including Visual Basic 5.0, Visual C++ 5.0, and Visual InterDev. This book provides thorough coverage of how to use these products to create applications for modern client/server and Internet-enabled enterprise environments. It also includes sufficient notes, tips, and cautions to ensure you avoid common pitfalls and learn new techniques with a minimum of wasted time. n
This book is aimed at software developers of client/server and Internet/intranet (I-net) enabled applications who are responsible for creating and deploying applications by using the Microsoft development tool suite, and information system managers faced with planning issues. You'll learn how to design and develop applications and components by using Microsoft Visual Studio and its individual products. This book provides excellent advice for developers who must implement applications in a Microsoft BackOffice environment with Windows NT Server, Internet Information Server, SQL Server, and Microsoft Transaction Server. It also provides good advice for technical managers on how to use Microsoft products to build state-of-the-art systems that will improve their business footing and leverage their automated information systems to maximize return on investment.
With the variety of material presented in Special Edition Using Microsoft Visual Studio, coupled with its high quality of content, up-to-date material, level of detail, and easy-to-follow "how-to" format, this is the all-encompassing book you will quickly come to depend on to supply answers to your Microsoft Visual Studio questions. Although each product that makes up the Microsoft Visual Studio suite is described separately within the book, special attention is paid to integration issues and techniques. Also, portions of the book are devoted to providing background material to enhance your understanding of critical concepts, and how to be really effective with Microsoft Visual Studio in the enterprise.
This book is organized in a logical sequence, starting with a discussion of Microsoft Visual Studio basics, an overview of the product, and background material on creating database applications--a key area of concern for most developers. The chapters in Part II, "Creating Controls and Components for Reuse," focus on the important new techniques for creating component-based applications with Microsoft's object technologies such as COM and DCOM, and web-based technologies such as ActiveX and Java. Separate chapters are devoted to Visual Basic, Visual C++, and Visual J++, each an important language included in Visual Studio. Part II also includes chapters on using ActiveX components in I-net and client/server environments.
The chapters in Part III, "Developing Internet, Intranet, and Extranet Applications," are devoted entirely to the most active area of recent growth--that of applications designed to run in I-net environments. Detailed coverage is provided on both the client and server sides of these applications. This includes information on creating web browser-based applications and using Microsoft's addition to Internet Information Server known as Active Server Pages. The use of Visual InterDev, another major element of Visual Studio, is covered in detail, including the use of design-time controls. There is also coverage of Dynamic HTML, server-side scripting issues, and the techniques for integrating existing applications into an I-net infrastructure.
The chapters in Part IV, "Developing Scalable Distributed Applications," focus on the more traditional client/server development techniques, with a special emphasis on creating distributed applications by using multiple databases. Using Visual Basic with both RDO and ADO is covered. Also, two chapters are devoted exclusively to using Microsoft Transaction Server (MTS) to create scalable, transaction-based applications for hard-core, line-of-business use.
The final chapters of the book, in Part V, "Team Development with Visual Studio," deal with the tools that help teams of programmers work together. These tools include Visual SourceSafe, Visual Modeler, and the Microsoft Repository. Using each tool is described, in addition to background information on the rationale for using these powerful additions to the Visual Studio suite.
The chapters in Part I provide an introduction to the Visual Studio suite of products:
The chapters in Part II explore Microsoft's object technologies and describe how to create applications with ActiveX controls and COM-based components:
The chapters in Part III provide detailed coverage on building applications for the Internet or private intranets and extranets:
The chapters in Part IV describe the tools and techniques you can use to build applications that use multitiered architectures and distributed databases:
The chapters in Part V provide information on the additional tools in Visual Studio that allow groups of programmers to work together effectively:
Special design features enhance the text material:
NOTE: Notes explain interesting or important points that can help you understand the described concepts and techniques. n
TIP: Tips are little pieces of information that help you in real-world situations. Tips often offer shortcuts or alternative approaches to make a task easier or faster.
CAUTION: Cautions alert you to an action that can lead to an unexpected or unpredictable result, including loss of data. The text provides an explanation of how you can avoid such a result. Pay careful attention to Cautions.
TROUBLESHOOTING: Troubleshooting boxes provide commonly asked questions about problems or challenges typically encountered by users. These troubleshooting tips are presented in the form of a commonly asked question and its answer.
Rather than have you wade through all the details relating to a particular function of an application in a single chapter or part before you progress to the next topic, this book provides special cross-references to help you find the information you need. These cross-references follow the material they pertain to, as in the following sample reference:
See "Another Section or Another Chapter," p. xxx
This book also uses various typesetting styles to distinguish between explanatory and instructional text and text you enter. Onscreen messages, program code, and commands appear in a special monospaced font. Placeholders, or words that you replace with actual code, are indicated with monospace italic. Text that you are to type appears in monospace boldface.
When a line of code is too long to fit on one line of this book, it is broken at a convenient place and continued to the next line. A code continuation character (Â) precedes the continuation of a line of code. (You should type a line of code that has this character as one long line without breaking it.)
Key combinations that you use to perform Windows operations are indicated by joining the keys with a plus sign: Alt+F4, for example, indicates that you press and hold the Alt key while pressing the F4 function key.
© Copyright, Macmillan Computer Publishing. All rights reserved.