This book presents some beginning basics for VB but in my view is a good second step after an elementary book such as SAMS. The authors treat some very important techniques that are constantly used but rarely developed elsewhere. A good example is string parsing. The authors teach the major functions (InStr, Replace, Mid) with some examples. Unfortunately, little information is given about strategies to use in handling complex parsing. As is the case with most of these books, there are few meaningful projects or larger contexts to put this information in. Perhaps if a tool were developed (such as a database application or a text editor or spreadsheet) in the course of the book, the new developer could get an idea of the complexity and number of forms, modules, and code required to achieve a useful product. As noted by others, the coverage is broad (with some notable gaps) but is lean in most cases. Take the discussion of the tree view control for example. There is little development here. The reader should consult the MSDN for details on the use and properties of various controls. Even then, the code snippets there are often no more than a syntax example. Nevertheless, I recommend this book at the intermediate level and as one of the few that reasonably clarifies SQL, database structure, file structures and a host of other topics for the budding developer or hobbiest. Use this as a jumping off point to attack more specialized treatises like Appleman's API book.
