Definitive .Net and VB.Net Links
All the sites and resources a VB.net developer needs on a daily basis.
Frequently Answered Questions
- The Debugger Doesn't Work! What Can I do?
There are many common problems when you first try to debug an Asp.Net solution. The answers are almost always contained in this document.
- Convert C# to VB.net
A useful utility for turning little C# samples into little VB samples. It is good to get practice at doing this in your head anyway, but as deadlines press, there are times when you'll need a faster automated solution, so use the online converter.
- Windows Forms FAQ
This is a brilliant resource that you *will* need if you are developing Windows Forms. Provides detailed FAQ-based help on hundreds of questions. Trouble data binding a listbox ? Can't get a column collection in a datagrid to look the way you want? Syncfusion have been there and documented the lot.
- Introduction to IL Assembly Language
At compilation time, your high level program is converted into Intermediate Language, which is converted to machine code by the CLR at run time. An understanding of IL will give you a better feel for .Net and may help you write and understand vastly superior code.
- Visual Basic Internals
A fairly thorough discussion of Visual Basic specifices namespaces. Helpful if you're coming from a VB6 background.
- FX Cop
A tool for monitoring compliance with over 200 coding standards.
- Developmentor's List of .Net Tools
Excellent .Net development tools to help with things like Serialization, Regular expressions, Thread Pools, Viewstates, you name it...
Official Samples
Official Sites
- Asp.Net
Asp.Net's official home. Tutorials, extensive samples, forums; also home of the free Web Matrix IDE.
- Got Dot Net
Home of The Microsoft .NET Framework Community. Contains blogs, work spaces (open source projects in .Net, such as FxCop and RssBandit), articles, sample code.
- MSDN
Excellent Unofficial Sites
- CodeProject
Very active site, featuring articles, forums and a strong community aspect.
More C# focused than VB, but most information is still of relevance to a VB.net coder.
- Only 4 Gurus
Very active site, focused on microsoft technologies, delving very deep.
- DevX
- VB Accelerator
Good place to go for source code of controls, components... large and well worked examples.
- Planet Source Code
A good place to get quick, simple examples. In the VB6 era, this was *the* place to go. Has been surplanted somewhat by its rivals, but I wouldn't count it out yet.
Warning! Avoid this site:
- DotNet247 (not linked for obvious reasons)
Chronic Google* pollutant, DotNet247 is a perfect example of the proverb 'Empty Vessels Make the Most Noise'. Matt Reynolds intentions may be good, but the result is bad bad bad, causing an extra layer of misdirection between a search and the final answer.
* Google is of course the ultimate developer tool, but is too powerful to be placed alongside anything else. So I list it here for completeness.
Related articles: Dot Net Rookie Mistakes and Visual Studio .net IDE Tips
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Aggregated Links
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