Visual Basic 2005 Cookbook

Dedication; Preface; Who This Book Is For; How This Book Is Organized; What You Need to Use This Book; Conventions Used in This Book; Using Code Examples; Comments and Questions; Safari?? Enabled; Acknowledgments; From Tim Patrick; From John Clark Craig; Chapter 1: Visual Basic Programming; 1.1 Introduction; 1.1 Creating a Windows Forms Application; 1.2 Creating a Console Application; 1.3 Creating an ASP.NET Web Forms Application; Chapter 2: The Development Environment; 2.1 Introduction; 2.1 Discovering and Using a Code Snippet; 2.2 Creating a New Snippet; 2.3 Sharing Snippets; 2.4 Adding Snippet Files to Visual Studio; 2.5 Getting an Application's Version Number; 2.6 Letting Visual Studio Automatically Update an Application's Version Number; 2.7 Setting the Startup Form for an Application; 2.8 Setting the Startup to a Sub Main Procedure; 2.9 Getting an Application's Command Line; 2.10 Testing an Application's Command Line; 2.11 Obfuscating an Application; 2.12 Determining if an Application Is Running in the Visual Studio Environment; 2.13 Accessing Environment Variables; 2.14 Accessing the Registry; 2.15 Getting System Information; 2.16 Getting the User's Name; Chapter 3: Application Organization; 3.1 Introduction; 3.1 Creating a Code Module; 3.2 Creating a Class; 3.3 Creating a Structure; 3.4 Creating Other Item Types; 3.5 Creating Object Instances; 3.6 Initializing a Class Instance with Data; 3.7 Releasing an Instance's Resources; 3.8 Using Namespaces; 3.9 Splitting a Class Across Multiple Files; 3.10 Creating a Form Based on Another Form; 3.11 Passing and Returning Structures and Other Objects; 3.12 Creating and Using an Enumeration; 3.13 Converting Between Numeric and String Enumeration Values; 3.14 Creating a Method That Accepts Different Sets of Arguments; 3.15 Using Standard Operators for Nonstandard Purposes; 3.16 Enforcing Strong Data Typing in an Otherwise Weakly Typed Collection; Chapter 4: Forms, Controls, and Other Useful Objects; 4.1 Introduction; 4.1 Creating and Adding Controls at Runtime; 4.2 Iterating Through All Controls on a Form; 4.3 Sharing Event-Handler Logic Among Many Controls; 4.4 Working with Timers; 4.5 Determining If a Control Can Take the Focus; 4.6 Programmatically Clicking a Button; 4.7 Drawing a Control; 4.8 Making a Form the Top-Most Form; 4.9 Indicating the Accept and Cancel Buttons on a Form; 4.10 Remembering a Form's Position Between Uses; 4.11 Attaching a Control to the Edge of a Form; 4.12 Moving or Resizing Controls as a Form Resizes; 4.13 Limiting the Sizing of a Form; 4.14 Centering a Form; 4.15 Creating and Moving a Borderless Form; 4.16 Creating a Fading Form; 4.17 Creating a Nonrectangular Form; 4.18 Changing Menus at Runtime; 4.19 Creating Shortcut Menus; Chapter 5: Strings; 5.1 Introduction; 5.1 Using a StringBuilder; 5.2 Creating a String of N Identical Characters; 5.3 Creating a String by Repeating a String N Times; 5.4 Obfuscating a String; 5.5 Converting Binary Data to a Hexadecimal String; 5.6 Extracting Substrings from Larger Strings; 5.7 Converting a String's Case; 5.8 Comparing Strings with Case Sensitivity; 5.9 Comparing Strings Without Case Sensitivity; 5.10 Converting Strings to and from Character Arrays; 5.11 Converting Strings to and from Byte Arrays; 5.12 Tallying Characters; 5.13 Counting Words; 5.14 Removing Extra Whitespace; 5.15 Using the Correct End-of-Line Characters; 5.16 Replacing Substrings; 5.17 Inserting a Character or String; 5.18 Inserting a Line; 5.19 Double-Spacing a String; 5.20 Formatting Numbers into Strings; 5.21 Trimming Sets of Characters from a String; 5.22 Identifying and Validating Types of Data in a String; 5.23 Converting Strings Between Encoding Systems; 5.24 Determining a Character's Type; 5.25 Parsing Strings; 5.26 Concatenating Strings; 5.27 Speeding Up String Manipulation; 5.28 Counting Occurrences of a Substring; 5.29 Padding a String for Exact Length and Alignment; 5.30 Converting Tabs to Spaces; 5.31 Reversing a String; 5.32 Shuffling a String; 5.33 Using a Simple String Encryption; 5.34 Converting a String to Morse Code; 5.35 Adding Strings to an Application's Resources; 5.36 Converting Any Data to a String; 5.37 Using Regular Expressions to Extract All Numbers; 5.38 Getting a Count of Regular Expression Matches; 5.39 Getting the Nth Regular Expression Match; 5.40 Compiling Regular Expressions for Speed; 5.41 Using Regular Expressions to Validate Data; 5.42 Using Regular Expressions to Count Characters, Words, or Lines; 5.43 Converting a String to and from Base64; 5.44 Splitting a String; 5.45 Creating a String of Space Characters; Chapter 6: Numbers and Math; 6.1 Introduction; 6.1 Using Compact Operator Notation; 6.2 Choosing Integers of the Right Size and Type for the Job; 6.3 Ussssssing Unsigned Integers; 6.4 Swapping Two Integers Without Using a Third; 6.5 Using Single- and Double-Precision Variables; 6.6 Using Decimal Variables for Maximum Precision; 6.7 Converting Between Number Types; 6.8 Rounding Numbers Accurately; 6.9 Declaring Loop Counters Within Loops; 6.10 Converting Between Radians and Degrees; 6.11 Limiting Angles to a Range; 6.12 Creating Double-Precision Point Variables; 6.13 Converting Between Rectangular and Polar Coordinates; 6.14 Creating Three-Dimensional Variables; 6.15 Converting Between Rectangular, Spherical, and Cylindrical Coordinates; 6.16 Working with Complex Numbers; 6.17 Solving Right Triangles; 6.18 Solving Any Triangle; 6.19 Determining if a String Contains a Valid Number; 6.20 Converting Numbers to Integers; 6.21 Calculating p to Thousands of Digits; 6.22 Getting a Number's Prime Factors; 6.23 Using Recursion to Calculate Factorials; 6.24 Manipulating Bits with Bitwise Operators; 6.25 Storing and Retrieving Bits in a BitArray; 6.26 Enhancing the Random Number Generator; 6.27 Generating Random Integers in a Range; 6.28 Generating Random Real Numbers in a Range; 6.29 Generating Normal-Distribution Random Numbers; 6.30 Generating Exponential-Distribution Random Numbers; 6.31 Creating a Matrix; 6.32 Inverting a Matrix; 6.33 Calculating the Determinant of a Matrix; 6.34 Solving Simultaneous Equations; 6.35 Listing of the MatrixHelper Class; Chapter 7: Dates and Times; 7.1 Introduction; 7.1 Getting the System Date and Time; 7.2 Accessing the System's Time Zone; 7.3 Using System Ticks; 7.4 Timing Application Activities; 7.5 Calculating Elapsed Time Using Ticks; 7.6 Calculating Elapsed Time with the Stopwatch; 7.7 Extracting Year, Month, and Day Numbers from a Date Value; 7.8 Extracting Hour, Minute, and Second Numbers from a Date Value; 7.9 Creating a Date or Time Value from Its Parts; 7.10 Formatting Dates and Times; 7.11 Parsing and Validating Dates and Times; 7.12 Adding to Dates and Times; 7.13 Subtracting from Dates and Times; 7.14 Determining the Number of Days Between Two Dates; 7.15 Determining the Day of the Week for a Date; 7.16 Determining the Day of the Year for a Date; 7.17 Determining the Number of Days in a Month; 7.18 Using Controls to Enter or Select a Date; 7.19 Calculating the Phase of the Moon; 7.20 Creating a Calendar; 7.21 Checking for Leap Years; 7.22 Dates and Times in ISO 8601 Formats; Chapter 8: Arrays and Collections; 8.1 Introduction; 8.1 Filling an Array While Declaring It; 8.2 Sorting Array Elements; 8.3 Reversing an Array; 8.4 Inserting into an Array; 8.5 Shuffling an Array; 8.6 Swapping Two Array Values; 8.7 Resizing Arrays Without Losing Existing Values; 8.8 Quickly Copying Part of an Array into Another; 8.9 Writing a Comma-Separated-Values File from a String Array; 8.10 Reading a Comma-Separated-Values File into a String Array; 8.11 Using a Multivalue Array Instead of a Two-Dimensional Array; 8.12 Converting Between Delimited Strings and Arrays; 8.13 Formatting an Array as a Single String; 8.14 Iterating Through Array Elements; 8.15 Passing Arrays to Methods; 8.16 Returning Arrays from Functions; 8.17 Creating a Collection; 8.18 Inserting an Item into a Collection; 8.19 Deleting a Collection Item; 8.20 Iterating Through a Collection; Chapter 9: Graphics; 9.1 Introduction; 9.1 Creating Graphics Objects; 9.2 Drawing on Controls for Special Effects; 9.3 Letting the User Select a Color; 9.4 Working with Coordinate Systems (Pixels, Inches, Centimeters); 9.5 Creating a Bitmap; 9.6 Setting a Background Color; 9.7 Drawing Lines, Ellipses, and Rectangles; 9.8 Drawing Lines One Pixel Wide Regardless of Scaling; 9.9 Forcing a Form or Control to Redraw; 9.10 Using Transparency; 9.11 Scaling with Transforms; 9.12 Using an Outline Path; 9.13 Using Gradients for Smooth Color Changes; 9.14 Drawing Bezier Splines; 9.15 Drawing Cardinal Splines; 9.16 Limiting Display Updates to Specific Regions; 9.17 Drawing Text; 9.18 Rotating Text to Any Angle; 9.19 Mirroring Text on the Canvas; 9.20 Getting the Height and Width of a Graphic String; 9.21 Drawing Text with Outlines and Drop Shadows; 9.22 Calculating a Nice Axis; 9.23 Drawing a Simple Chart; 9.24 Creating Odd-Shaped Forms and Controls; 9.25 Using the RGB, HSB (HSV), and HSL Color Schemes; 9.26 Creating a Rubber-Band Rectangular Selection; 9.27 Animating with Transparency; 9.28 Substitutions for Obsolete Visual Basic 6.0 Features; Chapter 10: Multimedia; 10.1 Introduction; 10.1 Playing an Audio File; 10.2 Displaying Image Files; 10.3 Playing a Video File; 10.4 Making Your Computer Beep; 10.5 Creating an Animation Using Multiple Images; 10.6 Creating an Animation by Generating Multiple Bitmaps; 10.7 Creating an Animation by Drawing at Runtime; 10.8 Creating Animated Sprites; 10.9 Resizing and Compressing JPEG Files; 10.10 Getting JPEG Extended Information; 10.11 Creating Thumbnails; 10.12 Displaying Images While Controlling Stretching and Sizing; 10.13 Scrolling Images; 10.14 Merging Two or More Images; 10.15 Using Resource Images; 10.16 Capturing an Image of the Screen; 10.17 Getting Display Dimensions; 10.18 Speeding Up Image Processing; 10.19 Converting an Image to Grayscale; 10.20 Performing Edge Detection on an Image; 10.21 Full Listing of the LockImage Class; Chapter 11: Printing; 11.1 Introduction; 11.1 Enumerating Printers; 11.2 Sending "Raw" Data to a Printer; 11.3 Get Details About the Default Printer; 11.4 Creating a Print Preview; 11.5 Prompting for Printed Page Settings; 11.6 Drawing Text and Graphics to a Printer; 11.7 Determining the Print Destination; 11.8 Creating Graph Paper; Chapter 12: Files and File Systems; 12.1 Introduction; 12.1 Enumerating Drives; 12.2 Determining if a Directory Exists; 12.3 Creating a New Directory; 12.4 Copying Directories; 12.5 Moving Directories; 12.6 Renaming Directories; 12.7 Parsing File and Directory Paths; 12.8 Searching Iteratively Through Directories and Subdirectories; 12.9 Finding Directories and Files Using Wildcards; 12.10 Determining If a File Exists; 12.11 Getting and Setting File Attributes; 12.12 Accessing Special User and Windows Directories; 12.13 Determining the Space on a Drive; 12.14 Browsing for a Directory; 12.15 Getting File Information; 12.16 Using File-Access Methods; 12.17 Reading and Writing Files as Strings; 12.18 Reading and Writing Binary Files; 12.19 Copying or Moving a File; 12.20 Sending a File to the Recycle Bin; 12.21 Creating a Temporary File; 12.22 Calculating a Checksum for a File; 12.23 Comparing Two Files for Equality; 12.24 Locking a File During Access; 12.25 Reading from a File at a Specific Position; 12.26 Reading and Writing Objects in a File; 12.27 Creating a Comma-Separated-Values File; Chapter 13: Databases; 13.1 Introduction; 13.1 Connecting to a Data Provider; 13.2 Issuing SQL Commands; 13.3 Retrieving Results from a Database Query; 13.4 Using SQL Parameters; 13.5 Using Stored Procedures; 13.6 Using Transactions; 13.7 Storing the Results of a Query in Memory; 13.8 Creating In-Memory Data Tables Manually; 13.9 Writing In-Memory Data Tables to an XML File; 13.10 Reading an XML File into In-Memory Data Tables; Chapter 14: Special Programming Techniques; 14.1 Introduction; 14.1 Preventing Multiple Instances of a Running Application; 14.2 Creating a Simple User Control; 14.3 Describing User Control Properties; 14.4 Starting Other Applications by EXE, Document, or URL; 14.5 Waiting for Applications to Finish; 14.6 List All Running Processes; 14.7 Terminating a Running Process; 14.8 Pausing Execution of a Program; 14.9 Control Applications by Simulating Keystrokes; 14.10 Watching for File and Directory Changes; 14.11 Creating an Icon in the System Tray; 14.12 Accessing the Clipboard; 14.13 Adding Tooltips to Controls; 14.14 Dragging and Dropping Files to a ListBox; 14.15 Dragging and Dropping Between ListBox Controls; 14.16 Disposing of Objects Appropriately; 14.17 Fine-Tuning Garbage Collection; 14.18 Moving the (Mouse) Cursor; 14.19 Intercepting All Key Presses on a Form; 14.20 Accessing the Registry; 14.21 Running Procedures in Threads; 14.22 Reading XML into a TreeView; 14.23 Creating an XML Document; 14.24 Validating an XML Document; 14.25 Using Generic Collections; 14.26 Creating a Screensaver; 14.27 Localizing the Controls on a Form; 14.28 Adding Pop-up Help to Controls; 14.29 Maintaining User-Specific Settings Between Uses of an Application; 14.30 Verifying a Credit Card Number; 14.31 Capturing a Console Application's Output; 14.32 Reading an Assembly's Details; 14.33 Performing Serial I/O; 14.34 Rebooting the System; Chapter 15: Exceptions; 15.1 Introduction; 15.1 Catching an Exception; 15.2 Throwing an Exception; 15.3 Catching Unhandled Exceptions; 15.4 Displaying Exception Information; 15.5 Creating New Exception Types; 15.6 Ignoring Exceptions in a Block of Code; Chapter 16: Cryptography and Compression; 16.1 Introduction; 16.1 Generating a Hash; 16.2 Encrypting and Decrypting a String; 16.3 Encrypting and Decrypting a File; 16.4 Prompting for a Username and Password; 16.5 Handling Passwords Securely; 16.6 Compressing and Decompressing a String; 16.7 Compressing and Decompressing a File; 16.8 Generating Cryptographically Secure Random Numbers; 16.9 Complete Listing of the Crypto.vb Module; 16.10 Complete Listing of the Compress.vb Module; Chapter 17: Web Development; 17.1 Introduction; 17.1 Displaying Web Pages on a Form; 17.2 Accessing Content Within an HTML Document; 17.3 Getting All Links from a Web Page; 17.4 Get the Local Computer's IP Address; 17.5 Resolving a Host Name or IP Address for Another Computer; 17.6 Pinging an IP Address; 17.7 Using FTP to Download Files; 17.8 Calling a Web Service; 17.9 Sending Email Using SMTP; 17.10 Getting POP3 Emails; 17.11 Sending a Message to Another Computer; 17.12 Adding Hyperlinks to a (Desktop) Form; Colophon;