Links . Advanced Programming Sites

Links . Advanced Programming Sites

Advanced Programming Sites

CodeGuru
Great name! CodeGuru has been a superb source of MFC Progamming Information for a long time now (and it is well worth checking some of this source for ideas if you have some C/C++ experience). Now there is also a VB Programmer's SourceBook with VB code. This section does not match up to the quality of the MFC section, but there is good code there if you search hard.

Edanmo's VB Page
This site has some free ActiveX controls, but the killer downloads are the typelibs and associated code Eduardo has written allowing you to use a whole raft of objects which aren't normally available in VB. Too many good samples to list: but at least check out his TypeLibs and samples for Shell Extensions, Structured Storage and IPersistStream. An exceptional addition to the VB programmer's arsenal!

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VBadminCode
This site is certainly to the point: "The sole purpose of this site is to share useful source for NT Server administration and automation." Its not updated frequently, but the information there is very useful and focused if NT admin is your thing.

vbip.com
A site that promises all you want to know about Internet Programming in VB - and does a great job of delivering where it can, although I would have liked to see a bit more depth and more samples. Samples include using the WinInet API and implementing FTP using WinSock, and there are some excellent links sections pointing you to all manner of specifications

vb frood
"Maximum Coolness for Visual Basic". I recommend visiting this German-language site regardless of whether you are a German speaker or not, because it is both very nicely designed and it includes good code to download. Check out the VB WinSpy sample program and the CMYK colour-space sample for a top preview. (Now available in English also)

VBBox
VB Box is a fine site run by Klaus Probst. Klaus was the author of a great Guest Option article at VBPJ: "What VB apps need is the ability to talk to the OS with the same ease as applications written in C++." Hear, hear!

Undocumented Windows 95
This site asks the question: "Have you ever suspected the existence of an evil conspiracy, in which Microsoft failed to document all the really useful functions, slyly concealing them for their own nefarious purposes?"

Well, maybe! What follows is some wonderful sleuthing by a C++ coder who clearly knows his onions, including investigations into such things as the Start Menu functions. Excellent stuff, although I suppose not much use for day-to-day use :)

Yet Another Code Site
This site from Robert Dunn concentrates exclusively on Borland C++ Builder. So why is it here? It is probably the best developer site for RichEdit resources available. Focused and informed with lots of information about the tricky aspects of using RichEdit. (Thanks to Michael Haasl for sending the tip - I have no idea how I would have found this otherwise!)

Programming OpenGL with Visual Basic
This is one of the nicest sites I've seen in a long time! An excellent and seriously well informed guide to programming OpenGL from VB, with lots of source code, samples, tutorials and also (my favourite) the article "Towards The Holographic Document - 3D Notepad" (I have difficulties enough getting RichEdit to draw in 2 dimensions, never mind holographically :)

OpenGL and Visual Basic
Our second OpenGL offering this month, this site from Ryan Myers documents his attempts to build (and, by all accounts, not quite manage to complete!) a game called HoverWars using OpenGL and Visual Basic. Although the author has now moved to C and C++ for his project, the information he posted on the way there is still seriously useful.

VB-2-The-Max
VB2? I remember VB2. It was rubbish. However, luckily this site ignores VB2 entirely and instead covers more recent versions of VB. There is a great collection of small source code snippets, tips, performance suggestions, VB bug information, collections of commonly occuring VB coding bugs and articles. Well worth visiting!

vbCode Magician
Hot off the presses, this is a new and attractive website dedicated to VB Source Code which combines some of the best tips from other VB websites along with controls. Check out the tiny vcDateTimePicker control for a neat sample.

nickerson.org
An attractively terse site provides you with a small but growing collection of tough API based controls and projects. Check out the Excel Worksheet tab control for a great sample.

Shrinkwrap Visual Basic
Some unique samples at this site, with full VB code: WinAPI Multimedia interfaces, Video Capture and VB/DirectX. Also includes a wonderfully redundant sample showing how to create a simple HELLO WORLD application - but rather than the 0 lines of code required to do this in VB this version is a complete translation of C SDK sample using CreateWindowEx with a code GetMessage/TranslateMessage loop :)

FAQSys
FAQSys, rather bizarrely styled as "Your New Lifestyle", is a repositry of FAQ text files and code. Of course most code within FAQs is provided in standard C, but if you are looking for new ideas this is a great place to visit.

Matt Hart's VB Home Page
Matt Hart is a regular contributor to VBPJ, and I found his site as the result of his last Black Belt article. A large number of serious and extremely useful source code snippets, including invaluable information about using Windows Hooks, his articles and competitions. I recommend this very highly. Go visit, or, as Matt would say: &quotJump to It"!

Patrice Scribe's DirectX for VB Site
This brilliant site features everything you need to start writing DirectX games from Visual Basic. Packed full of great illustrative samples to download, and provides Patrice's own free, must-have type libraries for programming with DirectX and OpenGL from VB.

VB MVP Pages
A circle of sites that are always providing up to date, useful and serious information.

VBNet - The Visual Basic Developers Resource Centre
A superb site with perhaps more good sample code than anywhere else. Want to know how to use a callback interface with the Browse for Folder function? This is the site that tells you. Excellent.

Visual Basic Thunder
A consistent favourite in the vbAccelerator Favourites list, this site has a diverse range of VB programming samples covering the API. This site is often first off the mark in giving you a starter on cool UI stuff, for example, Alpha-Blending windows under Win2000, tiling a picture into the background of a TreeView and creating gradient titlebars. Also some Type Libraries, a neat PropertyList control and a code librarian utility showcasing some potentially intriguing VB techniques (although typically there is no code for this :)

Ramon's VB5 Net Stop
Ramon Guerrero shows you how to create a number of the Windows Common Controls from first principles in VB5 code plus a bit more too. Although these samples aren't any use for direct production use (the subclassing methods aren't too stable in the IDE...) you owe it to yourself to download all the sample code now!

Brad's VB-32 Programs and Samples
Some very interesting code here including a sample (EnumDeskVB) which creates TreeView and ListView controls without OCXs and then uses the Shell's interfaces to populate the controls with file and directory lists. This site is the original source of the IShellFolder type library used in some of the samples at this site.

Common Controls Replacement Project (CCRP)
“The Common Controls Replacement Project is a new and unique project, combining the extensive talents of Windows developers who's aim is to provide smaller, faster, more fully-featured and free replacements to the provided Microsoft Windows Common Controls, Common Dialog controls, and 'Intrinsic Controls' - those provided as part of the standard VB toolbar. The project has twelve members who pool their knowledge to create the CCRP controls. ”
That's what they say - and the controls are arriving quickly now. Check the Folder Browse Dialog control for a great example. Unfortunately no source code, though.

Dev.X - The Development Exchange
The umbrella site of the best VB programming magazine, VBPJ, is always a great place to visit. Lots of thought provoking articles (and a few too many on ADO :), downloads for the VBPJ code and a scurillous question to vote on once a day.

TRAITOR!
Although Bruce McKinney has now decided to stop supporting VB, I still can't find anything to match his Hardcore Visual Basic “for people who like Basic, but don’t like limits.” This book is utterly invaluable if you're investigating the deeper levels of VB, particularly low level COM and subclassing. In addition, there's lots of neat source code in there too. Note that the entire text of the book is now available free on MSDN and also in the VB6 help so you can try it! Also, whilst it lasts, get the code for free too!.

Hardcore VB Book, 2nd Edition

Unlimited Realities
David Brebner brings you an enjoyable mix of graphics, games and thought-provoking VB coding. Highly recommended, and includes some excellent image processing and games samples. Start with this - it ripples a dollar in real time by manipulating the bitmap bits. Good sheep related code rating system too!

A Sheep

vbCity
This site by Serge Baranovsky has a great VB source code printing tool (PrettyCode.Print) as well as some very good downloadable code and tips. Full site available in Russian and Serge also translates VBWire.

Sorting and Searching Algorithms:A Cookbook
A well explained and concise site covering a range of algorithms with code in VB and C. Provides downloadable code for linked lists, sorts (insert, shell, quicksort), dictionaries (hash tables, binary search trees, red-black trees and skip lists) and more.

Numerical Recipes in C - The Art of Scientific Computing
Although this is in C, it is an invaluable source of information about algorithms and numerical computing. The entire book is available online here in PDF format.

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