Programming Related with an Emphasis on VB Resources

There are, of course, tens of thousands of websites devoted to ClassicVB, the most popular programming language ever. These are just a few that I turn to regularly, and I thought you might want to see (if you haven't already). Presented in no particular order.

VB MVP Websites

On my old site, I had a page dedicated to Visual Basic MVP websites. Well, many of those folks are no longer with the program, so to speak, and I didn't feel right not keeping it updated. So instead, now, I've chosen to point you to the list of all known VB MVP (past and present) websites. Lots of friends among them - I hope you'll find some of interest. If I were forced to pick one, I'd have to say that I go to Randy Birch's first more often than any other when I'm looking for an example of how to do something.

 

The Programmer's File Format Collection

This site may not be as actively updated as it once was, but if you work with older file formats it's one you really can't go without. Complete specs on hundreds of different formats, lots of useful auxiliary information, and even some useful algorithms to use in your data spelunking.

 

The Visual Basic Performance Site

Very cool site with a good number of highly optimized routines for doing ordinary things, like extracting the extension from a file specification or counting the words in a given text string. If you have performance issues, especially related to string handling, take a look here to see what you can pick up.

 

Visual Basic Programmer's Journal Archives

Just a really great resource, if you need to dig up a piece of the past. VBPJ, and BasicPro before it, were integral parts of the VB user community. It was sad to see it pass into what it is now, in its present incarnation as VSM. Anyway, here you'll find the complete archives for this wonderful resource.

 

Programming Community Index

Have you ever been curious how your skills stack up against where the programming market is heading? Here's an interesting attempt to chronicle the "popularity" of different programming languages over time. Be sure to read the FAQ section, regarding dialects.

 

TBD

 

 

Shareware, Freeware, and Commercial Products - Highly Recommended

Listed here are some of the tools, and other products, I have absolutely no hesitancy pointing people to. Some I have to rank as invaluable, and of the sort I couldn't imagine being without. If any sound like they'd fit a need of yours, it's worth it to go take a look.

vbAdvance

I'm sure that had Microsoft continued the ClassicVB product line, they ultimately would've included the features offered by this add-in. My favorite is the ability to compile a native console application. If you combine this add-in with the drop-in console support module I wrote, you can have one of the coolest features of VFred right within the ClassicVB IDE. But there's lots more to vbAdvance than just this. Definitely worth a looksee.

 

VBScroll Utility

If you've recently upgraded your mouse drivers to Intellipoint v5.x, you've probably noticed that the mousewheel no longer works within the VB IDE. This little utility totally remedies that, not only for VB6, but VB5 and VBA as well. An absolute must have.

 

Internationalization with Visual Basic

Even though ClassicVB is Unicode plumbed throughout, Microsoft really dropped the ball on internationalization, especially with the display of Unicode in controls and on forms. Whenever someone asks me how to do stuff like this, I refer them to Michka's book.

 

DBWin32 

A wonderful little utility that captures messages emitted from your EXE, DLL, or OCX through the use of OutputDebugString. This gives you the functionality of the Immediate window, essentially a Debug.Print method, from within your compiled executables. I use this tool extensively when problems only show up in compiled applications. Should be in ever coders toolbox.

 

FireFox

This isn't a programming tool, by any means, but I simply cannot imagine using a computer anymore without it. Yeah, it's been out only a couple months at the time I'm adding this link, but it's already captured about 1/4 of the traffic to this site, and the usage is growing daily. Be sure to check out the numerous addins and extensions, too! My own favorites are Googlebar and AdBlock, but I have a good dozen or so loaded and running, making life on the Net easier and easier. Plus, added bonus, I can let the kids surf again, without fear of what spy/adware they're gonna infest the machine with! Wow.

 

Virtual PC 2007

Best damned tool Microsoft has released in ages, period. With this, you can build-up a collection of virtual machines that replicate the various platforms you support, allowing you to instantly replicate any environment you find yourself needing to test your software under. Yes, there are other similar tools, and yes they are for various reasons often even better. But this one's free, and definitely worth having. IM(everso)HO.

 

TBD

 

 

Sites I go to when I'm looking for stuff

Right, well... You won't see Google or Dictionary.com below, though I probably go to both of those more often than anything listed here. These are just sites where I find things that I didn't always know I was looking for. Hmmm...

City-Data.com

Great place for a quick snapshot of close or faraway places, at least within the USA. Pictures, maps, satellite photos, statistics, and so on.

 

TimeAndDate.com

A site that's named so you can remember it, rather than have to bookmark it. Lots of stuff here that simply helps you operate in a world with timezones and irregular calendars. For example, there's a page that tells you which other years use the same calendar as this year, which allows you to recycle those old Christmas gifts every eleven years or so. Good stuff.

 

TBD