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Books : Visual Basic Shell ProgrammingIn association with Amazon.com List Price: $29.95 Price: $9.08 You Save: $20.87 (70%)Prices subject to change. Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Format: Bargain Price Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 373 Publication Date: 1900-07 Sales Rank: 3916110 Related Items:
Editorial Review: Product Description: Visual Basic's outstanding set of resources for rapidly developing stand-alone applications doesn't include shell extensions for integrating those applications or their data files with the Windows shell. Typically, such extensions as customized context menu handlers, per instance icons (such as a data file icon that's based on the contents of the file), and customized property sheets are written in C++, and all of the available documentation focuses on using C++ for shell extensions. But even C++ programmers find the task rough going, given the woefully inadequate state of the documentation. Very few programmers know that writing shell extensions is not tied to a single language or development environment, and that Visual Basic is an excellent tool for creating shell extensions that more closely tie an application to the Windows shell. That, however, is precisely the focus of Visual Basic Shell Programming. It shows how to take advantage of shell services to develop shell extensions and it provides the basic documentation needed for accomplishing this. Each major type of shell extension gets attention, including:
Amazon.com Review: Windows users take advantage of shell extensions on the desktop every single day, but understanding what they are and how to program with them can be tricky and, until now anyway, usually required the use of Visual C++. Filled with expert knowledge of the underlying Windows shell COM objects, Visual Basic Shell Programming is all that you need to write shell-enabled applications that look more professional, as well as rival the functionality of programs that are written in C++. First and foremost, this efficiently packaged text is a reference to all of the COM objects and APIs that are needed to program with the Windows shell successfully. Each section is organized by topic, with an explanation of what kind of functionality you can add, and then all of the COM objects, methods, and constants that you'll need to use in VB, along with sample code. For many of the examples, a custom file extension (.rad) illustrates how to integrate this file into the desktop, and extend what it can do within the Windows desktop. Reading this book is also an education in the features that the Windows shell actually offers. For example, you'll learn how to add dynamic, context-sensitive menus to desktop icons, and drag-and-drop processing and custom property sheets that pop up on the desktop. Later sections turn to the Internet, with browser extensions, which can customize the look and feel of Internet Explorer (and File Explorer). One sample presents the code for a Web site crawler, which automatically downloads a group of files. Throughout, the book is careful to point out those features that are easy to do in VB and those that require advanced programming techniques. (Generally speaking, there's a lot of VB expertise on display here.) The author provides a custom COM type library for exposing all of the shell functionality to VB programmers. Of course, you can use this file to develop your own VB shell applications. Overall, this book helps explain a rather difficult topic in Windows programming, and makes accessible for the very first time this exciting area of functionality to experienced VB programmers. Read Visual Basic Shell Programming to create applications that both are more professional looking and take full advantage of every available feature in today's Windows desktop. --Richard Dragan Topics covered:
Average Rating:
 Rating:  - Lot's of info, many mistakesI have a love hate relationship with this book. There are a lot of useful techniques spelled out in the book, unfortunately there are serious bugs in the demo code. I have been able to fix a few of them, but am still working on others. Maybe this was on purpose to get the reader to truly understand the code rather than blindly copy it. Rating:  - Overall good, but some sample codes crash in Win2K ...I particularly like the Shell Extension part which is very useful to understand somthing more advanced in Windows Shell. However, what disappoints me is that I found the sample codes from Chap 11 (Both sample projects DemoSpace and RegSpace) crash in machines running Win2K. This means that if you want to use the techniques taught from the book to implement a Shell Extension by VB, you can only support platforms below Win2K. That will not be much useful at ... Read More Rating: - Good Introduction to Shell Programming in VBFirst off, if all what you want to do is to add an icon to the systray, go find _any_ Win32 API book or even search on the web. This book does not cover simple tricks like this. But if you want to write your own namespace extensions or property sheet handlers, read on. Many people think VB and windows shell programming don't mix very well. Honestly, I was one of them. But after reading this great introduction, I figured I was wrong. Well, mostly wrong. There are two issues that ... Read More Rating:  - Awsome Book !!A must read for those who like to push VB beyond the limits, previously viewed as 'impossible to do in VB'. Very well organized and lots of examples. Excellent reference material and a worthly investment. Rating: - Not neccessary but fun to readVisual Basic and Shell Extension? I thought it should be Visual C++'s territory. The book proves Visual Basic can do anything as Visual C++ can. It might take more works to finish the same task compared to Visual C++ but the experience is simply rewarding and fun. Browse for similar items by category:
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