If you're an experienced programmer finding your way with .NET, then this book is for you.

If your .NET skills are already solid, then this book is still for you.

These ten-minute solutions fill the gaps in your knowledge: from them, you'll learn a lot about the realities of programming with .NET technologies, whether you're writing database applications, web applications, or desktop applications.

But they're also solutions to the problems you're most likely to encounter in each of these areas. Particularly when a project entails new techniques or draws you into a realm outside your expertise, you need quick and reliable answers. Here, a couple of veterans provide them. Based on the popular question-and-answer feature of the DevX website, all are in-depth, code-intensive solutions that explain both the how and the why, helping you past immediate obstacles and ultimately making you a more knowledgeable programmer. Here are some of the solutions you'll find inside:

• The new ListBox control's data model: how it differs, how to work with it, why it's better
• The new I/O model: storing and retrieving complete objects with streams
• Launching and monitoring external programs from VB.NET applications: the Process class and how it improves on classic VB Shell command
• ADO.NET support for keeping calculated columns up to date automatically
• Moving data between distributed tiers-and keeping it synchronized-using DiffGrams

Solutions are organized into three categories: general .NET topics that cut across category boundaries, problems that arise when you're building Windows forms, and issues associated specifically with ADO.NET and ASP.NET programming chores. The book contains VB.NET code examples for every solution.

Contents

• Introduction
• Windows Forms Solutions
  • Solution 1: ListBox ItemData Is Gone!
  • Solution 2: Create Owner-Drawn ListBoxes and ComboBoxes
  • Solution 3: Upgrade Your INI Files to XML
  • Solution 4: Build Your Own XML-Enabled Windows Forms TreeView Control
• General .NET Topics
  • Solution 5: Take Advantage of Streams and Formatters in VB.NET
  • Solution 6: File I/O in VB.NET:Avoid the Compatibility Syntax
  • Solution 7: Gain Control of Regular Expressions
  • Solution 8: Add Sort Capabilities to Your .NET Classes
  • Solution 9: A Plethora of XML Choices
  • Solution 10: Where Should I Store That Data?
  • Solution 11: Performing the Most-Requested Conversions in .NET
  • Solution 12: Building Custom Collections in .NET
  • Solution 13: Launching and Monitoring External Programs from VB.NET Applications
  • Solution 14: Build a Touch Utility with .NET
  • Solution 15: Parse and Validate Command-Line Parameters with VB.NET
  • Solution 16: Monitor Data and Files with a Windows Service
• ASP.NET Solutions
  • Solution 17: Creating Custom Configuration Settings in ASP.NET
  • Solution 18: Internationalize Your ASP.NET Applications (Part 1 of 2)
  • Solution 19: Internationalize Your ASP.NET Applications (Part 2 of 2)
  • Solution 20: Managing Focus in Web Forms
  • Solution 21: The Missing Message Boxes in ASP.NET
• ADO.NET Solutions
  • Solution 22: Optimizing and Troubleshooting Database Connections
  • Solution 23: Replacing Recordsets with DataSets
  • Solution 24: Working with Typed DataSets
  • Solution 25: Saving Time with Calculated DataColumns
  • Solution 26: Combining Tables in a DataSet
  • Solution 27: Getting Customized XML from SQL Server
  • Solution 28: XML and the DataSet
  • Solution 29: DataBinding ListBoxes and ComboBoxes
  • Solution 30: Advanced DataBinding
  • Solution 31: Synchronizing DataSets with DiffGrams
  • Solution 32: The 10-Minute Guide to Paging Data
• Index