Marcus, Scott (GEAE, RHI Consulting)
scott.marcus at ae.ge.com
Wed Feb 26 09:31:45 CST 2003
John, One of the issues that I know I will run into is that my clients are going to want top see all of this data (like Access does...looks very Excel like...my clients are very Excel savy) in a data grid. Previous versions of VB had limited built in data grid capabilities (I don't want to spend another $1K on 3rd party tools). If the data grid is alot closer to what Access provides that would be great. I haven't messed much with .Net since my initial "playing around" a year ago, but I do need to get heavily into it. Any input on the data grid capabilities? Scott Marcus > -----Original Message----- > From: John W. Colby [mailto:jcolby at colbyconsulting.com] > Sent: Wednesday, February 26, 2003 9:49 AM > To: dba-vb at databaseadvisors.com > Subject: RE: [dba-VB] OT: .NET - Data grid syncs to combo > > Marcus, > > I started programming in the early 80s and in the late 80s ended up in Turbo > Pascal which went OO. It was extremely powerful (for the day) yet strongly > typed unlike the C languages of the day. I purchased all of the Borland > toolboxes, the application framework etc., bought books and really got into > the whole inheritance thing > > I worked in that until I moved to Access in the early 90s. While Access was a > huge step up in drag and drop design functionality, and radically different > (and extremely powerful) in the use of the event driven paradigm, it was a > huge step backwards on the OO side since it had nothing at all that even > remotely resembled inheritance. > > .Net is almost like old home week. It is a highly structure system, with a > huge base framework that provides instant functionality like I have never seen > before, with true inheritance, with this new XML thingy built right in, with > access to data from anywhere. The biggest problem I foresee is simply that > the vast scope makes learning it a chore. But is so incredibly powerful, it > is simply amazing. > > I was reading a tech paper last night where they built up XML docs in a word > processor, saved them to a file (just for demo purposes), then simply used a > built in property of a built in framework class to load the file and bind to > that data. But not just bind as we know it. They bound the data to > properties of the form. Any property of any control (and forms inherit from > the control class so I'm told) can be bound to data. Which makes possible > things like fore color or back color or font a property of the record. > Painless storage of size / location of forms. Painless user modification and > storage of color preferences. If you can imagine it, you can store it in a > table and drive it from there. > > But not just tables. The objects that actually load and expose the data can > use XML as easily as they can use tables. They can use arrays. The arrays > can be simple arrays of values, or arrays of objects - CLASSES for example, > and you can be binding a control property to a property of the class. > > This stuff is truly awesome. Built in collection functionality for stacks, > queues, arrays that you can just dynamically add new members to (not to > mention your simple collection). And anything can be sub classed to add your > own functionality. Not just interface inheritance, but true implementation > inheritance. Do you want a collection that stores an object, with built in > checking to prevent storing anything but that object? Just subclass the > collection class and over ride the .add method, typing the object input > parameter. Done! > > As can be seen, I am truly psyched about this thing. I did a little > programming in VB (I wish it had been more now) but it was so difficult to get > at data (and I do databases) so it just didn't offer enough to make it worth > the switch. .Net on the other hand is an order of magnitude more powerful, > and getting at data is second nature. > > And as if all that isn't enough, you can pick your language. > > Amazing stuff. > > John W. Colby > Colby Consulting > www.ColbyConsulting.com > > -----Original Message----- > From: dba-vb-admin at databaseadvisors.com > [mailto:dba-vb-admin at databaseadvisors.com]On Behalf Of Marcus, Scott > (GEAE, RHI Consulting) > Sent: Wednesday, February 26, 2003 8:10 AM > To: 'dba-vb at databaseadvisors.com' > Subject: RE: [dba-VB] OT: .NET - Data grid syncs to combo > > > John, > > Less than a year ago, I decided to convert an access application to .Net. > Within > one day, I had a working prototype in both VB.Net and C#.Net. It was extremely > easy. You are right in that the combo changes the data set which in turn > affects > all controls linked to it. Just for kicks, I also bought Borland C++ and did > the > same thing (within a day). > > My conclusion is that all the major tools these days are offering click and > create applications. It's just a matter of picking the technology you think is > most marketable. I don't think you can go wrong in learning .Net. I'm still > torn > as to what technology to pick (although the next version of .Net is coming out > in April and is just a $29 upgrade for previous .Net owners and includes the > capability to make Pocket PC.Net applications). > > I'm very interested in discussing the techniques developers are using to > convert > Access applications to .Net. > > Hoping to find intelligent useful discussion on .Net, > > Scott Marcus > > -----Original Message----- > From: John W. Colby [mailto:jcolby at colbyconsulting.com] > Sent: Tuesday, February 25, 2003 8:32 PM > To: AccessD > Cc: AccessD - VBA > Subject: [dba-VB] OT: .NET - Data grid syncs to combo > > > I have moved my billing database BE to sql server, hooked up my existing > Access FE and continue to use that as I play with the data in .Net. > > In the meantime, in VB.Net I created a bound form last night (or I think > it's bound anyway, not positive). It was using an OLEConnection, which > tonight I switched to an SQL connection. It's supposed to be faster. The > form simply displays the state table (all fields) in a data grid. You > really can't get much simpler than that, though I suppose for something like > a state table it would suffice. > > I decided to try and figure out how to use a combo box to select a record in > the data grid. Dragged and dropped a combo to the form, hooked the > datasource property to the same data source I was using for the form / data > grid. Set the display member (the field displayed) to ST_Abrev (the 2 char > code), and the value member (the PK of the table) to ST_ID (the PK of the > table). Opened the form, selected the state in the combo and the data grid > moved the record selector to that state. > > Man was THAT easy! So the combination of everything allows the combo to > just act as a record selector without all of the code required in Access. > Not knowing exactly what is happening, I have to assume that the combo > selecting something causes a record selector pointer in the data set object > to point somewhere. Since the data grid is using the same data set object, > the data grid displays the newly selected record. > > Just a guess of course. This stuff is way over my head. > > But so easy (if I just understood what I was doing). > > Cool beans man! > > John W. Colby > Colby Consulting > www.ColbyConsulting.com > > ---------------------------------------------------- > Is email taking over your day? 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