Using Visual Basic Studio 2008 with ASP.NET

[fghaegele]

Hello evreyone.

I am fairly new to the ASP.Net environment, so I have a very simple and general question I think anyone here can answer:

How do I run windows forms compliled via Visual Basic Studio 2008 on, say, a website? Is this even possible, or do I have to learn the in's and out's of ASP.net?

For example, say I've created a calculator on vb studio, as a window form. Do I have to mess with creating a skin, or interface with javascript or flash, or can I just display the form directly on a website?

Thank you for your help

 

[jmcilhinney]

There isn't anything named "Visual Basic Studio". There is Visual Studio and there is VB Express. VB Express is a cut-down version of VS that supports only the VB language and also provides fewer features.

Visual Studio provides support for multiple languages and multiple platforms, including Windows, Web and Mobile development. VB Express supports only the VB language and only Windows development. You can get various other Express editions of VS too. Visual C# Express is like VB Express but only supports the C# language. Visual Web Developer Express is a cut-down version of the Visual Web Developer component of VS. It supports both VB and C# to create ASP.NET applications for the Web.

If you want to create Web applications then VWD Express is the tool you need and yes, you do need to learn ASP.NET. You will have to create a whole new interface because ASP.NET interfaces are built using ASP.NET controls that are translated into HTML for display in a browser. You may be able to retain some of the logic from your WinForms app but it will have to be restructured somewhat because, while similar, WebForms and WinForms apps do work differently. The Web is an inherently different platform to Windows.

 

[fghaegele]

Ok. VB Express.

So VB Express is probably only good for creating simple GUI progs, such as games, or client side point of sale systems ?

Personal aside: Time to pick a few different classes at the uni.

Thanks for your help.

And in the meantime, continue to work with and develop php apps.

 

[JuggaloBrotha]

Your calculator UI would have to be re-done in asp.net but the code to do the math could be re-used.

That being said, you could learn jQuery or ExtJS to keep everything client side for a calculator.

 

[fghaegele]

So I would use vb as the program logic and AJAX as the UI?

 

[jmcilhinney]

So I would use vb as the program logic and AJAX as the UI?

No, you would build an ASP.NET WebForms application, so the UI would be build in ASP.NET WebForms. VB would be the code-behind language and Ajax is a technology you would use to update your pages without having to perform a full post-back, to improve perceived and actual responsiveness.

I'd probably forget Ajax for the moment and just get a vanilla WebForms application working, then look at improving it by implementing Ajax. If you don't understand how WebForms works in the first place then you won't understand how Ajax works.

 

[fghaegele]

Yeah, I'm working on that.

I've learned three programming langauages over the past 5 months.

What's a few more? heh.

Not to mention the ASP.net courses at the uni...