Beginning REALbasic - From Novice To Professional (2006)

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then analyzes all the Visual Basic project’s files. The Visual Basic Project Converter Utility automatically converts Visual Basic projects, forms, classes, modules, and program code into equivalent REALbasic projects, windows, classes, modules, and program code.

Although, this utility can completely convert simple Visual Basic projects to REALbasic projects, it cannot convert most projects without a little help on your part. For example, you will probably have to rewrite certain portions of program code. In addition, any controls found in Visual Basic applications for which corresponding controls do not exist in REALbasic need to be converted to Canvas controls, leaving it up to you to create your own replacement controls or equivalent functionality. The Visual Basic Project Converter Utility’s database support is limited. Any database connections found in a Visual Basic project will not be re-created within REALbasic projects. Neither will a database be added to your REALbasic project. Instead, you must go back and reestablish the database connection, and then reset the DataField and DataSource properties for all controls bound to the database.

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What’s on the CD-ROM?

When it comes to being a good REALbasic programmer, no substitute exists for hands-on experience in creating and testing REALbasic applications. It helps to have a collection of application source code from which you can learn and experiment. By studying and copying code examples from other REALbasic projects, you can also save time when creating new applications. This book’s companion CD-ROM provides access to all the sample applications presented in this book.

This book’s companion CD-ROM also provides you with convenient access to copies of REALbasic 2006 for Macintosh, Windows, and Linux.

REALbasic Program Source Code

This book was written with the intention that you create and experiment with each of the sample applications presented in the chapters as you make your way through the book. However, in the event that you may not have had the time to create and test every application presented, you can find copies of each sample application on this book’s companion CD-ROM.

Table B-1 provides you with a quick review of each of the sample applications you will find.

Table B-1. REALbasic Projects Available on This Book’s Companion CD-ROM

Chapter	Application/Project	Description
Chapter 1	Hello World.rbp	A Hello World! Application
Chapter 2	RBBookFinder.rbp	The RBBookFinder Browser
Chapter 3	RBClock.rbp	A Desktop Clock Application
Chapter 4	RBQuickNote.rbp	The RBQuickNote StickyPad Application
Chapter 5	RBCalculator.rbp	A Desktop Calculator
Chapter 6	RB NumberGuess.rbp	The RB Number Guess Game
Chapter 7	RB Movie Player.rbp	The RB Movie Player
Chapter 8	Picture Viewer.rbp	The RB Picture Viewer
	StatesListbox.rbo	A custom ListBox Control of State Names
Chapter 9	RB Word Processor.rbp	The RB Word Processor
		Continued

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Table B-1. Continued

Chapter	Application/Project	Description
Chapter 10	DBBuilder.rbp	The RB Book Database Setup Application
	DBAdd.rbp	The RB Book Database Add New Books Front End
Chapter 11	RB Painter.rbp	The RB Draw Application
	RB MP3 Player.rbp	The RB MP3 Player
	RB Speech.rbp	A Speech Synthesizer Application
	RB Piano Player.rbp	A Minivirtual Piano
Chapter 12	Network Interface Checker.rbp	The Network Connection Checker

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What’s Next?

Congratulations on completing Beginning REALbasic. Learning a new programming language is a significant achievement and represents a major effort. But, don’t look at the completion of this book as the end of your REALbasic education. You have plenty more to learn! To help keep your momentum going, this appendix provides you with information about different resources you may want to consider pursuing to further develop your REALbasic programming skills.

Locating REALbasic Resources Online

Many websites are dedicated to REALbasic, and some are better than others. The following sections outline a number of good sites. Along with the name and web address of each site, you’ll find a brief description of what you can expect to find.

REALbasic University

The REALbasic University website, located at www.applelinks.com/rbu/, provides access to a weekly online column dedicated to Macintosh software development using REALbasic. This website is a great source for learning new programming techniques and getting tips on how to do things differently.

RBDocs

The RBDocs website, located at www.rbdocs.com, is an online community where you can find a collaborative collection of REALbasic documentation. This website’s goal is to provide more detailed documentation than is provided in the REALbasic Reference.

RBGarage

The RBGarage website, located at www.rbgarage.com, provides access to over 1,000 different links to REALbasic resources, including links to plug-ins, modules, sample code, and tutorials.

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VBZone

The VB Zone RB website, located at rb.thevbzone.com/, provides access to sample REALbasic projects and tons of sample code. You’ll also find a good collection of programming lessons and links to other REALbasic resources.

REALbasic Gazette

The REALbasic Gazette website, located at rbgazette.com/, is a web log where you can go to find REALbasic news. This website also provides a huge supply REALbasic programming tips and program code.

Really Basic REALbasic

The Really Basic REALbasic website, located at www.ttpsoftware.com/ReallyBasicRB/, is devoted to providing beginner REALbasic programmers with sample projects, code snippets, and tutorials, as well as other useful resources for those just getting started.

REALOPEN

The REALOPEN website, located at realopen.org/, is a public open-source repository for REALbasic code. The REALOPEN website’s main function is to provide a collaborative environment in which REALbasic software developers can organize and share access to projects. But, this is also a great place to find plenty of REALbasic news.

Realgurus.com

The Realgurus.com website, located at realgurus.com/board/, provides access to forums where you can access thousands of online discussions about REALbasic programming.

REALbasic Developer Magazine

Another excellent source for cutting-edge information and REALbasic is the REALbasic Developer magazine, which you can subscribe to by visiting www.rbdeveloper.com, as shown in Figure C-1. REALbasic Developer magazine provides access to an assortment of articles of interest to both beginner and professional programmers, and it provides an essential resource for serious REALbasic programmers.

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Figure C-1. REALbasic Developer magazine provides access to REALbasic articles and advertisements sponsored by third-party developers.

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Joining REALbasic Mailing Lists

You can find a Mailing Lists link to REALbasic mailing lists located on the support page at the REALbasic website (www.realbasic.com/support/). Go to this URL and you’ll be given the opportunity to sign up with any of the following mailing lists.

•Getting Started. A mailing list dedicated to the needs of beginning REALbasic programmers.

•REALbasic NUG. A mailing list where experienced REALbasic programmers post questions and share answers.

•REAL News. A mailing list where you can sign up to receive REALbasic announcements.

•Tips. A mailing list that provides access to useful information and tips provided by Geoff Perlman, CEO of REAL Software.

•REALbasic Games. A mailing list dedicated to discussions and questions related to game development using REALbasic.

•Plugins. A mailing list where you can get information about REALbasic plug-ins.

To sign up with one or more of these mailing lists, all you need to do is provide your e-mail address, and then specify whether you want to receive individual mailing-list postings or messages in digest format before you click the Submit Request button.