What a C# Coder Should Know Before They Write VB - Updated

re: What a C# Coder Should Know Before They Write VB - Updated

Visual C# Kicks — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 23:30:49 GMT

I went from VB to C# and I personally miss modules. They could technically make for some poor code design, but so can a lot of other things

What a C# Coder Should Know Before They Write VB - Updated - Kathleen Dollard

DotNetShoutout — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 20:56:59 GMT

Thank you for submitting this cool story - Trackback from DotNetShoutout

re: What a C# Coder Should Know Before They Write VB - Updated

Eber Irigoyen — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 19:59:47 GMT

"VB infers the type more quietly:"

Dim list2 = New List(Of String)(New String() {"Fred", "George", "Bill", "Percy", "Ron"})

how was that more "quietly" than this?

var list2 = new List<string>() { "Bill", "Percy", "Fred","George", "Ron" };

Have a background in C#, and starting to write some Visual Basic? (Lisa Feigenbaum) : EasyCoded

Mon, 15 Sep 2008 01:11:04 GMT

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Mon, 15 Sep 2008 01:06:57 GMT

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Have a background in C#, and starting to write some Visual Basic? (Lisa Feigenbaum)

The Visual Basic Team — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 01:02:06 GMT

Maybe you just started a job at a company whose development is in VB. Maybe you're working with XML,

Have a background in C#, and starting to write some Visual Basic? (Lisa Feigenbaum)

The Visual Basic Team — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 01:00:33 GMT

Maybe you just started a job at a company whose development is in VB. Maybe you're working with XML,

re: What a C# Coder Should Know Before They Write VB - Updated

Kathleen — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 22:58:38 GMT

I just realized I never answered this...

Actually the With construct creates a temporary variable and uses that within the With block. The dereferencing occurs only once at the start of the block.

Kathleen

re: What a C# Coder Should Know Before They Write VB - Updated

int19h — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 11:00:24 GMT

> Thanks for the comments. Everytime you dereference (. notation) you also take a small hit.

You do, but the dereference occurs when using the unary dot operator inside "With" in VB as well.

re: What a C# Coder Should Know Before They Write VB - Updated

Kathleen — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 14:58:54 GMT

David,

Thanks for the comments. Everytime you dereference (. notation) you also take a small hit. So, when you have a long dereference list

WhosOnFirst.NoHesOnSecond.WhatsOnThird.Fourth

And that is repeated several times, the derferencing hit is more than the variable initizlization. At least that was documented early on the VB help. I haven't benchmarked where the change happens.

With would rarely be used in the kind of code you displayed, although I think I should have been more clear because my implication that it is always faster could lead someone to use it excessively.

Kathleen

re: What a C# Coder Should Know Before They Write VB - Updated

David Nelson — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 20:30:04 GMT

@pablo,

Yes it does, but many C# coders will be used to using enter for that same purpose, and will be frustrated by the fact that in VB pressing enter to accept Intellisense will also insert a newline.

@Kathleen,

"Get to know the With keyword...it will also speeds up your application somewhat."

I am not aware of any way that the With keyword can speed up an application. It is only a syntax shortcut. Take the following two functionally equivalent fragments:

Dim rand As New Random()

With rand

Console.WriteLine(.Next(1, 6))

Console.WriteLine(.NextDouble())

Console.WriteLine(.Next(0, 100))

End With

Dim rand As New Random()

Console.WriteLine(rand.Next(1, 6))

Console.WriteLine(rand.NextDouble())

Console.WriteLine(rand.Next(0, 100))

If you look at the IL generated by a release build of these two fragments, the only difference is that the With version generates an extra local variable to store the result of the target expression (even if that expression is already a local variable). This translates to an extra reference slot on the stack and four extra IL instructions (one to initialize the extra variable, one to push it back onto the stack, and two to null it out at the end of the With block). A similar test with value types shows that the IL in that case is exactly equivalent.

So it looks to me like With is less efficient in the case of reference types and no more efficient in the case of value types. What am I missing?

re: What a C# Coder Should Know Before They Write VB - Updated

pablo — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 13:24:48 GMT

3) ... (By the Ctl-Enter thing, I mean that you can't just hit Enter to accept Intellisense. You must hit Ctl-Enter, or space or some other punctuation).

Doesn't the TAB key accept Intellisense with one key press and no side effects?

re: What a C# Coder Should Know Before They Write VB - Updated

Michael Gillson — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 16:37:09 GMT

I changed jobs for only 10 months and was required to write in VB.NET I was able to survive but I did not enjoy it. I am glad to be back in C#.

Two things that I think that are very good in VB.NET are #29 - With and #47 - Named Arguments.

#1 - VB is a great language raised my blood pressure immediately. My history is Delphi 1-7 and then C#. I cannot remember how many times I wrote ActiveX controls in Delphi so the VB coders could perform some task. There were so many language things in VB6 and early that made VB an inconsistent language to program in. With VB.NET, VB is much better. Just as C# is better than Delphi. So I still have a hard time with the VB is a great language. For instance, #42 says if iterators are needed, write them in C#.

#21 - VB uses parens for both method calls and indexes. Sorry.

#32 - continuation character – the underscore followed by a space.

#37 - Namespaces. VB.NET general hides them from you making things "easier" but then when programs grow in size, the developer has a new challenge.

#41 - Missing Surround With. I use C# snippets from the IntelliSense and I use Surround With.

#60 - On Error, glad you recommend against using it.

The list above are just some of the things that frustrate me in VB.NET. I know this was not the purpose of your post but I would find it interesting to see what makes VB.NET coders frustrated in writing in C# and what makes C# coders frustrated in writing in VB.NET.

re: What a C# Coder Should Know Before They Write VB - Updated

Kathleen — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 14:04:13 GMT

Chris,

Working on making that happen...

Kathleen

re: What a C# Coder Should Know Before They Write VB - Updated

Kathleen — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 14:04:12 GMT

Chris,

Working on making that happen...

Kathleen

re: What a C# Coder Should Know Before They Write VB - Updated

Chris Pietschmann — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 12:39:05 GMT

Now, where's the "What a VB Coder Should Know Before They Write C#" article?

Help For C# Coders Going To VB.NET

The Rafael Van Dyke Blog — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 17:42:22 GMT

Help For C# Coders Going To VB.NET

The Rafael Van Dyke Blog — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 17:41:51 GMT

Help For C# Coders Going To VB.NET