The VB.NET Compatibility Namespace and Control Arrays
Wednesday April 12, 2006
No article has drawn quite as much interest and input from About Visual Basic readers as one that was published almost two years ago
What Happened To Control Arrays!
In fact, there have been six updates based on suggestions from readers.
Clif Gay has just sent in number seven. But Clif's idea has a lot more than just how to create a VB 6 style control array in .NET. As it turns out, there's a lot to learn about the VB.NET VB 6 compatibility namespace and how Visual Studio works. This article is accompanied by three downloadable example programs to demonstrate exactly how VB 6 style control arrays can be programmed in both Visual Basic 2005 Express and Visual Studio 2005!
Comments
Why anyone would call all this progress is beyond me. Taking a highly effective concept like Control Arrays and justify it’s removal with statements like “You can still do whatever you need to do without them.” is arrogant idiocy.
While I’ve become more accepting of the reality that MS has basically strong-armed a legion of VB6 developers it created to accept something they don’t want, I remain very resentful.
I am but one of many certified VB6 developers who make a living off my skillset. To convert the products I have developed, and by which I continue to support myself, to VB.NET would take YEARS of investment in time I cannot financially justify. Moving forward with .NET while meeting the rampant demands of the marketplace in which I work is virtually impossible. So everytime I see one more brilliant idea about how to reproduce Control Array functionality in VB.NET I feel increasingly offended and ostracized.
Danny Bowman
MCSD
Good points! I’ve criticized Microsoft for pulling the rug out from under VB 6 developers. And I’ve even published the complaints of others.
http://visualbasic.about.com/od/imhoinmyhumbleopinion/a/BradJSueMS.htm
But there really are two fundamental points that we can’t get away from:
1 – VB.NET is vastly superior to VB 6. You have to invest some time to really appreciate this, but after you do … it’s like you used to have to walk everywhere and suddenly you can fly.
2 – Whether you agree with it or not, it’s gonna happen. VB 6 is becoming a distant memory. Even though Microsoft should have given good ol’ VB 6 more support … it’s done now and moaning about it just won’t change a thing.
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