Developer .NET UPDATE, April 22, 2003

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April 22, 2003--In this issue:

1. DEVELOPER .NET PERSPECTIVES

• Visual Studio .NET and Windows 2003 Features, Part 3

2. ANNOUNCEMENTS

• Microsoft TechEd 2003, June 1-6, 2003, Dallas, TX
• Security Bootcamp Online Advanced-Level Training

3. RESOURCE

• Featured Thread: XMLRAD

4. NEW AND IMPROVED

• Modernize Your VB Legacy Code

5. CONTACT US

• See this section for a list of ways to contact us.

1. DEVELOPER .NET PERSPECTIVES

This week, I'm continuing discussion of new features in Visual Studio .NET 2003 and Windows Server 2003 by looking at those new features that support the migration of existing code to the Windows .NET Framework. As I discussed in the past, Visual Studio .NET 2002 shipped with the Visual Basic Upgrade Wizard. If you open a Visual Basic (VB) 6.0 project in Visual Studio .NET, the wizard automatically launches and creates a new Visual Basic .NET project based on your VB 6.0 project. The Visual Basic Upgrade Wizard still exists in Visual Studio .NET 2003, but it has some new companions.

The first new companion is a tool that will be of great benefit to those people who use Active Server Pages (ASP) or Windows Script Host (WSH) and have their VB 6.0 code in scripts rather than VB projects. When you have VB 6.0 code in scripts, you can't use the Visual Basic Upgrade Wizard to convert the code to Visual Basic .NET. However, you can now use Visual Studio .NET 2003's new "Upgrade Visual Basic 6 Code" option to convert scripts.

To use this option, open a Visual Basic .NET project and select "Upgrade Visual Basic 6 Code" on the Tools menu. In the Upgrade Visual Basic 6 Code dialog box, paste your VB 6.0 code. If your script has any references to COM objects, select the References tab, click Add Reference, then select the appropriate reference in the Add Reference dialog box. Finally, click Upgrade to convert your code from VB 6.0 to Visual Basic .NET. After the conversion is complete, Visual Studio .NET 2003 inserts the updated code in your Visual Basic .NET project at the location where the cursor was at when you started the tool.

The Upgrade Visual Basic 6 Code option is a great tool for ASP developers because they can transition the HTML code associated with an ASP site to a new Visual Basic ASP.NET project, then use this option to upload the VB 6.0 code from the Web pages. The Upgrade Visual Basic 6 Code tool also does a great job converting WSH, Windows Management Interface (WMI), and Active Directory Service Interfaces (ADSI) scripts into code for Visual Basic .NET projects. Implementing your favorite scripts with a GUI lets you create many new powerful management tools. In addition, you can transform the scripts that you've been running with the scheduling service into true Windows services.

The second new companion converts Java code into Visual J# .NET code. Visual Studio .NET 2003 includes Visual J# .NET--Microsoft's Java syntax language--as part of the baseline installation. Visual J# .NET has been available as an add-on package for Visual Studio .NET 2002 for several months, so you might already be familiar with this .NET language. What's great about the inclusion of Visual J# .NET in Visual Studio .NET 2003 is that Visual Studio .NET now provides a seamless Upgrade Wizard for your Visual J++ 6.0 projects. If you open a Visual J++ 6.0 solution or project file in Visual Studio .NET 2003, the Upgrade Wizard automatically kicks off. This wizard opens your Visual J++ 6.0 project files and converts your Visual J++ project into a Visual J# .NET project.

The third new companion is the Java Language Conversion Assistant (JLCA), which converts Java code into Visual C# .NET code. A beta version of the JLCA has been available as a Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) download for several months. With the release of Visual Studio .NET 2003, the JLCA is now part of the Visual Studio Integrated Development Environment (IDE). You can use the JLCA to convert not only Visual J++ projects but also Java (i.e., .jav and .java) source files into Visual C# .NET code.

To access the JLCA, go to the File menu and expand the Open submenu. Select the Convert option. The resulting dialog box lists both the JCLA and the Visual Basic Upgrade Wizard. If you select the JLCA, you have the option of either upgrading a Visual J++ 6.0 project file to Visual C# .NET project or a scanning a directory subtree and creating a new Visual C# .NET project based on the Java source files in the selected directory hierarchy.

The three new companion tools I just discussed are Visual Studio .NET 2003 enhancements related to helping you migrate existing scripts and projects to the Visual Studio IDE. Next week, I'll show you some of the enhancements related to Web Services.

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2. ANNOUNCEMENTS
(brought to you by Windows & .NET Magazine and its partners)

Realize your potential at TechEd 2003, Microsoft's premier technical conference. Includes the latest in-depth sessions on the entire .NET developer-language family. Register by April 25 and save $400!

SSMU e-Learning Center, partnering with Scalability Experts, is offering a live online advanced-level training course titled "Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Security Bootcamp." DBAs, developers, and IT managers will learn how to leverage the security features of SQL Server 2000 to build intelligent, flexible, and secure database access. Go now to

3. RESOURCE

Forum member DoT wants to know if anyone has used e-delos.com’s XMLRAD. To join this discussion, go to the following URL:

4. NEW AND IMPROVED
(contributed by Sue Cooper, products@winnetmag.com)

ImmuniCode (a service mark of Friendware) announced VBCS, an add-on for Visual Studio .NET to convert your Visual Basic (VB) 6.0 or Visual Basic .NET code to Visual C# .NET code. The add-on is accessible from Visual Studio .NET's Tools menu. Developers who don't upgrade to VB 7.0 can still get the advantages of Visual C# .NET and get assistance for their migration to the Windows .NET Framework. VBCS has a conversion rate of approximately 10,000 lines per hour, compared to an estimated 100 lines per hour for a conversion performed by hand. Because of the differences in the languages, VBCS provides automatic conversion of 80 percent of the code but will approach 100 percent with continuous upgrades. ImmuniCode is developing technology to translate classic Active Server Pages (ASP) 2.0 and VB 7.0 code to Visual C# .NET. VBCS is priced at $599 and includes free upgrades for 3 months. Contact ImmuniCode at 415-563-6134 or info@immunicode.com.

5. CONTACT US
Here's how to reach us with your comments and questions:

• ABOUT DEVELOPER .NET PERSPECTIVES -- bills@interknowlogy.com
• ABOUT THE NEWSLETTER IN GENERAL -- kbemowski@winnetmag.com (please mention the newsletter name in the subject line)
• TECHNICAL QUESTIONS -- http://www.winnetmag.com/forums
• PRODUCT NEWS -- products@winnetmag.com
• QUESTIONS ABOUT YOUR DEVELOPER .NET UPDATE SUBSCRIPTION? Email Customer Support -- Developer_dot_NET_update@winnetmag.com

• WANT TO SPONSOR DEVELOPER .NET UPDATE? emedia_opps@winnetmag.com

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