Course Overview
- This two-day instructor-led course provides students with the base knowledge required to upgrade applications to the Microsoft .NET platform. It also provides students with the knowledge, skills, and guidelines required to upgrade Microsoft Visual Basic applications to Microsoft Visual Basic .NET
- facilitate interoperability between components created for the COM platform with components created for the .NET platform
- upgrade ASP applications to ASP.NET. The primary tool and language used in this course are Microsoft Visual Studio .NET and Visual Basic .NET.
Audience
This course is intended for experienced professional developers who have been building COM-based applications and are now moving to the .NET platform. The audience will be expected to be proficient using Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0, and have a practical working knowledge of Visual Basic .NET.Additionally, Information Technology (IT) managers who are key decision makers for corporate technologies will benefit from some sections of this course.
Skills Gained
After completing this course, students will be able to:
- Determine whether an application will benefit from upgrading to the .NET platform, and if so, identify the strategy to be used for upgrading.
- Upgrade Visual Basic 6.0 applications to Visual Basic .NET.
- Use COM components from .NET Framework applications.
- Use .NET Framework components from COM applications.
- Use unmanaged DLL functions from .NET Framework applications.
- Upgrade ASP applications to Microsoft ASP.NET.
Prerequisites
Before attending this course, students must have:
- Experience developing COM-based applications in Visual Basic 6.0.
- Practical working knowledge of Visual Basic .NET.
- Practical working knowledge of the .NET Framework.
Examinations
There are no Microsoft Certified Exams associated with this course.
Course Outline
Module 1: Getting Started with Upgrading
This module briefly reviews the client/server and n-tier architectures for distributed applications and then analyzes the process of upgrading existing applications to the .NET platform. This module also provides an overview of some of the topics that will be covered in more detail throughout the rest of this course.
Lessons
- How .NET Affects Application Development
- Is Upgrading Necessary?
- Costs and Benefits of Upgrading
Lab 1.1: Assessing Applications for Upgrade to the .NET Platform
- Assessing the Fabrikam, Inc., Application
- Assessing the Northwind Traders Application
After completing this module, students will be able to:
- Describe the recommended architecture for developing distributed applications.
- Select and justify an approach to upgrading an application.
- Identify the costs and benefits of upgrading an application to the .NET platform.
- Create a preliminary plan that identifies a strategy, tactics, and rationalization for upgrading an application to the .NET platform.
Module 2: Upgrading to Visual Basic .NET
- This module guides you through the entire process-cycle of upgrading Visual Basic 6.0-based applications, including COM and COM+ components to Visual Basic .NET. It explains how to develop a plan for upgrading your applications
- prepare an application for upgrade by updating features that cannot be automatically upgraded
- upgrade the application by using the Upgrade Wizard provided by Visual Basic .NET and fix upgrade issues that the wizard identifies.
Lessons
- Planning the Upgrade
- Preparing for the Upgrade
- Using the Upgrade Wizard
- Upgrading COM+ Components
Lab 2.1: Upgrading a Visual Basic 6.0-based Application
- Preparing the Presentation Tier for Upgrade
- Upgrading the Presentation Tier
- Preparing the Business Tier for Upgrade
- Upgrading the Business Tier
After completing this module, students will be able to:
- Develop a comprehensive plan for upgrading your application.
- Prepare a Visual Basic 6.0 application for upgrade.
- Use the Upgrade Wizard, review the results, and address issues.
- Upgrade Visual Basic 6.0-based applications and COM components to Visual Basic .NET.
- Upgrade Visual Basic 6.0-based COM+ components to Visual Basic .NET.
Module 3: Using COM Components in .NET Framework Applications
This module explains how to call existing COM components from .NET Framework applications by means of the COM interoperability service provided by the .NET Framework. The concepts, procedures, and guidelines for preparing COM components for interoperability and using them in .NET Framework applications are provided.
Lessons
- COM vs. .NET
- Preparing COM Components for Interoperability
- Deploying and Testing COM Components for Interoperability
Lab 3.1: Using COM Components in .NET Framework Applications
- Generating a Strong-Named Assembly
- Testing the COM Component
After completing this module, students will be able to:
- Call COM components from .NET Framework applications.
- Identify performance, security, and threading issues related to using COM components for interoperability.
- Deploy and test COM components in the .NET environment.
Module 4: Using .NET Framework Components in COM Applications
This module explains how to call .NET Framework components from COM applications by means of the COM interoperability service provided by the .NET Framework. The concepts, procedures, and guidelines for preparing .NET Framework components for interoperability and using them in COM applications are provided.
Lessons
- Preparing .NET Framework Components for Interoperability
- Registering .NET Framework Components
- Debugging .NET Framework Components
- Deploying .NET Framework Components
Lab 4.1: Creating and Registering .NET Framework Components for Interoperability
- Creating a .NET Framework Component
- Registering a .NET Framework Component
Lab 4.2: Deploying and Testing .NET Framework Components
- Deploying a .NET Framework Component
- Testing a .NET Framework Component
After completing this module, students will be able to:
- Create or modify .NET Framework components for interoperability with COM.
- Register .NET Framework components for use with COM.
- Call .NET Framework components from COM applications.
- Debug calls between Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 clients and .NET Framework components.
- Deploy .NET Framework components in the COM environment.
Module 5: Using Unmanaged DLL Functions in .NET Framework Applications
This module explains how to call functions implemented in unmanaged non-COM dynamic-link libraries (DLLs), such as Microsoft Windows API DLLs, from a .NET Framework application. As an alternative to calling Windows API functions from managed applications, this module briefly explains some of the .NET Framework classes that you can use to achieve equivalent functionality.
Lessons
- Calling Unmanaged DLL Functions
- Making Advanced Calls
- Using .NET Framework Classes Instead of Windows API
Lab 5.1: Calling Unmanaged DLL Functions from Managed Code
- Calling a Function
- Using a Callback Function
After completing this module, students will be able to:
- Call functions in unmanaged DLLs that are not COM-based, including Windows API DLLs.
- Create wrappers for unmanaged functions.
- Pass structures to unmanaged functions and use callback functions.
- Use .NET Framework classes instead of Windows API functions, if an equivalent exists.
Module 6: Upgrading to ASP.NET
This module explains the reasons for upgrading your Web application to Microsoft ASP.NET, explains how Microsoft Active Server Pages (ASP) and ASP.NET can function together, and describes how to upgrade the ASP and Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) pages in your existing applications to ASP.NET.
Lessons
- ASP vs. ASP.NET
- Upgrading HTML Pages to ASP.NET
- Upgrading ASP Pages to ASP.NET
Lab 6.1: Upgrading ASP Applications to ASP.NET
- Adding ASP pages to an ASP.NET Project
- Converting an ASP Page to an ASP.NET Web Form
After completing this module, students will be able to:
- Run ASP and ASP.NET pages side-by-side in an application.
- Upgrade an HTML application to ASP.NET.
- Upgrade an ASP application to ASP.NET.
