Inspiration

[Davadvice]

Hello All,

I am looking for some ideas on how to go forward.

I have a project I am working on at the moment that requires me to develop an application for field staff.

The application will be used to fill in Job details time sheets. I want the user to have the availability of changing some settings View, Preferences ect. The application will not have a DB as a back end and will send data back home via E-mail in the form of CSV, XML, Spreadsheet.

My background is mainly using access 97/2K with VBA. All of my apps don’t use Bound forms at all. I also have expreiance with VB6. as you can imagine I have a great deal of code that would assist me with the task above. I have not done any work involving XML Or INI (Preference settings) previously



What I would like your advice on is.
Should I stay with the Old VB and learn how to utilise the XML and INI functions that have been posted on here ?

Is .NET better to use in dealing with XML and preference Settings (ini or reg editing)
I would also like to be able to have the data sent back “home” Via another method in the future utilising TCP/IP methods without the use of E-mail. When the data is returned to base an application will insert the data in to a DB (Access 97)

Also I would like to learn a new method as I think that VB6 is starting to date. Also I will be using the 2005 express edition of .Net


Many thanks
David

[Hack]

It sounds like you are already going to be using .NET, so why the questions about VB6?

.NET would be the way to go.

[FunkyDexter]

I agree with Hack. There's nothing in what you've described that neccessitates moving to .net but it sounds like as good a project as any to learn .net with if you want to, and it sounds you do... so go with .net I'd say.

An ini is the way to go rather than xml if you're just saving user preferences (it's what it was designed for). Or you could use the registry which I'd argue is a better aproach (though that's debatable).

Xml would be ideal for sending the data 'back home' as you can include it's structure so it's far more powerful than csv or a spreadsheet. Also, if you can get your head around xpath (which really isn't hard) then getting the data out and loading it into the DB will be much easier too.

[Davadvice]

Hi,

thanks for the replies.

Just need to wait and see if My IT dept will get their ass in gear and give me the rites to install .net
Again thanks
David

[RhinoBull]

Should I stay with the Old VB and learn how to utilise the XML and INI functions that have been posted on here ?

The answer is NO! And it's not because of some fancy new environment MS came up with or will come up again in few years.
It's mainly because in this business you cannot rely only on what you learnt yesterday - it requires non stop (and I mean it) learning until you retire.
I'm sure you're aware of what happend with COBOL programmers - they were forced to learn PC technolgies.
Those that didn't want to were simply out without exception and there was a lot of them.
If you like MS technology then .Net is the way to go. You may also try Java, PHP, whatever ... but the point is - you've got to learn, end of story.

Good luck.

[szlamany]

Seems XML is being used for storing INI-type data in most of what I see being produced now.

It opens in a IE window nicely...

[Hack]

Just need to wait and see if My IT dept will get their ass in gear and give me the rites to install .net

Tell 'em what I told the folks here.

VB6 apps won't work with Vista so I have to rewrite them in .NET

Fortunately, the folks here are as technically astute as a rock, and they believed me.