Getting started with embedded Visual Basic

[si_the_geek]

I've been using eVB a bit, and I can recommend using .Net if it is available. Espeically as it cannot be guaranteed that eVB programs will be compatible with the next OS (officially not in PPC2003, but they still work!).

However, eVB isn't unusable, and converting VB6 programs is fairly simple as long as they can fit on the screen (you need to re-make the forms in eVB, but can copy almost all of the code across).

A few issues with eVB to note:

• the string function Left only works in modules (in forms you need to use VBA.Left, or switch to Mid ).
• the With statement doesnt work.
• there arent many control types available (all the standard ones are there, and a grid like the Flexgrid - but with some features missing).
• error handling is limited to "resume next", and errors caused by "with"/"left" are almost random (place and error)
• you cannot debug the program (I'm not sure how good the .Net version is now - it apparently used to be quite poor)
• it does not get Compiled, so everything will be slower than a VB equivalent.

As for databases, ADOCE (basically an Access data source) is installed in PPC. You can store/retrieve data easily, and can have this synchronised to a desktop Access DB along with email etc. No idea about other DB's, I very much doubt mySQL would work with eVB even if they have a "mobile" db.