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The Latest

Use Java Object Serialization Instead of a Small Database

Some applications must keep small amounts of information between thetimes they are run. For example a personal calendar or personalinformation system, will store information after each session. Insteadof using a

Allow the Java Compiler to Remove Debug Code

The Java compiler will optimize your application by removing code thatcan never be executed. If you include a class in your application suchas the following: public class Debug{ public static

Increase Code Reusability

Instead of exposing fields of a Java class, such as in thiscode: public class Person{ public String firstName; public String lastName;} use private fields and provide access to the information

Create a Single Instance of an Object

There are situations when you need to insure that only a single instanceof an object is created in a program. Examples of this include aconnection to a database system, a

Where Am I?

When your applet is executing in a browser environment, it might be handy to know what the current URL in the browser is. Although Java is not really great at

Talking To Your Applets

To allow your applets to operate in different environments, it’s quite handy to be able to pass certain parameters to them at runtime. When embedding an applet in a HTML

What’s That Name Again?

Net-related technology is already moving at a frightening pace, but vendors are actively making things more confusing by continuously coming up with new names for slight variations on existing technology.

It’s All a Matter of Trust

If you’re building applets using Microsoft’s Visual J++, you might encounter problems the first time you try to run your applet outside of the development environment. Typical examples of this

Where’s My Package?

Regardless of the Java VM you’re using, from time to time you’ll encounter a client that is unable to run your applet because of an “undefined package” error, even though

Calling a CGI script that returns nothing

Question: Hi, Ohh great and powerful one(just kidding). hhhhmmmm, yeah, i am calling ascript form my Form that spawns a process and does not have to return any HTML; what

Clean and Compact Your Code

The last thing you should do before creating your final EXE is clean your code. This tip explains how to clean the garbage from your project that is sometimes left

Scrollable Viewport for a Picture

It’s easy to make a scrollable viewport for a picture in both VB3 VB4. In addition to a picture, you can also use other objects that grow. First, create a

VB 4.0 Add-In Error Messages

The ability to write add-ins under VB 4.0 is a significant addition to the developer’s toolbox. However, writing and distributing add-ins can be fraught with many a mind-boggling experience. One

Directory References in Code Profiler

The Code Profiler does not properly handle relative directory references in the VBP file. If the file looks like this, Code Profiler aborts trying to process the CRW45 file: Module=PASSMAN1;

OLE Automation Versus Standalone Mode

There you are, creating an OLE server in Visual Basic. You go to Options in the Tools menu, select the Project tab, choose “OLE Server,” and click on OK. After

Protect Your Screen Saver From Restarting

When you create a screen saver in Visual Basic, you may sometimes utilize the command-line options such as “/s” to start a screen saver directly or “/c” to run the

Track Modem Use by Other Applications

With applications increasingly using modems, it is quite possible that users will start your application, forgetting that another application is already using the modem-like a fax machine, for example.The MS

Branding a Jet MDB File

This routine allows a hidden table to be appended to the Tables collection in an MDB file. I use the table name as a brand or stamp. During development, I

Effective Error Handling

While working with classes in VB 4.0, we found that the errors raised from our classes were not being trapped at the form level. We used “On Error Resume Next,”

Suppress Spaces in a Text Box

To prevent users from typing spaces in a text box, include this code in the KeyPress event of the text box: Private Sub Text1_KeyPress(KeyAscii As Integer) If KeyAscii = 32

Stored Access Queries Speed Response Time

In general, stored Access queries are faster than embedded SQL in your VB application. It can be a great benefit to be able to send parameters to the query directly

Find the Name of the Windows or Windows System Directory

You can quickly find the name of the Windows or the Windows System directory. Just pass “WindowsDirectory” or “WindowsSystemDirectory” into this function: Declare Function wu_GetWindows_ Directory Lib “Kernel” Alias _

Is Mail Running?

Use this code to quickly determine whether Microsoft Mail is currently running: Declare Function GetModuleHandle Lib _ “Kernel” (ByVal lpModuleName As String) As IntegerFunction IsMicrosoftMailRunning ()On Error GoTo IsMicrosoftMailRunning_ErrIsMicrosoftMailRunning =

Don’t Forget Your References

If you get the error “User-defined type not defined” on a line where you are declaring a database, go to Tools, then go to References, and select the appropriate DAO

Automatically Resize Controls

Sometimes you need to change the size of controls by changing the size of a container. For example, try this: Private Sub Form_Resize() Picture1.Align = vbAlignLeft Picture1.Align = vbAlignTopEnd Sub

A New Data Programming Style

While working on VB projects with associated Jet databases, I found that I was creating a lot of individual handling functions for reading, writing, and validating data. It was hard