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This week we posted a new tool called the XML to Schema Tool that allows you to easily import XML and infer schemas. The tool runs when when you add a new item to your VB 9 project and select the XML to Schema new item template (look under My Templates after you install). This allows you to work with XML much easier in Visual Basic 9 by inferring s...

I can't tell you how excited I am to return to the Visual Basic team after almost eight years of absence!  I spent much time working in groups around Microsoft including games, office and business solutions.  But in each of these areas I focussed primarily on enabling developer scenarios.  And now I am back! And what am I here for?&...

We just published an article by Bill Burrows on Programming With XML Using Visual Basic 9. Bill has also created a series of video tutorials that walk you through the details of how to use the new XML features in Visual Basic 9. Bill takes an easy to follow, step-by-step approach to explaining the details in this exciting n...

One feature in Visual Studio 2008 I would like to highlight is our support of Windows Communication Foundation. WCF was introduced with .NET Fx3.0 as a next generation communications API. Previously if you wanted apps to talk you needed to make a lot of up-front decisions: o How important is transmission speed?o How will apps talk? Over the inte...

A common requirement in forms-over-data applications is that users be able to search by any combination of fields to construct a dynamic query at run time.  For example, the search feature in this application allows the user to find all records that meet criteria defined on multiple columns:       LINQ makes it easy to write po...

In case you didn't see the links go live on the Visual Basic Developer Center the VB Off-Cycle team has shipped the latest edition of the Power Pack controls.  You can download them from here.In this update we've added the much anticipated Line and Shape controls.  The line and shape controls give you drag and drop ease at design tim...

Bill Burrows has created a series of videos to help get the community started with LINQ to XML in Visual Basic! These videos were created in conjunction with his upcoming MSDN article that will be published soon. Bill takes an easy to follow, step-by-step approach to explaining the details in this exciting new technology in Visual Basic 9.0.&n...

I spent the last few weeks using VB, and I kept thinking things such as “Wow, this is really awesome, I wish all other languages had that!” or “I’m sure there is an easier way to do this”. I simply can’t help it - just as with any other language, when I start using it I notice a few things that are really cool, a...

If you haven't seen or experienced Second Life it's pretty amazing. It's an online, 3D, digital world. Visual Studio has created an island where you can come listen to live Microsoft presenters in this virtual world's live presentation theater! Amanda Silver will be presenting Visual Basic on Silverlight tomorrow, July 31st at 4pm Pacifi...

Hooray! Visual Basic 2008 Beta2 has been released to the wild today to return to its natural habitat – the desktops of our beloved customers. (Please note our smiling GPM's face on that landing page -- he's so happy the Beta is done.) What’s inside? So much that there might be more new features than we released in Beta1, but who’s counting? Here’s ...