Product Description

This professional-level resource demonstrates how to quickly bring browser functionality to business applications using the Internet Explorer 5 development platform. Readers investigate core techniques for exploiting version 5 enhanced programmability-including scripting with DHTML, hosting the WebBrowser control, and adding functionality with HTCs (HTML components) and HTAs (HTML applications). The book illustrates key concepts with code constructed in Visual Basic(r), Visual C++(r), and HTML/DHMTL script to demonstrate the range of tools, techniques, and outcomes. It also provides practical insights into handling common development challenges, with information gleaned directly from Microsoft Product Support.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1351995 in Books
• Published on: 1999-06
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 511 pages

Customer Reviews

it's not deep, but provides a little push
If you're a VB programmer and want to automate Explorer, just somebody who wants to learn a [little] bit more about what's under the hood, or an advanced programmer who is willing to pay for a little push, this may be the book for you.

If you are hardcore: This is not a great book (by almost every metric); I lament that, as a technical book, it does not [even] compare favorably to MS Press books such as Rogerson's now-semi-classic Inside COM (from three years ago) or [let alone] the great Ray Duncan's Adv. MSDOS Programming (from twelve years ago; ack!); it's a bad sign that MS Press can no longer deliver for such an important platform (esp. if they want to compete with the Mozilla platform where source is avail.). Roughly half the book is devoted to what is essentially web page development ([MS]HTML, scripting, [MS]DHTML) which is covered [better] in many other books; the *presentation* *is* oriented to development of applications with browser front-ends, but its a waste of space. The rest of the book is a subset of documentation and examples available at msdn.microsoft.com/workshop. Needless to say, there is no mention of cross-browser development issues and API's (e.g. NS plugin API or DOM compatibility). The redundancy in the book may be useful for getting started if you can spare the cash (to better see how the COM-bone connects to the registry-bone connects to the web-accessory-bone, etc.). Just remember that there are many powerfull API's (= things you can do, but arn't in the book) that are [poorly] documented elsewhere or not at all; see msdn and the relevant newsgroups. This book is a missed opportunity.

Fantastic source of IE Development information!
Even though I've only made use of Chapters 6 & 7 to date (Automating Internet Explorer and Internet Explorer Events), the book has already paid for itself in terms of the development time it has saved me researching this information. Mr. Roberts does a fantastic job of explaining not just one, but many ways of controlling Internet Explorer via a seperate program and provides many examples. A great resource for the web developer!

Well written and to the point.
If you want to know how to use the WebControl features of IE this is the book to get. Not only is it written clearly, and by someone that really knows his stuff, it is loaded with examples. You can't do better!