Richard already has the Access SQL Server Online seminar.  It was made a while ago and only covers ASP Classic, which is a very old tech.  But the seminar's info on SQL Server is still relevant.  One thing he needs to cover is ASP.NET (and VB.NET), the successor of ASP Classic that came out in 2002.  Yet he has zero content about it on his website and YouTube channel.

Not quite zero :p
VB.NET and Legacy Tips
But I do need to record more :-)

Kevin I have watched that, I was referring to a deeper dive than the basics he covered in that seminar

Alex  Your lessons seem to try to follow the topics of the old VB6 lessons, but the new VB.NET is simply too different -- it's a paradigm shift that may require a new way of thinking and teaching.  ASP.NET is also very different from classic ASP.

I would like to see a deeper dive into Visual Studio.  The VB.NET doesn't explain Visual Studio, it just fly's right through as if the user already knows.  

I'm coming from Access VBA and not having recent coding experience in Visual Studio.  So I did not understand any of the selections in the VB.NET course.

In looking online... there are many people who don't understand what Visual Studio is and all the explanations are given by programmers who don't understand that new people don't understand what they're saying.  Even the Microsoft Beginner videos have many of the terms just assumed knowledge.  I see tons of comments on those video's by people frustrated they don't understand what they mean.

"Explain it like I'm 5 years old" was a popular comment.  :)

-Raymond

They intentionally copy the exact material from the VB6 lessons as it supposed to give users of the original content a way to see how it's done in .NET and given a majority of the controls are the same like a Textbox, Dropdown etc it's a great starting point.
I'll then move onto more subjects as I develop them further.

Raymond It would be great, if you have the time, to provide feedback on the course pages themselves.

Sami mentioned there needing to be a video example of the install process where id just provided a written document for now.

But which selections do not understand?
The controls picked for the Form?

Thanks everyone for the feedback and discussion.

Sami, I know you said your developers are building everything with SQL Server backends, and that is great. But remember, not everyone wants to be a developer on that level. A lot of people are just building databases for themselves or for a small office (probably 80% of my students). They do not necessarily need SQL Server. I am going to do my best to convince them to move into it because it really is better for speed and security, but not everyone wants that. So I have my work cut out for me trying to push people in that direction. And yes, it is absolutely the way of the future.

This definitely will not be part of the Developer series. That series is for people who want to build and use just Access databases, not for those moving into web or server backends. So the SQL Server work will be a separate track, probably called something like "SQL Server with Access" or maybe even just "SQL Server." I am still developing it behind the scenes and not ready to post anything yet.

And yes, the existing SQL Server Online seminar uses ASP Classic, which is older tech, but I still think it is a great starter for anyone just getting their feet wet with database-based web development. Much like learning C before C++, or BASIC before VB. It is easier to understand the fundamentals before layering on the complexity of .NET and modern frameworks.

That said, ASP.NET, VB.NET, and Visual Studio are all on my list. It is only me here, and I am juggling a lot right now. My main focus is on what keeps the lights on: the TechHelp videos and more Access Developer lessons. I will be shifting more advanced material into the Developer series and scaling back the content in the free TechHelp videos moving forward. I've been giving away the farm. LOL.

Raymond, I agree with your comments about existing tutorials out there for Visual Studio. There is a ton of content on YouTube, but most of it feels like trying to decipher Ikea instructions or perform rocket surgery. I have watched some of it myself and thought, "huh?" I think that is one of my biggest strengths. I am not the smartest guy in the room, but I do have a knack for taking complicated material, digesting it, and explaining it in a way that makes sense. Plus, my glowing personality and stage presence keep people mildly entertained (or at least laughing at me). I think that is why people like the "explain it like I am five" approach, because most instructors forget what it was like to be new.

I also have a lot of people asking me to update my Word and Excel courses. Apparently, coworkers and family members of my Access students keep getting sent my way, but my stuff is really old. So that needs attention too, and those courses help pay the bills. The market for Word and Excel lessons is thousands of times what Access is. Even if I get a tiny fraction of that market, it's worth it.

Alex has done a nice job modernizing some of the old VB6 lessons into VB.NET. That was the point, to give a side-by-side comparison for those who know the old stuff. Aside from his heavy accent and his clicky keyboard (jk Alex, you know I love you), he has done really good work.

And hey, if any of you want to make some of your own lessons, go for it. Post them on YouTube. If I like them, I might even link to them... for my standard 60% cut, of course.

Richard ASP Classic is just too old.  It's like teaching Windows 98.  Even if you gave the lesson for free, I still wouldn't advise taking it.  VBScript may still have some use, but mostly for local Windows admin purposes.  I can't imagine someone putting up a classic ASP webpage on the Internet with all its vulnerabilities and obsolete features.

Raymond  If you like, you can post questions on the Visual Basic forum on this site.  But Alex and I are probably the only ones who could help.  I've shown you some screenshots of what I've done, but I'm still learning it myself.  Visual Studio is like a souped-up VBA editor.  It has similarities to but also many differences from VBA.  To make a desktop Windows app, you need to create a "Windows Form" project (or a WPF project).  To make a web app, you can create an "ASP.NET Web Forms site" with VB (knowledge of javascript and CSS style sheets may be required).

Kevin the website you're using right now is still running on Classic ASP.

Alex

I don't want to post feedback on the VB.NET course because I don't want to discourage anyone from taking the course due to my not understanding, or having questions other users might not have.

I understand the concept of working with controls... I was talking specifically about Visual Studio itself.

Things that are not clear to me after watching the videos:
- What is a Project?
- What is a Solution?  (how are these different)
- When I open Visual Studio, I get various 'Windows Forms App' options... what's the difference in these?
- When making selections on the 'Create a new project' screen... what are these other options?
- The Big Picture purpose of Visual Studio and how that is translated into what I'm working with and seeing on the screen.
- When the project (or solution) is created, what are all these files and how does this translate into something I can use or share outside of Visual Studio?
- What is 'Framework'?  What does this mean and what difference does it make?

Maybe these weren't meant to be answered in the course...?  Or would maybe be cleared up later?

Feedback for Alex on the course:
- Your speaking volume is low
- The keyboard clicking, mouse clicks and scroll wheel are loud compared to your voice.
- You move the mouse around A LOT while you're talking and are quite 'fidgety'... it's kind of distracting
- You click on things before a person has a chance to see what you're doing, it's hard to follow along.
- When talking through the things on the screen, you're just reading what the user can already read without explaining what it is or how it's used. (relating to Visual Studio)
- The whole class feels like it's just going over what the user is supposed to already know or be familiar with, but a new person is going to struggle to follow along.

For the record: I had watched all the original VB6 courses... I understand the basic premise of Visual Basic.  It's all the differences in Visual Studio that I don't understand.  And I have watched many YouTube videos and tried reading many forums and like I said... everything I come across does not explain it in a way I can understand, and I'm not alone in this.  There's a group of programmers who have had experience with these and understand all the options and what they're seeing... then there is everyone else who doesn't speak the jargon or have the experience to understand some of the things being said or described.  Hence the "Explain it to me like I'm 5 years old" comments.

I don't like giving this feedback because these are my personal opinions and maybe not everyone feels this way.  Additionally, it's hard to give critical feedback knowing your relationship with Rick and not wanting to give the wrong impression.

-Raymond

I would also prefer to download the videos (like all the other courses) than be forced to watch it while online.  My internet service is not the best so I prefer to download and watch the videos as opposed to navigating back to the webpage for each video.  Again... another preference, maybe others don't care.

-Raymond

Raymond

Think of a Solution as MS Office (The Office Suite)
Think of a project as the individual apps within Office (Access, Excel, Word, PowerPoint...)
A Solution consists of one or more Projects.

Kevin

I appreciate the help.  It's just that I'm at a point where I have so many questions on Visual Studio that typing everything on here is not the best solution for me, especially after working 13.5 hours and rotating shift work.

I'm honestly also frustrated that for all the searching I have done for Visual Studio, it's making me feel stupid, which I don't think I am.  I work in a technical field and am familiar with jargon and feel this is what I'm seeing a lot, but no one is explaining the jargon without using more jargon.

One of the things I will say, is that Rick has a very good way of presenting things.  Even if you don't understand right away, in following along, it comes together and makes sense by the time you're done.  Times when I've gone back and re-watched, it's easier to follow along because of how it is presented.

I would really like some Rick clones that can teach Visual Studio and a bunch of other topics.

-Raymond

Raymond thank you for taking the time to write such detailed and constructive feedback. I really do appreciate it.

First, let me defend Alex a bit. He's not a professional video producer (yet!). He's a longtime friend, moderator, site admin, and volunteer contributor who wanted to help the community by modernizing some of my old VB6 lessons into VB.NET. He's done that on his own time, for free, and I'm very grateful. These videos were never meant to be a polished, commercial product - just a bridge for people who already know the VB6 lessons and want to see how things translate into .NET.

As someone who's been making videos full-time for over 20 years now, I can tell you - it takes a lot of practice to get comfortable behind the mic and camera. Go back and watch some of my first lessons from the early 2000s and you'll see what I mean! Everyone starts somewhere. The only way to get better is to keep recording.

That said, your feedback is absolutely fair. The points you mentioned - explaining what a project and solution are, how Visual Studio is structured, and the general "big picture" of what's going on - are exactly the kinds of details that trip up beginners. I'll make to review your notes when I plan future updates or when I eventually tackle a full, brand-new VB.NET series. That's definitely on my long-term list, but I've got a lot of irons in the fire right now (mostly Access, of course).

Thanks again for your honesty, Raymond. You've been around here long enough to know I value that kind of feedback. And Alex, keep those clicks coming, buddy. You're doing great. Just get a soft-touch keyboard. Seriously. Dude. LOL. :)

Raymond I need a Visual Studio clone, and an Excel clone, and a Word clone, and an SQL Server clone, and... oh wait... I know how to make clones...

Richard

My comments are not meant to be criticisms of Alex, so I hope it doesn't come across that way.  I'm interested in learning more with SQL Server, which is why I posted on this thread, but I also struggle with VB.NET and Visual Studio, which my understanding is that these are used more with SQL Server.

-Raymond

Richard

I'm all for it.  lol

When I posted the image of all the Ultron Clones and said we needed more of you working on these... I wasn't kidding.  lol

-Raymond

Raymond An Access database has a "project" too -- go to the VBA editor to see the project name at the top left corner and its list of components.  A project in Visual Studio is analogous to that.  A "solution" is something that can hold multiple projects, making it easier for you to switch between projects.  When you create a new project, you need to choose the language you want to work with, such as VB.  Then you choose the project type, such as Desktop or Web.  Then you see a filtered list of choices.  So far I've worked with "Windows Forms" and "ASP.Net Web Forms."

I use mainly Windows Form but also done a little with Console Apps.
I have minimal experience with ASP.NET (using C#).

Richard I understand you're very busy, but not covering something (.NET) that came out 20+ years ago tells me you're just not interested.  Meanwhile, you started covering AI as soon as it came out, and you've devoted considerable time and effort on it too.  That clearly shows your great level of interest in it.  I don't know how else to explain why there is not a single coverage on .NET on your site, even though it is probably more important to your students or anyone developing in Microsoft's ecosystem.

Kevin

I never noticed "project" when using the VBA Editor.

If you're equating an entire Access Database as the Project, then I don't understand how a 'Solution' would be the equivalent of multiple Access Databases.  That's part of what's confusing.  I open the 'Project' which has a Solution inside it, but the Solution can hold multiple Projects?  That doesn't make sense to me.

I feel like my comments have completely derailed Sami's original post.

-Raymond

Kevin a fair criticism, but my #1 priority is and always has been Access. I cover AI as it pertains to integrating with Access. Visual Studio is on my wish list, but it's not super high up. I do see tremendous potential for integrating AI with Access, however - even things like that suggestion you recently made with verifying addresses. Stuff like that can really improve workflow in Access.

Raymond  The picture below shows how an Access project is similar to a Visual Studio project.  They are both basically a collection of forms and modules.  A "solution" is something Access doesn't have, since Access can't show multiple projects in a single VBA editor screen.  It's a matter of convenience.  When you open two Access DBs (and projects), you open up two separate VBA editors that you have to Alt-Tab back and forth.  In a Visual Studio "solution," you can open multiple projects and look at both their components on the same screen.

Raymond A solution can hold projects, but a project cannot hold solutions.  I don't know what you looked at that made you think a project can have solutions.  When you right-click on the solution name in my picture above, you can add projects.  But when you right-click on the project name, you cannot add solutions, and can only add forms, modules, and other lower-level components.

Kevin

At some point... I'd really like to pick your brain in more detail.  I just don't have the time today.

-Raymond

Raymond your feedback is absolutely fantastic and exactly what I need, I wish more people were as honest and took the time as I can only improve based on that. Without it I'm doing what I think is best and not you, the user I'm trying to help.
I have made a lot of assumptions, just thinking that the steps I've followed were telling you the story you needed to hear but I clearly need to take a step back and do an intro to a brand new IDE, working environment and way of thinking.
I appreciate your words and take them constructively. We are all here to learn and share and get better :-)

Alex

I appreciate you're being receptive to the feedback.  One of the troubles with text, is you can't control how the reader, whom I've never met, is going to "hear" the message.  Even with good intentions, we can't control the inference of another person.

And as I mentioned in my earlier post, I do not want to defer anyone from taking classes from this site.  I have gained so much value here and would not want to leave any comments that would detract anyone from taking the courses.

I promote this site as much as I can at work, at the store... where ever I go and have an opportunity to talk about Access, Database development, etc.

-Raymond

Hi everyone, just thought I'd add my 2 nickels (since the U.S. is no longer going to be making cents).

First, on topic - SQL Server, I will definitely and gladly soak up any video on that topic that comes out whether in Developer course, TechHelp and I'll eventually get to the Seminar(s) for sure. Just haven't done it cause I haven't had any projects for it yet, but always looking forward to broadening my horizons in relations to Access, DB's in general for both desktop and web so it's a natural next step if/when Richard gets to it.

On the VB.Net and Visual Studio topic. Those too I eagerly look forward to. When I first watched Alex's VBNet video 1 I was disappointed with the volume but still glad to have it available. With # 2, the volume got better but things around here were noisy and I put in my ear buds and it was crystal clear - went back and watched # 1 that way and was able to hear it perfectly as well. So anyone else having problems, I recommend trying ear buds or headphones :)

Beyond that, I just want to add for Richard, Alex, and anyone else who has put out any videos a big thank you! I've recently been  trying to do some recordings (not related to programming) for one of my jobs and I've learned an even bigger appreciation for all that everyone who does that kind of work, so again, thank you.

Raymond  AI has become quite good in answering questions about coding.  You may give Google AI a try (see picture below) when you are stuck.  I tried it often when I was learning Visual Studio in the early going, and I got accurate answers about 70-80% of the time.  That may seem like a bad percentage, but you don't get that success rate even with live humans.  In the early days of ChatGPT, AI often gave nonsensical answers about coding.  But it has greatly improved in the last 3 years.  In the picture below, AI does not give factually false info anywhere, and all the suggestions it makes are pertinent.  More importantly, it doesn't simply quote from existing documentation verbatim, but re-phrases everything in a more user-friendly and precise way.

Thanks Donald :)

Raymond I agree with everything you have said 100%

Donald

I am able to hear the audio, but I've watched the video's on 2 computers with good audio and it's very low.  And the clicks and scroll sounds are too loud compared to the voice.  (in my opinion).  Again... not complaining about Alex... and I do appreciate he's trying to modernize the VB.NET classes.  

-Raymond

Raymond Sorry if it seemed like I was saying you were wrong. I wasn't trying to do that. Just relating my experience. As to your frustrations with learning Visual Studio, I fully relate have been down that road many times. With Visual Studio and tried going through MS Learn for Power (anything) and Dataverse and such and that system just didn't work for me either. Part of it was that they don't have reference for different versions as they've made changes and I just finally gave up since I wasn't really looking to do more online stuff at that time anyway.

Kevin

When I open a 'Project' in Visual Studio, why do I need a 'Solutions' pane?  If I want to  work on a different 'Project', I can open it the same way I would with any other program.  (ie. If I'm working in an Excel File and need to open another Excel File, I just open it from a windows explorer or Use the File-Open.  Why would I want/need a 'Solutions' Pane to show me other programs I'm not working on?

In the description, it says "A solutions acts as a container..."  What does that mean?  I read the words, but this just doesn't translate into any thing I understand.

In the picture you shared, you put 'Modules' under the 'Solution', but I thought Modules were part of the Project.

Also, this makes it sound like 'Projects' are within a 'Solution', but in the description for a 'Project' it says "Each project within a solution typically has a distinct purpose and contributes a specific component to the overall application".  I thought the Project is the executable.  

These words just don't put any context to their meaning, which is why having trying to have this discussion over text is frustrating.  I'm really trying to understand, I know this sounds like I'm being difficult, but I'm really not trying to be.  

-Raymond

Donald

Understood.  

I would really like to learn how to use Visual Studio and really want to see more in the VB.NET courses, but I also would like the courses on this site to be better as I think a lot more people would be interested in these courses.  I have also been looking for other courses on VB and VS and not found anything good.  

Perhaps we can talk Rick, Alex, Kevin Y, Kevin R, and anyone else with experience into having a web conference or something to go over the basics of Visual Studio and answer questions as a group.  I think that would be very helpful.  We need the new people to Visual Studio involved so we can get thru the jargon and help us understand what we're missing.

-Raymond

Raymond There has to be a solution, because a project has to be contained in a solution.  That's what it means by "a solution is a container for projects."  In my picture, the forms and modules are actually under a project named "My Collection for Desktop."  And my project is under a solution named "Solution (My Collection for Desktop)."

A project is not an executable.  It is just like the "project" shown in Access, a container of sort.

You need to put it into practice to have firmer grasp of all the concepts and definitions.  When you actually create forms and modules and edit code and designs, you see things happen in front of your eyes.  Then all these concepts will suddenly become apparent to you.

Regarding the saying "make me understand like I'm 5," I think we can do better: make me understand like I'm baby.  Babies don't know any words, so how do they understand?  By putting everything into practice.  When they walk, they suddenly know what walking is all about.

Regarding voice volume, it is somewhat difficult for me to make out as well.  I use earbuds but probably have minor hearing damage from a career in construction and/or my genetic predisposition.  Alex might be a little soft-spoken.  In the video it looks like if the mic was closer, maybe in his line of site to the monitor, that might boost the voice level relative to the background noise.  Personally, I like some keyboard and mouse sound as it helps me to understand what he is doing on the screen.  It can just be overwhelming when I crank up the volume, to understand the audio.

Regarding "Explain it to me like I'm 5 years old", I have no relevant coding experience or training, outside of ALZ.  I had never heard of Visual Studio Code before downloading it for Alex's class.  I lack the frame of reference, or context, to digest the material being presented.  It feels like putting a jigsaw puzzle together without the picture or edge pieces.  For me, you might start with explaining the need that Visual Studio Code was intended to fill.  From there, what the purpose/possibilities of it are, and what we can do with it.  Richard makes use of analogies when explaining new material or concepts to tie them back to universally understood concepts or previously covered material.  This is very helpful for me.  

FWIW, I have the same issue with Git.  

Thank-you Alex, for making these videos.

I've been tweaking the settings on the recording software and think it's much better now, the PowerShell videos near the end I think are getting there, but you tell me.
I've added some noise filters too.

Alex  Sound setup could get expensive.  Richard has also tried several microphones before finding the right one, as we recall.  Noise reduction in the room is also key.  Some YouTubers use sound-proof rooms and/or furnishing that reduces ambient sound, such as sound-absorbing wall panels and floor covers.  Richard may be using some of these methods and may be able to give some insights.

I just finally settled on a good mic, and I close my office door and make some magic. I did put a sound muffling foam barrier under my door because there's about a 3/4 inch crack down there where noise from the other rooms can sneak in. That definitely helped. But no, just my regular mic setup on a good boom, and just do my best to make sure my dogs don't bark lol.