I have visual basic 2008 express and I can do all the exercises but I cannot open any of the book's downloaded files. It gives me the error message that:
The selected file is a solution file, but was created by a newer version of this application and cannot be opened!

Appreciate your help!

Unfortunately that's the way Visual Studio behaves. It's backward compatible (so you can open old files with newer versions), but it's not forward compatible (so you can't open newer files with older versions).

One trick that often works is to create a new VB 2008 project and remove Form1 from it. Then use the Project menu's Add Existing Item command to select the VB 2012 program's forms and modules and add them to the VB 2008 project.

You can also open the VB 2012 source files in a text editor and copy and paste into a new project.

Of course you can also install a newer version of Visual Basic:

• Microsoft Visual Studio Express 2012 for Windows Desktop
  
• Visual Studio Express 2013 editions (You'll probably want "Express 2013 for Windows")

That would make using the examples easier.

I hope that helps.

__________________
Rod

Rod Stephens, Microsoft MVP

Essential Algorithms: A Practical Approach to Computer Algorithms

(Please post reviews at Amazon or wherever you shop!)

Thanks for your reply. The text editor option worked for example 1.

I downloaded Visual Studio 2010 and Visual Basic as described in the book (p. xxxviii). I downloaded the book examples. When I open a project (double clicking on the project file to launch VS), I get several errors that files cannot be found (Form1.Designer.vb, Application.Designer.vb, and others). They are clearly in the folders. What am I doing wrong? Thanks in advance for any help.

Usually this means you didn't unzip the files. If you just download the zip files, Windows Explorer can open them and navigate as if they were unzipped and part of the normal file system. Visual Studio, however, cannot understand how to use the zipped files so it gives all sorts of unhelpful error messages similar to these.

Right-click on the zip files and select Extract All to extract the files and put them in the normal directory structure. Then you should be able to double-click on the .sln files to open the projects.

Let me know if that works.

__________________
Rod

Rod Stephens, Microsoft MVP

Essential Algorithms: A Practical Approach to Computer Algorithms

(Please post reviews at Amazon or wherever you shop!)

Thanks much! Silly me. All works fine now. BYW-great book. Easy to follow and learn from.

This is probably the mist common problem people have. The only silly thing is that Visual Studio gives such unhelpful error messages.

Thanks! post a review when you have a chance!

And post again if you have other questions.

__________________
Rod

Rod Stephens, Microsoft MVP

Essential Algorithms: A Practical Approach to Computer Algorithms

(Please post reviews at Amazon or wherever you shop!)