Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 Migration Resource Center

The following list includes links to free tools and training on how to move from Visual Basic 6 to Visual Basic .Net. It also includes best practices to follow while doing migration to ensure your Visual Basic .Net code is reliable and can be easily maintained. These approaches help users preserve existing code assets via VB Interop. Some of the links provided recommend using the Visual Basic 6.0 migration wizard. Microsoft recommends downloading the free Visual Basic 2008 Express SKU to use the Visual Basic 6.0 migration wizard.

Guidance

VB6 Upgrade Guidance from Patterns and Practices
Provides proven practices to reach functional equivalence while upgrading Visual Basic 6 to Visual Basic .Net.
Upgrading Microsoft Visual Basic 6 to Microsoft Visual Basic.NET
This free book is the complete technical guide to upgrading Visual Basic 6 applications to Visual Basic .NET.

Training

VB6 Essential Training Videos
Complete series of training videos that give Visual Basic 6 developers the skills to start developing on the .NET platform.
VB6 Migration Webcast
This webcast gives the framework to develop the right strategy to take advantage of the .NET Framework.

Tools for Code Preparation

Code Advisor for Visual Basic 6
Add-in used to ensure that code meets predetermined coding standards and best practices developed by Microsoft.
VB6 Project Migration Assessment Tool
Analyze your Visual Basic 6.0 projects to determine what issues you will need to address to be able to upgrade.

Tools for Full and Phased Migration

Interop Forms Toolkit
Used to enable phased migration, this free add-in for Visual Studio simplifies the process of displaying .NET forms and controls in a Visual Basic 6 application.
Visual Basic Power Packs
Contains a set of controls to use in .NET forms that are familiar to Visual Basic 6 developers. It includes a DataRepeater control, Line and Shape controls, a PrintForm component, and a Printer Compatibility Library.

Visual Studio 2008 Migration Wizard

Using the Visual Basic Upgrade Wizard
Hands-on lab, to learn how to upgrade an existing Visual Basic 6.0 project to Microsoft Visual Basic .NET using the Upgrade wizard.
Visual Studio 2008 Express for Visual Basic Developers
Install the Visual Basic 2008 Express Edition for free. This edition includes the Visual Basic Upgrade wizard that can convert a Visual Basic 6 project to Visual Basic .Net.

Visual Basic 6.0 With Visual Basic .Net Videos

Visual Basic Fusion: Visual Basic 6.0 and Visual Basic .Net – Getting Started Part I
Visual Basic Fusion articles that shows how Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 applications can be extended with the Microsoft .NET framework. by Scott Swigart of Swigart Consulting.
Visual Basic Fusion: Visual Basic 6.0 and Visual Basic .Net – Getting Started Part II
Visual Basic Fusion articles and shows how Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 applications can be extended with the Microsoft .NET framework. by Scott Swigart of Swigart Consulting.
Visual Basic Fusion: Debugging with Visual Basic 6.0 and Visual Basic .Net
In this demonstration, you will see how debugging works when you have an application that uses both Visual Basic 6.0 and Visual Basic .NET. by Scott Swigart of Swigart Consulting.
Visual Basic Fusion – Tips and Tricks
This presentation illustrates tips and tricks for using Visual Basic .NET code and classes in the .NET Framework from your Visual Basic 6.0 applications. by Scott Swigart of Swigart Consulting.

Microsoft’s Commitment to VB 6.0 Customers

Microsoft is committed to helping Visual Basic 6.0 customers upgrade to .Net and preserve existing assets. Visual Studio shipped a Visual Basic 6.0 project migration wizard through 2008 in all Visual Studio SKUs including the free Visual Basic 2008 Express SKU. While Microsoft no longer ships the migration wizard, there is a list of resources to help answer questions on how to migrate from Visual Basic 6.0 to Visual Basic .Net.

Forums

VB Interop and Upgrade

Samples

Support

Windows Support for VB6

More Resources on VB6 Migration…