Functional Programming Tutorial for Visual Basic 9.0
Visual Basic 9.0 added many language features that allow us to write in the functional style in a natural and expressive way. The value of programming in the functional style has been apparent to me for some time. VB developers can realize the benefits of functional programming, so I’ve written a tutorial for VB developers: Query Composition using Functional Programming Techniques in VB 9.0.
This tutorial is a rewrite of a tutorial that I wrote in the early part of 2008, Query Composition using Functional Programming Techniques in C# 3.0. The examples are converted to Visual Basic, and I’ve adjusted some topics to accommodate the differences between Visual Basic and C#. As with the C# tutorial, I've targeted it towards VB developers who have no functional programming experience.
One thing that I want to say at this point: This stuff is easy. It's also really fun. You don't have to read academic papers to learn about, enjoy, and benefit from functional programming in VB 9.0. There are about half a dozen concepts you need to learn, each one easy. Concepts like just a new way to write a method (that has no name), or a new way to write a method in a module. Then you put them all together, and the result is more than the sum of the parts.
If you are a Visual Basic developer who is curious about functional programming, I invite you to go through this tutorial.
