Visual Basic Reloaded

Microsoft Visual Basic 2010: Reloaded
Fourth Edition
Chapter One An Introduction to Visual Basic 2010
Objectives
After studying this chapter, you should be able to: Create a Visual Basic 2010 Windows-based application Manage the windows in the Integrated Development Environment (IDE) Set the properties of an object Add a control to a form Use the Label, Button, and PictureBox tools Use the options on the Format menu
Microsoft Visual Basic 2010: Reloaded, Fourth Edition
Objectives (cont'd.)
Enter code in the Code Editor window Save a solution Start and end an application Print an applications code and interface Write an assignment statement Print an applications code and interface Close and open an existing solution Find and correct a syntax error
Visual Studio 2010

Visual Basic 2010 is an object-oriented programming language
Object: anything that can be seen, touched, or used Class: a pattern used to create an object Instance: an object created from a class; object is said to be instantiated
Integrated Development Environment (IDE):

Contains all the tools and features needed to create, run, and test programs Includes Visual Basic, Visual C++, Visual C#, and Visual F#
Microsoft Visual Basic 2010: Reloaded, Fourth Edition 4
Visual Studio 2010 (cont'd.)

Application: program or suite of programs Windows-based application:
Has a Windows user interface Runs on a personal computer
User interface: what the user sees and interacts with when using an application Web-based application:
Has a Web user interface Runs on a server Accessed with a computer browser
Creating a Visual Basic 2010 Windows Application

Windows applications consist of solutions, projects, and files Solution: a container that stores projects and files for an entire application Project: a container that stores files associated with a specific portion of the solution A solution may contain one or more projects
Solutions, Projects, and Files (cont'd.)
Figure 1-1: Illustration of a solution, project, and file

Starting Microsoft Visual Studio 2010
Figure 1-2: How to start Visual Studio 2010 or Visual Basic 2010 Express Edition
Figure 1-3: Visual Studio 2010 Professional startup screen

Figure 1-4: Visual Basic 2010 Express startup screen
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How to Create a Visual Basic 2010 Windows Application
Figure 1-5: How to create a Visual Basic 2010 Windows application

How to Create a Visual Basic 2010 Windows Application (contd.)
Figure 1-5: How to create a Visual Basic 2010 Windows application (contd.)
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Figure 1-6: Options dialog box
13
Figure 1-7: Completed New Project dialog box in Visual Studio 2010
Figure 1-8: Completed New Project dialog box in Visual Basic 2010 Express Edition
Figure 1-9: Solution and Visual Basic Project

Managing the Windows in the IDE
Figure 1-10: How to manage the windows in the IDE

The Windows Form Designer Window

Windows Form Designer window:
Allows you to create (design) the GUI
Graphical user interface (GUI):

What the user sees and interacts with
Windows Form object (or form):

Foundation for the user interface Add other objects such as buttons/text boxes to form Title bar with caption and Minimize, Maximize, and Close buttons Tab at top of designer window has Form1.vb [Design]
The Windows Form Designer Window (contd.)
Figure 1-11: Windows Form Designer window

The Solution Explorer Window

Solution Explorer window:
Displays a list of projects contained in this solution Displays the items contained in each project
Figure 1-12: Solution Explorer window

The Solution Explorer Window (cont'd.)

Source file: a file containing program instructions Code: program instructions Form file: a file containing code associated with a Windows form Give each form file a meaningful name using the Properties window
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The Properties Window

Properties: a set of attributes that determine an objects appearance and behavior Properties window: displays properties of selected object Default property values are assigned when an object is created
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The Properties Window (cont'd.)
Figure 1-13: Properties window showing the Form1.vb files properties
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The Properties Window (cont'd.)

Properties window includes an Object box and a Properties list Object box:
Located immediately below Properties window title bar Contains the name of the selected object
Properties list:
Left column displays names of properties
Use the Alphabetical or Categorized buttons to sort the display of properties
Settings box: Right column containing the current value of each property
Properties of a Windows Form
Figure 1-14: Properties window showing a partial listing of the forms properties
Properties of a Windows Form (cont'd.)

Class definition: block of code that defines the attributes and behaviors of an object
All class definitions are contained in namespaces
Namespace: defines a group of related classes Dot member access operator: the period that separates words in an objects name to indicate a hierarchy of namespaces Name property: used to refer to an object in code
Give each object a meaningful name
26
Properties of a Windows Form (cont'd.)

Pascal case:
First letter of each word in the name is uppercase First part of name is objects purpose Second part of name is objects class
Text property: controls the caption displayed on forms title bar StartPosition property: determines the forms position on the screen when application starts Font: general shape of characters in text
Recommended font is Seqoe UI font
Point: a measure of font sizes; one point = 1/72 inch

The Toolbox Window

Toolbox:
Contains objects that can be added to other objects, such as a form Each tool has an icon and a name to identify it Each tool represents a class from which objects, called controls, can be created
Controls:
Objects displayed on a form Represented as icons in the toolbox
Controls on a form can be selected, sized, moved, deleted, locked in place on the form and unlocked
Figure 1-15: Toolbox window

The Toolbox Window (cont'd.)
Figure 1-16: How to add a control to a form

The Toolbox Window (cont'd.)
Figure 1-17: How to manipulate the controls on a form

The Label Control

Label control:
Displays text that user cannot edit Used as prompts to explain controls or display output Name should end with Label
Control names use camel case Camel case: lowercase first word; uppercase first letter of each subsequent word in the name Not necessary to assign meaningful names for labels used as prompts because they are never used in code Labels used for output should have meaningful names
The Label Control (cont'd.)
Figure 1-18: Wizard applications user interface

The Button Control

Button control:
Performs an immediate action when clicked Its name should end with Button
Text property: specifies the text that appears on the buttons face
34
The Picture Box Control

Picture box control: used to display an image on a form Image property: specifies the image to display SizeMode property: handles how the image will be displayed
Settings: Normal, StretchImage, AutoSize, CenterImage, or Zoom
35
Using the Format Menu

Format menu: provides options for manipulating controls on the form
Align option: aligns two or more controls by left, right, top, or bottom borders Make Same Size option: makes width and/or height of two or more controls the same Center in Form option: centers controls horizontally or vertically on the form
Multi-select controls by clicking the first, then using Ctrl-click for each additional control
First control selected is the reference control
Its size/position is used to adjust the others
The Code Editor Window

Events: user actions while program is running
Examples: clicking, double-clicking, scrolling
Event procedure: set of instructions to be processed when an event occurs

Tells the object how to respond to an event
Code editor window: used to enter event procedures code
37
The Code Editor Window (cont'd.)
Figure 1-19: How to open the Code Editor window
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Figure 1-20: Code Editor window
39

Class statement: used to define a class Begins with Public Class <class name> Ends with End Class Class Name list box: lists the names of objects (controls) included in the user interface Method Name list box: lists the events to which the selected object is capable of responding When you select a control from the Class Name list box and a method name, a code template for the event appears in the Code Editor window Syntax: rules of the language

Keyword: a word with special meaning in a programming language Event code template has a procedure header and a procedure footer Events procedure header:
Begins with keywords Private Sub Procedure name includes object name and event name Handles clause indicates for which objects events this code will execute
Sub procedure: block of code that performs a task

Figure 1-21: Code template for the exitButtons Click event procedure
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The Me.Close() Instruction

Me.Close() instruction: closes the current form at run time
If the current form is the only form, the application is terminated
Me keyword: refers to the current form

Method: predefined VB procedure that can be invoked (called) when needed Sequential processing: each line is executed in sequence
Also called a sequence structure
The Me.Close() Instruction (cont'd.)
Figure 1-22: Me.Close() instruction entered in the Click event procedure
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Saving a Solution
An asterisk appears on the designer and Code Editor tabs if a change was made since the last time the solution was saved
Figure 1-23: How to save a solution
45
Starting and Ending an Application

Startup form: the form to be displayed when the application starts
Figure 1-24: How to specify the startup form

Starting and Ending an Application (cont'd.)
Figure 1-25: Project Designer window

Figure 1-26: How to start an application
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Figure 1-27: Result of starting the Wizard Viewer application


When you start a VB application, the IDE creates an executable file Executable file:
Can be run outside of Visual Studio 2010 Has a file extension of .exe Stored in the projects bin\Debug folder
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Figure 1-25: How to end an application
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Assigning a Value to a Property During Run Time

Properties window is used to set property values at design time Assignment statement: assigns a value to a variable or property of a control
Used to set property values at run time
String: zero or more characters enclosed in quotation marks Assignment operator: the = sign Value of the expression on the right of the = sign is assigned to the object and property on the left of the = sign
Using an Assignment Statement (cont'd.)
Figure 1-29: Assignment statements entered in the Code Editor window

Printing the Code and User Interface
Figure 1-30: How to print the code and interface during design time
Closing the Current Solution

Closing a solution closes all projects and files in that solution
You are prompted to save any files that have unsaved changes
Figure 1-31: How to close a solution
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Opening an Existing Solution

Only one solution can be open at any one time If a solution is already open, opening a different one will close the currently open solution
Figure 1-32: How to open an existing solution

Coding Errors
Bug: an error in a programs code Debugging: the process of locating and correcting bugs in a program Syntax error: occurs when you break one of the programming languages rules
Most syntax errors are caused by typing errors
Rest the mouse pointer on the mistyped instruction to see details about the error
57
Coding Errors (contd.)
Figure 1-33: Syntax error in the exitButtons Click event procedure
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Figure 1-34: Syntax error message
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Syntax errors should be corrected before starting an application If you start an application with a syntax error, a dialog box appears
Click No to open the Error List window
Figure 1-35: Dialog box

Figure 1-36: Result of starting an application that contains a syntax error
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Programming Tutorial 1
Figure 1-54: Result of starting the Wizard application

Programming Tutorial 2
Figure 1-67: Result of clicking the Abby button
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Programming Example
Figure 1-68: User interface
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Summary
Object-oriented programming language allows programmers to use objects to accomplish a goal Object: can be seen, touched, or used and has attributes that control its appearance and behavior Class: a pattern from which an object can be created Applications created in Visual Studio 2010 are composed of solutions, projects, and files Windows Form Designer window: used to create GUI applications
Summary (cont'd.)
A form is the foundation for the user interface Windows Form object is instantiated from the Windows Form class Solution Explorer window: displays names of projects and files in the solution Properties window: lists an objects properties All class definitions are contained in namespaces System.Windows.Forms namespace contains definition of the Windows Form class and class definitions for objects added to a form
Summary (cont'd.)
Name property: used to refer to an object in code Text property of a form: specifies the text to be displayed in the title bar of the form and in the taskbar when running Forms StartPosition property sets the position of the form when it first appears at run time Recommended font is Segoe UI in 9-point size Toolbox: contains tools for creating the GUI A controls Text property value is displayed inside the control
Summary (cont'd.)
Controls on a form can be selected, sized, moved, deleted, or locked at design time Label control: contains text that a user cannot edit Button control: performs an immediate action when clicked Picture box control: displays an image on a form Format menu provides options for aligning and sizing controls on a form Event procedure: the code that tells an object how to respond to an event
Summary (cont'd.)
Use the Class Name and Method Name list boxes to select an object and event to code Code Editor: provides code templates for each objects event procedures Me.Close() instruction: can terminate an application Computer automatically creates an executable file when you start a Visual Basic application in the IDE Use an assignment statement to assign a value to a property during run time
Summary (cont'd.)
You should print your applications code and its user interface Closing a solution closes all projects and files in it The process of locating and correcting errors (bugs) in a program is called debugging
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Visual Basic Reloaded

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Microsoft Visual Basic 2010: Reloaded

Chapter One An Introduction to Visual Basic 2010

Microsoft Visual Basic 2010: Reloaded, Fourth Edition

Microsoft Visual Basic 2010: Reloaded, Fourth Edition

Visual Studio 2010

Integrated Development Environment (IDE):

Visual Studio 2010 (cont'd.)

Creating a Visual Basic 2010 Windows Application

Microsoft Visual Basic 2010: Reloaded, Fourth Edition

Solutions, Projects, and Files (cont'd.)

Figure 1-1: Illustration of a solution, project, and file

Starting Microsoft Visual Studio 2010

Figure 1-3: Visual Studio 2010 Professional startup screen

Figure 1-4: Visual Basic 2010 Express startup screen

Microsoft Visual Basic 2010: Reloaded, Fourth Edition

How to Create a Visual Basic 2010 Windows Application

Figure 1-5: How to create a Visual Basic 2010 Windows application

How to Create a Visual Basic 2010 Windows Application (contd.)

Microsoft Visual Basic 2010: Reloaded, Fourth Edition

How to Create a Visual Basic 2010 Windows Application (contd.)

Figure 1-6: Options dialog box

Microsoft Visual Basic 2010: Reloaded, Fourth Edition

How to Create a Visual Basic 2010 Windows Application (contd.)

How to Create a Visual Basic 2010 Windows Application (contd.)

How to Create a Visual Basic 2010 Windows Application (contd.)

Figure 1-9: Solution and Visual Basic Project

Managing the Windows in the IDE

Figure 1-10: How to manage the windows in the IDE

The Windows Form Designer Window

Graphical user interface (GUI):

Windows Form object (or form):

The Windows Form Designer Window (contd.)

Figure 1-11: Windows Form Designer window

The Solution Explorer Window

Figure 1-12: Solution Explorer window

The Solution Explorer Window (cont'd.)

Microsoft Visual Basic 2010: Reloaded, Fourth Edition

The Properties Window

Microsoft Visual Basic 2010: Reloaded, Fourth Edition

The Properties Window (cont'd.)

Figure 1-13: Properties window showing the Form1.vb files properties

Microsoft Visual Basic 2010: Reloaded, Fourth Edition

The Properties Window (cont'd.)

Properties of a Windows Form

Properties of a Windows Form (cont'd.)

Microsoft Visual Basic 2010: Reloaded, Fourth Edition

Properties of a Windows Form (cont'd.)

Point: a measure of font sizes; one point = 1/72 inch

The Toolbox Window

Figure 1-15: Toolbox window

The Toolbox Window (cont'd.)

Figure 1-16: How to add a control to a form

The Toolbox Window (cont'd.)

Figure 1-17: How to manipulate the controls on a form

The Label Control

The Label Control (cont'd.)

Figure 1-18: Wizard applications user interface

The Button Control

Microsoft Visual Basic 2010: Reloaded, Fourth Edition

The Picture Box Control

Microsoft Visual Basic 2010: Reloaded, Fourth Edition

Using the Format Menu

The Code Editor Window