Visual Basic introduction

1. Visual Basic Dot Net
(VB.NET)
Hudson Nandere Lubinga
Email: nanderehudson@gmail.com, TEL: 0753625255

2. Introduction to VB.NET
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3. Overview
• Visual Basic .NET (VB.NET) is an object-oriented computer programming language
developed by Microsoft and implemented on the .NET Framework.
• Although it is an evolution of classic Visual Basic language, it is not backwards-
compatible with VB6, and any code written in the old version does not compile
under VB.NET.
• Like all other .NET languages, VB.NET has complete support for object-oriented
concepts. Everything in VB.NET is an object, including all of the primitive types
(Short, Integer, Long, String, Boolean, etc.) and user-defined types, events, and
even assemblies. All objects inherits from the base class Object.
• VB.NET is implemented by Microsoft's .NET framework. Therefore, it has full
access to all the libraries in the .Net Framework. It's also possible to run VB.NET
programs on Mono, the open-source alternative to .NET, not only under Windows,
but even Linux or Mac OSX.
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4. Why VB.Net is widely used as a professional language
• Modern, general purpose.
• Object oriented.
• Component oriented.
• Easy to learn.
• Structured language.
• It produces efficient programs.
• It can be compiled on a variety of computer platforms.
• Part of .Net Framework.
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5. The .Net Framework
The .Net framework is a revolutionary platform that helps you to write the following types of
applications:
• Windows applications
• Web applications
• Web services
The .Net framework applications are multi-platform applications. The framework has been
designed in such a way that it can be used from any of the following languages: Visual Basic,
C#, C++, Jscript, and COBOL, etc.
• All these languages can access the framework as well as communicate with each other.
• The .Net framework consists of an enormous library of codes used by the client languages
like VB.Net. These languages use object-oriented methodology.
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6. Components of the .Net framework
• Common Language Runtime (CLR)
• The .Net Framework Class Library
• Common Language Specification
• Common Type System
• Metadata and Assemblies
• Windows Forms
• ASP.Net and ASP.Net AJAX
• ADO.Net
• Windows Workflow Foundation (WF)
• Windows Presentation Foundation
• Windows Communication Foundation (WCF)
• LINQ
Qn:
Briefly Explain the jobs
performed by each of these
components.
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7. Visual Studio.NET
 A platform that allows the development and deployment of desktop
and web applications
 Allows user choice of many .NET languages
 May program in One of them
 May create different parts of application in different languages
▪ Visual Basic
▪ C# (C Sharp)
▪ C++
▪ J++
▪ Etc.
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8. What is Visual Basic.Net
 4th Generation Programming Environment / Development Language
 Based on BASIC language
 Beginners All-Purpose Symbolic Instructional Code
 Most widely used tool for developing Windows Applications
 Graphical User Interface (GUI)
 Menus, Buttons, Icons to help the user
 Full Object-Oriented Programming Language
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9. How a VB Application is Compiled and Run
Solution
.NET FrameworkVisual Studio .NET
Project
Common
Language
Runtime
Integrated
Development
Environment
Source files
Visual Basic
compiler
1 2 3
Assembly
Intermediate Language (IL)
Class references
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10. Project and Solution Concepts
• User creates a new project in Visual Studio
• A solution and a folder are created at the same time with the same name as
the project
• The project belongs to the solution
• Multiple projects can be included in a solution
• Solution
• Contains several folders that define an application’s structure
• Solution files have a file suffix of .sln
• Project: contains files for a part of the solution
• Project file is used to create an executable application
• A project file has a suffix of .vbproj
• Every project has a type (Console, Windows, etc.)
• Every project has an entry point: A Sub procedure named Main or a Form
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11. Project and Solution Folders/Files
• Solution folder
• Solution file (.sln)
• Project folder
• Project file (.vbproj)
• Visual Basic source files (.vb)
• My Project folder: contains configuration information common to
all projects
• The file AssemblyInfo.vb contains assembly metadata
• The References folder contains references to other assemblies
• The bin folder contains the executable file produced as a result of
compiling the application
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12. • Most Visual Basic.Net programs are event-driven programs that
communicate with the user through a graphical user interface (GUI)
• A GUI usually consists of a window, containing a variety of objects
(icons, buttons, images)
• An event means the user has initiated an action (a mouse click or
entering text) that causes the program to perform the type of
processing called for by the user’s action.
• Clicking a button triggers an event, resulting in the program performing the
process called by the click.
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Event-Driven Computer Programs with a Graphical User Interface

13. • Examples of events:
• The user enters the account number in the Account Number box
• The user clicks the Display Account Balance button
• The user clicks the Reset Window button to clear the text boxes and prepare
the user interface for the next
account number
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Event-Driven Computer Programs with a Graphical User Interface

14. Assignment
• Install Visual Studio 2008 and configure it for use.
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