Introduction To

Visual Basic 6

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Thursday, Oct 9th, 7:30PM, C106

Lloyd Douglas (NSF)

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Programming language

Programming is writing instructions

for a computer.
Level of programming languages

Machine language 0s and 1s

Intermediate languatge assambly
language.
High level language BASIC, C++

Interpreting or compiling

How do computers handle the high

level language?

Read and Interprete the code line by line

with an program called interpreter, e.g.
BASIC.
Translate the language to machine code
(executable files) with a program called
compiler and run the program, e.g. C+
+.
Visual basic has both Interpreter and Compiler.

History of BASIC

Basic --- Beginners' All-purpose

Symbolic Instruction Code (May,
1964)
MS-BASIC 2.0 (July, 1975)
Visual Basic 1.0 (May,1991)
Visual Basic 6.0 (July 1998)

Why do we learn Visual Basic

It shares the same principles with

other programming languages.
It is good when developing small and
handy utility programs.
It is supported by Microsoft.
It is powerful when integrated with
Excel and Word.

Six Steps in Programming

Problem Identification
Solution Design
Coding
Compiling with compiler or running
with interpreter
Debugging
Testing

Step 1 and 2: Problem

Identification and Design

Identify what needs to be solved

Make diagrams, and equations, etc

Design: Analyze the problem and

develop an ALGORITHM and
FLOWCHART

Step 3: Source Code

Creating Source Code

Source Code is the instructions for the

computer written in Visual Basic
programming language
In VB, source code is linked to an object
on the form
Designing user interface is also part of
the coding.

Step 4a:Compiling

Compiling converts Visual Basic

source code to executable machine
language - instructions the processor
can understand (1s and 0s)
Creates .exe file
Advantage:

Fast and small

Disadvantage:

Debugging is inconvenient.

Step 4b: Interpreting

Interpreting reads and runs one line

of code each time.
You can find Grammar errors in this
stage.
Advantage:

Good for debugging

Interpreter is easy to program.

Disadvantage:

Slow

Interpreting and Compiling in VB

Step 5: Debugging

Debugging is removing the

functional errors from your program
Running tells you where there are
errors
Go back to source code and fix errors
Save and re-run
Repeat until errors are gone

Step 6: Testing and Running

Try to run the program by pressing

the start button
If it starts running, enter the answers
and/or click the buttons to test it
Test your program with boundary and
special cases.

Visual Basic Programming

VB is a programming language
that allows you to program in a
Windows environment
You create a Form with several
Objects
You set the properties of objects.
You write event handler to response
to users input.

VB programming
Project

Form 1

Text box

Picture box

Form 2

Form 3

Button

Button

Objects

Text box
Objects

Definitions

Form contains the Main Program

Controls are user interface elements
(text boxes, commands) in the Form
Forms and Controls are referred to as
OBJECTS
Objects have PROPERTIES (features
you can change)

Forms in Visual Basic

You create a form that is your

graphical user interface
Has places to input values
Has buttons to click
Has other user interface elements,
e.g. Menu, scroll bar

Objects in VB

Everything in VB is
objects, forms,
buttons,
Three elements of
objects.

Properties
Methods
Event handlers.

VB object

Properties (size,
Caption)

Methods (Print)
Event Handler
(Command1_Click())

Object: Dog

Properties

Methods

Height, weight, color, emotion (friendly, hostile)

Barking, biting, wagging, singing

Event handlers

Owner coming in: call wagging, call singing,

emotion=friendly;
Intruder coming in: call barking, call biting,
emotion=hostile.

Important Controls

Text Boxes area where you enter

text

Command Buttons you click on

them to do something

Picture Boxes Output your results.

Text Boxes

Properties:

Name (of object)

Text (the words)
Alignment (left, right, middle)
Appearance
BackColor (background)
BorderStyle
Font
FontColor

Command Button

Properties:

Name
BackColor
Style (This controls the backcolor)
Caption

Picture Boxes

Properties

Name
Picture

Methods

Print

Definitions
Forms
properties
properties
properties
properties
Methods
properties
properties
properties
Handlers

Picture Box
properties
properties
properties
properties
properties
properties
properties
Methods
properties
properties

Command
Objects
Button
properties
properties
properties
Methods
properties
properties

Textbox
properties
properties
properties
properties
properties
properties
properties
Methods
properties

Label
properties
properties
properties
properties
properties
properties
properties
Methods
properties
properties

Design time and Run time

When you design you can use the

property window to set the property of
certain object.
When you run the program, you can
only use code to change the property
of that object.

Just a Bunch of Objects

Q: Now that you have a bunch of

objects, how do you make them react
to your command?

A: Sub Procedures

Sub Procedures are the instructions

Sub Procedures go with Events (Like
clicking a button)

How the test program works

How the test program works

You have got
letters.

Properties

Text box

User

Message
Dispatching
Block

Methods
Event Handler
Properties

Button

Methods
Event Handler
Properties

You have got

clicked.

Picture
Box

Methods
Event Handler

Making It Do Something

Want program to change on an

Event

Events:

MouseDown
MouseUp
Click

Need to create Sub Procedures

Sub Procedure handles Event and
changes Properties of an Object

Sub Procedure

Two Objects: Text1 and Command1

Sub Procedure:
Private Sub Command1_Click()
Text1.FontSize = 18
End Sub

When Command1 is clicked, the

FontSize property of Text1 is
changed to 18

Sub Procedure
Private Sub CommButt_Click()
Text1.FontSize = 18
Text1.BackColor = vbBlue
Command1.Caption = "Get Some Now"
End Sub

Homework

Read Chapters 1 & 2 in book