In Making a Visual Basic project, you have to consider the design of the form,

setting of property values inside the properties window, setting controls, and
the codes that you will input inside the code window.
1. Load the Visual Basic program.
2. When the computer prompts in the New Project window, choose the
Standard EXE project.
3. Click the Open button.

Standard
EXE

Open button

Opening a Project
There are two ways in opening a project.
Open the New Project window icon.
Click File menu, the Open Project command.
1.
2.
3.
4.

Load the Visual Basic program.

When the New Project window prompts, click the Existing tab.
Look for the project, then click.
Click the Open button.

Property Basics
A rectangular window on the screen is
called the form. The window's
Title Bar
appearance is defined by a set of
properties. The position of the form on
the screen is named by its Left and Top
properties while its size is labeled by its
Width and Height properties. What you
see in the title bar is the Caption
property and if you specify the control Height
buttons, they will appear on the form.

Control Buttons

Width
A forms appearance is
defined by its properties.

Placing Controls on the Form

Controls are the building blocks of a Visual Basic application.
They are easy to use, when used properly. They add significant functionality to
your programs. To add control to a form, you simply double-click the control you
want to add or you can draw the control on the form
by clicking the control
and dragging the mouse
around the area where
you want to place it.
Controls
Double-click

Created Controls
on the form

To save a form as a project, Visual Basic creates a text file with an .FRM extension.
This file includes the properties that define the form and its object

Setting Control Properties (Design Mode)

After placing controls on the form, set control properties inside the Properties Window.
To set the Name/Caption property of the form
1. Look for Name Property in the Properties window, then
double-click. Type frmfirst in the field.
2. Then look for Caption Property, double-click.
3. Type Justine Francis Penasbo.
Notice that after changing the caption property, the caption
name in the form changes too.
To set the Name/Caption property of the label
1. Double-click the Label control.
2. In the Properties window, double-click the Caption property.
3. Type Justines First Program. Notice that the label box inside the form displays the
text that you typed in the Properties window.

Visual Basic is an event-driven language. It is governed by an event processor.

If the event is detected, the project finds a series of instructions related to that
event, called event procedure. The procedure is executed, then program control
is returned to the event. Event procedures are the steps taken when we do the
actual computer programming.
Some of the main user actions that execute events in a program
Starting the program
Press a key
Click the mouse
Move the mouse
Close the program

Events Common to Many Controls

EVENT
Change

ACTIONS
The user changes the textbook or combobox.

Click

The user clicks an object with the primary mouse.

DblClick

The user double-clicks an object with the mouse.

DragDrop

The user drags a control to another place.

DragOver

An object is dragged over a control.

GotFocus

An object receives the focus.

KeyDown

A key is pressed while an object has the focus.

KeyPress

A key is pressed and released while an object has the focus.

KeyUp

LostFocus

A key is released while an object has the focus.

The focus has left an object.

MouseDown

A button is pressed while the pointer is over an object.

MouseMove

The cursor is moved over an object.

MouseUp

The button is released while the pointer is over an object.

Events Procedure begins with the statement Private Sub and ends with End Sub.

Events Common to Many Controls

Events

Event Procedure
EVENT PROCEDURE

DESCRIPTION

Form_Load

It is called once when form is loaded into

memory. Place where to do initialization in
the code for any part of the formwith the
controls and variables.

Form_Paint

It is called everytime the form needs to be

repainted. Repainting is the process of
updating the form image on the screen.

Form_Click

It is called when the user clicks an area of

the form not covered by a control.

buttonname_click

It is called when the user clicks a button.

Private-End
block

It is a section of code that goes together as a single unit.

body of the
event

Controls are the graphical features or tools that are placed on forms to allow
user interaction, controls are referred to as objects. The Toolbox window is the
selection menu for controls used in your application.

Pointer
Label
Frame
CheckBox
ComboBox
HScrollBar
Timer
DirListBox
Shape
Image
OLE

PictureBox
TextBox
CommandButton
OptionButton
ListBox
VScrollBar
DriveListBox
FileListBox
Line
Data

CheckBox (chk) allows the user to select.

ComboBox (cbo) combines the features of both text box and a list box. This
allows you to select a predefined item from the list or to enter a new item not in
the list
CommandButton (cmd) is one of the most common controls found in Windows
application. Command button is used to elicit simple responses from the user.
Data control (dat) creates a control that provides access to data in a database
through bound controls on your forms.
DirListBox (dir) is used in conjunction with the drive control and file control.
FileListBox (fil) is used to list the actual filenames that are in the directory
specified by the Path property.
Frame control (fra) is used for grouping the controls inside the frame so that
when the frame is moved, the other controls inside it will move too. The controls
normally placed in the frame are option buttons and check boxes.
Shape (shp) creates a control that can draw a variety of shapes on your form at
design time.
TextBox (txt) is used for accepting user input or for entering data.
Timer control (tmr) checks the system clock.
DriveListBox (drv) is used in conjunction with the directory list and the file list
controls.

Image control (img) is used to display a picture on a form. It consumes less

memory that Picture control.

Label control (lbl) displays read-only text.

Line (lin) lets you create a control to draw a variety of line styles on your form at
design time.
ListBox (lst) is used in presenting users with a list of data. Users can browse the
data in the list box or select one or more items for further processing.
OLE icon (ole) allows you to create a control that links and embed objects from
other applications in your Visual Basic application.
OptionButton (opt) is also called radio button. This allows the user to select only
one option from a group of options.
PictureBox (pic) control is used to display graphics; for example, bitmaps, icons,
JPEGs, GIFs.
Pointer allows you to click a control object and thereby displays the properties for
that control in the property window.
ScrollBars are used to increase and decrease a value; such as when you want to
change the color setting, a number, or the volume of a digital audio device. This bar
acts as a sliding scale with starting point and ending point.

Controls allow you to trigger events or perform actions. These are the building blocks of
Visual Basic application, to add controls on the form, double-click the control you want
to add or draw the control by clicking the control and then drag the mouse around the
area where you want to put the control.
To use the Command Button
1. Select the Command Button from the Toolbox.
2. Click and draw the button on the form. Resize it depending on how or where you
want it to appear.
3. Change the Name of the Command Button to cmdTinboy.
Change the Caption to Tinboy.
4. Select a CommandButton again from the Toolbox.
Draw the CommandButton in the form.

5. Change the Name of the CommandButton to cmdTin.

Change the Caption to Tin.
6. Double-click the Tinboy CommandButton. This brings you to the Code Editor
window.
Type the following:
cmdTin.enabled=True
cmdTinboy.enabled=False
7. Click the X button of the Code Editor window.
8. Double-click the Tin Command Button.
Type the following code inside the Code Editor window.
cmdTin.enabled=False
cmdTinboy.enabled=True
9. Run the program by pressing F5 or by clicking the Run menu, then Start. Observe
two CommandButtons.
X button (to close the
Code Editor window

codes for Tinboy and

Tin CommandButtons

To use the Label control

1. Select Label from the Toolbox.
2. Draw the label on the previous form.
3. Change the labels property Name to Jhennylabel.
4. Change the property BorderStyle to Fix Single.
5. Make changes on the code for each CommandButton.
Type the following codes:
for Tinboy CommandButton:
cmdTin.enabled=True
cmdTinboy.enabled=False
Jhennylabel.caption=cmdtin.caption
6. Run the program by pressing F5 or click
button.
Observe.

To use the TextBox

1. Make a new project.
2. Select TextBox from the Toolbox.
3. Change the property Name to txtfrancis.

4. Set the property Multiline to True.

(This property allows you to type to
the next line.)
5. Set the property Scrollbars to Both.

6. Run the program. Type a list inside

the TextBox and observe scrollbars.

To use the Frame and Option buttons

1. Select Frame in the Toolbox and draw in the form.
Change the property Name to fraStatus.
Change the property Caption to Civil Status.
2. Select Option button. Draw inside the frame.
Change the property Name to optSingle.
Change the property Caption to Single.
3. Select another Option button. Draw inside the frame.
Change the property Name to optMarried.
Change the property Caption to Married.
4. Select Frame again and draw on the form.
Change the property Name to frachildren.
Change the property Caption to Number of Children.
5. Select TextBox in the Toolbox and draw inside the Number of Children frame.
Change the property name to txtchildren.
6. Double-click the Single option box, then type the following code.
frachildren.enabled=False
txtchildren.enabled=False
7. Click the X button to exit in the Code Editor window.
8. Double-click the Married option box, then type the following code:
frachildren.enabled=True
txtchildren.enabled=True
9. Run the program by pressing F5 or click
button.
Observe the frame and textbox of Number of Children frame.

In the Single option, the Number of

Children frame is not accessible.

In the Married option, the Number of

Children frame is accessible.

Running the project

There are three ways to run the program.

Press the F5 key.

Click Run in the menu,
then select Start.
Click the

button.

Saving the project

There are to ways to save the project.
Use the Toolbar , click the Save Project toolbar icon.
Click the File menu, then the Save Project/Save Project As dialog box.
The Save File As dialog box specifies form file name that will store all the forms
information. After specifying the name and directory, click the Save button.

After clicking the Save button, the next dialog box that appears is the Save Project As
dialog. The features of this dialog box is similar to the features of Save File As dialog, except
that in Save Project As dialog box it specifies the project file name.

current directory
contents of
current directory

save file as

Closing/ Terminating the Project

There are three ways to close/terminate the project.
Click the forms Close button icon ( the X button of the form)
Close button of the form

Click the Run menu, then the End command.

Run menu.

End command in the run menu.

Click the End icon in the Toolbar.
End command.

It is very simple to create an .EXE file in the Visual

Basic program. First, you have to save your work.
Then, Open File menu and look for Make
Project1.Exe. The program itself will compile your
work and will make an .EXE file for your project.
File menu.

Make Projectname.Exe
command

It displays folders where you want to put

your .EXE file. By clicking the OK button,
the program starts to compile your project.

There are three ways to quit Visual Basic.

Click the File menu, then the Exit command.
Click the X button or the Close button of the program.

The Close button or

the X button of the program

The Exit command

in the File menu
Press the Alt key together with the Q key on the keyboard.