Getting Started With Visual Basic 2008

In this chapter, you'll complete a quick tour of Visual Basic that takes you step by step through creating a complete, albeit small, Visual Basic program. Most programming tutorials start by having the reader create a simple Hello World program. I've yet to see a Hello World program that's the least bit helpful. So, instead, you'll create a Picture Viewer application that lets you view Windows bitmaps and icons on your computer. You'll learn how to let a user browse for a file and how to display a selected picture file on the screen. The techniques you learn in this chapter will come in handy in many real-world applications that you'll create, but the goal of this chapter is for you to realize just how much fun it is to program using Visual Basic 2008.

Chapter 1.1: Creating a New Project

The New Project dialog box is used to specify the type of Visual Basic project to create. Read more...

Chapter 1.2: Visual Studio 2008 Environment

When you run Visual Studio 2008, you'll notice that the IDE contains a number of windows, such as the Properties window on the right, which is used to view and set properties of objects. Read more...

Chapter 1.3: Characteristics of an Object

Every object has a distinct set of attributes known as properties, Properties define the characteristics of an object. Read more...

Chapter 1.4: Adding Controls to a Form

Objects that can be placed on a form are called controls, Some controls have a visible interface with which a user can interact. Read more...

Chapter 1.5: Designing an Interface

It's generally best to design a form's user interface and then add the code behind the interface to make the form functional. Read more...

Chapter 1.6: Writing Code

You have to write code for the program to be capable of performing tasks and responding to user interaction. Read more...

Chapter 1.7: Running a Project

Click the Save All button on the toolbar, and then run your program by pressing F5. Read more...