PROBLEM SOLVING The first step in writing instructions to carry out a task is to determine what the output should be (What should the task produce?) The second step is to identify the data, or input, necessary to obtain the output The final step is to determine how to process the input to obtain the desired output INPUT PROCESSING OUTPUT

PROGRAM DESIGN TOOLS Flowcharts: graphically depict the logical steps to carry out a task and show how the steps relate to each other Pseudocode: uses English-Like phrases with some (Visual Basic) terms to outline the task Hierarchy Charts: show how the different parts of the program relate to each other (referred to as Structure Charts, HIPO (Hierarchy plus Input-Process-Output) Charts, Top-Down Charts or VTOC (Visual Table of Contents) Charts.)

PROCESS CUSTOMER NUMBER RENTING A VIDEO START GET CUSTOMER NUMBER Valid VALIDATE NUMBER Invalid GET VIDEO NUMBER PROCESS CUSTOMER NUMBER VALIDATE NUMBER Invalid Valid RENTAL PROCESS REFUSE RENTAL PROCESS END

Event-Driven Programming - work with Events Achieve program clarity through Structured Programming Event-Driven Programming Object-Oriented Programming Newer Methodologies Event-Driven Programming - work with Events Object-Oriented Programming - work with Objects The internal structure of Objects and Events is best built using Structured Programming Techniques Also, the logic of manipulating objects is occasionally best expressed with Structured Programming

What is Visual Basic? Visual Basic (VB) is a Microsoft Windows programming language (SOFTWARE development language) Visual Basic is derived from the BASIC (Beginners All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code) programming language BASIC was developed in the mid-1960s The widespread use of BASIC led to many enhancements to the language In the late 1980s and early 1990s, with the development of the Microsoft Windows (Graphic User Interface) GUI, the natural evolution of BASIC was Visual Basic (created by Microsoft in 1991)

VB greatly simplifies the development of Microsoft Windows-based Applications Since 1991, 6 versions of VB have been released, with the latest Visual Basic 6 appearing in September 1998. Microsoft provides several versions of VB, namely the Learning Edition, the Professional Edition and the Enterprise Edition VB programs are created in an Integrated Development Environment (IDE). The IDE allows a programmer to create, run and debug VB programs conveniently. The process of rapidly creating an application is typically referred to as Rapid Application Development (RAD). VB is the most widely used RAD language.

The Visual Basic Environment In using VB you will learn to write computer programs that run in the Microsoft Windows environment Projects will look and act like standard Windows programs VB provides the tools you need to create windows with familiar elements like: Menus, Text Boxes, Command Buttons, Option Buttons, Check Boxes, List Boxes, and Scroll Bars

Microsoft Windows uses a Graphic User Interface (GUI) The Windows GUI defines how the various elements look and function Within VB there is a Toolbox of these elements In VB you will create new Windows called Forms Using the toolbox to add the various elements, called Controls, to the form VB programming is known as Event-Driven Programming

In VB you work with Objects, which have Properties and Methods Objects: Think of an Object as a thing, or a noun Examples of Objects are Forms and Controls Forms are the Windows and Dialog Boxes that you place on the screen Controls are the elements you place inside a form, such as Text Boxes, Command Buttons, and List Boxes

Properties: Think of Properties as adjectives that describe objects Properties tell something about an Object, such as the name, colour, size, location, and how it will behave When you refer to a Property [1] Name the Object [2] Name the Property (Example: Form1.Caption) The Caption Property of the Object (Form) called Form1

Methods: Methods are the verbs of Object-Oriented Programming Methods are Actions associated with Objects Example of Methods include Move, Print, Resize, and Clear Refer to Methods as: Object.Method (Example: Form1.Print) Sends output (Prints) to the Object (Form) called Form1 (Question: What does this Method refer to?) Printer.Print