Mark Dixon, SoCCE SOFT 136Page 1 SOFT – Module Introduction & Overview

Mark Dixon, SoCCE SOFT 136Page 2 About Me Contact Details Mark Dixon Portland Square Room B316 Availability Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday – School of Computing Communications and Electronics (main campus) Friday – other work (usually off-campus)

Mark Dixon, SoCCE SOFT 136Page 3 Module Aims This module aims to teach you: –How to learn (self-directed) surface learning (memorisation of isolated facts) deep learning (interrelated concepts) –How to develop software: fundamental programming concepts (e.g. events, procedures) how to combine these to solve problems –How to use Visual BASIC

Mark Dixon, SoCCE SOFT 136Page 4 Module Admin Lectures and tutorials: –start at 5 minutes past the hour, and –aim to end at 5 minutes to the hour –if no lecturer - wait until 15 minutes past the hour then you may leave –Turn mobile phones off. –Ask questions or comment at any time –Feel free to talk quietly amongst yourselves –Material (slides, handouts, etc.) available 1 hour before session, on: Soft136 web-site (mdixon.soc.plymouth.ac.uk) Lectures: –Don’t come in after 15 minutes past the hour.

Mark Dixon, SoCCE SOFT 136Page 5 Module Format The module is delivered as follows: Lecture: 1 hr per week, all groups, Thursdays 13:05 – 13:55 Tutorials / Practical Session: 2 hr per week Thursdays 14:05 – 15:55 Private study (as much as it takes – typically 3 hours/week) Teaching Evaluation (timely and specific) –Student Perception Questionnaire –Continuous Informal Feedback (talk to me)

Mark Dixon, SoCCE SOFT 136Page 6 Schedule WeekStartTitleTopics and Concepts No.Date 127-SepModule introduction & overview Specifications, Objects, Controls, Properties, Methods, Events, Event handlers, Procedures, Instructions, Assignment, deep vs. surface learning 204-OctUser Interface Design Usefulness, usability, learnability, user interface design principles, incremental development, functional decomposition, verification, validation 311-OctGraphicsGrid system, graphics controls and methods (pset, line, circle). 418-OctData, Data-types, and VariablesTypes of data, data types, variable declaration & assignment 525-OctConditional execution (selection)Conditional statements (if and case statements), decision trees 601-NovIteration (repetition) Manual and automatic iteration using loops (for and while statements) 708-NovConstants, Arrays, & StructuresConstants, arrays, structures/records/user defined data types 815-NovProceduresAbstraction, procedures. 922-NovArguments/ParametersArguments/parameters, calling by value and by reference 1029-NovFunctions 1106-DecArrays of Structures & ModulesArrays of Structures, Modules/units 1213-DecPassing Parameters by ReferenceMemory addresses, pass by value, pass by reference.

Mark Dixon, SoCCE SOFT 136Page 7 Reading List 1 The following book is recommended reading: –McKeown, P; and Piercy, C (2001) Learning to program with Visual BASIC. 2nd Edition. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN

Mark Dixon, SoCCE SOFT 136Page 8 Reading List 2 Additional reading (the following are referred to occasionally, borrow from library): Pressman, R (2000) Software Engineering: a practitioner's approach. 5th edition. McGraw-Hill. ISBN: Sommerville, I (2001) Software Engineering. 6th edition. Addison- Wesley. ISBN: X. –Overview of Software Engineering: Chapter 1, especially page 4. Preece, J; Rogers, Y; Sharp, H; Benyon, D; Holland, S; and Carey, T (1994) Human-Computer Interaction. Addison Wesley. ISBN: –Direct Manipulation: Section 13.6, pages –Interface Design: Chapter 24, pages Shneiderman, Ben (1998) Designing the user interface: strategies for effective human-computer interaction. 3rd edition. Addison- Wesley. ISBN SHN

Mark Dixon, SoCCE SOFT 136Page 9 Student Background Typically wide range of prior experience A.10 years programming (professional?) B.5 years programming (professional?) C.3 years programming (professional?) D.1 year programming (learning) E.no programming Can be difficult to cater for all A B C D E number of students

Mark Dixon, SoCCE SOFT 136Page 10 Attendance Attendance is mandatory This is not a distance learning course portal is supplement (not replacement) for attending lectures and tutorials

Mark Dixon, SoCCE SOFT 136Page 11 Jobs Computer weekly

Mark Dixon, SoCCE SOFT 136Page 12 Student Feedback feedback form –filled in by students –handed in with assignment this student: –failed (low attendance, low contact with me) –did referred work (over summer) –passed

Mark Dixon, SoCCE SOFT 136Page 13 Student feedback (zoom)

Mark Dixon, SoCCE SOFT 136Page 14 Soft131 Last Year Results 56 students 19 failed initially (33%) offered 1 to 1 sessions after assignment 1 all who did this passed * only 2 students failed retakes

Mark Dixon, SoCCE SOFT 136Page 15

Mark Dixon, SoCCE SOFT 136Page 16 Session Aims & Objectives Aims –introduce you to fundamental event drive programming concepts Objectives, by end of this week’s sessions, you should be able to: –Add controls to a form –Create Event Handler Procedures to do things in response to an event of a object –Put Assignment instructions in the event handler

Mark Dixon, SoCCE SOFT 136Page 17 Example: Colour Change v1 Trigger (when)Actions (what) Click event of Red button Change background to Red Click event of Blue button Change background to Blue Double Click event of Result label Change background to White Events: –Click: user releases left mouse button on object –Double Click: mouse clicked twice

Mark Dixon, SoCCE SOFT 136Page 18 VB Environment Toolbox Properties Window Form Window Project Explorer

Mark Dixon, SoCCE SOFT 136Page 19 Controls - ToolBox Design screens (forms) using controls from the Toolbox: –Picture box: display diagrams & images –Label: display text that user cannot change –Textbox: allow user to enter text –Command button: allow user to initiate actions

Mark Dixon, SoCCE SOFT 136Page 20 Properties Label –Name: used to identify control (not visible to user) –Caption: the text displayed on the label –BackColor: the label's background colour Command Button –Name: used to identify control (not visible to user) –Caption: the text displayed on the button Text Box –Name: used to identify control (not visible to user) –Text: the text typed in by the user

Mark Dixon, SoCCE SOFT 136Page 21 Event Handler Procedures Option Explicit Private Sub btnBlue_Click() Me.BackColor = vbBlue End Sub Private Sub btnRed_Click() Me.BackColor = vbRed End Sub Private Sub lblResult_DblClick() Me.BackColor = vbWhite End Sub Event Handler Procedure How many Event Handler Procedures are there? 3

Mark Dixon, SoCCE SOFT 136Page 22 Option Explicit Private Sub btnBlue_Click() Me.BackColor = vbBlue End Sub Private Sub btnRed_Click() Me.BackColor = vbRed End Sub Private Sub lblResult_DblClick() Me.BackColor = vbWhite End Sub Objects & Events Object Events

Mark Dixon, SoCCE SOFT 136Page 23 Assignment Instructions Assignment: Object.Property = Value Me.BackColor = vbRed Option Explicit Private Sub btnBlue_Click() Me.BackColor = vbBlue End Sub Private Sub btnRed_Click() Me.BackColor = vbRed End Sub Private Sub lblResult_DblClick() Me.BackColor = vbWhite End Sub

Mark Dixon, SoCCE SOFT 136Page 24 Example: Colour Change v2 Trigger (when)Actions (what) Click event of Hello button Put word 'Hello' in lblResult Label Click event of Bye button Put word 'Bye' in lblResult Label Click event of Red button Change background to Red Click event of Blue button Change background to Blue Click event of Move button Move text and background colour to Result2 Double Click event of Result label Change background to White

Mark Dixon, SoCCE SOFT 136Page 25 Tutorial Exercise: Colour Change LEARNING OBJECTIVE: to understand objects, events, properties, and event handler procedures, TASK 1: Get the Colour Change v1 example (from the lecture) working. (the code is provided) TASK 2: Add another button (you choose the colour). (You will need to work out what code to use. Use the code provided as inspiration please ask for advice/guidance if you need it) Task 3: Get the Colour Change v2 example (from the lecture) working. (You work out the code)