1. The Visual Studio. NET and VB
The Visual Studio .NET and VB .NET Integrated Development Environment (IDE)

2. A Tour of the Integrated Development Environment
Lesson A
A Tour of the Integrated Development Environment

3. Objectives
Identify the three principal categories of Visual Basic .NET applications:
Windows Forms applications
Web Forms applications
Console applications
Navigate through the Visual Studio .NET Integrated Development Environment’s (IDE) Main menu and toolbars
Understand the purpose of other major components of the IDE:
Code window, Class view
Task List, Output window
Server Explorer, and Help screens
Identify some of the key differences between Visual Basic .NET and earlier versions of Visual Basic

4. A Tour of the Integrated Development Environment
Understanding Application Categories
The FGDT will develop three types of applications:
Windows Forms applications
Web Forms applications
Console applications
Understanding Visual Basic .NET Windows Forms Applications
User interface
Contained within traditional windows and the application executes entirely on the local machine
Any application running in a stand-alone environment is a good candidate for development as a Windows Forms application

5. Start Page, New Project Dialog Box, with Windows Application Selected

6. Understanding Visual Basic .NET Web Forms Applications
Uses the techniques and protocols of the World Wide Web
Interface is designed as an HTML or XML document
End user’s Web browser renders the HTML/XML/ASP document on the local machine
Application executes mostly on a server
Data access occurs over a network through an XML Web service
Technology can also be applied to applications on a stand-alone machine

7. New Project Dialog Box Showing the ASP .NET Web Application Selected

8. Understanding Visual Basic .NET Console Applications
Text-only application
Compiled into an executable
Run from a command prompt
Console applications
Support system utility functions
More useful to systems programmer than applications programmer

9. New Project Dialog Box with Console Application Selected Under Templates

10. Understanding the Main Menu
Provides access to all the items you need in the IDE
Using the File Menu
New
Opens a new project, file, or blank solution
Open
Opens an existing project or file
Close
Closes the file currently displayed in the main window
Add New Item
Opens the Add New Item dialog box

11. Add New Item Dialog Box Showing All Local Project Items

12. Using the File Menu (Continued)
Add Existing Item
Adds an existing file to the current project
Add Project
Adds another project to the current solution
Open Solution
Opens a new solution
Close Solution
Closes the current solution

13. Using the File Menu (Continued)
Save, Save As, Save All
Saves currently selected component
Saves currently selected component under different name or in different location
Saves all components
Source Control
Not installed in Visual Studio .NET Professional Edition
Allows organization to control multiple versions of software
Page Setup and Print
Selects settings for printing source code
Recent Files and Projects
Shortcut for opening the most recently opened files and projects
Exit
Exits Visual Studio .NET

14. Using the Edit Menu Insert File As Text Advanced Bookmarks Outlining
Useful if you have saved a block of code as a text file
Advanced
Used for formatting code blocks
Bookmarks
Where you place your reminders and locators
Outlining
Enables you to create an outline for code
IntelliSense
Provides automatic statement completion and immediate assistance while coding

15. Using the View Menu Web Browser | Show Browser
Displays the most recent HTML page
Other Windows | Object Browser
Displays the objects in the active project or the available objects in Visual Studio .NET
Other Windows | Output
Displays output (error) messages from the most recent compilation
Tab Order
Toggle for displaying the TabIndex property of every control on the currently displayed form
Show Tasks
Navigates among the tasks in the project Task List
Toolbars
Displays a submenu with 24 toolbars

16. Viewing the Tab Order of the Village Housing Application

17. Using the View Menu (Continued)
Full Screen
Enables you to toggle the main window between full screen and Normal view
Navigate Backward or Navigate Forward
Changes main window display to previous display or returns to current display
Property Pages
Opens the Property Pages dialog box
Application icon property
Designates an icon to represent the project while it is running
Option Explicit
Requires that all variables be explicitly declared
Option Strict
Requires that all narrowing conversions be explicitly declared and that late bindings not be allowed
Option Compare
Allows settings of Binary (the default) or Text

18. Property Pages - Common Properties -Build

19. Understanding the Main Menu (Continued)
Exploring the Project Menu
Under the Project menu, Add New Item and Add Existing Item duplicate selections available in the File menu
Exclude From Project removes currently selected component from current project
Understanding the Build Menu
Menu is useful when you need to compile a solution without executing it

20. Understanding the Debug Menu
Breakpoint
A place in your code where program execution is suspended (not terminated)
Debug selections
Windows | Breakpoints
Windows | Autos
Windows | Immediate
Start
Continue
Stop Debugging
Step Into
QuickWatch
Clear All Breakpoints
Disable All Breakpoints

21. Exploring the Help Menu
Dynamic Help
Displays a short list of topics related to whatever you are currently doing in the IDE
Contents
Opens the table of contents for the Visual Basic .NET Help collection
Index
Opens a search frame that enables you to enter a keyword and look for that keyword throughout the Help Collection Index
Search
Opens a search frame that enables the user to enter a word and find it anywhere in the Help collection

22. Understanding Other IDE Components
Understanding the Main Window
Tabs at the top of the screen space identify open windows
Initial choices include the Start Page, the Code window, the Designer window, and the current Help screen
Understanding Toolbars
Toolbars provide a one-click shortcut to menu selections
Standard toolbar always visible
Understanding the Class View
Class view enables you to examine all the symbols used in your application, or available to your application

23. Understanding Other IDE Components (Continued)
Understanding the Properties window
Read-only properties are disabled
Expansion button appears to the left of group-level properties
Complex properties can be set by clicking an ellipsis
When you can select from a list of property setting choices, the Settings box is a combo box with a down arrow that lists the choices
Property window has its own toolbar
Understanding the Output window
Output window displays messages to you from the IDE

24. Understanding Other IDE Components (Continued)
Understanding the Toolbox
Toolbox is subdivided by tabs, and the particular tabs available depend on the contents of the main window
Data tab
Components tab
Windows Forms tab
Understanding Server Explorer
Server Explorer opens and manages data connections to both internal and external databases and related services

25. A First Windows Forms Application
Lesson B
A First Windows Forms Application

26. Objectives Make practical use of the View menu and the Debug menu
Create controls on a Windows form using the Toolbox
Develop and implement a splash screen, both as a Windows Forms application and as a Web Forms application

27. Experimenting with the Debug Menu
To experience the Debug menu within the Visual Studio IDE:
Open the VisualTour project (if necessary). In Solution Explorer, click frmTour.vb, and click the View Code button to open the Code window
At the end of the Private Sub btnClickMe_MouseEnter event procedure, click anywhere on the last line (End Sub), and press F9
Click Debug on the Main menu, and note the menu items available at design time. Click Windows on the Debug menu, and note the menu items available
In Form Designer, click Timer1 in the tray underneath the form. Then click the Enabled property in the Properties window, and set it to False
Select Start from the Debug menu, or click the Start button to initiate execution of the Visual Tour application
Again, select Debug on the Main menu, and note the many different menu items available at runtime. Click Windows on the Debug menu, and note the menu items available
From the Windows taskbar, click the Visual Tour running application. Move the cursor over the Touch Here button

28. Completed frmTour at Design Time

29. Completed frmWelcome

30. A First Console Application
Lesson C
A First Console Application

31. Objectives Build a Visual Basic .NET Console application
Use the Visual Basic .NET random number generator

32. Building Random Numbers: a Console Application
A way of experimenting with snippets of code, without having to design an entire GUI
Output can be sent to the console object or to the Debug object
Write ( ) function writes to the specified device, but leaves the print cursor positioned immediately after the last character written
WriteLine ( ) function writes to the specified device, and then writes a carriage return/linefeed sequence

33. Building Random Numbers: a Console Application (Continued)
Rnd( )
A pseudorandom number generator
Produces a random real number n such that 0 <= n < 1
Works by performing a calculation on the previous number that it produced
Random seed
Used with the first Rnd( ) function call
By default the seed is the same whenever a program begins execution
Randomize( )
Seeds the random number generator based on the setting of the system clock

34. Building Random Numbers: a Console Application (Continued)
Formula for converting the Rnd( ) return value to an integer within a specified range
Int(Rnd() * (UpperBound – LowerBound + 1) + LowerBound)
Valuable feature in certain applications
Generating the same sequence of random numbers each time a program runs, as Rnd( ) does

35. Code to Produce 100 Random Index Values

36. Console Results - 100 randomly Selected Index Values

37. Other Notes Concerning Console Applications
Often compiled and subsequently executed from the command prompt
Output sent to the Console object appears in the command window
Output sent to the Debug object is ignored and does not raise an exception
If keyboard input is required
ReadLine( ) function is employed

38. Code to Read and Display Variables

39. Summary Visual Basic .NET Windows Forms application
Application involving a traditional Windows-style user interface
Implemented entirely on a local computer
Visual Basic .NET Web Forms application
Application involving a Web-style interface
Visual Basic .NET Console application
Local, text-only application that runs from a command prompt
Visual Basic .NET Integrated Development Environment
Includes multiple views and windows
Provides extensive debugging facilities
Provides an extensive Help system

40. Summary (Continued) Conventional prefixes Windows form properties
frm: Windows form
web: Web form
btn: Button
lbl: Label
Windows form properties
Name, BackColor, BackgroundImage, ControlBox
FormBorderStyle, Icon, Size, StartPosition, and Text
In the Code Editor
Class Name combo box identifies the objects in the form
Method Name combo box lists the events and methods available to the currently selected object
Web form properties
Background, bgcolor, and pagelayout

41. Summary (Continued) Console applications
Most useful for experimenting with program code
Rnd ( ) and Randomize ( ) functions
Provide the capability to generate and manage random numbers
Output from Console application
Normally sent to the Console object or to the Debug object
Input in a Console application
Obtained from the Console.ReadLine ( ) function