Visual Basic in easy steps

Table of contents

Getting started

Introduction
Installing Visual Basic
Your first application
First look at the Toolbox
First look at the Property Editor
Getting to know Visual Basic forms
Placing a Visual Basic button
First look at Visual Basic events
Your first line of code
Setting properties in code
A Visual Basic adding machine
Dealing with errors
How to get Help
First look at the Project Explorer
Saving your application
Reopening an application

Controls explained

Controls and methods
Using buttons
Using labels
Using text boxes
Using picture boxes
Using check boxes
Using option buttons
Using frames
Using lines and shapes
Using images
Using list boxes
Using FlexGrids
The Common Dialog Control
Using combo boxes
Using the timer
Using the OLE control
Setting tab order
Other standard controls

Basic essentials

Start at the beginning
An example program
Variables and scope
Introducing data types
Exploring data types
Doing sums
Using If... Then... Else
Using For... Next
Using Do... Loop
Using Case... Else
Using With... End With
Dealing with a set of values
Using Types
Creating a subroutine
Using parameters
Creating a function
Using MsgBox and InputBox
Using the API
Printing with PrintForm and the Printer Object

Visual Basic tools

Creating a menu
Customising a menu
Creating a pop-up menu
Making a menu work
Changing menus at runtime
Creating a toolbar
Working with the code editor
Introducing the debugger
More about debugging
Using breakpoints
Tracking down errors
Managing ActiveX controls
Using the Add-in Manager
Explaining the Reference Manager
Setting Visual Basic options
Setting project properties
Using form templates
Using project templates
Creating a stand-alone application
Adding a shortcut to the Start menu

Creating databases

Introducing databases
Using Visual Data Manager
Designing a table
Adding data
More about database tables
Introducing the Data Control
Building a data form
Improving the data form
Adding records
Deleting records
Preventing Data Control errors
Viewing records in order
Explaining Dynasets and Tables
Searching for records
Showing records in a grid
Copying a record to the Clipboard
Introducing the Data Environment
Connecting to data
Adding a query
Creating a report
Laying out a report
The next step with databases

Visual Basic in office

About Visual Basic for Applications
The VBA programming tool
Recording a macro in Excel
Understanding the macro
Three ways to run a macro
Macros that run automatically
More about the Project Explorer
Using VBA to write values into cells
Entering text from a Word macro
Creating a dialog in Word
Reading a database from Word
Programming the Office Assistant
More about the Assistant
Controlling Excel from Word
Using Office from Visual Basic

Visual Basic and the Internet

What kind of web?
The basics of Web scripting
A first web page script
More about VB Script
A VBScript quiz example
Scripting the Explorer object
Scripting ActiveX and Java
Introducing Dynamic HTML
Using a web timer for animation
Creating a custom web browser
Using ShellExecute for web features
Advanced email: VB and MAPI
Introducing Visual InterDev

Tips for Experts

Introducing error-trapping
More about the Err object
Helping the user
How to organise your code
Tips for readable code
Choosing descriptive names
Tips for fast applications
Managing multiple forms
Introducing MDI
Using Sub Main
How to read a disk file
How to write to a file
Drawing graphics
Using control arrays
More about control arrays
Interrupt with DoEvents
Introducing Classes
Creating a Visual Basic Class
Defining and using a class
Where help files come from
Using the Deployment Wizard
Where next?