Visual Basic.Net For Dummies

Would you like to write Windows programs but don’t know where to start?

Visual Basic. NET, the latest distribution of Microsoft’s programming language was designed to let anybody—even people with no prior programming experience—create sophisticated programs with stunning user interfaces, quickly and easily. A true marvel of computing technology, Visual Basic .NET combines BASIC, the only programming language specifically designed to teach beginners how to program, with a completely intuitive drawing program that lets you create cool user interfaces without having to write a single line of code.

Written by computer book author and well-known stand-up comic Wallace Wang, Visual Basic .NET For Dummies offers you a fun and easy way to master VB .NET programming. Featuring crystal-clear explanations along with dozens of working examples, it gives you what you need to tap the power of Visual Basic .NET. In no time you’ll:

• Design a user interface
• Create pull-down menus
• Write programs on any scale—both large and small
• Debug your programs
• Write your own code
• Work with loops, subrouting, and decision commands
• Use object-oriented techniques in your programming

Visual Basic .NET For Dummies was designed to give you the confidence and skills you need to start building Windows programs right away—not turn you into a computer scientist. To that end, it features hands-on, jargon-free coverage of the full range of practical VB .NET topics, including:

• Getting started and using the Visual Basic .NET interface
• Creating full-featured user interfaces
• Making menus--including pull-downs, submenus, growing menus, pop-up menus—and showing dialog boxes
• Writing BASIC code
• Making programs appear intelligent by using loops and decision commands
• Writing small subprograms and combining them to make large, robust programs
• Getting a handle on object-oriented programming

Visual Basic .NET For Dummies is the pain-free way to get up to speed on Visual Basic programming and all the new features in Visual Basic .NET.

Wallace Wang is the bestselling author of Beginning Programming For Dummies, 2nd Edition, Steal This Computer Book 2, and many other books. In addition to writing computer books, he also performs stand-up comedy in Las Vegas and has appeared on the TV show A&E's "Evening at the Improv."

Introduction.

PART I: Creating a Visual Basic .NET Program.

Chapter 1: How Visual Basic .NET Works.

Chapter 2: Using the Visual Basic .NET User Interface.

Chapter 3: Designing Your First User Interface.

Chapter 4: Writing BASIC Code.

PART II: Creating User Interfaces.

Chapter 5: User Interface Design 101.

Chapter 6: Designing Forms.

Chapter 7: Boxes and Buttons for Making Choices.

Chapter 8: Text Boxes and Labels for Typing and Showing Words.

Chapter 9: Showing Choices with List and Combo Boxes.

Chapter 10: Fine-Tuning the Appearance of Your User Interface.

PART III: Making Menus.

Chapter 11: Creating and Editing Pull-Down Menus.

Chapter 12: Submenus, Growing Menus, and Pop-Up Menus.

Chapter 13: Showing Dialog Boxes.

PART IV: The Basics of Writing Code.

Chapter 14: Writing Event-Handling Procedures.

Chapter 15: Using Variables.

Chapter 16: Getting Data from the User.

Chapter 17: Math 101: Arithmetic, Logical, and Comparison Operators.

Chapter 18: Strings and Things.

Chapter 19: Defining Constants and Using Comments.

Chapter 20: Storing Stuff in Data Structures.

Chapter 21: Killing Bugs.

PART V: Making Decisions and Getting Loopy.

Chapter 22: Making Decisions with If-Then Statements.

Chapter 23: The Select Case Statement.

Chapter 24: Repeating Yourself with Loops.

Chapter 25: For-Next Loops That Can Count.

Chapter 26: Nested Loops and Quick Exits.

PART VI: Writing Subprograms (So You Don't Go Crazy All at Once).

Chapter 27: General Procedures (Subprograms That Everyone Can Share).

Chapter 28: Passing Arguments.

Chapter 29: Functions, a Unique Type of Subprogram.

PART VII: Understanding Object-Oriented Programming.

Chapter 30: What the Heck Is Object-Oriented Programming?

Chapter 31: Getting Some Class with Object-Oriented Programming.

Chapter 32: Using Inheritance and Overloading.

PART VIII: The Part of Tens.

Chapter 33: Ten Visual Basic .NET Topics That Didn't Fit Anywhere Else.

Chapter 34: (Almost) Ten Tips for Using the Visual Basic .NET User Interface.

Index.