Programming with Visual Basic for Experienced Programmers ISI-1326B

Module 1An Introduction to Visual Studio

• This module introduces you to the basics of working with Visual Basic 2015, the .NET
• Framework, and Visual Studio. This is the background that you need for getting started
• right with Visual Basic 2015
• An introduction to .NET development
• o .NET applications
• o Visual St udio and the .NET programming languages
• o The .NET Framework
• o The Visual Studio IDE
• o How a Visual Basic application is compiled and run
• o How Visual Basic differs from the other .NET languages
• A tour of the Visual Studio IDE
• o How to start Visual Studio
• o H ow to open or close an existing project
• o Some possible menu variations
• o How to use the Form Designer
• o How to use the Code Editor
• o How to use the Solution Explorer
• o How to work with Visual Studio's windows
• How to test a project
• How to build a project
• How to run a project
• How to upgrade projects and change .NET Framework versions
• o How to upgrade projects created in earlier versions of Visual Basic .NET
• o How to change the .NET Framework version used by a project

Module 2How to design a Windows Forms application

• This chapter shows you how to use Visual Studio to design a Windows form that contains
• labels, text boxes, and buttons. This form will get user input, do two calculations on it, and
• display the results, so it's not just a "Hello World!" application. When you finish this module,
• you'll be ready to learn how to write the Visual Basic code for the form.
• How to set options and create a new project
• o How to set the Visual Studio options
• o How to change the environment settings
• o How to create a new project
• How to design a form
• o The design of the Invoice Total form
• o How to add controls to a form
• o How to set properties
• o Common properties for forms and controls
• o How to add navigation features
• o The property settings for the Invoice Total form
• o How to use Document Outline view
• How to name and save the files of a project
• o How to name the files of a project
• o How to save the files of a project

Module 3How to code and test a Windows Forms application

• This module shows you how to write the Visual Basic code for the Windows form that was
• designed in Module 1. It also gets you started with practical debugging techniques.
• An introduction to coding
• o Introduction to object-oriented programming
• o How to refer to properties, methods, and events
• o How an application responds to events
• How to add code to a form
• o How to create an event handler for the default event of a form or control
• o How IntelliSense helps you enter the code for a form
• o Coding rules for Visual Basic statements
• o The event handlers for the Invoice Total form
• o How to code with a readable style
• o How to code comments
• o How to detect and correct syntax errors
• Other skills for working with code
• o How to use the toolbar buttons
• o How to collapse or expand code
• o How to zoom in and out
• o How to print the source code
• o How to code snippets
• o How to rename identifiers
• o How to use the Smart Compile Auto Correction featur e
• o How to use the My feature
• o How to get help information
• How to run, test, and debug a project
• o How to run a project
• o How to test a project
• o How to debug runtime errors

Module 4How to work with numeric and string data

• This module shows you how to perform ar ithmetic operations on various types of numeric
• data and how to work with string data. Beyond that, this module presents three important
• subjects that are usually treated too lightly or too late in other books: casting, data
• conversion, and scope.
• How to work with the built-in value types
• o The built-in value types
• o How to declare and initialize variables
• o How to declare and initialize constants
• o How to code arithmetic expressions
• o How to code assignment statements
• o How to work with the order of precedence
• o How to use casting
• o How to change the type semantics
• o How to use the Math class
• How to work with strings
• o How to declare and initialize a string
• o How to join and append strings
• How to convert data types
• o The .NET structures and classes that define data types
• o How to use Visual Basic functions to convert data types
• o How to use methods of the .NET data structures to convert data types
• o How to use methods of the Convert class to convert data types
• o How to use three of the formatting functi ons
• o How to use methods to convert numbers to formatted strings
• Three other skills for working with data
• o How to work with scope
• o How to declare and use enumerations
• o How to work with nullable types
• Two versions of the Invoice Total application
• o The bas ic Invoice Total application
• o The enhanced Invoice Total application

Module 5How to code control structures

• This module shows you how to control program execution and repetitive processing by
• using conditional statements and various types of loops. Then, it show s you some special
• debugging techniques for programs with loops in the context of a new application.
• How to code Boolean expressions
• o How to use the relational operators
• o How to use the logical operators
• How to code conditional statements
• o How to code If statements
• o How to code Select Case statements
• o An enhanced version of the Invoice Total application
• How to code loops
• o How to code For loops
• o How to code Do loops
• o How to use Exit and Continue statements
• o Debugging techniques for programs with loops
• The Future Value application
• o The design and property settings for the form
• o The code for the form

Module 6How to code procedures and event handlers

• This module shows you how to code and call procedures and how to generate event
• handlers for all types of events. With those skills, you'll be able to logically divide your
• code into smaller procedures so it is easier to read, test, and debug.
• How to code and call procedures
• o How to code Sub procedures
• o How to call Sub procedures
• o When and how to pass arguments by reference and by value
• o How to code and call Function procedures
• o How to use optional parameters
• How to work with events
• o How to start an event handler for any event
• o How to handle multiple events with one event handler
• o How to use the Code Editor to start an event handler
• o How to add and remove event wiring
• Another version of the Future Value application
• o The Function procedure
• o The event handlers

Module 7How to handle exceptions and validate data

• First, this module shows you how to use structured exception handling so you can create
• bulletproof applications. Then, it shows you the best ways to validate the data that the
• user enters so exceptions are avoided.
• An introduction to data validation and exception handling
• o How to use the isNumeric function for data validation
• o How to display a dialog box for error messages
• o How exception handling works
• How to use structured exception handling
• o How to catch an exception
• o How to use the properties and methods of an exception
• o How to catch specific types of exceptions
• o How to throw an exception
• o The Future Value application with exception handling
• How to validate data
• o How to validate a single entry
• o How to use generic procedures to validate an entry
• o How to validate multiple entries
• The Future Value application with data validation
• o The dialog boxes
• o The code
• Two other ways to validate data
• o How to use the Validating event
• o How to use the masked text box

Module 8How to work with arrays and collections

• First, this module shows you how to use three types of arrays. Then, it shows you how to
• use the methods and properties of the Array class for working with an array. Last, it shows
• you how to use collection classes to work with typed and untyped collections.
• How to work with one-dimens ional arrays
• o How to create an array
• o How to assign values to the elements of an array
• o How to use For loops to work with arrays
• o How to use For loops to work with arrays
• o How to use For Each loops to work with arrays
• How to work with rectangular arrays
• o How to create a rectangular array
• o How to assign values to a rectangular array
• o How to work with rectangular arrays
• How to work with jagged arrays
• o How to create a jagged array
• o How to assign values to a jagged array
• o How to work with jagged arrays
• More skills for working with arrays
• o How to use the Array class
• o How to refer to and copy arrays
• o How to code procedures that work with arrays
• How to work with collections
• o Commonly used collection classes
• o Typed vs. untyped col lections
• o How to work with a list
• o How to work with a sorted list
• o How to work with queues and stacks
• o How to work with an array list

Module 9How to work with dates and strings

• First, this module shows you how to use the properties and methods of the DateTime
• structure to work with dates and times. Then, this module shows you how to use the
• properties and methods of the String and StringBuilder classes to manipulate the data in
• s trings, to validate user entries, and to format numbers, dates, and times.
• How to work with dates and times
• o How to create a DateTime value
• o How to get the current date and time
• o How to format DateTime values
• o How to get information about dates and times
• o How to perform operations on dates and times
• o How to use Visual Basic properties and functions to work with dates and
• times
• How to work with strings
• o The properties and methods of the String class
• o Code examples that work with strings
• o More exam ples that work with strings
• o Two procedures for validating user entries
• o How to use the StringBuilder class
• o How to use the Visual Basic functions to work with strings
• How to format numbers, dates, and times
• o How to format numbers
• o How to format dates and times

Module 10More skills for working with Windows Forms and

• Controls
• To keep the emphasis on the Visual Basic essentials, the first 9 modules present single-
• form applications that contain label, text box, and button controls. This module shows you
• how to develop multi -form applications using controls like combo boxes, list boxes, and
• check boxes.
• How to work with controls
• o Five more types of controls
• o How to work with combo boxes and list boxes
• o How to work with check boxes and radio buttons
• o How to w ork with group boxes
• o How to use Tab Order view to set the tab order
• o How to get the information you need for using a control
• How to work with multi -form projects
• o How to add a form to a project
• o How to rename a form
• o How to change the startup form for a project
• o How to display a form as a dialog box
• o How to pass data between a form and a custom dialog box
• How to use the MessageBox class
• o How to display a dialog box and get the user response
• o How to use the FormClosing event
• The Payment application
• o The operation
• o The property settings
• o The code for the Customer form
• o The code for the Payment form

Module 11How to create and use Classes

• This module shows you how to create your own Visual Basic classes that include fields,
• properties, methods, constructors, and shared members. You will use real -world business
• objects such as products and customers.
• In fact, this module presents an application that uses a Product class to create Product
• objects and a ProductDB class that uses shared methods to handle the application's
• database access. That's the type of complete application that you need to see if you want
• to understand object-oriented programming in Visual Basic.
• An introduction to classes
• o How classes can be used to structure an application
• o The members you can define within a class
• o The code for the Product class
• o How instantiation works
• How to create a class
• o How to add a class file to a project
• o How to code fields
• o How to code standard properties
• o How to code auto-implemented proper ties
• o How to code methods
• o How to code constructors
• o How to code shared members
• o How to generate code stubs
• The Product Maintenance application
• o The operation of the Product Maintenance application
• o The classes used by the Product Maintenance application
• o The code for the Product Maintenance application
• How to browse classes and use class diagrams
• o How to browse the classes in a solution
• o How to use class diagrams and the Class Details window
• How to work with structures
• o How to create a structure
• o How to use a structure

Module 12How to Debug an Application

• This module presents the most useful debugging features that Visual Studio has to offer.
• When you finish this module, you’ll have all the skills you need for debugging complex
• applications.
• Basi c debugging techniques
• o How to set the debugging options
• o How to work in break mode
• o How to use the Edit and Continue feature
• o How to work with data tips
• o How to use breakpoints
• o How to control the execution of an application
• How to use the debuggin g windows
• o How to use the Locals window to monitor variables
• o How to use the Autos window to monitor variables
• o How to use Watch windows to monitor expressions
• o How to use the Immediate window to execute commands
• o How to use the Call Stack window to monitor called procedures
• o How to use the Call Hierarchy window to navigate through your code
• o How to use the Output or immediate window to get build or debugging
• information
• o How to use the Visualizer dialog boxes to view strings

Module 13An Introduction to Database Programming

• Database processing is an integral part of Visual Basic business applications. This
• module starts by introducing you to database design and SQL queries. Then, it gives you
• the conceptual background that you need for learning how to develop database
• applications in the modules that follow.
• An introduction to client/server systems
• o The hardware components of a client/server system
• o The software components of a c lient/server system
• An introduction to relational databases
• o How a table is organized
• o How the tables in a database are related
• o How the columns in a table are defined
• o The design of the MMABooks database
• How to use SQL to work with a relational database
• o How to query a single table
• o How to join data from two or more tables
• o How to add, update, and delete data in a table
• An introduction to ADO.NET
• o The .NET data providers
• o How the basic ADO.NET components work
• o Concurrency and the disconnected data architecture
• o How a dataset is organized
• o How to work with data without using a data adapter
• o Two ways to create ADO.NET objects

Module 14How to work with data sources and datasets

• Visual Studio 2015 has powerful tools for rapid application development and prototyping
• of database applications. So in this module, you'll get started with database programming
• by learning how to use the data sources feature to create applications that let you view
• and maintain the database data.
• How to create a data source
• o How to use the Data Sources window
• o How to start the Data Source Configuration Wizard
• o How to choose a data source type
• o How to choose the database model for a data source
• o How to choose the connection for a data source
• o How to create a connection to a database
• o How to save a connection string in the App.config file
• o How to choose database objects for a data source
• o The schema file created by the Data Source Configuration Wizard
• How to use a data source
• o How to generate a DataGridView control from a data source
• o A Product Maintenance application that uses a DataGridView control
• o How to change the controls associated with a data source
• o How to generate detail controls from a data source
• o A Customer Maintenance application that uses TextBox controls
• How to handle data errors
• o How to handle data provider errors
• o How to handle ADO.NET errors
• o How to handle data errors for a DataGridView control
• How to use the Dataset Designer
• o How to view the schema for a dataset
• o How to use the Query Builder
• o How to preview the data for a query
• o How to interpret the generated SQL statements

Module 15How to work with bound controls and

• parameterized queries
• This module builds on what was presented in module 14 to show you how to work with
• bound control s, use parameterized queries, customize the generated toolbars, and work
• with a DataGridView control in a database application.
• How to work with bound text boxes and combo boxes
• o How to format the data displayed in a text box
• o How to bind a combo box to a data source
• o How to use code to work with a binding source
• How to work with parameterized queries
• o How to create a parameterized query
• o How to use code to work with a parameterized query
• How to work with the ToolStrip control
• o How to use the Items Collection Editor
• o How to code an event handler for a ToolStrip item
• An enhanced Customer Maintenance application
• o The user interface
• o The code
• How to work with a DataGridView control
• o How to modify the properties of a DataGridView control
• o How to edit the columns of a DataGridView control
• o How to format the data in the columns of a DataGridView control
• o How to use a DataGridView control to create a Master/Detail form
• A Customer Invoice Display application
• o The user interface
• o The dataset schema
• o The code for the Customer Invoices form

Module 16How to use ADO.NET to write your own data access

• code
• Modules14 and 15 show you how to use data sources to develop database applications.
• When you do that, Visual Studio generates the ADO.NET objects you need. Now, this
• module shows you how to create and work with ADO.NET objects through code. That lets
• you separate the data access code from the presentation code by placing the ADO.NET
• code in database classes, which are often reusable from one application to another.
• How to work with connections and commands
• o How to create and work with connections
• o How to create and work with commands
• How to create and work with parameters
• o How to use parameters in SQL statements
• o How to create parameters
• o How to work with parameters
• How to execute commands
• o How to create and work with a data reader
• o How to execute queries that return a single value
• o How to execute action queries
• A Customer Maintenance application that uses commands
• o The user interface
• o The class diagram for the business and database classes
• o The code for the CustomerDB class
• o The code for the StateDB class
• o The code for the MMABooksDB class
• o The code for the Customer Maintenance form
• o The code for the Add/Modify Customer form

Module 17How to work with default properties, events and

• operators

Module 11covers the skills that you need whenever you create a Visual Basic class. Now,

• this module shows you advanced techniques that allow you to develop more complex
• classes, like how to create default properties, throw argument exceptions, raise events,
• and overload operators.
• An introduction to the ProductList class
• o The code for a simple ProductList class
• o The specifications for the enhanced ProductList class
• How to work with default properties
• o How to create a default property
• o How to throw an argument exception
• How to work with events
• o How to define events
• o How to use events
• o How to overload operators
• An introduction to operator overloading
• o How to overload arithmetic operators
• o How to overload relational operators
• An enhanced version of the Product Maintenance application
• o The code for the ProductList class
• o The code for the Product Maintenance form

Module 18How to work with inheritance

• This module shows you how inheritance is used throughout the .NET classes and how
• you can use inheritance in your own VB classes. When you're done, you'll know how to
• create base and derived classes, how polymorphism works, and how to use casting with
• inheritance.
• To make sure that you get all of that, this module presents a complete application that
• uses a Product base class, Book and Software derived classes, and a ProductList class
• that inherits the List() class.
• Introduction to inheritance
• o How inheritance works
• o How the .N ET Framework uses inheritance
• o Methods inherited from the System Object class
• o How to use inheritance in your applications
• Basic skills for working with inheritance
• o How to create a base class
• o How to create a derived class
• o How polymorphism works
• An inheritance version of the Product Maintenance application
• o The operation of the Product Maintenance application
• o The code for the Product, Book, and Software classes
• o The code for the ProductList class
• o The code for the Product Maintenance form
• o The code for the New Product form
• Object types and casting
• o How to use the Type class to get information about an object's type
• o How to use casting with inheritance
• How to work with abstract and sealed classes
• o How to work with abstract classes
• o How to work with sealed classes

Module 19How to work with interfaces and generics

• Although a Visual Basic class can inherit only one class, it can implement one or more
• interfaces. So in this module, you'll learn how to create and implement a Visual Basic
• interfac e. You'll also learn how to use generics so you can code your own collections that
• work like the typed collections from the .NET Framework presented in module 8. Along
• the way, you'll learn how to work with the generic interfaces that are used with generic
• collections.
• How to work with interfaces and generics
• o An introduction to interfaces
• o Some of the interfaces defined by the .NET Framework
• o How to create an interface
• o How to implement an interface
• o A Product class that implements the ICloneable interface
• o How to use an interface as a parameter
• How to work with generics
• o How to code a class that defines a generic collection
• o Some of the generic interfaces defined by the .NET Framework
• o How to implement the IComparable() interface
• o How to use constraints
• o How to code an interface that uses generics

Module 20How to organize and document your classes

• This module shows you how to organize the classes you create and document them using
• XML. It also shows you how to store your classes in class libraries so that other
• pr ogrammers can easily access them.
• How to organize your classes
• o How to code multiple classes in a single file
• o How to split a single class across multiple files
• o How to work with namespaces
• How to document your classes
• o How to add XML documentation to a class
• o How to view the XML documentation
• How to create and use class libraries
• o How class libraries work
• o How to create a class library project
• o How to add a reference to a class library
• o How to use the classes in a class library

Module 21Ho w to work with files and data streams

• Although databases are commonly used in Visual Basic applications, you may also need
• to access data that's stored in a text file or a binary file. So this module shows you how to
• read and write both types of files. It also shows you how to use one of the My objects to
• work with files.
• An introduction to the System.IO classes
• o The classes for managing directories, files, and paths
• o How files and streams work
• o How to use the FileStream class
• o How to use the exception classes for file I/O
• o How to use the MyComputer FileSystem object
• How to work with text files
• o How to write a text file
• o How to read a text file
• o A class that works with a text file
• How to work with binary files
• o How to write a binary file
• o How to read a binary file
• o A class that works with a binary file

Module 22How to work with XML files

• To start, this module presents the basics of XML and shows you how to use the Visual
• Studio XML Editor for working with XML. Then, it shows you how to use Visual Basic with
• the XmlWriter and XmlReader classes to store XML documents in a file and to read XML
• documents from a file.
• An introduction to XML
• o An XML document
• o XML tags, declarations, and comments
• o XML elements
• o XML attributes
• How to work with the XML Editor
• o How to create a new XML file
• o How to open an existing XML file
• o How to edit an XML file
• How to work with XML
• o How to use the XmlWriter class
• o Code that writes an XML document
• o How to use the XmlReader class
• o How the XmlReader class reads nodes
• o Code that reads an XML document
• o A class that works with an XML file

Module 23How to Use LINQ

• In this module, you'll learn the basic skills for using LINQ, a feature that lets you query a
• data source using constructs that are built into the Visual Basic language. That means you
• can use the same language to access a variety of data sources, from databases to arrays
• to XML files.
• Basic concepts for working with LINQ
• o How LINQ is implemented
• o Advantages of using LINQ
• o The three stages of a query operation
• How to code a LINQ query
• o How to identify the data source for a query
• o How to filter the results of a query
• o How to sort the results of a query
• o How to select fields from a query
• o How to join data from two or more data sources
• A Customer Invoice app lication that uses generic lists
• o The user interface
• o The code for the form
• A Customer Invoice application that uses a typed dataset
• o The dataset schema
• o The code for the form

Module 24How to enhance the user interface

• This module shows you how to add another level of professionalism to your Visual Basic
• applications by developing single- or multiple-document interfaces that include menus,
• toolbars, status bars, Main procedures, and help information.
• Two types of user interfaces
• o A single-document inter face (SDI)
• o A multiple-document interface (MDI)
• How to develop SDI applications
• o How to use a startup form
• o How to use a Tab control
• How to add menus to a form
• o How to create menus
• o How to set the properties that work with menu items
• o How to write code that works with menu items
• How to develop MDI applications
• o How to create parent and child forms
• o How to write code that works with parent and child forms
• How to add toolbars to a form
• o How to create a toolbar
• o How to write code that works with toolbars
• How to create and use a status bar
• o How to create a simple status bar
• o How to create a status bar with multiple panels
• How to work with modules
• o How to create and code a module
• o How to use a Main procedure
• How to add help information
• o How to add tool tips
• o How to add context-sensitive help

Module 25How to deploy an application

• As you develop a Visual Basic application, you'll need to deploy it to a target system in
• order to test it thoroughly. And, of course, once the application is finished, you'll need to
• deploy it to users' systems. So this module shows you three ways you can deploy
• applications from a network or web server using Visual Studio.
• An introduction to deploying Windows applications
• o How XCopy works
• o How ClickOnce works
• o How a Setup program works
• How to use XCopy
• o How to create a release build
• o How to copy the release build to the client
• How to use ClickOnce
• o How to publish an application
• o How to select the files that are published
• o How to select the prerequisites
• o How to set the update options
• o How to set the publish options
• o How to install an application
• o How update an application
• How to create and use a Setup program
• o How to create an InstallShield project
• o How to use the InstallShield Project Assistant
• o How to add output files to an InstallShield project
• o How to create and view the installation files for a Setup program
• o How to use a Setup program to install an application
• How to deploy database applications
• o Using ClickOnce deployment
• o Using a Setup program
• Course ISI-1326B Five Days Instructor -led , Hands on