VB.

NET

About the Tutorial

[Link] is a simple, modern, object-oriented computer programming language developed by
Microsoft to combine the power of .NET Framework and the common language runtime with
the productivity benefits that are the hallmark of Visual Basic.

This tutorial will teach you basic [Link] programming and will also take you through various
advanced concepts related to [Link] programming language.
Visual Basic .NET ([Link]) is an object-oriented computer programming language
implemented on the .NET Framework. Although it is an evolution of classic Visual Basic
language, it is not backwards compatible with VB6, and any code written in the old version
does not compile under [Link].

Like all other .NET languages, [Link] has complete support for object-oriented concepts.
Everything in [Link] is an object, including all of the primitive types (Short, Integer, Long,
String, Boolean, etc.) and user-defined types, events, and even assemblies. All objects
inherit from the base class Object.

[Link] is implemented by Microsoft's .NET framework. Therefore, it has full access to all the
libraries in the .Net Framework. It's also possible to run [Link] programs on Mono, the
opensource alternative to .NET, not only under Windows, but even Linux or Mac OSX.

The following reasons make [Link] a widely used professional language:

• Modern, general purpose.

• Object oriented.
• Component oriented.
• Easy to learn.
• Structured language.
• It produces efficient programs.
• It can be compiled on a variety of computer platforms.
• Part of .Net Framework.

Strong Programming Features [Link]

[Link] has numerous strong programming features that make it endearing to multitude of
programmers worldwide. Let us mention some of these features:

• Boolean Conditions
• Automatic Garbage Collection
• Standard Library
• Assembly Versioning
• Properties and Events
• Delegates and Events Management
• Easy-to-use Generics
• Indexers
• Conditional Compilation

• Simple Multithreading t Setup

1
 [Link]
In this chapter, we will discuss the tools available for creating [Link] applications.

We have already mentioned that [Link] is part of .Net framework and used for writing .Net
applications. Therefore before discussing the available tools for running a [Link] program,
let us understand how [Link] relates to the .Net framework.

The .Net Framework

The .Net framework is a revolutionary platform that helps you to write the following types of
applications:

• Windows applications
• Web applications
• Web services
The .Net framework applications are multi-platform applications. The framework has been
designed in such a way that it can be used from any of the following languages: Visual
Basic, C#, C++, Jscript, and COBOL, etc.

All these languages can access the framework as well as communicate with each other.

The .Net framework consists of an enormous library of codes used by the client languages
like [Link]. These languages use object-oriented methodology.

Following are some of the components of the .Net framework:

• Common Language Runtime (CLR)

• The .Net Framework Class Library
• Common Language Specification
• Common Type System
• Metadata and Assemblies
• Windows Forms
• [Link] and [Link] AJAX
• [Link]
• Windows Workflow Foundation (WF)
• Windows Presentation Foundation
• Windows Communication Foundation (WCF)
• LINQ

For the jobs each of these components performs, please see [Link] - Introduction, and for
details of each component, please consult Microsoft's documentation.

Integrated Development Environment (IDE) For [Link]

Microsoft provides the following development tools for [Link] programming:

• Visual Studio 2010 (VS)

• Visual Basic 2010 Express (VBE)
• Visual Web Developer
The last two are free. Using these tools, you can write all kinds of [Link] programs from
simple command-line applications to more complex applications. Visual Basic Express and

2
 [Link]
Visual Web Developer Express edition are trimmed down versions of Visual Studio and has
the same look and feel. They retain most features of Visual Studio. In this tutorial, we have
used Visual Basic 2010 Express and Visual Web Developer (for the web programming
chapter).

It gets automatically installed in your machine. Please note that you need an active internet
connection for installing the express edition.

Writing [Link] Programs on Linux or Mac OS

Although the .NET Framework runs on the Windows operating system, there are some
alternative versions that work on other operating systems. Mono is an open-source version
of the .NET Framework which includes a Visual Basic compiler and runs on several operating
systems, including various flavors of Linux and Mac OS. The most recent version is VB 2012.

The stated purpose of Mono is not only to be able to run Microsoft .NET applications cross
plat form, but also to bring better development tools to Linux developers. Mono can be run
on many operating systems including Android, BSD, iOS, Linux, OS X, Windows, Solaris and

UNIX. T – Program Structure

Before we study basic building blocks of the [Link] programming language, let us look a
bare minimum [Link] program structure so that we can take it as a reference in upcoming
chapters.

[Link] Hello World Example

A [Link] program basically consists of the following parts:

• Namespace declaration
• A class or module
• One or more procedures
• Variables
• The Main procedure
• Statements & Expressions
• Comments
Let us look at a simple code that would print the words "Hello World":

Imports System
Module Module1
'This program will display Hello World
Sub Main()
[Link]("Hello World")
[Link]()
End Sub

3
 [Link]
End Module

When the above code is compiled and executed, it produces the following result:

Hello, World!

Let us look various parts of the above program:

• The first line of the programImports Systemis used to include the System
namespace in the program.
• The next line has aModuledeclaration, the moduleModule1. [Link] is completely
object oriented, so every program must contain a module of a class that contains the
data and procedures that your program uses.
• Classes or Modules generally would contain more than one procedure. Procedures
contain the executable code, or in other words, they define the behavior of the class.
A procedure could be any of the following:
o Function
o Sub
o Operator
o Get
o Set
o AddHandler
o RemoveHandler
o RaiseEvent
• The next line ('This program) will be ignored by the compiler and it has been put to
add additional comments in the program.
• The next line defines the Main procedure, which is the entry point for all [Link]
programs. The Main procedure states what the module or class will do when
executed.
• The Main procedure specifies its behavior with the statement
[Link] ("Hello World") WriteLineis a method of theConsoleclass
defined in theSystemnamespace. This statement causes the message "Hello, World!"
to be displayed on the screen.
• The last [Link]()is for the [Link] Users. This will prevent the screen
from running and closing quickly when the program is launched from Visual
Studio .NET.

Compile & Execute [Link] Program

If you are using Visual [Link] IDE, take the following steps:

• Start Visual Studio.

4. [Link] – BASIC SYNTAX
• On the menu bar, choose File  New  Project.
• Choose Visual Basic from templates
• Choose Console Application.

4
 [Link]
• Specify a name and location for your project using the Browse button, and then
choose the OK button.
• The new project appears in Solution Explorer.
• Write code in the Code Editor.
• Click the Run button or the F5 key to run the project. A Command Prompt window
appears that contains the line Hello World.

You can compile a [Link] program by using the command line instead of the Visual Studio
IDE:

• Open a text editor and add the above mentioned code.

• Save the file as [Link]
• Open the command prompt tool and go to the directory where you saved the file.
• [Link] press enter to compile your code.
• If there are no errors in your code the command prompt will take you to the next line
and would [Link] file.
• Next, typehelloworldto execute your program.
• You will be able to see "Hello World" printed on the screen.
[Link] is an object-oriented programming language. In Object-Oriented Programming
methodology, a program consists of various objects that interact with each other by means
of actions. The actions that an object may take are called methods. Objects of the same kind
are said to have the same type or, more often, are said to be in the same class.

When we consider a [Link] program, it can be defined as a collection of objects that

communicate via invoking each other's methods. Let us now briefly look into what do class,
object, methods, and instant variables mean.

• Object - Objects have states and behaviors. Example: A dog has states - color, name,
breed as well as behaviors - wagging, barking, eating, etc. An object is an instance of
a class.

• Class - A class can be defined as a template/blueprint that describes the

behaviors/states that object of its type support.

• Methods - A method is basically a behavior. A class can contain many methods. It is

in methods where the logics are written, data is manipulated and all the actions are
executed.

• Instant Variables - Each object has its unique set of instant variables. An object's
state is created by the values assigned to these instant variables.

A Rectangle Class in [Link]

For example, let us consider a Rectangle object. It has attributes like length and width.
Depending upon the design, it may need ways for accepting the values of these attributes,
calculating area and displaying details.

5
 [Link]
Let us look at an implementation of a Rectangle class and discuss [Link] basic syntax on
the basis of our observations in it:

Imports System
Public Class Rectangle
Private length As Double
Private width As Double

'Public methods
Public Sub AcceptDetails()

length = 4.5
width = 3.5
End Sub

Public Function GetArea() As Double

GetArea = length * width
End Function
Public Sub Display()
[Link]("Length: {0}", length)
[Link]("Width: {0}", width)
[Link]("Area: {0}", GetArea())

End Sub

Shared Sub Main()

Dim r As New Rectangle()
[Link]()
[Link]()
[Link]()
End Sub
End Class

When the above code is compiled and executed, it produces the following result:

Length: 4.5 Width: 3.5

Area: 15.75

6
 [Link]
In previous chapter, we created a Visual Basic module that held the code. Sub Main indicates
the entry point of [Link] program. Here, we are using Class that contains both code and
data.
You use classes to create objects. For example, in the code, r is a Rectangle object.

An object is an instance of a class:

Dim r As New Rectangle()

A class may have members that can be accessible from outside class, if so specified. Data
members are called fields and procedure members are called methods.
[Link]

Shared methods or static methods can be invoked without creating an object of the class.
Instance methods are invoked through an object of the class:

Shared Sub Main()

Dim r As New Rectangle()
[Link]()
[Link]()
[Link]()
End Sub

Identifiers

An identifier is a name used to identify a class, variable, function, or any other user-defined
item. The basic rules for naming classes in [Link] are as follows:

• A name must begin with a letter that could be followed by a sequence of letters,
digits (0 - 9) or underscore. The first character in an identifier cannot be a digit.

• It must not contain any embedded space or symbol like ? - +! @ # % ^ & * ( ) [ ] { } .

; : " ' / and \. However, an underscore ( _ ) can be used.

• It should not be a reserved keyword.

[Link] Keywords

The following table lists the [Link] reserved keywords:

7
 [Link]
AddHandler AddressOf Alias And AndAlso As Boolean

ByRef Byte ByVal Call Case Catch CBool

CByte CChar CDate CDec CDbl Char CInt

Class CLng CObj Const Continue CSByte CShort

CSng CStr CType CUInt CULng CUShort Date

Decimal Declare Default Delegate Dim DirectCast Do

Double Each Else ElseIf End End If Enum

Erase Error Event Exit False Finally For

Friend Function Get GetType Global GoTo

GetXML
Namespace

Handles If Implements Imports In Inherits Integer

Interface Is IsNot Let Lib Like Long

Loop Me Mod Module MustInherit MustOverride MyBase

MyClass Namespace Narrowing New Next Not Nothing

Object Of On Operator Option

Not Not
Inheritable Overridable

Optional Or OrElse Overloads Overridable Overrides ParamArray

Partial Private Property Protected Public RaiseEvent ReadOnly

8
 [Link]
ReDim REM Resume Return SByte Select
Remove

Handler

Set Shadows Shared Short Single Static Step

Stop String Structure Sub SyncLock Then Throw

To True Try TryCast TypeOf UInteger While

Widening With WithEvents WriteOnly Xor

Data types refer to an extensive system used for declaring variables or functions of different
types. The type of a variable determines how much space it occupies in storage and how the
bit pattern stored is interpreted.

Data Types Available in [Link]

[Link] provides a wide range of data types. The following table shows all the data types
available:

Data Type Storage Allocation Value Range

Depends on
Boolean implementing TrueorFalse
platform

Byte 1 byte 0 through 255 (unsigned)

Char 2 bytes 0 through 65535 (unsigned)

Date 8 bytes 0:00:00 (midnight) on January 1, 0001 through

11:59:59 PM on December 31, 9999

Decimal 16 bytes 0 through +/-

79,228,162,514,264,337,593,543,950,335 (+/-
7.9...E+28) with no decimal point; 0 through +/-
7.9228162514264337593543950335 with 28
places to the right of the decimal

9
 [Link]

Double 8 bytes -1.79769313486231570E+308 through

4.94065645841246544E-324, for negative
values
4.94065645841246544E-324 through
1.79769313486231570E+308, for positive
values

Integer 4 bytes -2,147,483,648 through 2,147,483,647

(signed)

Long 8 bytes -9,223,372,036,854,775,808 through

9,223,372,036,854,775,807(signed)

Object 4 bytes on 32-bit Any type can be stored in a variable of type

platform Object
8 bytes on 64-bit
platform

SByte 1 byte -128 through 127 (signed)

Short 2 bytes -32,768 through 32,767 (signed)

Single 4 bytes -3.4028235E+38 through -1.401298E-45 for

negative values;
1.401298E-45 through 3.4028235E+38 for
positive values

String Depends on 0 to approximately 2 billion Unicode characters

implementing
platform

UInteger 4 bytes 0 through 4,294,967,295 (unsigned)

ULong 8 bytes 0 through 18,446,744,073,709,551,615

(unsigned)

User-Defined Depends on Each member of the structure has a range

implementing determined by its data type and independent
platform of the ranges of the other members

10
 [Link]

UShort 2 bytes 0 through 65,535 (unsigned)

11
 [Link]

Example

The following example demonstrates use of some of the types:

Module DataTypes
Sub Main()
Dim b As Byte
Dim n As Integer
Dim si As Single
Dim d As Double
Dim da As Date
Dim c As Char
Dim s As
String Dim
bl As Boolean
b = 1 n =
1234567
si = 0.12345678901234566
d = 0.12345678901234566
da = Today c = "U"c
s = "Me"
If ScriptEngine =
"VB" Then bl =
True Else bl
= False End If
If bl Then
'the oath taking
[Link](c & " and," & s &vbCrLf)
[Link]("declaring on the day of: {0}", da)
[Link]("We will learn [Link] seriously")
[Link]("Lets see what happens to the floating point
variables:")
[Link]("The Single: {0}, The Double: {1}", si, d)
End If
22
[Link]()
End Sub

12
 [Link]

End Module

When the above code is compiled and executed, it produces the following result:

U and, Me
declaring on the day of: 12/4/2012 12:00:00 PM
We will learn [Link] seriously
Lets see what happens to the floating point variables:
The Single:0.1234568, The Double: 0.123456789012346

The Type Conversion Functions in [Link]

[Link] provides the following in-line type conversion functions:

S.N Functions & Description

1
CBool(expression)
Converts the expression to Boolean data type.

2
CByte(expression)
Converts the expression to Byte data type.

3
CChar(expression)
Converts the expression to Char data type.

4
CDate(expression)
Converts the expression to Date data type

5
CDbl(expression)
Converts the expression to Double data type.

13
 [Link]

6
CDec(expression)
Converts the expression to Decimal data type.

7
CInt(expression)
Converts the expression to Integer data type.

8
CLng(expression)
Converts the expression to Long data type.

9
CObj(expression)
Converts the expression to Object type.

10
CSByte(expression)
Converts the expression to SByte data type.

11
CShort(expression)
Converts the expression to Short data type.

12
CSng(expression)
Converts the expression to Single data type.

13
CStr(expression)
Converts the expression to String data type.

14
CUInt(expression)
Converts the expression to UInt data type.

15
CULng(expression)
Converts the expression to ULng data type.

14
 [Link]

16
CUShort(expression)
Converts the expression to UShort data type.

Example

The following example demonstrates some of these functions:

Module DataTypes
Sub Main()
Dim n As Integer
Dim da As Date
Dim bl As Boolean
= True n =
1234567 da =
Today
[Link](bl)
[Link](CSByte(bl))
[Link](CStr(bl))
[Link](CStr(da))
[Link](CChar(CChar(CStr(n))))
[Link](CChar(CStr(da)))
[Link]()
End Sub
End Module
When the above code is compiled and executed, it produces the following result:

True
-1
True
12/4/2012
1
1

6. [Link] - VARIABLES
A variable is nothing but a name given to a storage area that our programs can manipulate.
Each variable in [Link] has a specific type, which determines the size and layout of the
variable's memory; the range of values that can be stored within that memory; and the set
of operations that can be applied to the variable.

15
 [Link]
We have already discussed various data types. The basic value types provided in [Link] can
be categorized as:

Type Example

Integral types
SByte, Byte, Short, UShort, Integer, UInteger, Long, ULong and
Char

Floating point types Single and Double

Decimal types Decimal

Boolean types True or False values, as assigned

Date types Date

[Link] also allows defining other value types of variable likeEnumand reference types of
variables likeClass. We will discuss date types and Classes in subsequent chapters.

Variable Declaration in [Link]

TheDimstatement is used for variable declaration and storage allocation for one or more
variables. The Dim statement is used at module, class, structure, procedure, or block level.

Syntax for variable declaration in [Link] is:

[ <attributelist> ] [ accessmodifier ] [[ Shared ] [ Shadows ] | [ Static ]]

[ ReadOnly ] Dim [ WithEvents ] variablelist

Where,

• attributelistis a list of attributes that apply to the variable. Optional.

• accessmodifierdefines the access levels of the variables, it has values as - Public,
Protected, Friend, Protected Friend and Private. Optional.
• Shareddeclares a shared variable, which is not associated with any specific instance
of a class or structure, rather available to all the instances of the class or structure.
Optional.
• Shadowsindicate that the variable re-declares and hides an identically named
element, or set of overloaded elements, in a base class. Optional.
• Staticindicates that the variable will retain its value, even when the after termination
of the procedure in which it is declared. Optional.
• ReadOnlymeans the variable can be read, but not written. Optional.
• WithEventsspecifies that the variable is used to respond to events raised by the
instance assigned to the variable. Optional.
• Variablelistprovides the list of variables declared.

16
 [Link]
Each variable in the variable list has the following syntax and parts:

variablename[ ( [ boundslist ] ) ] [ As [ New ] datatype ] [ = initializer ]

Where,

• variablename: is the name of the variable

• boundslist: optional. It provides list of bounds of each dimension of an array
variable.
• New: optional. It creates a new instance of the class when the Dim statement runs.
• datatype: Required if Option Strict is On. It specifies the data type of the variable.
• initializer: Optional if New is not specified. Expression that is evaluated and
assigned to the variable when it is created.

Some valid variable declarations along with their definition are shown here:

Dim StudentIDAs Integer

Dim StudentNameAs String
Dim Salary As Double
Dim count1, count2 As Integer
Dim status As Boolean
Dim exitButton As New [Link]
Dim lastTime, nextTime As Date

Variable Initialization in [Link]

Variables are initialized (assigned a value) with an equal sign followed by a constant
expression. The general form of initialization is:

variable_name = value;

for example,

Dim pi As Double
pi = 3.14159

You can initialize a variable at the time of declaration as follows:

Dim StudentIDAs Integer = 100

Dim StudentNameAs String = "Bill Smith"

Example
Try the following example which makes use of various types of variables:

17
 [Link]

Module variablesNdataypes
Sub Main()
Dim a As Short
Dim b As
Integer Dim c
As Double a =
10 b = 20
c = a + b
[Link]("a = {0}, b = {1}, c = {2}", a, b, c)
[Link]()
End Sub
End Module

When the above code is compiled and executed, it produces the following result:

a = 10, b = 20, c = 30

Accepting Values from User

The Console class in the System namespace provides a functionReadLinefor accepting
input from the user and store it into a variable. For example,

Dim message As String

message = [Link]

The following example demonstrates it:

18
 [Link]

Module variablesNdataypes
Sub Main()
Dim message As String
[Link]("Enter message: ")
message = [Link]
[Link]()
[Link]("Your Message: {0}", message)
[Link]()
End Sub
End Module

When the above code is compiled and executed, it produces the following result (assume
the user inputs Hello World):

Enter message: Hello World

Your Message: Hello World

Lvalues and Rvalues

There are two kinds of expressions:

• lvalue :An expression that is an lvalue may appear as either the left-hand or
righthand side of an assignment.

• rvalue :An expression that is an rvalue may appear on the right- but not left-hand
side of an assignment.
Variables are lvalues and so may appear on the left-hand side of an assignment. Numeric
literals are rvalues and so may not be assigned and can not appear on the left-hand side.
Following is a valid statement:

Dim g As Integer = 20

But following is not a valid statement and would generate compile-time error:

20 = g

19