Introduction
This course provides necessary intermediate-level skills to developers new to Microsoft
Windows-based programming. The course also provides the necessary foundation for those moving on to the Mastering Microsoft Visual Basic 6 course.
At the end of the course, students will be able to:
Write solid event-driven code. Create stand-alone, multiform applications. Create an effective interface. Access and modify a database. Prerequisites
Knowledge of the Windows interface and familiarity with its terminology Rudimentary knowledge of word-processing and spreadsheet applications Knowledge of COBOL, Basic, or another procedural language, including experience using variables, control structures, and looping structures. The course materials, lectures, and lab exercises are in English. To benefit fully from our instruction, students need an understanding of the English language and completion of the prerequisites.
Course Outline
Day 1 Module 1: Introduction to Application Development Using Visual Basic
Topics:
Visual Basic development environment Event-driven programming Project management Lab:
Creating a Visual Basic-based application Skills:
Students will be able to:
Identify the elements in the Visual Basic development environment. Explain the difference between design time and run time. Explain the concept of event-driven programming. Describe the purpose of a project file. List the file types that can be included in a project. Add controls to forms. Use context-sensitive Help. Set control properties. Create an executable application.
Module 2: Fundamentals
Topics:
Forms, controls, and code Objects, properties, methods, and events Lab:
Creating a logon screen for the loan payment estimate application created in Module 1 Skills:
Students will be able to:
Create a simple application in Visual Basic. Define and provide examples of each of the following: object, property, method, and event. Describe some of the properties and events associated with a form. Set properties for command buttons, text boxes, and labels. Use the With...End With statement to set multiple property values for a single object. Assign code to a control to respond to the Click event. Create an event procedure. Retrieve object properties at run time. Module 3: Working with Code and Forms
Topic:
Visual Basic tools for writing and editing code Lab:
Creating a main application form that is called by the logon screen created in Module 2 Skills:
Students will be able to:
Use the editing tools in the Visual Basic Code Editor window to write organized and well-documented code. Control the Visual Basic environment and customize it to your needs. Display message boxes. Use Visual Basic constants and named arguments. Differentiate between the Load/Unload and Show/Hide statements. Set the startup form for an application. Control a program's closing routine. Add a new form to an existing project. Change the startup form of a project. Load and display a form from another form. Day 2 Module 4: Variables and Procedures
Topics:
Types of variables and constants supported by Visual Basic Procedures and functions Lab:
Implementing the main form of the loan application created in Module 3
Skills:
Students will be able to:
Explain the role of data types when declaring variables. Declare local and global variables using the Private and Public statements. Convert data between types. Use public variables to pass data between multiple forms. Describe the difference between a variable and a constant. Differentiate between a Sub procedure and a Function procedure. Create a Function procedure that accepts arguments and returns a value. Call a Function procedure from within another procedure. Describe how a standard module differs from a form module. Add a standard module to a project to store general procedures and variables.
Module 5: Controlling Program Execution
Topics:
Function procedures Conditional and looping structures Lab:
Adding functionality to the loan project Skills:
Students will be able to:
Use Visual Basic functions to manipulate text strings and return the current date and time. Explain the difference between If...Then and Select Case statements, and describe the circumstances in which you use each statement. Explain the difference between the For...Next and Do...Loop statements. Choose the appropriate conditional or looping structure to control program flow. Add an If statement to verify the logon password. Use a static variable to count the number of logon attempts. Reset controls back to an original state. Use a Public variable to pass information between two forms. Module 6: Debugging
Topics:
Potential program errors Finding and correcting program errors Lab:
Debugging a program Skills:
Students will be able to:
Stop program execution using break-points and watch statements. Monitor variable values in the Watch window. Test data and a procedure's results in the Immediate window. Distinguish among Run, Design, and Debug modes in Visual Basic. Trace the program execution sequence using the Call Stack. Identify the main features of the Visual Basic debugger. Use the Visual Basic debugger to step through an application, examine its variables, and change data and execute code dynamically. Use the Visual Basic debugger to locate simple logic errors. Day 3 Module 7: Working with Controls
Topics:
Incorporating more advanced standard controls. Expanding functionality with ActiveX™ controls Labs:
Adding controls to frmMain in the Loan application to retrieve user information Plugging values into the main form functions Skills:
Students will be able to:
Identify and use the standard controls in Visual Basic. Define how an ActiveX control differs from a standard control. Add ActiveX controls to a project and use these controls in a program. Add controls to a form. Respond to control events. Retrieve values from controls. Module 8: Data Access Using the Data Control
Topics:
Database access Adding database features using the Data control Lab:
Building a customer order information application Skills:
Students will be able to:
Define the following terms: database, table, field, record, and key. Define client/server systems and multitier applications. Use the Data control to view records in a database. Use the Data control to find, modify, delete, and add records. List the standard bound controls. Define Structured Query Language (SQL). Describe the purpose of the SELECT statement in SQL. Create an SQL statement. Use Data Form Wizard to design a simple data-entry form. Use built-in data manipulation functions. Module 9: Input Validation
Topic:
Methods to ensure that users enter valid data Lab:
Writing code and setting properties to control how the user interacts with the loan application Skills:
Students will be able to:
Create an application that verifies data entered by a user at the field level and the form level, uses the Masked Edit control, and enables or disables controls based on input in fields. Set validation properties of a text box. Use the LostFocus event to validate user input. Validate the user-entered numeric data. Day 4 Module 10: Error Trapping
Topic:
Trapping and handling errors Labs:
Using the Shell statement to attempt to run another application Handling a run-time error
Skills:
Students will be able to:
Trap run-time errors. Create error handlers. See how errors are handled in the calling chain. Handle errors in an error-handling routine. Handle inline errors. Describe some common error-handling styles. Describe error-trapping environment options. Module 11: Menus, Status Bars, and Toolbars
Topic:
Making programs more usable by adding menus, status bars, and toolbars Labs:
Adding a menu and a status bar to the main form of the loan application Adding a toolbar (optional) Skills:
Students will be able to:
Create and edit custom menu bars, menus, submenus, and menu items using Menu Editor. Identify the menu properties that can be set in the Menu Editor dialog box. Create a pop-up menu using Menu Editor. Assign code to menu items that respond to the Click event. Create a status bar on a form that provides users with feedback. Create a toolbar using the Toolbar control. Module 12: Drag and Drop
Topics:
Two levels of drag-and-drop functionality Enabling drag-and-drop functionality in applications Lab:
Creating a file viewer application that uses drag-and-drop functionality between two list boxes Skills:
Students will be able to:
Describe the role of mouse events in implementing drag-and-drop features. Perform the steps required to add drag-and-drop features to an application. Identify the source control and target form or control in a drag-and-drop operation. Implement OLE drag-and-drop features. Implement code in an object's DragDrop event. Implement code in an object's DragOver event. Day 5 Module 13: More About Controls
Topics:
Using control arrays to implement option button groups Writing more efficient and error-free code Lab:
Creating a simple application interface for a speaker control system
Skills:
Students will be able to:
Define and describe the use of control arrays. Create control arrays. Use the Visual Basic Controls collection.Create and use object variables. Enable and disable controls dynamically based on user input. Module 14: Introduction to ActiveX
Topic:
Creating custom ActiveX controls for use in applications and containers such as Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Word, and hypertext markup language (HTML) documents Labs:
Using Visual Basic, Word, and Microsoft ActiveX Control Pad to create an ActiveX control Inserting an ActiveX control into a Word document and an HTML document Skills:
Students will be able to:
Describe the different ways that ActiveX components are used in application development. Create an ActiveX .ocx control. Test an ActiveX .ocx control. Try an ActiveX control in a variety of containers. Module 15: Finishing Touches
Topics:
Interface design principles Using Setup Wizard to package applications for delivery and installation Lab:
Creating a setup application for the loan payment estimate application Skills:
Students will be able to:
Write applications that conform to basic principles of user interface design. Identify the key differences between Visual Basic, Visual Basic for Applications, and the Visual C++ development system by describing when the use of each programming language is most appropriate. Use Setup Wizard to create a setup program for an application. Install an application. Remove an application. Create custom projects.
