Going Further: I Want to Know More About….
The Visual Basic Guided Tour introduced you to some of the things that you can do with Visual Basic Express and Visual Basic 2008, but it is only a beginning. If you want to learn more about an area that was covered in the tour, this is the place to start.
Note
If you are using Visual Basic Express, some of the Help links on this page may be unavailable, depending on the options that you chose during installation. For more information, see Troubleshooting Visual Basic Express.
To Learn More About the Visual Basic Language
Program Structure and Code Conventions
Contains documentation on the basic structure and code conventions of Visual Basic, such as naming conventions, comments in code, and limitations of Visual Basic.Visual Basic Language Features
Provides an overview of the important components of Visual Basic.Declared Elements in Visual Basic
Covers variables, constants, enumerations, structures, properties, methods, procedures, procedure arguments, function returns, events, delegates, interfaces, and classes.Procedures in Visual Basic
Describes Sub, Function, Property, and Operator procedures, in addition to advanced topics such as recursive and overloaded procedures.Control Flow in Visual Basic
Shows how to control the flow of your program's execution.Development with My
Discusses a feature named My, which provides access to information and default object instances that are related to an application and its run-time environment.
To Learn More About Windows Forms and Controls
Getting Started with Windows Forms
Provides links to topics that describe how to use the power of Windows Forms to display data, handle user input, deploy applications easily, and more.Enhancing Windows Forms Applications
Describes enhanced features that enable you to build world-class Windows-based applications.Windows Applications (How Do I in Visual Basic)
Provides links to help on widely used Visual Basic tasks for creating Windows-based applications.Controls to Use on Windows Forms
Provides an alphabetical list of controls and components that can be used on Windows Forms.Windows Forms Controls by Function
Lists the Windows Forms controls and components according to general function.Additions to Windows Forms for the .NET Framework 2.0
Lists the new and enhanced features available with this release of Visual Basic 2008.
To Learn More About Debugging and Error Handling
Debugging Your Visual Basic Application
This page provides pointers to documentation for the debugging features built into Visual Basic.How to: Correct Run-Time Errors with the Exception Assistant
The Exception Assistant, which appears whenever a run-time exception occurs in the debugger, shows the type of exception, troubleshooting tips, and corrective actions that may be applied through the Exception Assistant.How to: Apply Edits in Break Mode with Edit and Continue
You can use Edit and Continue to edit your code in break mode, and then continue without stopping and restarting execution.How to: Set a Simple Breakpoint
The Visual Studio debugger provides many ways of setting breakpoints. This topic gives two quick ways of setting simple breakpoints.How to: Correct Compiler Errors with Auto Correction
Shows how to correct compiler errors in the Code Editor through the Smart Compile Auto Correction feature.Structured Exception Handling Overview for Visual Basic
Discusses and demonstrates structured exception handling in Visual Basic.
To Learn More About Databases
Accessing Data in Visual Basic Applications
Visual Basic includes several new features to assist in developing applications that access data.Displaying Data Overview
Display data to users of your application by binding data to controls on a form. Create data-bound controls by dragging items from the Data Sources window onto a Windows Form.Data Sources Overview
Data sources represent the data available to your application and are displayed in the Data Sources window**.**TableAdapter Overview
TableAdapters provide communication between your application and a database.Walkthrough: Displaying Related Data on a Form in a Windows Application
Provides step-by-step details on displaying data from two related tables and displaying the data on a Windows Form.Validating Data
Datasets provide specific events that are raised as values in data rows change. Event handlers can be created to validate these changes based on your particular application requirements.
To Learn More About Object Oriented Programming
Introduction to Objects in Visual Basic
Provides an introduction to the terms and concepts used in object-oriented programming.Creating and Using Objects
Shows how to create and use instances of classes.Managing Groups of Objects
Provides techniques for working with arrays and collections of objects.Understanding Classes
Covers object creation and lifetime issues in a step-by-step procedure.Interfaces in Visual Basic
Describes what interfaces are and how you can use them in your applications.Inheritance in Visual Basic
Describes how to define classes that serve as the basis for other classes.
To Learn More about User Controls and Components
Property Statement
Declares the name of a property, and the property procedures that are used to store and retrieve the value of the property.Creating and Using Components in Visual Basic
Defines the term "component" and discusses how and when to create components.How to: Work with ActiveX Controls
Demonstrates how to use existing ActiveX Controls to add features to the Visual Studio Toolbox.Constants and Enumerations in Visual Basic
Discusses storing unchanging values for repeated use.Enumerations Overview
Discusses storing and naming sets of related constant values.
To Learn More about Deployment
ClickOnce Deployment Overview
Describes the purpose of ClickOnce and how it solves important problems in deploying Windows Forms applications to client computers.Choosing a ClickOnce Deployment Strategy
Describes the different ways in which you can deploy a ClickOnce application to client computers. Also describes the benefits and limitations of each strategy.Choosing a ClickOnce Update Strategy
Describes the different options available for updating a ClickOnce application after it is installed. These include automated update subscriptions and on-demand updates.Troubleshooting ClickOnce Deployments
Describes the most common problems that you might encounter when you deploy ClickOnce applications, and how to resolve them.
See Also
Tasks
Reusing Code: Making Things Easier
Concepts
Moving Forward: Where Do I Go from Here?
How Do I in Visual Basic Express