1303 - Mastering Microsoft Visual Basic 6 Fundamentals

At the end of the course, students will be able to:

• Build custom, multiple-form applications
• Incorporate dynamic menus, pop-up menus, status bars and custom toolbars into applications
• Implement form-level and field-level input validation
• Debug applications using debugging tools provided in Visual Basic 6
• Use standard controls, control arrays, and create controls dynamically
• Execute centralized error-handling in applications
• Use the data control for database access
• Implement drag and drop in Visual Basic-based applications
• Use Microsoft ActiveX controls in Visual Basic-based applications
• Create setup programs to distribute applications

Module 1: Introduction to Application Development Using Visual Basic
• Features of Visual Basic
• Editions of Visual Basic
• Visual Basic terminology
• Working in the development environment
• Event-driven programming
• Creating a program in Visual Basic
• Project and executable files
• Visual Basic reference materials
• Self-check questions

Lab: Creating a simple application

After completing this module, 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.

Module 2: Visual Basic Fundamentals
• Introduction to objects
• Controlling objects
• Properties, methods, and events
• Working with forms
• Introduction to controls
• Basic controls
• Self-check questions

Lab: Creating a Visual Basic-based application

After completing this module, students will be able to:
• Create a simple application using 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.

Module 3: Working with Code and Forms
• Understanding modules
• Using the code editor window
• Other code navigation features
• Code documentation and formatting
• Setting environment options
• Setting code formatting options
• Automatic code completion features
• Interacting with the user
• Using the MsgBox function
• Using the InputBox function
• Working with code statements
• Managing forms
• Self-check questions

Lab: Working with forms

After completing this module, 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 their needs.
• Display message boxes.
• Use Visual Basic constants and named arguments.
• Differentiate between the Load/Unload statements and use the Show/Hide methods.
• Set the startup form for an application.
• Control a program's closing routine.

Module 4: Variables and Procedures
• Overview of variables
• Declaring variables
• Variable scope
• Using arrays
• User-defined data types
• Converting data types
• Using constants
• Working with procedures
• Working with dates and times
• Using the Format function
• Manipulating text strings
• Self-check questions

Lab: Writing procedures

After completing this module, students will be able to:
• Explain the various data types used when declaring variables.
• Declare private and public variables.
• Use public variables to use data in 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.
• Describe how a Standard module differs from a Form module.
• Add a Standard module to a project to store general procedures and variables.
• Use Visual Basic functions to manipulate text strings and return the current date and time.

Module 5: Controlling Program Execution
• Comparison and logical operators
• Using If…Then statements
• Using Select Case statements
• Overview of looping structures
• Using Do…Loop structures
• For…Next statement
• Exiting a loop
• Self-check questions

Lab: Controlling program flow

After completing this module, students will be able to:
• List techniques for comparing variables and object properties using Visual Basic code.
• 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.

Module 6: Debugging
• Types of errors
• Break mode
• Using the Debug toolbar
• Using the Watch window
• Using the Immediate window
• Using the Locals window
• Tracing program flow with the Call Stack
• Self-check questions

Lab: Using the Visual Basic debugging tools

After completing this module, students will be able to:
• Stop program execution using breakpoints and watch expressions.
• Monitor variable values in the Watch window.
• Test data and a procedure's results in the Immediate window.
• Evaluate variable values in the Locals window. Distinguish among Run, Design, and Debug modes in Visual Basic.
• Trace the program execution sequence using the Call Stack.

Module 7: Working with Controls
• Types of controls
• Overview of standard controls
• Using ComboBox and ListBox controls
• Using OptionButton and Frame controls
• Working with selected text
• Advanced standard controls
• ActiveX controls
• Insertable objects
• Self-check questions

Lab: Working with controls

After completing this module, 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.

Module 8: Data Access Using the ADO Data Control
• Overview of ActiveX data objects
• Visual Basic data access features
• Relational database concepts
• Using the ADO Data control to access data
• Structured query language (SQL)
• Manipulating data
• Using Data Form Wizard
• Self-check questions

Lab: Accessing databases

After completing this module, students will be able to:
• Define the following terms: database, table, field, record, and key.
• Use the ADO Data control to view records in a database.
• Use the ADO 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.
• Use Data Form Wizard to design a simple data-entry form.

Module 9: Input Validation
• Field-level validation
• Using text box properties to restrict data entry
• Using the Masked Edit control
• Form-level validation
• Form events used when validating data
• Self-check questions

Lab: Input validation

After completing this module, students will be able to:
• Create an application that validates user data at the field level and at the form level.
• Create an application that uses the Masked Edit control.
• Create an application that enables or disables controls based on field values.

Module 10: Error Trapping
• Overview of run-time errors
• Overview of the error handling process
• The Err object
• Errors and the calling chain
• Errors in an error-handling routine
• Inline error handling
• Error-handling styles
• General error-trapping options in Visual Basic
• Self-check questions

Lab: Error trapping

After completing this module, 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 options in the Visual Basic development environment.

Module 11: Enhancing the User Interface
• Menus
• Status bars
• Toolbars

Lab: Adding menus

After completing this module, students will be able to:
• Create and edit custom menu bars, menus, submenus, and menu items using the Menu Editor.
• Identify the menu properties that can be set in the Menu Editor dialog box.
• Create a pop-up menu using the 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
• Overview of drag and drop
• Mouse events
• Drag-and-drop basics
• Self-check questions

Lab: Adding drag and drop

After completing this module, 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.
 
Module 13: More About Controls
• Collections
• Using control arrays
• Self-check questions

Lab: Using control arrays

After completing this module, students will be able to:
• Define and describe the use of control arrays.
• Create an array of controls.
• Build an application for Visual Basic that dynamically adds and deletes controls.
• Use the Visual Basic Controls collection.
• Create and use object variables.

Module 14: Finishing Touches
• User interface design principles
• Distributing an application
• Creating a default project
• Review: Steps to creating a Visual Basic program
• Development resources
• Self-check questions

Lab: Using the Package and Deployment Wizard

After completing this module, students will be able to:
• Create applications that incorporate basic principles of user interface design
• Create a setup program for an application by using Package and Deployment Wizard
• Create custom projects

People new to programming and entry level developers and MCSD candidates

Before attending this course students must have:

• Working knowledge of programming concepts