Programming in Visual Basic with Microsoft Visual Studio 2010

Creating a Simple Console Application

Creating a WPF Application

Verifying the Application

Generating Documentation for an Application

After completing this module, students will be able to:

Explain the purpose of the .NET Framework 4.

Create Visual Basic projects by using Visual Studio 2010.

Explain the structure of a Visual Basic application.

Use the Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) Application template to build a simple graphical application.

Use XML comments to document an application.

Use the debugger to step through a program.

This module introduces many of the basic Visual Basic language data types and programming constructs, and describes the syntax and semantics of these constructs.

Declaring Variables and Assigning Values

Using Expressions and Operators

Creating and Using Arrays

Using Decision Statements

Using Iteration Statements

Calculating Square Roots with Improved Accuracy

Converting Integer Numeric Data to Binary

Multiplying Matrices

After completing this module, students will be able to:

Explain how to declare variables and assign values.

Use operators to construct expressions.

Create and use arrays.

Use decision statements.

Use iteration statements.

A key part of developing any application is dividing the solution into logical components. In object-oriented languages such as Microsoft Visual Basic, a method is a unit of code that is designed to perform a discrete piece of work. This module introduces methods and describes how to define and use them.

Defining and Invoking Methods

Specifying Optional Parameters and ByRef Parameters

Calculating the Greatest Common Divisor of Two Integers by Using Euclid’s Algorithm

Calculating the GCD of Three, Four, or Five Integers

Comparing the Efficiency of Two Algorithms

Displaying Results Graphically

Solving Simultaneous Equations (optional)

After completing this module, students will be able to:

Describe how to create and invoke methods.

Define and call methods that can take optional parameters and ByRef parameters.

Exception handling is an important concept and your applications should be designed with exception handling in mind. This module explains how you can implement effective exception handling in your applications, and how you can use exceptions in your methods to elegantly indicate an error condition to the code that calls your methods.

Handling Exceptions

Raising Exceptions

Making a Method Fail-Safe

Detecting an Exceptional Condition

After completing this module, students will be able to:

Describe how to catch and handle exceptions.

Describe how to create and raise exceptions.

The ability to access and manipulate the files on the file system is a common requirement for many applications. This module shows how to read and write to files by using the classes in the Microsoft .NET Framework. This module also describes the different approaches that you can take, and how to read and write different formats of data.

Accessing the File System

Reading and Writing Files by Using Streams

Building a Simple File Editor

Making the Editor XML Aware

After completing this module, students will be able to:

Describe how to access the file system by using the classes that the .NET Framework provides.

Describe how to read and write files by using streams.

Describe how to use the My namespace for reading and writing files.

The Microsoft.NET Framework base class library consists of many types that you can use in your applications. However, in all applications, you must also build your own types that implement the logic for your solution.

This module explains how to create your own modules and types and describes the differences between reference types and value types.

Creating and Using Modules and Enumerations

Creating and Using Classes

Creating and Using Structures

Comparing References to Values

Using Enumerations to Specify Domains

Using a Structure to Model a Simple Type

Using a Class to Model a More Complex Type

Using a Nullable Structure

After completing this module, students will be able to:

Describe how to create and use modules.

Describe how to create and use enumerations.

Describe how to create and use classes.

Describe how to create and use structures.

Explain the differences between reference and value types.

This module describes how to use some of the access modifiers that Visual Basic provides to enable you to implement encapsulation. This module also introduces the Shared modifier, which enables you to define members that can be shared over multiple instances of the same type.

Controlling Visibility of Type Members

Sharing Methods and Data

Hiding Data Members

Using Shared Members to Share Data

Implementing an Extension Method

After completing this module, students will be able to:

Describe how to control the visibility of type members.

Describe how to share methods and data.

This module introduces inheritance and interfaces in the Microsoft .NET Framework, and how you can use them to simplify complex problems, reduce code duplication, and speed up development.

Inheritance is a key concept in an object-oriented language. You can use inheritance, interfaces, and abstract classes to develop object hierarchies in your code. These object hierarchies can help reduce bugs by defining clear contracts for what a class will expose and by providing default implementations where you can sensibly abstract code into a base type.

Using Inheritance to Define New Reference Types

Defining and Implementing Interfaces

Defining Abstract Classes

Defining an Interface

Implementing an Interface

Creating an Abstract Class

After completing this module, students will be able to:

Use inheritance to define new reference types.

Define and implement interfaces.

Define abstract classes.

All applications use resources. When you build a Microsoft Visual Basic application, resources fall into two broad categories: managed resources that are handled by the common language runtime (CLR) and unmanaged resources that are maintained by the operating system outside the scope of the CLR. A managed resource is typically an object based on a class defined by using a managed language, such as Visual Basic. Examples of unmanaged resources include items implemented outside the Microsoft .NET Framework, such as Component Object Model (COM) components, file handles, database connections, and network connections.

Resource management is important in any applications that you develop. The NET Framework simplifies resource management by automatically reclaiming the resources by a managed object when it is no longer referenced by an application. Managed resources are handled by the .NET Framework garbage collector. However, unmanaged resources are not controlled by the garbage collector; you must take special steps to dispose them properly and prevent them from being held longer than necessary.

Introduction to Garbage Collection

Managing Resources

Implementing the IDisposable Interface

Managing Resources Used by an Object

After completing this module, students will be able to:

Describe how garbage collection works in the .NET Framework.

Manage resources effectively in an application.

Many operators have well-defined behavior for the built-in Visual Basic types, but you can also define operators for your own types. This module describes how to implement operators for your types by using overloading.

Creating and Using Properties

Creating and Using Indexers

Overloading Operators

Defining Properties in an Interface

Implementing Properties in a Class

Using Properties Exposed by a Class

Implementing a Default Property to Access Bits in a Control Register

Using an Indexer Exposed by a Class

Defining the Matrix and MatrixNotCompatibleException Types

Implementing Operators for the Matrix Type

Testing the Operators for the Matrix Type

After completing this module, students will be able to:

Explain how properties work and use them to encapsulate data.

Describe how to use default properties to provide access to data through an array-like syntax.

Describe how to use operator overloading to define operators for your own types.

This module explains how to decouple an operation from the method that implements it and how to use anonymous methods to implement decoupled operations. This module also explains how to use events to inform consuming applications of a change or notable occurrence in a type.

Declaring and Using Delegates

Using Lambda Expressions

Handling Events

Raising and Handling Events

Using Lambda Expressions to Specify Code

After completing this module, students will be able to:

Describe the purpose of delegates and explain how to use a delegate to decouple an operation from the implementing method.

Explain the purpose of lambda expressions and describe how to use a lambda expression to define an anonymous method.

Explain the purpose of events and describe how to use events to report that something significant has happened in a type that other parts of the application need to be aware of.

The basic collection classes introduce a new problem. Classes that act on other types are often not type-safe. For example, many collection classes frequently use the Object type to store items, and must then be cast or converted back to their original type before they can be used. It is the programmer’s responsibility to ensure that the correct casts or conversions are performed, and it is easy to introduce errors by casting or converting an item to the wrong type. This module introduces generics and how you can use generic classes to maintain type-integrity and avoid issues that are associated with a lack of type safety.

Using Collections

Creating and Using Generic Types

Defining Generic Interfaces and Understanding Variance

Using Generic Methods and Delegates

Optimizing a Method by Caching Data

Defining a Generic Interface

Implementing a Generic Interface

Implementing a Test Harness for the BinaryTree Project

Implementing a Generic Method

After completing this module, students will be able to:

Use collection classes.

Define and use generic types.

Define generic interfaces and explain the concepts of covariance and contravariance.

Define and use generic methods and delegates.

When you develop applications, you often need to store collections of objects. In many circumstances, you can use the collection classes that the Microsoft .NET Framework includes; however, sometimes these collection classes do not provide the functionality that you require. For example, you may need to store objects in a sorted order that is based on a custom sorting algorithm.

This module introduces you to custom collection classes. It also explains how you can develop collection classes that support the language constructs that Visual Basic provides, such as enumeration and collection initialization.

Implementing a Custom Collection Class

Adding an Enumerator to a Custom Collection Class

Implementing the IList(Of TItem) Interface

Implementing an Enumerator by Writing Code

Implementing an Enumerator by Using an Iterator

After completing this module, students will be able to:

Implement a custom collection class.

Define an enumerator in a custom collection class

This module introduces you to Language-Integrated Query (LINQ) queries and explains how you can use them to process data in your Microsoft .NET Framework applications. This module also explains the difference between shared and dynamic LINQ queries, and describes how you can use dynamic LINQ to create highly flexible queries that you build at run time.

Using the LINQ Extension Methods and Query Operators

Building Dynamic LINQ Queries and Expressions

Using the LINQ Query Operators

Building Dynamic LINQ Queries

After completing this module, students will be able to:

Describe how to use the LINQ extension methods and query operators.

Describe how to build dynamic LINQ queries and expressions.

Integration with other technologies is a key feature of the Microsoft.NET Framework. Previous versions of the .NET Framework enabled you to combine components that were developed by using different languages that have compilers that the .NET Framework supports. The .NET Framework 4 now supports integration of components built by using dynamic languages. This enables you to re-use items built by using a wide range of scripting languages that are not easily accessible from Microsoft Visual Basic code.

In addition, previous versions of the .NET Framework have always enabled you to integrate Component Object Model (COM) services and components into your managed applications. The integration did however, require a good understanding of the differences between the way in which the common language runtime (CLR) and the COM environment operated. The new features of Visual Basic 2010 have simplified the way in which you can invoke COM components, so it is easier for you to re-use these items in a Visual Basic application.

This module describes how to integrate code written by using a dynamic language such as Ruby and Python, or technologies such as COM, into a Visual Basic application.

Integrating Visual Basic Code with Ruby and Python

Accessing COM Components from Visual Basic

Integrating Code Written by Using a Dynamic Language into a Visual Basic Application

Using a COM Component from a Visual Basic Application

After completing this module, students will be able to:

Integrate Ruby and Python code into a Visual Basic application.

Invoke COM components and services from a Visual Basic application.