VB 106

Frames, Group Controls, Format Menu, Animation

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Welcome to Access Beginner 106. In this course you will learn the basics of Visual Basic by working with frames, grouping controls, and using the Format menu to arrange form objects. We will discuss event timing with key and mouse events, show how to customize message boxes, and demonstrate how to use the common dialog control for file and color selection. You will also see how to work with drive, directory, and file list boxes, and explore lines, shapes, and basic animation on your forms. Resources and sample projects are provided for practice and support.

Lessons

Resources

Lesson Summary

Welcome! Frames, Groups, Format, Dialogs, Animation - In this lesson, we will introduce Visual Basic by discussing frames, grouping controls, the Format menu, event timing, advanced message box techniques, the common dialog control, and the drive, file, and directory list boxes. We will also talk about lines, shapes, and animation. This class assumes you have completed previous Visual Basic lessons and provides resources such as sample project files and a discussion forum on the course web page. You are encouraged to first watch each video before following along and building the sample projects together during the course.

Lesson 1: Frames: Group Controls & Tabs - In Lesson 1, we are going to learn about frames and how to use them to group controls together in your form. I will show you how to add a frame, adjust its properties, and demonstrate the right way to move objects into a frame using cut and paste. We will walk through setting up a tabbed-like interface by overlapping frames and using command buttons to toggle visibility between different frames. We will also discuss how frames affect object grouping but do not change control naming or referencing inside your form.

Lesson 2: Align, Resize & Format Controls - In Lesson 2, we will cover form formatting, including how to align, resize, and order objects using the Format menu and the Form Editor toolbar. I will show you how to make objects the same size, adjust spacing, line up controls with the grid, and use commands like Send to Back and Bring to Front. We will also discuss locking controls, using the Form Design toolbar, and demonstrate how to move and resize objects using their properties and with code. We will talk about working with the grid in future lessons.

Lesson 3: Event, Key, Mouse & Form Events - In this lesson, we explore event timing in Visual Basic, looking at how different actions, like clicking or typing in a text box, can trigger multiple overlapping events such as GotFocus, MouseDown, MouseUp, KeyDown, KeyPress, and Change. I will show you how event timing works by demonstrating how to track these events using status boxes and discussing what information is available in event arguments like KeyCode and KeyAscii. We will also talk about additional events for forms, and touch briefly on future topics like DragDrop and form instance events.

Lesson 4: Customizing Message Box Icons - In this lesson, we will study the message box in detail, including how to change its appearance, select different button configurations, display various icons, and handle its return values. I will show you how to set default buttons, customize the message box title, and briefly discuss the VBApplicationModal and VBSystemModal options. We'll also mention help file settings, which will be covered in a future lesson.

Lesson 5: File & Color Picker Dialogs - In this lesson, we will walk through how to use the Common Dialog Control in Visual Basic to add standard file browsing, color selection, and print dialogs to your programs. I will show you how to add the Common Dialog Control to your toolbox, demonstrate how to display Open and Save As dialogs for file selection, and use the color picker to change the form's background color. We will also briefly discuss other features of the Common Dialog Control, such as selecting fonts and printers, which we will cover in more detail in future lessons.

Lesson 6: Browse Files with Drive & File Controls - In this lesson, we will walk through how to use the Drive, Dir, and File controls in Visual Basic to let users browse drives, directories, and files within your application. I will show you how to add drive list boxes, directory list boxes, and file list boxes to a form, how to link them so that selecting a drive updates the folder list and changing a folder updates the file list, and how to display the selected file path. We will also discuss how to set the initial drive and folder programmatically when the form loads.

Lesson 7: Draw & Edit Lines/Shapes Code - In this lesson, we explore lines and shapes by working with the line control and shape control, focusing on how to adjust their properties both in the design view and with code. I will show you how to change properties such as coordinates, border color, border style, and thickness for lines, and how to make lines move on the screen by controlling these values in a loop. We will also cover drawing and customizing shapes like rectangles and circles, discuss properties like fill and background colors, and see how to resize and manipulate shapes with code. Drawmode will be discussed in a future lesson.

Lesson 8: Frames, Grouping, Format, Anim. - In this course we learned about frames, grouping controls, the Format menu, event timing, advanced message box techniques, the common dialog control, drive list, file list, and directory list boxes, lines, shapes, and animation. We also discussed resources for questions, feedback, and support, as well as what to expect in the next Visual Basic tutorial, including topics like the Status Bar Control, Progress Bar, AVI Control, calendar controls, Tab Strip, and building a word processor project.

Navigation

Prev: 105
Next: 107

Keywords

frames, group controls, format menu, common dialog control, event timing, message box options, drive list box, directory list box, file list box, line control, shape control, animation, color picker, object alignment, resize controls

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Intro

In lesson 106, you will learn how to use frames for grouping controls, work with the format menu, understand event timing, and explore advanced message box techniques in Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0. We will also cover the common dialog control, drive list box, file list box, directory list box, lines, shapes, and basic animation. This lesson builds on the skills from Visual Basic 105 and earlier courses.

Transcript

Welcome to Visual Basic 106 brought to you by VBLearningZone.com. I am your instructor, Richard Rost.

In today's class, we are going to learn about frames, grouping controls together, the format menu, event timing, advanced message box techniques, the common dialog control, the drive list box, file list box, directory list box, line, shapes, and animation.

The prerequisite for this class is Visual Basic 105. I strongly recommend you take 101 through 105 before taking this class.

There is a webpage for this class located at VBLearningZone.com, question mark GOVB106. On this page, you will find sample project files, the course outline, and the student discussion form.

If you have any questions about the material covered in today's class, post them here on the discussion form.

If you are watching this class in the Amicron video player or the online theater, you will see this page load up to the right of the videos. Join in the discussion by posting your thoughts here.

In today's class, I will be using Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0. If you are using a different version of VB, such as VB.NET or VB2005, you will find that the interface is different. However, most of the Visual Basic programming code will work just fine.

I strongly recommend you sit back, relax, and watch each video through once without doing anything. Then, replay the video again and follow along with the examples, building each project as I do.

Do not try to apply what you are learning immediately to other projects that you might be working on. Instead, build the sample project in class with me.

Quiz

Q1. What is the main topic of Visual Basic 106 as described in the introduction?
A. Advanced SQL integration
B. Frames, grouping controls, format menu, event timing, advanced message box, common dialog, drive list, file list, directory list, shapes, and animation
C. Creating web applications in ASP.NET
D. Database optimization techniques

Q2. What prerequisite is recommended before taking Visual Basic 106?
A. HTML basics
B. Visual Basic 101-105
C. JavaScript fundamentals
D. Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) 101

Q3. According to the video, where can students access sample project files and the course outline?
A. In the Microsoft Visual Basic software help menu
B. At VBLearningZone.com, question mark GOVB106
C. On Microsoft's official documentation website
D. Only by emailing the instructor directly

Q4. If students have questions about the material, what are they encouraged to do?
A. Email Microsoft support
B. Post questions on the discussion form provided on the class webpage
C. Ask their local IT department
D. Wait until the end of the course to ask questions

Q5. Which version of Visual Basic will the instructor use in the demonstrations?
A. VB.NET 2022
B. Visual Basic 6.0
C. Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) 2010
D. Visual Basic 2005 only

Q6. What does the instructor recommend students do during their first viewing of each lesson?
A. Take detailed notes and pause frequently
B. Watch the video through once without doing anything
C. Try to code along as fast as possible
D. Skip to the sections they find most interesting

Q7. How should students apply what they learn from the sample project?
A. Apply it immediately to their real-world projects
B. Build the sample project in class before trying to adapt it elsewhere
C. Only read the supplemental handouts
D. Memorize commands but do not build projects

Q8. What does the instructor say about using different versions of Visual Basic, such as VB.NET or VB2005?
A. The code and interface are always the same
B. The interface may differ, but most programming code will work
C. You cannot use the sample code in any version except VB6
D. VB.NET is unsupported for these lessons

Answers: 1-B; 2-B; 3-B; 4-B; 5-B; 6-B; 7-B; 8-B

DISCLAIMER: Quiz questions are AI generated. If you find any that are wrong, don't make sense, or aren't related to the video topic at hand, then please post a comment and let me know. Thanks.

Summary

Today's video from Visual Basic Learning Zone focuses on several important topics for anyone using Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0. In this class, I will be covering how to use frames to group controls together, how to work with the format menu, event timing, and some advanced techniques for working with message boxes. We will also look at the common dialog control, as well as drive list, file list, and directory list boxes. I will discuss how to add lines, shapes, and even touch on basic animation.

The prerequisite for this course is Visual Basic 105, and I strongly suggest completing Visual Basic 101 through 105 before moving ahead with this material. Each class builds on the previous one to ensure that you have a solid foundation.

There is a dedicated webpage for this class at VBLearningZone.com with the code GOVB106. This page provides access to the sample project files, the full course outline, and a discussion forum for students.

If any part of the lesson raises questions, please use the forum to share your questions and comments. If you are viewing this class in the Amicron video player or through the online theater, you will see the class webpage load to the right of the video. Feel free to post your thoughts and be part of the class discussion there.

My demonstrations today will use Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0. If you happen to be using a different version, such as VB.NET or VB2005, the interface you see may be different. Still, the programming concepts and most of the code should remain compatible across versions.

My advice is to watch each video all the way through the first time without trying to follow along in your own VB editor. Once you have watched the entire lesson, go back and replay the video while building each sample project with me, step by step.

Finally, I recommend that you do not try to take what you have learned and immediately apply it to any other projects you may be working on outside this course. For the best results, work through the sample project with me so you can understand each concept in context.

You can find a complete video tutorial with step-by-step instructions on everything discussed here on my website at the link below. Live long and prosper, my friends.

Topic List

This is an introductory description of a Visual Basic tutorial video, outlining what will be covered, prerequisites, and general student instructions.