MsgBox, Buttons, Labels, Calculator, EXE

Welcome to Visual Basic Beginner 101. In this course you will learn the basics of Microsoft Visual Basic, including what Visual Basic is and how to create a simple program. We will discuss how to use the MsgBox command, introduce important controls like command buttons, text boxes, and labels, and cover decision making with If...And statements. You will also see how to compile your program into an executable file and review the prerequisites needed for working with Visual Basic on Windows systems.

Lessons

•  00. Introduction (2:52)
•  01. Definitions (4:01)
•  02. First Program (11:34)
•  03. Object Properties (7:53)
•  04. Label Textbox (11:11)
•  05. Calculator (9:29)
•  06. Calculator 2 (14:02)
•  07. Compiling (5:56)
•  08. Review & What's Next (2:36)
• Total Runtime: 1 hour 9 minutes

Resources

• Full Course Outline
•  Video ZIP File (26 MB)
•  PDF Handbook
• Certificate of Completion
• Post-Class Survey

Lesson Summary

Welcome! Basic Program with MsgBox & Labels - In this lesson, we will provide an introduction to Microsoft Visual Basic programming, discuss what Visual Basic is, and walk through creating a basic program. We will cover basic Visual Basic commands like MsgBox, introduce controls such as command buttons, text boxes, and labels, and discuss decision making with If...And statements. We will also talk about compiling your program into an executable file and review prerequisites for the course, including familiarity with Windows and programs like Word or Excel. This lesson uses Visual Basic and Windows XP, but the material applies to most Windows versions.

Lesson 1: Objects, Properties, Methods, Events - In Lesson 1, we will cover some basic definitions essential to understanding programming, focusing on what a program is and how Windows programs differ from earlier methods of programming. We will discuss the key components of Windows programs such as objects, properties, methods, and events, with examples from Microsoft Calculator. You will learn what Visual Basic is, and how its programming environment combines a programming language with a graphical interface to make creating programs easier.

Lesson 2: Button & MsgBox: Your First Program - In this lesson, we will walk through starting Visual Basic, creating a new Standard EXE project, and building your first program. I will show you how to add a command button to a form, write a simple line of code to display a message box when the button is clicked, run your program, and save your work properly. We will also briefly discuss the Visual Basic interface and some key windows within it, but most of the focus is on building and running your first program step by step.

Lesson 3: Edit Object Captions & Colors - In this lesson, we will walk through the basic properties of objects in our Visual Basic project, including how to change the Caption and name properties of buttons and forms. I will show you how to make your form and button labels more user-friendly, adjust background colors, and explain what happens in your code when you rename objects. We will also discuss other properties you can modify and highlight some common issues that occur when renaming buttons, along with how to fix them.

Lesson 4: Labels, Textboxes & Input Tips - In this lesson, we will walk through how to add and use a label and a text box in your program. You will learn the purpose of labels for displaying information, how to make their background transparent, and how to resize them. We will also discuss adding a text box, setting its properties, and giving it a meaningful name. Finally, I will show you how to use the value from the text box to display a personalized message in a message box, covering how to concatenate text so your app greets users by name.

Lesson 5: Simple Calculator With Text Boxes - In this lesson, we will walk through building a simple calculator program in Visual Basic. I will show you how to create a new project, add text boxes for user input, set their properties, and add a command button to perform the calculation. We will discuss how to write code to process input values as numbers using the val function instead of as text, and I will demonstrate how to display the result in a third text box. We will also briefly talk about control arrays, which we will cover in a future lesson.

Lesson 6: Add, Subtract, Multiply, Divide Buttons - In this lesson, we will expand our simple calculator to support subtraction, multiplication, and division in addition to addition. We will walk through adding and configuring new buttons for each operation, updating their properties, and writing the corresponding code. I will show you how to address runtime errors like division by zero with proper error handling using IF statements and show how to display a user-friendly message. We will also discuss saving your program, working with the code window, and the importance of keyboard shortcuts when working with Visual Basic projects.

Lesson 7: Compile VB to EXE & Find EXEs - In this lesson, we will walk through how to compile your Visual Basic program into a standalone executable file so you can run it directly from Windows without needing the Visual Basic editor. I will show you how to save your project, generate the .EXE file, locate it in your file system, and create a desktop shortcut. We will also discuss file extensions, explain how to identify your executable, and touch on what you need to know if you want to share your compiled program with others, including a brief mention of the Package and Deployment Wizard for distributing your Visual Basic program.

Lesson 8: MsgBox, Controls, If, Errors, Build - In this course we learned about Visual Basic and Windows programs, including creating basic programs like a message box display and a simple calculator. We covered key Visual Basic commands, explored controls such as command buttons, text boxes, and labels, and discussed decision making with If Then statements, as well as basic error handling. We also talked about compiling programs into standalone executables, distributing them to users, and where to find further tutorials. Information on support and how to obtain a certificate of completion was also discussed.

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