Course Outline
Module 1: Getting Started
This module
introduces Visual Basic .NET and explains how it fits into the .NET platform. It
explains how to use the programming tools in Microsoft Visual Studio .NET and
provides enough practice so that students can create their first application in
Visual Basic .NET.
After completing this module, students will be able
to:
Begin a Visual Basic .NET project that is based on the Windows
Application template.
Use the standard toolbar, programming tools, and
programming windows in the development environment to work with
applications.
Create a simple application in Visual Basic
.NET.
Module 2: Working with Forms and Controls
This
module explains fundamental programming concepts, including event-driven
programming, classes, objects, properties, methods, and events. This module also
explains how to use forms and controls to create a user interface. This includes
the following: how to create a form, set properties, call methods, and write
code for events; how to add controls to a form; how to manage multiple forms;
how to use message boxes; how to use naming conventions; and how to format and
document code.
After completing this module, students will be able
to:
Explain fundamental programming concepts, including event-driven
programming, classes, objects, properties, methods, and events.
Use forms and
controls to create a user interface.
Create and manage multiple forms in a
simple application.
Interact with a user by using the MessageBox
function.
Use Visual Basic naming conventions and standards for formatting
and documenting code.
Module 3: Using Variables and
Arrays
This module explains how to name, declare, assign values to,
and use variables and constants. It explains how to declare variables with
different levels of scope, how to create your own data structures, and how to
convert variable values from one data type to another. It also describes how to
store data in an array.
After completing this module, students will be able
to:
Describe the various data types they can use to declare
variables.
Name, declare, initialize, and use variables and
constants.
Declare variables with different levels of scope.
Create
user-defined structures.
Convert variable values from one data type to
another.
Store data in arrays.
Module 4: Working with
Procedures
This module describes how to create and use Sub and
Function procedures, including predefined functions, and how to structure code
for increased reusability.
After completing this module, students will be
able to:
Create and call Sub procedures and Function procedures.
Write
procedures in modules to enable code reuse.
Pass arguments by value and by
reference.
Use predefined functions in application code.
Module 5:
Decision Structures and Loops
This module explains how to implement
decision structures and loop structures to control program output and
execution.
After completing this module, students will be able to:
Create
formulas and conditional expressions by using arithmetic, comparison, and
logical operators.
Use If?Then structures to evaluate whether a condition is
true or false and direct the program flow accordingly.
Use Select Case
structures to execute one of several statements.
Use For?Next structures to
execute statements a set number of times.
Use Do?Loop structures to execute
statements until a specific condition is met or while a specific condition is
true.
Choose the appropriate decision structure or loop based on the
requirements of the application.
Module 6: Validating User
Input
This module explains how to validate user input at both the
field level and the form level. It describes how to handle invalid input by
providing error messages and guiding users through the process of finding and
fixing errors. It describes how to use control properties and methods to
restrict and validate data entry.
After completing this module, students will
be able to:
Restrict the type of data that can be entered in a field.
Test
user input at the field level to determine if it is valid, and display messages
to help the user correct invalid data.
Set control properties to specify the
order of data entry, the type of data to enter, and how to display the data when
the application is run.
Validate user input at the form level, and guide
users through the process of finding and fixing errors.
Module 7:
Object-Oriented Programming in Visual Basic .NET
This module
explains how to create and use classes. The module explains the concepts of
abstraction, encapsulation, instantiation, initialization, constructors, and
destructors. This module also describes inheritance, polymorphism, and
namespaces.
After completing this module, students will be able
to:
Explain object-oriented programming concepts, including abstraction,
encapsulation, classes, and objects.
Use the Object Browser to examine
available programming elements, including classes and objects.
Create a new
class, including its methods, properties, and data members with appropriate
access levels.
Create and use an instance of a class, including instance and
shared data members, and shared and non-shared methods.
Explain how
constructors and destructors work.
Explain inheritance, polymorphism, and
namespaces.
Module 8: Handling Errors and Exceptions
This
module explains types of errors that can occur in a program and explains how to
use the debugging tools provided with Visual Basic .NET to help diagnose and
correct the errors. These tools include the Visual Studio .NET debugger,
debugging windows, and structured exception handling.
After completing this
module, students will be able to:
Define and give examples of syntax,
run-time, and logic errors.
Debug code by using the Visual Studio .NET
debugger.
Implement structured exception handling in an
application.
Module 9: Enhancing the User Interface
This
module explains how to create menus, status bars, and toolbars to enhance the
usability of an application.
After completing this module, students will be
able to:
Create custom menus to group application commands.
Create a
status bar to provide users with feedback about an application.
Create a
toolbar to provide a graphical interface with which users can access key
functions of an application.
Module 10: Web Forms and XML Web
Services
This module explains how to create a Web Forms application
and how to invoke a simple XML Web service.
After completing this module,
students will be able to:
Create, build, and run an application that uses Web
Forms.
Explain the process for discovering and calling XML Web
services.
Use a proxy to call an XML Web service from a Web
Form.
Module 11: Using ADO.NET
This module explains how
to use ADO.NET with a Windows Forms application to create, read, update, and
delete records in Access and SQL Server databases.
After completing this
module, students will be able to:
Define basic database terminology,
including database, table, record, field, and key.
Describe some commonly
used ADO.NET objects.
Create and open a connection to a database.
Create,
read, update, and delete records in a database.
Use the Data Form Wizard to
create a simple data access application.
Display and modify data extracted
from a database.
Module 12: Deploying Applications
This
module explains how to deploy applications by using Visual Studio .NET. The
module also describes deployment options available in Visual Basic .NET, and how
to create and configure a setup project for a Windows-based
application.
After completing this module, students will be able
to:
Describe how to deploy applications by using Visual Studio
.NET.
Create and customize a Setup program for a Windows-based
application
