INTRODUCTORY TUTORIAL TO VISUAL BASIC .NET PROGRAMMING WITH MICROSOFT .NET Introduction This five-day instructor-led course provides students with the knowledge and skills needed to develop applications in Microsoft Visual Basic® .NET for the Microsoft .NET platform. The course focuses on user interfaces, program structure, language syntax, and implementation details. This is the first course in the Visual Basic .NET curriculum and will serve as the entry point for other .NET courses. (Elements of this syllabus are subject to change.) Audience This course is intended for both novice and experienced programmers who have a minimum of three months programming experience and have basic Microsoft Windows® navigation skills. At Course Completion After completing this course, students will be able to: Create a simple Visual Basic .NET–based application based on the Windows Application template. Use forms and controls to create a user interface. Create and use variables and arrays. Create and use Sub and Function procedures, including predefined functions. Implement decision structures and loops by using conditional expressions. Validate user input for fields, controls, and forms. Apply object-oriented programming techniques to create classes, add methods, and add properties. Resolve syntax, run-time, and logic errors by using the debugger and structured exception handling. Enhance the user interface by adding menus, status bars, and toolbars. Create a simple Visual Basic .NET–based Web Forms application that uses an XML Web Service. Access and manipulate data in a Microsoft Access or Microsoft SQL Server™ database by using Microsoft ADO.NET. Build, package, and deploy an application. Prerequisites Before attending this course, students must have: Windows navigation skills. Experience (at least three months) with developing applications in either a graphical or non-graphical environment. – And – Completion of Microsoft MSDN® Training Course 2667: Introduction to Programming. – Or – Understanding of the basics of structured programming, including concepts such as flow control, variables and parameters, and function calls. Course Materials The student kit includes a comprehensive workbook and other necessary materials for this class. 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. Lessons Basic .NET Concepts Exploring the Development Environment Creating a Visual Basic .NET Project Lab 1.1: Creating Your First Application Exercise 1: Creating Your 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. Lessons Understanding Programming Concepts Working with Windows Forms Working with Controls Styling Your Code Lab 2.1: Creating the User Interface Exercise 1: Creating the Main Form 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. Lessons Introduction to Data Types Using Variables Variable Scope Converting Data Types Creating and Using Structures Storing Data in Arrays Lab 3.1: Creating and Using Variables Exercise 1: Using Static Variables Exercise 2: Creating, Using, and Converting Variables Lab 3.2: Using Structures and Arrays Exercise 1: Creating a Structure Exercise 2: Creating and Using Arrays 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. Lessons Creating Procedures Using Procedures Using Predefined Functions Lab 4.1: Creating and Using Procedures Exercise 1: Creating Functions in a Module Exercise 2: Working with the Main Form 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. Lessons Using Conditional Expressions Using Decision Structures Using Conditional Loop Structures Lab 5.1: Using Decision Structures Exercise 1: Checking User Input Exercise 2: Confirming Application Close 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. Lessons Restricting User Input Validating Field Data Validating Form Data Lab 6.1: Validating User Input Exercise 1: Validating User Input 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. Lessons Understanding Classes Working with Classes Using Shared Members Inheritance, Polymorphism, and Namespaces Lab 7.1: Creating a Derived Class Exercise 1: Creating a Derived Form Class 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. Lessons Types of Errors Using the Debugger Handling Exceptions Lab 8.1: Implementing Structured Exception Handling Exercise 1: Using Try…Catch Blocks Exercise 2: Using Try…Catch…Finally Blocks 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. Lessons Creating Menus Creating Status Bars Creating Toolbars 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. Lessons Working with Web Forms Using XML Web Services Lab 10.1: Creating a Web Application Exercise 1: Creating the User Interface Exercise 2: Using XML Web Services 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. Lessons Database Concepts Overview of ADO.NET Working with Data Lab 11.1: Accessing Data with ADO.NET Exercise 1: Using the Data Form Wizard 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. Lessons Introduction to Deployment Deploying a Windows-based Application Lab 12.1: Deploying an Application Exercise 1: Using the Setup Wizard Exercise 2: Installing the Loan 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. Inclusive to the overall costs of this Microsoft training course is equipment, training material, lunch and refreshments.