Visual Basic (classic)

File:Visual Basic 6.0 logo.png

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Event-driven programming language developed by Microsoft

Visual Basic (VB) is a third-generation event-driven programming language and integrated development environment (IDE) from Microsoft for its Component Object Model (COM) programming model first released in 1991. Visual Basic is designed to be relatively easy to learn and use.

History

Visual Basic was derived from BASIC and enables the rapid application development (RAD) of graphical user interface (GUI) applications, access to databases using Data Access Objects, Remote Data Objects, or ActiveX Data Objects, and creation of ActiveX controls and objects. A programmer can create an application using the components provided by the Visual Basic program itself. Programs written in Visual Basic can also use the Windows API, but doing so requires external function declarations.

Features

Visual Basic features an IDE with a drag-and-drop interface for creating user interfaces. It includes a large number of GUI widgets, such as text boxes, buttons, and labels, which can be used to create applications. The language itself is designed to be easy to read and write, with a syntax that is similar to English.

Syntax

The syntax of Visual Basic is designed to be straightforward and easy to understand. For example, a simple "Hello, World!" program in Visual Basic might look like this:

Private Sub Form_Load()
 MsgBox "Hello, World!"
End Sub

Object-Oriented Programming

Visual Basic supports basic object-oriented programming concepts such as classes and objects. However, it does not support inheritance in the same way that more modern object-oriented languages do.

Versions

Visual Basic has gone through several versions since its inception. The most notable versions include:

• Visual Basic 1.0 - Released in 1991.
• Visual Basic 2.0 - Released in 1992.
• Visual Basic 3.0 - Released in 1993.
• Visual Basic 4.0 - Released in 1995.
• Visual Basic 5.0 - Released in 1997.
• Visual Basic 6.0 - Released in 1998.

Successor

Visual Basic was succeeded by Visual Basic .NET (VB.NET), which is part of the .NET Framework. VB.NET is a more modern, fully object-oriented language that is not backward-compatible with the classic Visual Basic.

Applications

Visual Basic has been used to develop a wide range of applications, from simple desktop applications to complex enterprise software. It has been particularly popular for developing business applications and prototyping.

See also

• Visual Basic .NET
• BASIC
• Microsoft Visual Studio
• Integrated development environment

External links

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