Computer Programming Concepts and Visual Basic David I. Schneider

2.1 VISUAL BASIC OBJECTS
Visual Basic programs display a Windows style screen (called a form) with boxes into which
users type (and edit) information and buttons that they click to initiate actions. The boxes and
buttons are referred to as controls. Forms and controls are called objects. In this section, we
examine forms and four of the most useful Visual Basic controls.
Note: If Visual Basic has not been installed on your computer, you can install it by following
the steps outlined on the first page of Appendix B.
Invoking Visual Basic 6.0: To invoke Visual Basic, click the Start button, point to Programs,
point to Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0, and click on Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 in the
final list.
With all versions of Visual Basic 6.0, the center of the screen will contain the New Project
window of Figure 2-1. The main part of the window is a tabbed dialog box with three
tabs—New, Existing, and Recent. (If the New tab is not in the foreground, click on it to bring
it to the front.) The number of project icons showing are either three (with the Working
Model and Learning Editions) or thirteen (with the Professional and Enterprise Editions).
FIGURE 2-1 New Project Window from the Working Model Edition of VB 6.0
17