Course 2559: Introduction to Visual Basic .NET Programming with Microsoft .NET

Course Length: 5 days

Location: Entre Technology Services, LLC  1501 N. 14th St. West, Suite 1511

Registration: Call your Account Manager at 406.256.5700 or use our Registration Forms

Introduction

Elements of this syllabus are subject to change.

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.

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

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
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

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
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

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
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

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
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

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
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

Restricting User Input
Validating Field Data
Validating Form Data
Lab 6.1: Validating User Input
Exercise 1: Validating User Input
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

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
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

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
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

Creating Menus
Creating Status Bars
Creating Toolbars
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

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
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

Database Concepts
Overview of ADO.NET
Working with Data
Lab 11.1: Accessing Data with ADO.NET
Exercise 1: Using the Data Form Wizard
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

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
Describe how to deploy applications by using Visual Studio .NET.
Create and customize a Setup program for a Windows-based application.