Visual Basic .NET

Visual Basic is a programming language that allows you to create applications by selecting objects and placing them in a window.  For each object you can write code and set options to respond to events such as clicking a button. This introduction to Visual Basic will demonstrate adding objects and writing code by creating an application to calculate wages after the number of hours and the rate have been entered.

To create a new Visual Basic program, click the New Project button.

Select the Visual Basic Projects folder from the Project Types window. Select Windows Application from the Templates window. Use your name for the project name. Click OK.

The gray rectangle is the form. It represents the Windows application. On the right side the Property window should be visible. If it is not visible, click View > Properties Window.

The text in the form's title bar is set by the form's Text property. Click the form to display the form's properties in the Properties window. Click in the textbox to right of the Text property's box and type Calculate Wage. Press the enter key when finished.

Move the mouse to the left side of the window to the Toolbox. The Toolbox appears when the mouse is over it. Click the Windows Forms button in the Toolbox. This displays the controls used to build an application.

Double-click the Label control in the Toolbox. Move the mouse away from the Toolbox so that is will become hidden. A label will appear in the upper-left corner of the form.

Click the label to select it. The properties for a label appear in the Properties window. The label's text property determines the text displayed in the label. Set the label's Text property to HOURS:.

Move the label down by dragging it. Add labels for RATE: and WAGE:. New labels are placed on top of a selected labels. By dragging the new label you will see the existing label below the new label.

Select the Wage label by clicking it. Set the label's ForeColor property to blue (choose any blue).

Click the value of the Font property to show an ellipsis buttion (...). Click the ellipsis buttion to display the Font dialog box. In the Font listbox and select Times New Roman. Click OK.

Move the mouse to the left side of the window to display the Toolbox. Double-click the Textbox control in the Toolbox. Move the mouse away from the Toolbox so that is will become hidden. A textbox will appear in the upper-left corner or on top of a selected label. Drag the textbox next to the HOURS: label.

With the textbox select, set the Name property to txtHours.

Delete the value displayed for the Text property. There should not be any text displayed in the textbox.

Add another textbox next to the RATE: label. Set the Name property to txtRATE and delete the value of the Text property.

Add another textbox next to the WAGE: label. Set the Name property to txtWAGE and delete the value of the Text property.

Move the mouse to the left side of the window to display the Toolbox. Double-click the Button control in the Toolbox. Move the mouse away from the Toolbox so that is will become hidden.

Drag the button below the last textbox.

Set the Text property for the button to Calculate. The text on the button changes to Calculate.

Double-click the button to display the Code view. A method is automatically created for when the button is clicked. Enter the code shown below. The values in the hours textbox and the rate textbox are mulitplied together. The result is displayed in the wage textbox. The Val function is used to change the text entered in the textbox to a number.

Select Debug > Start or press F5 to run the program.

Enter numbers in the Hours and Rate textboxes. Click the Calculate button to see if the correct value displays in the Wage textbox. If your program does not work go back over the directions to find your mistake.

Close the window for Calculate Wage to stop it from running.

Print the code.

Assignment

Create an application with Visual Basic .NET for entering the price and quantity. Computer the total when the button is clicked.

Create three labels, three textboxes, and one button.

Your final form should look as follows:

Print the code.