Visual Basic .NET: Introduction for Beginners

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Microsoft's .NET Framework presents developers with unprecedented opportunities. From 'geo-scalable' web applications to desktop and mobile platform applications - all can be built with equal ease, using substantially the same skill-set. But to make the most of this potential, developers must have a thorough grasp of core language skills. Visual Basic 2005 is a new language developed by Microsoft for the .NET Framework, which combines the power of C++ with the productivity of Visual Basic. This four-day workshop concentrates on the Visual Basic 2005 programming language itself, to prepare delegates fully in readiness for exploring the .NET Framework. From basic procedural syntax to sophisticated object-oriented programming techniques, delegates will learn how to write .NET applications with code that is robust, maintainable and efficient.

The course is presented as a mixture of lectures and hands-on exercises. Practical sessions follow each topic, designed to reinforce the points covered. Additional information is provided in appendices to extend the learning experience after the course has been completed.

Course Outline

Introduction to .NET and Visual Basic.NET

• The .NET Framework
• The Common Language Runtime
• The Common Type System
• Visual Basic 2005 features
• Introduction to namespaces and assemblies

Language Fundamentals

• Procedures and statements
• Data types
• Declaring variables
• Assignments
• Conversion
• Arithmetic and other operators
• Control constructs

Types

• Type concepts
• Value and reference types
• Fields, properties and methods
• Accessibility modifiers
• Construction
• Assignment
• The simple types
• The 'Nothing' reference
• Static and instance members
• Enumerated types
• Partial classes

Operator overloading

• Why operator overloading is useful
• When to overload
• Widening conversions
• Narrowing conversions

Exception Handling

• Errors vs. Exceptions
• The 'Try' block
• Using 'Throw'
• The 'Catch' block
• The 'Finally' block
• Creating your own exceptions

Inheritance

• Concept of inheritance
• Extending a simple class
• Polymorphism
• 'Overridable', 'Overrides', 'Shadows' and 'NotInheritable' modifiers

Abstract Classes and Interfaces

• Abstract classes
• Abstract methods and properties
• Polymorphism with interfaces
• Multiple interfaces

Arrays, Default Properties and Collections

• Arrays
• Array initializers
• Multi-dimensional arrays
• Jagged arrays
• Default properties
• Collections in the FCL

Generic Types

• The need for generics
• Writing and using generic types
• Applying constraints
• Other aspects of generic programming
• Nullable types
• Generic collections

Managing Resources

• Garbage collection and its impacts
• Finalizers
• The 'Dispose' method
• IDisposable interface

Delegates and Events

• Delegates explained
• Working with delegates
• Creating your own delegate types
• Events
• Custom event declarations
• Real-world examples

Attributes

• Attributed code explained
• Using attributes
• Custom attributes
• Introduction to reflection

Namespaces and Assemblies

• Namespaces
• The 'Imports' statement for namespaces
• Assemblies
• DLLs at compile time and Run Time
• The Global Assembly Cache (GAC)

Introduction to ASP.NET and Windows Forms

• Putting the language into practice
• Creating a simple ASP.NET Web Forms application using ADO.NET
• Creating a simple Windows Forms application
• Using a Web Service

Visual Basic .NET: Introduction for Beginners / VB05-4