Frequently Asked Questions

What is this course about? This course provides a comprehensive introduction to developing Windows applications with Visual Basic 6, Microsoft's popular visual development environment. Who will benefit from this course? This course benefits: Software developers creating applications for Windows who want to fully exploit the powerful GUI features of Windows, and who want to be up and running in the shortest possible amount of time Developers creating GUI front-ends for client/server system applications Managers and analysts who want to prototype or redesign Windows applications Power Windows users who want to integrate or customise their environment and applications How much programming experience do I need to have? No programming experience is necessary; however, some experience with a macro or scripting language is helpful. You should be familiar with the Windows graphical environment. Does this course teach the BASIC programming language? This course explains those parts of the BASIC language necessary to add functionality to the controls and features available in Visual Basic. It is not intended to be a comprehensive course in BASIC, as full BASIC knowledge is not needed for effective use of Visual Basic. Does this course cover programming of the major Windows features? Definitely! This course takes you from beginning Windows concepts to advanced controls and dialog boxes. You apply the knowledge gained through a series of hands-on exercises to an in-class project using Windows controls, database access and linking with other Windows applications using the Component Object Model (COM). In addition, you add graphics to your program and use system techniques to fully explore the Visual Basic environment. Does the course cover COM and ActiveX in depth? The course is not long enough to allow full coverage of COM and ActiveX, but their basic features and advantages are explained. ActiveX controls are used throughout the course and automation features are used to automate the operation of a Microsoft Office application. What hands-on exercises will I do? Much of the course is devoted to hands-on exercises that reinforce the concepts and techniques presented in the lecture material. You build a series of programs that use Visual Basic features and functions, such as windows, forms, menus, toolbars, buttons, list and text boxes, dialog boxes and databases. At the end of the course, you are able to develop full-featured Windows applications of your own design using a combination of standard and custom product features. How much time is spent on each topic? Content Hours Introduction to Visual Basic 2.0 Building an Application with Visual Basic 3.0 The Visual Basic Toolbox 4.0 Data Types and Procedures 3.0 Object-Oriented Programming 4.0 Menus and Dialog Boxes 3.0 Database Access and COM 6.0 System-Level Techniques 4.0 Times, including the workshops, are estimates; exact times may vary according to the needs of each class. Does this course cover database access technology? This course teaches you how to develop database applications with Visual Basic using the ActiveX Data Objects (ADO). You use both Access and SQL Server databases with OLE DB to create a client/server application. How does this course relate to other Learning Tree courses? This course is closely related to the following Learning Tree courses: 307, Access™ 2003: A Comprehensive Hands-On Introduction covers the design and development of database applications, and GUI front-ends for database applications, using Microsoft Access. Access is a tool specifically for building database applications, while Visual Basic can be used for a variety of application types. 209, VBA Programming: A Comprehensive Hands-On Introduction is designed to teach you how to program using the VBA programming tools. You also learn to automate repetitive tasks performed by users of existing business applications. 377, Programming Access™ 2003: Hands-On provides practical experience programming with VBA. You learn to write and debug code that incorporates business rules with Access objects to create a complete application solution.

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