The Visual Basic programming language is made up of a large number of keywords (also referred to as reserved words) that have very specific meanings. An example of a reserved word is Dim, which is used to declare variables and arrays. Because it is a reserved word, you can only use the Dim keyword in your Visual Basic applications when you follow its syntax rules. In other words, you cannot use Dim as a variable name or as a name for any other programming construction (constants, arrays, structures, procedures, and so on).
A reserved word is one that Visual Basic sets aside for a specific purpose. You may only use reserved words in your Visual Basic applications If you follow the rules that govern their usage.
Table 5.4 provides a listing of Visual Basic reserved words for your review.
AddHandler | AddressOf | Alias | And |
---|---|---|---|
AndAlso | Ansi | As | Assembly |
Auto | Boolean | ByRef | Byte |
ByVal | Call | Case | Catch |
Cbool | Cbyte | Cchar | Cdate |
Cdec | CDbl | Char | Cint |
Class | CLng | Cobj | Const |
Cshort | CSng | CStr | Ctype |
Date | Decimal | Declare | Default |
Delegate | Dim | DirectCast | Do |
Double | Each | Else | Elself |
End | EndIf | Enum | Erase |
Error | Event | Exit | False |
Finally | For | Friend | Function |
Get | GetType | Global | GoSub |
GoTo | Handles | If | Implements |
Imports | In | Inherits | Integer |
Interface | Is | Let | Lib |
Like | Long | Loop | Me |
Mod | Module | Mustlnherit | MustOverride |
MyBase | MyClass | Namespace | New |
Next | Not | Nothing | Notlnheritable |
NotOverridable | Object | On | Option |
Optional | Or | OrElse | Overloads |
Overridable | Overrides | ParamArray | Preserve |
Private | Property | Protected | Public |
RaiseEvent | ReadOnly | ReDim | REM |
RemoveHandler | Resume | Return | Select |
Set | Shadows | Shared | Short |
Single | Static | Step | Stop |
String | Structure | Sub | SyncLock |
Then | Throw | To | True |
Try | TryCast | TypeOf | Unicode |
Until | Variant | Wend | When |
While | With | WithEvents | WriteOnly |
Xor | #Const | #ExternalSource | #If…Then…#Else |
#Region | - | & | &= |
* | *= | / | /= |
\ | \= | ^ | ^= |
+ | += | = | -= |