Chapter 1: An Introduction to Visual Basic 2005 Express Edition

OVERVIEW

Microsoft developed Visual Basic 2005 Express in hopes of attracting a new generation of programmers to Windows. Microsoft has put a great deal of time and effort into creating the best possible development environment for Windows applications. In this chapter, you will begin your Visual Basic programming journey by learning some necessary background information. You will then get the chance to jump right in and get your feet wet by developing your first Visual Basic application. Through the development of this application, you will learn the basic steps involved in creating a Windows application as well as get a preview of just what makes Visual Basic the most popular programming language ever developed.

Specifically, you will learn:

• What Visual Basic 2005 Express is and what it can do

• What .NET is and how it works with Visual Basic 2005 Express

• What Visual Studio is and how Visual Basic fits into it

• The five basic steps involved in developing a Visual Basic application