V: VB.NET Naming Conventions

It s good programming practice to use standard prefixes with your controls and variables . This ensures your code remains clear and understandable. The following list provides an overview of popular conventions:

ITEM	PREFIX	EXAMPLE
Form	frm	frmMain
Class	cls / C	clsOrder
Module	mod	modGeneric
Label	lbl	lblUsername
LinkLabel	lnk	lnkVisitSite
Button	btn	btnOK
TextBox	txt	txtPassword
CheckBox	chk	chkRemember
RadioButton	rad	radMale
GroupBox	grp	grpOptions
PictureBox	pic	picAuthor
DataGrid	grd	grdOrders
ListBox	lst	lstSubscribed
CheckedListBox	clst	clstExtras
ComboBox	cbo	cboRoomNumber
TreeView	tvw	tvwFolders
ListView	lvw	lvwFiles
TabControl	tab	tabSettings
DateTimePicker	dtp	dtpAppointment
Timer	tmr	tmrCheck
Splitter	spl	splGeneral
ProgressBar	pbar	pbarTimeLeft
RichTextBox	rtf	rtfDocument
ImageList	imgl	imglToolbar
ToolBar	tlb	tlbMain
MenuItem	mnu	mnuFileExit
String	str	strAnalysis
Date	dat	datLastVisit
Boolean	bln	blnFlag
Short	sht	shtCurrent
Decimal	dec	decRate
Long	lng	lngSystemID
Integer	int	intCount
Byte	byt	bytAge
Char	chr	chrFirst
Single	sgl	sglRemaining
Double	dbl	dblTotalBalance
Structure (User-Defined Type)	udt	udtCustomer
Object	obj	objRandom
DataSet	ds	dsmembers
DataRow	dr	drEntry
OleDbConnection or SqlConnection	conn	connLuxor
OleDbCommand or SqlCommand	cmd	cmdDelete
OleDbDataAdapter or SqlDataAdapter	da	daUserList
OleDbDataReader or SqlDataReader	rdr	rdrItems
Crystal Report	rpt	rptSales

It is also common practice to prefix module-level variable declarations with m and global declarations with g ”although, as ever, this is not enforced and simply serves as a suggestion to help assist your development.

You can also find a full list of recommended code styling guidelines for your Visual Basic program, by looking up naming conventions, Visual Basic in the help index.