Introduction

Have you ever wondered what goes on inside a computer program? Did you ever want to sit down at your keyboard and conjure digital magic on your computer's screen? If so, there might be a computer programmer somewhere inside you, clawing to get out.

Unfortunately, you might have found computer programming not only intimidating but downright scary. Heck, you get new gray hairs every time you try to write a simple batch file, right? If you feel this way, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Microsoft Visual Basic 6 is here to prove that programming your computer is rewarding, fun, and, most important, easy.

Who This Book Is For

This book is for anyone who wants to learn to program his or her computer with Visual Basic. More importantly, this book is for anyone who's flipped through other programming texts only to be discouraged by obtuse language, jargon-ridden prose, and stuffed-shirt attitudes. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Microsoft Visual Basic 6's conversational style incorporates plain-English explanations along with short programming examples to lead the novice programmer by the hand through the techno jungle of computer programming.

Because it focuses on beginning programmers, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Microsoft Visual Basic 6 is not a full Visual Basic reference, nor is it a comprehensive tutorial in the techniques of professional programming. It is meant to give you a quick taste of Visual Basic programming so you can decide whether programming is as interesting as you thought it would be. By the end of the book, you will know all you need to know to write many useful and rewarding programs.

Software and Hardware Requirements

In order to run Visual Basic and create the programs in this book, your system and software must meet a set of minimum requirements. Those minimum requirements are listed below:

•  Visual Basic 6

•  IBM-compatible with a 66 MHz 486DX processor (Pentium processor recommended)

•  16MB RAM (24MB recommended)

•  Microsoft Windows 95 or later

•  Hard disk

•  CD-ROM drive

•  VGA or better graphics (Super VGA recommended)

•  Mouse

Visual Basic for Free!

This book comes with a CD-ROM that contains the Visual Basic Working Model, a free version of Visual Basic (courtesy of Microsoft) that'll do everything you need to do to complete the lessons in this book. How can you beat that?

However, programs written with the Visual Basic Working Model cannot run as standalone programs. If you don't understand what that means, just know that the Working Model gives you a chance—without spending any extra cash—to decide whether you want to continue with Visual Basic after completing this book. However, if you decide to continue with Visual Basic, you'll almost certainly want to upgrade to at least the Visual Basic Learning Edition.

An Overview of the Book

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Microsoft Visual Basic 6 comprises 26 short chapters, each of which concentrates on specific topics of importance to novice programmers. The chapters are organized into four general parts, as follows:

•  Part I, "First Steps," is a brief introduction to the art of programming and is your first chance to start using the Visual Basic programming environment.

•  Part II, "Writing Basic Program Code," teaches you the Visual Basic programming language, as well as introduces you to many programming concepts such as input/output, looping, computer decision-making, file handling, and more.

•  Part III, "The Elements of Visual Basic Windows Programs," introduces you to the general controls and objects you need to create a user interface for your programs. Here, you're also introduced to the important topics of properties, methods, and events.

•  Part IV, "Writing Windows Applications," gets into the nitty-gritty details of using Visual Basic's objects and controls to create Windows applications with professional user interfaces.

How We Do Things in This Part of the Country

To get the most out of this book, you should know how it is designed. We've tried to put things together in such a way as to make reading the book both rewarding and fun. The following list gives you the lowdown of the book elements you'll run across:

•  New terms are presented in italicized text; pay close attention to these terms.

•  Visual keywords, commands, variable names, and the like are set in monospace type; for example, Form1.Print "Hello!".

•  Text you need to type appears in bold.

•  Multiple-key keystrokes are indicated using a plus sign between the keys to press. For example, Ctrl+T means to press the Ctrl and T keys simultaneously.

Other visual pointers found in this book include:

Step into the Strange and Wonderful World of Visual Basic

Still with us? Just around the corner is your first Visual Basic programming lesson. We could stay here and chat all day, or you could turn the page and start your fun-filled vacation in VisualBasicLand. See you there.