Integrated Development Environment (IDE)

• Like any other Windows application, VB consists of multiple windows which appear at startup.
• The windows displayed in VB are collectively known as the Visual Basic Integrated Development Environment (IDE)
• In particular, VB has the following windows:

• Main window which contains Menu and Toolbar
• Toolbox
• Project Explorer Window
• Property Window
• Form
• Code Window

Main Window.  

• This is the only element of the IDE which is always visible

Toolbox Window.

• This is simply a library of controls which can be placed on the application.
• It is used to add art work, labels, buttons, list boxes, scroll bars, menus, and geographic shapes to a user interface.
• Once all the controls needed are placed onto the applications forms, the toolbox can be hidden to make room for working in the other elements of the IDE.

Project Window

• This is simply a list of all forms and modules which make up your VB project.

Property window

• Controls such as button, scrolling text boxes, pictures boxes and other features of the most VB applications allow you to enter parameters which define how these control works.
• In VB, these parameters are called properties.
• Some properties can be entered at design time within the IDE, while others must be entered with code while the program is running.

Form Window

• They are the windows which hold the various controls (buttons, text boxes, etc) which make up your application.

Code window

• This is where you type in the code that VB executes. Notice that the heading of the window indicates with which event the code is associated.

Categories: ide, vb6