This article talks about programing in visual basic, and where to get it. This is not a advanced how to programming article. this is only how you can start to program in visual basic.
Step 1
Download it from http://www.microsoft.com/express/
Step 2
Create a button or an event object-------------- 
- there are many objects that you can use. a button is a common one. the command button can be clicked, you can double click it to pull up the code: Private Sub CommandButton1_Click()and at the end of the event code is: End Sub
Step 3
Put code into it. you can use if then else statements like this- if (put a statement like that a = b) then (put what you want to happen. ex: form1.visible = false). you can also add a Else at the end so if a isnt = b then a different thing happens.
Step 4
Create a variable :
- a string is a variable that contains characters, or letters, numbers, etc.
- an integer is most common. it is a value that has not decimal and includes a finite amount of numbers and their opposites.
- a boolean is a binary variable that can only be two things: true or false use this to turn stuff on or off, like music.
- double is like an integer but includes numbers past an integer on both sides of the number line. It also includes the decimal values to a certain decimal.
Step 5
Here are some of the building blocks of visual basic(They occur in the code):(I use Visual Basic 6.0 so some of these may not be on newer visual basics)
- The "If" statement. It allows you to make something happen "if" something else has happened or is happening. You can also make an else in it. By typing else, whatever you type below and and before the "end if" will occur as long as the statement above else and after the if does not occur(To end the staement, type: End If).
- The "Select Case" statement. It allows you to set up a case for which something happens. For example: If you wrote in the code: Select Case X, then all the cases below will rely on what X is equaled to. Then, if you put: Case 1, then whatever follows it in the line(s) under it is what will happen if X is equal to 1. If you put Case 2, then on the line(s) under it, whatever you put in the code will happen if X is equal to one. To end a case, type Case and then something you want X to be equal to in order for the next thing to happen. Also, to say that you want something to happen if X is greater than something, type Case Is > [value]. To end a Select Case, type in End Select.
- The For statement allows you to make something happen if something's number value is between two numbers (does not include equal than). To begin a for statement, type "For". Next, enter your variable or what the statement involves followed by a number, the word "To" and then another number. After, type the event that will occur if the variable, etc. is equivalent to a number between the value. To conclude a For Statement, type "Next".
- The last building block is the "Counter, Loop" statement. It lets you create something that will happen only if something has occurred is is occurring. For example, if you wrote in the code Counter = txtMoney, then that would tell the computer that whatever you want to happen or not want to happen would rely on what is in the text of txtMoney. Then, if you wrote: Do While txtMoney < 1, then the computer would do the following statements whenever the text in txtMoney was less than 1. Following, if you wrote cmdBuyItems.Enabled = False, then the computer would only do that if the text in txtMoney was less than one. To end the statement, type: Loop.
Step 6
Click on the debug to run it.
Tips
- go slowly and take your time
- the best way to start is to use tutorials.
- finding general simple code methods like if then else statements helps to keep you motivated
- trying to make an advanced game is not a good first time program idea. instead do things like Hello World programs until you can grasp the idea of vb.
- double check the names of the variables
- unlike in other languages capitalization is not a problem when in names of the objects.
- if you are stuck not knowing how to make something happen then you can try putting an object name and adding a . then a box will show the possible things you might write next. search them, you never know what you might find.
- Here is an example of an If statement using the variables Money and Cost:
- If Money >= Cost then
- cmdBuy.Enabled = False
- Else
- cmdBuy.Enabled = True
- End If
- In this case, as long as Money is greater than Cost, the control, cmdBuy, will be enabled and the user can click on it. The "else" states that if Money is not greater than the Cost, then the control, cmdBuy, is disabled and the user can no longer click on it.
- Here is an example of a Select Case statement:
- Select case Money
- Case < Cost
- cmdBuy.Enabled = False
- Case >= Cost
- cmdBuy.Enabled = True
- Case 0
- cmdBuy.Enabled = False
- End Select
- In this case, if Money is less than the cost, then cmdBuy, a control, is disabled and cannot respond to user-generated events, such as clicking on it. However, if Money is greater than the Cost, then the contrl, cmdBuy, is enabled and the user can click on it.
- Here is an example of a For Statement:
- For Money = 0 To 100
- cmdBuy.Enabled = True
- Next
- In this case, as long as the variable Money has a value between 0 and 100, the control cmdBuy, will be enabled, or the user can click on it.
- Here is an example of a Counter Statement (It could make your computer freeze):
- Counter = Money
- Do While Money >= Cost
- cmdBuy.Enabled = True
- Do While Money < Cost
- cmdBuy.Enabled = False
- Loop
- In this case, as long as the value of Money is greater than or equal to the cost, the control, cmdBuy, will be enabled and the user can click on it to make something happen.
Warnings
- don't make to many unnoticeable errors that are so hard to find it takes forever to do so.
- visual basic is not designed for high graphics games , use a language like java if that is what you want
Things You'll Need
- a computer
- Internet(for help)
- visual basic(the program)
- the knowledge that the programming language is called Visual Basic, not Visual Basics
- self motivation
- time
- an idea or a general program you want.
