Install Visual Basic
When you run the installer, a directory will be created for Visual Basic so you can select which Visual Basic components to install.
Except for the operating system files in the /Os directory, other files on the CD are not compressed and can be used directly from the disk. For example, the /Tools directory contains many tools and components that can be run or installed directly from the CD-ROM.
To install from the CD, follow these steps:
1. Insert the CD disk into the CD-ROM drive.
2. The installation program is in the root directory of Disk1 and can be run with the appropriate command in the operating system. If your computer is capable of running AutoPlay on the system, the installer will be loaded automatically when the CD is inserted.
3. Select "Install Visual Basic 6.0".
4. Follow the on-screen installation instructions.
Details For detailed information about installing VisaBasic, please read the Readme file.
Add or remove Visual Basic components
Feel free to run the installer as many times as necessary. For example, you can reinstall Visual Basic in another directory, or you can install other parts of Visual Basic.
To add or remove Visual Basic components, follow these steps:
1. Insert the CD disk into the CD-ROM drive.
2. The installation program is in the root directory of the CD disk and can be run with appropriate commands in the operating system. If your computer is capable of running AutoPlay on the system, the installer will be loaded automatically when the CD is inserted.
3. Select the "Customize" button in the "Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 Installation" dialog box.
4. Select the components to be installed (or unselect the components to be removed) in the Options list box of the Customize dialog box.
5. Follow the on-screen installation instructions.
Start Visual Basic
Once the installation process is complete, click the Start button in the Windows taskbar to start Visual Basic. If AutoPlay is enabled on your system, you can also start Visual Basic by inserting the Visual Basic CD into the drive.
For details, see Chapter 2, "Developing Applications with Visual Basic."
Practical assistant
The online documentation system provides comprehensive help to Visual Basic. Its contents include:
1. All Visual Basic manuals provide conceptual information about using the powerful features of Visual Basic.
2. Language Reference, including information on the Visual Basic programming environment and extensive language content.
3.VisualBasic online link provides pointers to VisualBasic information resources in WorldWideWeb.
4.Microsoft product support services provide technical support information.
Note that you can view the documentation from MSDNCD (must go through the MSDN installation process), or during the MSDN installation process, choose Custom Visual Basic Installation to install only the documentation and examples to your computer.
Reading the Help Content The Help content includes many features designed for ease of reading.
1.New content of VisualBasic6
Use this section to quickly learn what new and enhanced features Visual Basic has added. Categorized by function, there are approximately 200 description links to provide detailed information.
2. Quick search
Use this section to sort topics that cover the entire document. For example, you can find a variety of debugging information depending on the type of project you are operating. Description links in this section make retrieval easier.
3. Topic Summary
Before reading about the various topics, you can get a summary of the topics covered in the manual or in each chapter. Users are saved a lot of time by providing a synopsis of the content for each topic, a link to the description at the beginning of the book, and a summary section at the beginning of each article or chapter.
4. Please refer to the link
Click the "See Also" link below a topic to view more detailed or related information about that topic.
Context-sensitive help
Many parts of Visual Basic are context-sensitive. Context-sensitive means you can get help on these sections directly without having to search through the Help menu. For example, to get Help about any keyword in the Visual Basic language, simply place the insertion point over the keyword in the Code window and press the F1 key.
Pressing the F1 key on any context-sensitive part of the Visual Basic interface displays information about that part. The contextually relevant part is:
1. Each window in Visual Basic ("Properties" window, "Code" window, etc.)
2. Controls in the toolbox
3. Objects within form or document objects
4. Properties in the Properties window
5.VisualBasic keywords (statements, functions, properties, methods, events and special objects)
6. Error messages
Once Help is open, press the F1 key for information on how to use Help.
Run the code examples in Help
Many programming language topics in Help contain code examples that can be run in Visual Basic. The following procedure shows how to copy and run code examples from Help.
Note that the following procedure is for code examples that do not contain public notations.
To copy a code example from Help, follow these steps:
1. Select Add Form from the Project menu, or use an existing form to create a new form (for more information about creating and using forms, see Chapter 2, "Developing Applications with Visual Basic" .)
2. Select Index from the Help menu.
3. Search "Graphics" in Help and go to the "FillColor Property" topic.
4. Click the "Example" jump button in the "FillColor Property" topic, which is located at the top non-scrolling edge of the window (a jump button is a word that you click to go to another topic. The jump text is underlined, And the jump text has color). Select the subroutine portion of the example. Note that the first Sub marks the beginning of the subroutine, and the last EndSub marks the end of the subroutine.
5. Right-click on the selected text and select "Copy" from the context menu. Copy the text to the clipboard.
6. Return to the form you created and double-click the form to display the Code window.
7. Set the insertion point under any existing code in the Code window.
8. Select "Paste" in the "Edit" menu. The example appears in the Code window.
9. Select "Start" in the "Run" menu or press the F5 key.
10. Click the form to run the sample code.
Note that some code examples require controls to be drawn on the form. For more information about drawing controls, see Chapter 3, "Forms, Controls, and Menus."
VisualBasic online link
If you have a modem or other means of access, you can get more information about Visual Basic from WorldWideWeb.
MicrosoftWeb site
The Microsoft World Wide Web site contains several areas of interest to Visual Basic programmers. The address of the VisualBasic homepage is http://www.microsoft.com/vbasic/. The site contains the following information:
1. Updates on new features, product releases, related products, conferences and special events.
2. Additional information about Visual Basic features, including white papers, tips and tutorials, and resources.
3.NewPRoductdownloads includes answers to the most frequently asked questions in product support services.
Tip: The Visual Basic web site also contains a specific "Owner's Area" that contains many free samples, widgets, tools, etc. for registered owners. I hope you will register your version of VisualBasic immediately at http://www.microsoft.com/vbasic/owners/.
To access the Microsoft Visual Basic Web site, follow these steps:
1. Select Microsoft on the Web from the Help menu.
2. Select the appropriate option from the submenu.
Note that a web browser must be installed and connected to the Internet before doing the above work. Some content on the Microsoft Web site is optimized for Microsoft Internet Explorer and is fully viewable on other browsers. The latest version of Internet Explorer can be uninstalled from the Web site.
Microsoft Product Support Services
Microsoft provides a variety of support to help users get more from Visual Basic. If you have questions about a product, your first step should be to check the online documentation. If you cannot find the answer, please contact Microsoft Product Support Services.
Microsoft provides support services throughout the United States and around the world. For more information, see "Getting technical support under the Visual Basic Help menu."
Tell us what you think
Microsoft is committed to providing customers with the best products possible. Each new version of Visual Basic strives to meet the changing needs of Windows programmers. We look forward to hearing from our customers. If you would like to see some functionality improved or new features added to a future version of Visual Basic, please let us know. You can e-mail us at [email protected], or call us at (425) 936-WISH in the United States.
->