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Before you begin to write your first program in Visual Basic 2005, it is important that you understand some of the basic terminology you will encounter.

Solutions vs. Projects
A project is a set of one or more files that contain the code and resources that define an application's executable (.exe) or a dynamic link library (.dll). A solution is a container that stores one or more related projects. For example, you might store the project for an application's executable and the dynamic link libraries it uses in the same solution.

Forms and Controls
Visual Basic programs are built using forms and controls. A form is a container. Each window you see when you run an application is built using a form. A control is an object that a user can interact with. Buttons, lists, and textboxes are all types of controls.

Classes
Each object in Visual Basic .NET (and later) is actually a class. A class is like a template that describes an object, such as a form or control. When a class is instantiated (loaded into memory), it becomes an object.

Properties, Methods, and Events
Each class has properties, methods, and events. A property is a piece of information about an object. It defines how an object looks or the data it contains. For example, a form has a Backcolor property that defines the color of its background, a Text property that defines the text on its title bar, and a Width and Height property that defines its size.

A method is an action that can be performed on an object. For example, you can show a form by calling the form's Show method and close a form by calling its Close method.

An event is generally something a user causes to happen. Objects can listen for events and respond when they occur by executing the code you add to the event procedure. This is known as event-driven programming.

Variables and constants
A variable is a named location in memory that stores a piece of data. The data in a variable can be changed during execution. A constant is also a named location in memory. The data in a constant is defined when the program is loaded. A constant's value cannot be modified.

Design view and Code view
When building a project, you will work in both design view and code view. Design view gives you access to a toolbox, which allows you to place controls on a form. Code view allows you to write the code that defines how your program will execute.

Debugging your program
When writing code, it is important to test it. When you debug your program, you run it inside the Visual Studio environment. You can set breakpoints to cause your program to stop running and enter break mode when a condition is met. In break mode, you can step through the code one line at a time and view the contents of properties and variables.

Knowing these terms will get you started. However, as you program in Visual Basic, you will encounter many more terms and concepts. Visual Basic is a powerful programming language, full of many features and, therefore, many terms.

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