An Introduction to programming using Object Oriented Basic

       Visual Basic is a tool that allows you to develop Windows (Graphic User Interface - GUI) applications.Visual Basic is an object-oriented programming language, which is a language that allows the programmer to use objects to accomplish a program’s goal. Just to remind you what Object Oriented Programming means. Object Oriented Programming is a methodology which has greatly revolutionized how programs are designed and developed as the complexities involved in programming are increasing. The following are the basic principles of OOP:
Encapsulation: Encapsulation is a methodology that binds together data and the codes that it manipulates thus keeping it safe from external interference and misuse. An object oriented program contains codes that may have private members that are directly accessible to only the members of that program. Also it may have program codes (methods) that will enable other programs to access these data is a uniform and controlled fashion.
Polymorphism: Polymorphism is a concept whereby a particular “thing” may be employed in many forms and the exact implementation is determined by the specific nature of the situation (or problem). As an example, consider how a frog, lizard and a fish move (“the interface”) from one place to another. A frog may leap ten centimeters, a lizard in a single movement moves two centimeters and a shark may swim three meters in a single movement. All these animals exhibit a common ability – movement – expressed differently.
Inheritance: Inheritance is the process of building new classes based on existing classes. The new class inherits the properties and attributes of the existing class. Object oriented programs models real world concepts of inheritance. For example children inherit attributes and behaviors from their parents. The attributes such as color of eyes, complexion, facial features etc represent the fields in an java. Behaviors such as being a good dancer, having a good sense of humor etc represent the methods. The child may have other attributes and behaviors that differentiate them from the parents.
Visual Basic is event-driven, meaning code remains idle until called upon to respond to some event (button pressing, menu selection, ...). Visual Basic is governed by an event processor. Nothing happens until an event is detected. Once an event is detected, the code corresponding to that event (event procedure) is executed. Program control is then returned to the event processor. Some Features of Visual Basic are

• Full set of objects - you 'draw' the application
• Lots of icons and pictures for your use
• Response to mouse and keyboard actions
• Clipboard and printer access
• Full array of mathematical, string handling, and graphics functions
• Can handle fixed and dynamic variable and control arrays
• Sequential and random access file support
• Useful debugger and error-handling facilities
• Powerful database access tools
• ActiveX support
• Package & Deployment Wizard makes distributing your applications simple

           For this tututorial we would be using Visual Basic 2010.Visual Basic 2010 is available either as a stand-alone product, called Visual Basic 2010 Express Edition, or as part of Visual Studio 2010. Both products include an integrated development environment (IDE), which is an environment that contains all of the tools and features you need to create, run, and test your programs. However, unlike the Visual Basic 2010 Express Edition, which contains only the Visual Basic language, Visual Studio 2010 contains four diff erent languages: Visual Basic, Visual C++, Visual C#, and Visual F#.
              You can download a free copy of Visual Basic 2010 Express Edition  here.