Introduction

In order to effectively understand the application development process, it is helpful to understand some of the key concepts upon which Visual Basic is built. Because Visual Basic is a Windows development language, some familiarity with the Windows environment is necessary. If you are new to Windows programming, you need to be aware of some fundamental differences between programming for Windows versus other environments.

A window is simply a rectangular region with its own boundaries.

The following figure shows a window from a windows program. The window contains several kinds of controls such as command buttons, check boxes, & drop down list boxes.

Figure 2.1

These controls are just a sample of the many Windows controls available for you within the VB programming environment to add to programs that you write. Visual Basic's visual nature requires these controls.