Visual Basic is a high level programming language that has evolved from the DOS based programming language called BASIC (Beginners All Purpose Symbolic Instruction Code). It is a very easy programming language to learn and use and the code is very similar to the English language. It is a programming language that is composed of many subprograms that can execute either independently or linked together at the same time. Visual Basic is an event driven program language that has some of the features of an object-oriented programming language, but not all of the features of an object-oriented programming language.



The most common version of Visual Basic is 6.x developed by Microsoft and is a very graphical user interface that makes developing programs very easy. To start programming in Visual Basic you will need what is a Microsoft VB compiler. When you start to develop a program in Visual Basic it is called Project and this Project is the collection of files that make up your entire program. One of the most common programs to start is called a Standard EXE (executable) program and it is easy to start in the Visual Basic programming environment by simply double-clicking on the Standard EXE icon.

Once this is started you will see a series of other windows appear that you can select from. These windows include the Blank Form, Project, and Properties windows. A Toolbox is also included to provide easy access to create objects such as buttons, text and forms. The Toolbox makes it easy for programmers to simply click, drag and drop into their program interface.

With knowledge and practice within visual basic a programmer can learn to easily build user interfaces, controls and other GUI components. A programmer will also know how to debug a program and use other tools at their disposal in what is called the Visual Studio. The Visual Studio provides an excellent set of tools for helping to program in Visual Basic 6.x.