Visual Basic

Visual Basic (VB) is a Microsoft-developed programming language that also has an integrated development environment (IDE) that provides both the interface and the environment in which the programmer creates the application. It is derived from the BASIC programming language and is itself the source of derivative programming languages. VB has been used to develop applications with a graphical user interface (GUI), but was also used to create machine-readable (executable) files, Dynamic Link Libraries (DLL), and objects (such as a variable or function). Further, VB allows programmers to create interfaces to databases. VB’s development was begun in 1990 and the final product, released as Visual Basic 1.0, was introduced in the following year. From that date until 1998, Microsoft released subsequent versions, the last being VB 6.0. VB 6.0 was eventually replaced by Visual Basic.NET, much to the disappointment of many programmers, who had preferred the former. VB 6.0 was supported until 2008.

Overview

VB is both a programming language and an IDE for the purpose of developing applications and files such as .exe files and DLLs in Windows. The IDE, which was expanded in each successive version, provided the tools that enabled a programmer to create components for the application. These include a menu bar, a toolbar, Project Explorer, a toolbox, a form designer, and an object browser, among others.

While VB was designed to create GUI applications, in its first version it was not a GUI program. The ability to create the representation of the window that the user would eventually see (forms) and other program components using the standard GUI "drag-and-drop" ability did not arrive until a later version. Using the GUI controls, a programmer could assemble what the application windows would look like, as well any functions or controls (such as buttons on the window). The design of the final application window was thus greatly simplified. Because the functions and controls were defined in a very basic way, the programmer could go into the lines of code for a particular button or function and then modify it rather than have to create entirely new code to perform very specific functions.

The addition of this capability was beneficial to programmers in two ways. The first was that it made the learning curve in becoming familiar with VB less severe. The other is that because basic code existed for controls or functions, programmers could open up the file for that function or control and make any changes needed, saving time. The amount of time saved could potentially be large, as each time a programmer made a change in a file, he or she created a new instance of that object which could then be reused later. Another strength of VB was that it allowed developers to assemble prototypes fairly rapidly, a capability that made it an effective tool for rapid application development (RAD), the process in which a prototype is built and then changed as the result of iterative design reviews.

VB 6.0 (the last release) included several improvements, most notably the ability to create web-based applications. Despite its popularity, VB was replaced by Visual Basic.NET, which, after 2005, was simply referred to as "Visual Basic," despite significant changes from the original VB. Though in the early twenty-first century VB was consistently ranked in the top ten most-used programming languages, according to software quality assessment company TIOBE, its popularity declined during the 2010s. Programmers continued to utilize VB into the 2020s, despite its lack of support.

Bibliography

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