If you are a computer science graduate who wants to become a software engineer or a software developer, you might come across the programming language Visual Basic. If you want to become a Visual Basic Developer there are some technical things you should learn to become a good programmer.
While the technology has advanced far there are so many platforms, tools and languages coming out in the market. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a newbie programmer or an experienced programmer, as a program developer you should have the knowledge on how to integrate the modern technologies and other technical stuff into your work to make a good software or product.
In this blog, we will discuss 8 things you should learn as a Visual Basic Developer.
Basics of Visual Basic
The first and foremost thing you should learn about Visual Basic is that you need to develop an understanding of the basics of this language. While there is already a word “Basic” in the name Visual Basic, you ought to believe that it is a language for beginners. And, what really Visual Basics is, it is an object-oriented programming language designed by Microsoft. Although it is designed for novices, the power of VB cannot be underestimated.
Simple but Powerful Syntax
Many criticise VB.Net for the simplicity in syntax. But it has the ability to create sophisticated and powerful applications with these syntax. A beginner who can understand the language of computers should be able to pick up Visual Basic easily. If you’re a newbie computer programmer, vb.net is a great place to start. The syntax is easy and straightforward and you will not find yourself writing hundreds of lines of code. VB offers many shortcuts that it makes coding so much easier.
Application Creating Components
Visual Basic is a third-generation event-driven programming language. Derived from BASIC, Visual Basic enables rapid application development (RAD) of graphical user interface (GUI) applications. Using the components provided by the Visual Basic program, you can create an application. Third-party components were developed over time by a community of programmers. Programs written in Visual Basic require external function declarations such as the Windows API.
Versions of VB
There are over 10 revisions on Visual Basic versions starting with Project ‘basic Thunder’ in 1990 and it remained as the primary internal function of VB as “ThunderRTMain“. The final version 6 was released in 1998 which is now simply known as Visual Basic. Microsoft stopped supporting Visual Basic 6.0 IDE on April 8, 2008. The compatibility for Visual Basic 6.0 applications on Windows Server 2008 including R2, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2016, Windows 10 and Windows Server 2019 are still maintained by Microsoft VB team. Some software developers still preferred Visual Basic 6.0 over its successor Visual Basic .NET in 2014, Visual Basic 6.0 won the technical impact award in 2016 at The 19th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards.
VB Applications (VBA)
In several Microsoft applications including Microsoft Office, VB Applications (VBA) is used as a macro or scripting language. Many third-party products such as WordPerfect Office 2002, AutoCAD, Sage 300 ERP, ArcGIS, Solid Works, and Business Objects Desktop Intelligence. Many inconsistencies were reported in the way VBA implemented in different applications. But it uses the same runtime library and is largely the same language as Visual Basic 6.0. Although development on Visual Basic ended with 6.0, in 2010 Microsoft introduced VBA 7 to provide extended features and add 64-bit support.
VB on Demand
There are many US states that demand Visual Basic developers such as Arizona, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Delaware, Louisiana, Indiana and more to name. This is meant to help you understand VB is a programming language which is in demand. Therefore I recommend doing your own research as well as searching in-depth for what is popular in your current city.
VB and Visual Basic .net
Visual Basic .net can be called as the successor of Visual Basic or a modern version of it. The Microsoft team developed this modern, simple, and object-oriented computer programming language to combine the power of .NET Framework. The hallmark of Visual Basic is combined with productivity benefits and a common language runtime.
Get Training
Depending on how much time you spend on learning this language which is rather simple, it should take you a few months to become a competent programmer. If you feel you can’t do it all your own, get Visual Basic Training and start working on the more advanced details. In Visual Basic these advanced details include things like client/server programming, building ActiveX controls, database programming, the development environment itself (add-ins), the API, etc.
Meanwhile, you can keep a watchful eye on program groups and forums. You will learn a lot by reading other peoples’ answers. You will also learn about new topics you may not have encountered before. When you see questions you can answer, do so. When you see something you think you can figure out, you may do it. Other people often ask questions you would not think to ask yourself. Tracking down the answers will teach you a lot.
These are the 8 things you need to learn in order to become a Visual Basic Developer. Still you are confused about whether the VB programming language is the right choice for your career? No need once you master all these, you will be an expert in Visual Basic. This may take one or more years depending on how much time you invest.