This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
Q&A
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I've read that Visual Basic .NET supports "typeless" programming. What's that?
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When you declare the type of a variable or function, you set certain rules: what type of information it represents, where it can be used, and so on. Typeless programming occurs when you don't declare the type. All variables are then objects that can hold any kind of information. Visual Basic .NET is the only member of the Visual Studio family that supports this style of programming.
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When you want to create a procedure, should it be a subroutine or a function?
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The short answer is, "It depends." You should create the type of procedure that provides the functionality you need. Some procedures are obvious. If you need to create a procedure that performs some calculation or manipulation and returns the result, you should create a function. Other routines—ones in which you might or might not need to return a value—truly lead to a choice. And, there is no correct choice, only opinions. If there is no obvious return value, selecting the type of procedure to create is a matter of personal and/or corporate opinion. Some people and companies always create functions; others will create subroutines as needed.
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How can I find the list of all the built-in functions?
There are two ways you can find out about all the built-in functions:
Online help The online help contains descriptions of and code samples for all the built-in functions. You can find these by searching the online help for Visual Basic Language Reference.
Object Browser If all you need is a quick description of a built-in function, you can find it in the Object Browser. Open it by selecting View, Other Windows, Object Browser. The built-in functions are contained in the Microsoft.VisualBasic.dll section.