Welcome, curious minds! Today, we're going to embark on an enthralling exploration of VB.NET, one of the most versatile and expressive programming languages out there. Prepare to have your mind blown as we unravel the shimmering tapestry of nuances, history, and applications that make this language an unparalleled treasure trove in the world of computing.
VB.NET's origin story traces back to Basic (Beginners' All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code) which was created in 1964 by John Kemeny and Thomas Kurtz. What began as a simple, user-friendly language continued to evolve, and Microsoft eventually gave birth to Visual Basic in 1991. But hold your horses! The evolution doesn't stop there.
Enter .NET Framework in 2002, and VB.NET was born as an object-oriented powerhouse, rising like a phoenix from the legacy of the preceding language. Its arrival marked a crucial transition point where language interoperability, memory management, and security came to the forefront.
One could think of VB.NET as Visual Basic's more sophisticated cousin, boasting robust features such as support for inheritance, exception handling, multi-threading, and delegates.
VB.NET takes pride in its readability. It's designed to be self-explanatory and easy on the eyes. It uses English-like keywords, making it a breeze for beginners to pick up and understand:
Console.WriteLine("Hello, world!")
VB.NET is part of the .NET family, providing seamless integration with other languages in the .NET ecosystem such as C# and F#. Whether you're working on multi-language projects or writing individual components, VB.NET plays well with its siblings.
' VB.NET Class
Public Class VBNetClass
Public Sub Hello()
Console.WriteLine("Hello from VB.NET!")
End Sub
End Class
// C# Class
public class CSharpClass
{
public void Hello()
{
Console.WriteLine("Hello from C#!");
}
}
// Interoperability (C# calling VB.NET)
VBNetClass vbObj = new VBNetClass();
vbObj.Hello();
// Interoperability (VB.NET calling C#)
Dim csObj As New CSharpClass()
csObj.Hello()
VB.NET allows late binding where the object type is determined at runtime, offering flexibility in code:
Option Strict Off
Dim dynamicObj As Object = New Foo()
dynamicObj.Bar() ' Calls Bar() on Foo class.
Additionally, VB.NET supports optional parameters with default values right in the method signature:
Public Sub PrintGreeting(Optional ByVal greeting As String = "Hello")
Console.WriteLine(greeting)
End Sub
VB.NET allows you to directly include XML literals in your code—a handy feature when working with XML data:
Dim books As XElement = _
<books>
<book title="The Catcher in the Rye" author="J.D. Salinger" />
<book title="To Kill a Mockingbird" author="Harper Lee" />
</books>
VB.NET, being a part of the .NET family, harmoniously coexists and benefits from the ecosystem's frameworks and libraries. Here are some notable mentions that let you unleash the power of VB.NET:
Windows Forms lets you create visually stunning, event-driven desktop applications with VB.NET:
Imports System.Windows.Forms
Public Class MainForm
Inherits Form
Public Sub New()
Text = "Hello, world!"
StartPosition = FormStartPosition.CenterScreen
End Sub
Public Shared Sub Main()
Application.Run(New MainForm())
End Sub
End Class
ASP.NET brings the magic of VB.NET to web development, enabling you to create fast and dynamic web pages:
<%@ Page Language="VB" %>
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<title>ASP.NET with VB.NET</title>
</head>
<body>
<form runat="server">
<asp:Label ID="GreetingLabel" runat="server" Text="" />
<br />
<asp:Button ID="GreetButton" runat="server" Text="Click me!" OnClick="GreetButton_Click" />
</form>
</body>
</html>
' Code-behind (VB.NET)
Protected Sub GreetButton_Click(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As EventArgs)
GreetingLabel.Text = "Hello from ASP.NET and VB.NET!"
End Sub
Entity Framework makes database operations a walk in the park, with its object-relational mapping capabilities:
' Define your entity class
Public Class Book
Public Property Id As Integer
Public Property Title As String
Public Property Author As String
End Class
' Define your DbContext derived class
Public Class LibraryContext
Inherits DbContext
Public Property Books As DbSet(Of Book)
End Class
' Perform CRUD operations
Using ctx As New LibraryContext()
' Add a book
ctx.Books.Add(New Book With {.Title = "1984", .Author = "George Orwell"})
ctx.SaveChanges()
' Query books
Dim books = ctx.Books.ToList()
End Using
VB.NET stands strong as a versatile player in the world of programming languages. With its expressive syntax, interoperability, and seamless integration with the .NET ecosystem, it continues to provide an engaging and powerful platform for developers seeking rich functionality and readability.
So, go forth and explore the mesmerizing maze of VB.NET! There's no limit to the wonders you'll discover in this enchanting language.
Grok.foo is a collection of articles on a variety of technology and programming articles assembled by James Padolsey. Enjoy! And please share! And if you feel like you can donate here so I can create more free content for you.