Intro

Visual Basic is one of the most widely used programming languages in the world. The
major reason for its popularity is that it allows programmers to create Windows applications
quickly and easily.
The origins of Visual Basic are found in a programming language created in 1964 by John
Kemeny and Thomas Kurtz. BASIC (Beginners All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code) was
originally an interpreted language that was designed to simplify the programming process
and make programming more accessible to the world at large.

Like the BASIC programming language, Visual Basic was designed for an easy learning curve.
Programmers can create both simple and complex GUI applications. Programming in VB is a
combination of visually arranging components or controls on a form, specifying attributes and
actions for those components, and writing additional lines of code for more functionality. Forms
are created using drag-and-drop techniques. A tool is used to place controls (e.g., text boxes,
buttons, etc.) on the form (window). Controls have attributes and event
handlers associated with them. Default values are provided when the
control is created, but may be changed by the programmer. Many attribute
values can be modified during run time based on user actions or changes
in the environment, providing a dynamic application. For example, code
can be inserted into the form resize event handler to reposition a control so
that it remains centered on the form, expands to fill up the form, etc. By
inserting code into the event handler for a keypress in a text box, the
program can automatically translate the case of the text being entered, or
even prevent certain characters from being inserted.

Characteristics
(i) There are no line numbers as in earlier BASIC, code is grouped into subroutines or
methods
(ii) Code comments are done with a single apostrophe (') character.
(iii) Integers are automatically promoted to reals in expressions that involve the normal
division operator ( / ) so that division of one integer by another produces the
intuitively correct result

Using it
The process of creating a program in Visual Basic can be clearly
described in three stages: (1) Draw the interface on the screen by
adding controls. (2) Define important characteristics of the
controls. (3) Write code to determine how a control will react to
user actions.
In the first step, the programmer creates the
interface using an on-screen drawing tool. Windows
controls, such as buttons and input boxes, are
added to a workspace using an application similar
to Paint (the standard Windows drawing utility). Almost all of the
standard Windows interface components are available by default.
More advanced controls, such as status bars, can also be
added.
Every control has a set of characteristics that make it unique.
In addition to the properties, every type of control has different
ways that the user can interact with it.

Derived Languages
VBA
VBscript
Visual Basic .NET
Openoffice Basic
Gambas