Using Visual Basic Help

1

• Using Visual Basic Help

2.6
HELP for Using the Visual Basic Help System
2
Help via the F1 key

• You can use F1 to get context sensitive help on a
  selected object.Example Depress F1 key when
  Button1 is selected.View resultant screenToo
  much! View Button Help for Visual Basic only

3
Dynamic Help

• Dynamic Help provides context sensitive help
  information relevant to the operation you are
  currently performing
• i.e. All Help about a button will be displayed
  when the button is selected
• NOTE
• Dynamic Help is selected in the Help menu
• Button1 is selected on the form
• Dynamic Help appears as a tab along with the
• Solutions Explorer
• Properties tab
• Dynamic Help is not available for the Express
  Visual Studio

4
Help for Help

• FRANKLY
• The volume of help is overwhelming and rarely
  actually helps.
• At our level, its best to understand what goes
  on in class and not have to use help.
• By the time you have waded through the volume of
  help, you probably could solve your problem with
  a little trial and error effort on your part.

5

• Errors

2.7
Different types of errors can prevent your
program from producing correct results.
6
Type of Error Syntax Errors

• SYNTAX errors These are errors in the grammar of
  your program
• Missing or too much punctuation
• Referencing non-existent objects
• Using non-existent methods
• Omission of critical keywords
• The Visual Basic compiler will inform you of
  these at the time YOU make them.
• Actually, right after you click onto the next VB
  area.
• The error will be underlined with a jagged blue
  line
• A description of the error will be given in the
  Error List window
• Display the Error List window by selecting Error
  List from the View menu option
• View Syntax errors

7
Type of Error Runtime Errors

• These errors occur as your program runs. They
  can only occur after ALL syntax errors have been
  removed.
• Runtime errors produce incorrect results
• They are a result of YOU writing syntactically
  correct code that is logically
  incorrect.E.g.txtNetPay txtHoursWorked
  txtPayRate
• txtTaxesWithheld_IRS
  txtSocialSecurityWithheld

8
Errors and Debugging

• Guarantee
• YOU WILL make both types (syntax, run time) of
  errors.
• The best programmers in the world make both kinds
  of errors.
• The skill comes in
• Knowing and avoiding the novice pitfalls
• being able quickly find and fix the non-novice
  errors.
• The process of detecting and fixing run time
  errors is called debugging.

9
How to debug your program

• Use multiple sets of input data, calculate the
  expected result.Test Data

• Enter test data into programCompare
  programs results to expected results.