425. Windows Forms Using Visual Basic
Rev. 4.0
This five-day course provides a practical, hands-on introduction to GUI
development using Windows Forms and Visual Basic. The course introduces database
programming in Windows, including use of Language Integrated Query (LINQ). The
course covers powerful newer Windows Forms features, such as controls, data
binding, and ClickOnce deployment for creating smart client applications. It
covers interoperability with the next-generation Windows client framework,
Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF).
The course begins with a fundamental discussion of Windows Forms architecture
and programming simple Windows Forms applications “from scratch.” Then the use
of Visual Studio 2010 and the Forms Designer is introduced, which is used
throughout the remainder of the course. Simple controls are covered, such as
buttons, labels, textboxes, checkboxes, radio buttons and group boxes. List
controls are surveyed, including list box, combo box, list view, and
DomainUpDown. Dialogs are discussed in detail, including modal and modeless
dialogs and associated controls. Menus, toolbars and status bars are covered.
Advanced topics are introduced, including parent/child and owner/owned
relationships, programming the Clipboard, visual inheritance, the
BackgroundWorker component, and ClickOnce deployment. Advanced controls are
introduced, including the tree view, tab control and SpliltContainer. Resources
are discussed, including their use in localization. The Application class is
covered. Applications settings are discussed, including use of configuration
files and the Registry. Data access and data binding are covered. The course
concludes with a chapter on Windows Forms and WPF interoperation.
Numerous programming examples and exercises are provided. The student will
receive a comprehensive set of notes and all the programming examples.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
·
Understand the fundamentals of Windows Forms
architecture
·
Acquire proficiency in the use of Visual
Studio to create professional class Windows applications
·
Gain a thorough grounding in the important
controls provided by Windows Forms
·
Learn how to implement dialogs, menus,
toolbars and status bars
·
Learn how to use advanced controls, such as
tree views, splitters and tabbed dialogs
·
Understand the use of resources and
application settings in Windows Forms applications
·
Learn how to implement data access using
ADO.NET and binding of controls
·
Use Language Integrated Query (LINQ) to
access data from Windows Forms programs
·
Learn how to interoperate between Windows
Forms and WPF
Audience: This course is designed for experienced application
developers and architects responsible for Windows applications in a Microsoft
environment.
Prerequisites: Experience programming the
.NET Framework using Visual Basic.
1.
Introduction to Windows Forms
What Are Windows Forms?
Windows Forms Class Hierarchy
Building a Form
The Application Class
Trapping Events
Buttons
Labels and Textbox Controls
2.
Visual Studio and the Forms Designer
Using the Forms Designer
Code Generated by Forms Designer
Adding Event Handlers
Creating Attractive Forms
Creating Easy To Use Forms
3.
Using Controls
Checkbox, Radio Button, and Group Box
Numeric Up/Down
Trackbar
Progress
MonthCalendar
DateTimePicker
4.
List Controls
Listbox and Combo box
DomainUpDown
ListView
Storing Objects in List Controls
5.
Working with Dialogs
Modal vs. Modeless Dialogs
Message Boxes
Common Dialogs
Creating a Modal Dialog
Configuring the Dialog Result
Access Data from the Dialog
Validating Data
Error Provider Control
Modal Dialogs
Creating a Modeless Dialog
6.
Menus, Toolbars and Status Bars
Main Menus
Context Menus
Building a Status Bar
Building a Toolbar
Using the Timer Control
7.
Advanced Windows Forms Topics
Parent/Child Relationships
Owner/Owned Relationships
Top-Most Forms
Programming the Clipboard
Visual Inheritance
BackgroundWorker Component
ClickOnce Deployment
8.
Using Advanced Controls
Panel
TreeView
TabControl
SplitContainer
WebBrowser
9.
Resources
Image Resources
Resource Files
String Resources
Working with Resources in Visual Studio
Resource Managers
Cultures and Internationalization
Building Localizable Forms
10.
Applications and Settings
Application Class
Processing and Filtering Windows Messages
Application Lifetime and Events
Configuration Files
Application Settings
Windows Registry
11.
Data Access
ADO.NET Overview
.NET Data Providers
Using DataReaders
Data Sets
Data Tables
Data Views
Interacting with XML Data
Language Integrated Query (LINQ)
Bridging Objects and Data
Using Object Relational Designer
Filtering, Ordering and Aggregation
Inserts, Deletes and Updates
12.
Data Binding
Data Binding Concept
Binding to a Control
Binding to a List
DataGrid and DataView
BindingSource
DataGridView
13.
Windows Forms and WPF Interoperation
Windows Presentation Foundation
Extensible Application Markup Language (XAML)
Mixing Forms and WPF Windows
Mixing Controls
Appendix A. Learning Resources
System Requirements
Required software is Visual Studio 2010 and SQL Server 2008 Express Edition
(bundled with Visual Studio 2010). The operating system may be Windows XP,
Windows Vista or Windows 7. IIS is required to demonstrate ClickOnce
deployment.See the appropriate course Setup Guide for details.
A good minimal hardware profile for this course consists of a 2 GHz or better
CPU, 1 GB of RAM, and at least 4 GB of free disk space for tools installation
and courseware.