Cheat Sheet
Visual Basic.NET All-in-One Desk Reference For Dummies
Visual Basic.NET helps even those with no programming experience write sophisticated programs for Windows with ease. Becoming familiar with the Visual Basic.NET naming conventions and data types sets you on the road to programming whatever you like, and discovering the shortcut keys the VB.NET editor gets you to your destination even faster.
Standardized Naming Conventions for Visual Basic .NET
When you’re programming, names are important. If you’re programming with Visual Basic .NET, the following table can be a major help in getting the names right. It gives the common prefix to use when naming objects so you can quickly tell your check boxes from your combo boxes and your radio buttons from your record sets.
| Prefix | Corresponding Object | Example | Prefix | Corresponding Object | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acd | ActiveDoc | AcdMainPage | Hpl | HyperLink | HplURL |
| Chk | CheckBox | ChkBoldface | Lbl | Label | LblContents |
| Cbo | ComboBox | CboDropper | Lst | ListBox | LstNames |
| Cm | ADO command (database) | CmMyCommand | Pag | Page | PagTurn |
| Cmd | CommandButton | CmdExit | Pgf | PageFrame | PgfRule |
| Cmg | CommandGroup | CmgSelectOne | Prj | ProjectHook | PrjSuzerine |
| Cn | Connection (database) | CnMyConnex | Rb | RadioButton | RbBlueBackground |
| Con | Container | CntFramed | Rs | Recordset (database) | RsTotalSales |
| Ctr | Control | CtlSeeThis | Sep | Separator | SepZone |
| Fld | Field (database) | FldTitles | Spn | Spinner | SpnWatch |
| Frm | Form | FrmColors | Txt | TextBox | TxtAddress |
| Frs | FormSet | FrsTypeIn | Tmr | Timer | TmrAnimation |
| Grd | Grid | GrdGoods | Tbr | ToolBar | TbrDropThis |
| Grc | Column (in grid) | GrcQuantity | Tbl | Table (database) | TblTitles |
| Grh | Header (in grid) | GrhYearsResults |
Shortcut Keys for the Visual Basic .NET Editor
Visual Basic .NET not only helps you program like a pro even if you have no programming experience at all, it offers many handy tools to help. One of those tools is a whole range of shortcut keys you can use to cut, copy, and generally direct a program to do what you want it to. The command names, functions, and the shortcut keys are in the following table.
| Command Name | Shortcut Keys | Behavior |
|---|---|---|
| Edit.Copy | Ctrl + C Ctrl + Insert |
Copies the currently selected item to the Clipboard. |
| Edit.Cut | Ctrl + X Shift + Delete |
Removes the currently selected item, but saves a copy in the Clipboard in case you want to paste it somewhere. |
| Edit.GoToNextLocation | F8 | Moves the cursor to the next item. |
| Edit.GoToPreviousLocation | Shift + F8 | Moves the cursor to the previous item. |
| Edit.GoToReference | Shift + F12 | Displays the reference of the selection in the code window. |
| Edit.OpenFile | Ctrl + Shift + G | Displays the Open File dialog box. |
| Edit.Paste | Ctrl + V Shift + Insert |
Pastes the contents of the Clipboard at the insertion point. |
| Edit.Redo | Ctrl + Shift + Z Ctrl + Y Shift + Alt + Backspace |
Restores the previously undone action. |
| Edit.SelectionCancel | Esc | Cancels the current operation or closes a dialog box. |
| Edit.Undo | Alt + Backspace Ctrl + Z |
Reverses the last editing action. |
| File.Print | Ctrl + P | Displays the Print dialog box so you can specifiy printer settings. |
| File.SaveAll | Ctrl + Shift + S | Saves all documents in the current solution. |
| File.SaveSelectedItems | Ctrl + S | Saves all documents in the current solution. |
| Tools.GoToCommandLine | Ctrl + / | Places the caret in the Find/Command box on the Standard toolbar. |
| View.NextTask | Ctrl + Shift + F12 | Moves to the next task in the Task List window. |
| View.ViewCode | F7 | Displays the selected file (in Solution Explorer) in the Code Editor window. |
| View.ViewDesigner | Shift + F7 | Displays the selected file in the Design. (Simply double-clicking the filename in Solution Explorer is easier.) |
| View.WebNavigateBack | Alt + left-arrow | Displays the previous page in the viewing history. |
| View.WebNavigateForward | Alt + right-arrow | Displays the next page in the viewing history. |
Visual Basic .NET Data Types
Visual Basic .NET (VB .NET) lets you get right to the basics without having to wade through translators. The following table shows you the data types VB .NET uses, as well as their CLR structure, storage size, and value ranges. Use the info for good, not evil!
| Visual Basic Type | Common Language Runtime Type Structure | Storage Size | Value Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boolean | System.Boolean | 2 bytes | True or False |
| Byte | System.Byte | 1 byte | 0 to 255 (unsigned) |
| Char | System.Char | 2 bytes | 0 to 65535 (unsigned) |
| Date | System.DateTime | 8 bytes | January 1, 0001 to December 31, 9999 |
| Decimal | System.Decimal | 16 bytes | +/-79,228,162,514,264,337,593,543,950,335 with no decimal point; +/-7.9228162514264337593543950335 with 28 places to the right of the decimal; smallest non-zero number is +/-0.0000000000000000000000000001 |
| Double (double- precision floating-point) | System.Double | 8 bytes | -1.79769313486231E+308 to 4.94065645841247E-324 for negative values; 4.94065645841247E-324 to 1.79769313486231E+308 for positive values |
| Integer | System.Int32 | 4 bytes | -2,147,483,648 to 2,147,483,647 |
| Long (long integer) | System.Int64 | 8 bytes | -9,223,372,036,854,775,808 to 9,223,372,036,854,775,807 |
| Object | System.Object (class) | 4 bytes | Any type can be stored in a variable of type Object |
| Short | System.Int16 | 2 bytes | -32,768 to 32,767 |
| Single (single-precision floating-point) | System.Single | 4 bytes | -3.402823E+38 to -1.401298E-45 for negative values; 1.401298E-45 to 3.402823E+38 for positive values |
| String (variable-length) | System.String (class) | Depends on implementing platform | 0 to approximately 2 billion Unicode characters |
| User-Defined Type (structure) | (inherits from System.ValueType) | Sum of the sizes of its members | Each member of the structure has a range determined by its data type and independent of the ranges of the other members |
