FAQ: Non-technical Questions About Visual Basic 5.0

• Microsoft Visual Basic Control Creation, Learning, Professional, and Enterprise Editions for Windows, version 5.0

SUMMARY

This article covers some of the most Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about non-technical issues for Microsoft Visual Basic for Windows. You can find this and other FAQ articles by querying on the keyword "FAQ." You can find additional general references in the Microsoft Knowledge Base by searching on "article list."

MORE INFORMATION

Questions

The following questions are answered in this document:

1. What is Visual Basic?

   Microsoft Visual Basic version 5.0 for Windows?

   Enterprise Editions?

   refer to and where can I find a Microsoft Knowledge Base article?

    user/developer?

    Microsoft?

Answers

1. Q. What is Visual Basic?

   A. Visual Basic is a programming language developed by Microsoft to be
   the fastest way to create Windows applications. It provides a point-
   and-click integrated development environment that allows users to create
   a custom user interface without a single line of code. Code can be added
   to the forms and controls to cause them to respond to the user's
   actions. Visual Basic (VB) was designed from the start to be extensible
   and there are currently hundreds of ActiveX controls on the market
   (commercial, shareware, and freeware) to implement new features.

   Visual Basic includes advanced features such as native code compilation,
   high-speed database access, and an improved development environment. In
   addition, the component creation capabilities of the ActiveX
   technologies in Visual Basic 5.0 allow the more than three million
   developers using Visual Basic to quickly create component-based
   applications targeting the Internet, intranet, and traditional
   client/server environments.

2. Q. Where do I get Visual Basic?

   A. To order Microsoft Visual Basic or other Microsoft Visual Tools, or
   to receive a reseller referral, in the United States or Canada, call
   (800) 621-7930, Dept. A334WB. Outside the United States and Canada,
   please contact your local Microsoft subsidiary.

3. Q. Where can I place an order or get upgrade and pricing information
   about Microsoft Visual Basic version 5.0 for Windows?

   A. A list of estimated retail prices for Visual Basic 5.0 products is
   available at http://www.microsoft.com/visualtools/uspricing.htm. Contact
   your local Microsoft reseller for exact pricing and availability. For
   the name of a local Microsoft reseller, in the United States and Canada,
   call (800) 621-7930.

4. Q. What is the current version of Visual Basic for Windows?

   A. Visual Basic for Windows is currently at version 5.0. There has been
   no upgrade to this version although there have been some updated files
   posted (listed elsewhere in this document). Visual Basic for Windows
   ships in Learning, Professional, and Enterprise Editions.

5. Q. What are the differences between the Standard, Professional, and
   Enterprise Editions?

   A. The core features of the Learning, Professional, and Enterprise
   Editions are the same. The Learning Edition is the latest edition of the
   version 5.0 product line and is designed for people who have never
   programmed before. This edition comes complete with Visual Basic 5.0, as
   well as a self-paced, interactive CD-ROM tutorial.

   The Professional Edition contains all the features of the Learning
   Edition with advanced features such as native code compilation, high-
   speed database access, and an improved development environment. In
   addition, the component creation capabilities of the ActiveX
   technologies in Visual Basic 5.0 will allow the more than three million
   developers using Visual Basic to quickly create component-based
   applications targeting the Internet, intranet, and traditional
   client/server environments.

   The Enterprise Edition is specifically designed to address these unique
   requirements by integrating all of the tools and support systems needed
   for successful enterprise application development, deployment,
   debugging, tuning, and support. This edition also ships with Microsoft
   Visual SourceSafe, a project-oriented version control system.

   For more information about Visual Basic, see the Visual Basic Web site
   at http://www.microsoft.com/vbasic

6. Q. Where can I get the latest updates for Visual Basic files?

   A. You can identify available updates by searching for the pointer
   article in the Knowledge Base (described elsewhere in this document).
   Search on the keyword UPD or SOFTLIB. To get the latest release of
   Visual Basic updated files, download the appropriate file (the updates
   are all stored as self-extracting .EXE files) from the Microsoft
   Software Library (MSL).

   ARTICLE-ID: Q119591
   TITLE     : How to Obtain Microsoft Support Files from Online Services

7. Q. What is the Knowledge Base? What are the Qxxxxx numbers that people
   refer to and where can I find a Microsoft Knowledge Base article?

   A. The Knowledge Base is a collection of articles written by
   Microsoft Support Engineers (and others) on a wide range of
   product-specific issues. The Knowledge Base is designed to attempt to
   put all of the "known" issue information at your fingertips. The Qxxxxx
   numbers are the ID numbers of the articles. You use this number when
   searching the Knowledge Base.

   You can find the Knowledge Base on Microsoft's World Wide Web Site on
   the Internet:

   On the www.microsoft.com home page, click the Support icon. Click
   Knowledge Base and follow the instructions on that page.

8. Q. How do I find a summary of Knowledge Base articles by topic?

   A. Search for the text "Article List" in the title text, and a group of
   articles is retrieved that lists other Knowledge Base articles grouped
   by topic.

9. Q. What can you tell me about the next version of Visual Basic?

   A. The answer is, we can tell you nothing. We cannot discuss
   unannounced products: That is the standard Microsoft policy. Individuals
   involved in Beta testing our products our bound by a similar
   non-disclosure agreement, which requires that they not discuss the
   product.

10. Q. What is Visual Basic for Applications?

   A. Visual Basic for Applications is the edition of the Microsoft Visual
   Basic programming system that is designed to provide rich development
   capability from within an application environment. Originally released
   as part of Microsoft Excel, Visual Basic for Applications was added to
   Microsoft Project in 1994 and to Microsoft Access in 1995. With this
   integration, these applications became full-fledged development
   platforms that more than three million Visual Basic developers worldwide
   could immediately access and use. Visual Basic for Applications made it
   easier and faster for developers to customize these applications and to
   write extensions and add-ons for their customers. Because these custom
   solutions were built with Visual Basic (and not a proprietary macro
   language), they could integrate easily with other desktop applications.

   For more information about Visual Basic for Applications, go to
   http://www.microsoft.com/vba/about/solutions.htm

11. Q. What do I do if I have a problem with Visual Basic?

   A. You have a number of options for assistance from Microsoft as well
   as other developers. They include:

    - Standard No-Charge Support by telephone
    - Standard No-Charge Support via the Internet
    - Pay-Per-Incident Support
    - Priority Annual Support
    - Priority Plus
    - Consult Line
    - Premier Support
    - Authorized Support Centers
    - Microsoft Solution Providers

   For more information about these different support options, see
   http://www.microsoft.com/supportnet

12. Q. What should I do before I ask for help?

   A. Read the manuals. The Visual Basic manuals cover every keyword and
   most common programming situations. This information is also available
   in the online Help files.

   Look in the Knowledge Base. The Microsoft Developer Knowledge Base is a
   tremendous resource for dealing with Microsoft products. Developer
   Support Engineers at Microsoft create solutions and explain problems or
   techniques that come up in the course of using Microsoft products. You
   can access the Knowledge Base through the Visual Basic Support Home
   Page at http://www.microsoft.com/vbasicsupport.

   Look at the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) list. This file is one of
   several FAQs made available to the public by Microsoft Developer
   Support. Its goal is to answer only the most commonly asked questions
   as succinctly as possible. These FAQs are divided by technical areas in
   Visual Basic. Even if you're a long-time MSBasic native, these FAQs
   will be useful if only to direct beginners to the quick answers. These
   FAQs are available at the Visual Basic Support Home Page at
   http://www.microsoft.com/vbasicsupport

   Isolate the problem. Isolating the problem often leads to the solution.

13. Q. Where else can I get information about Visual Basic?

    A. Download files are available from the Microsoft Software Library
   (MSL).

   ARTICLE-ID: Q119591
   TITLE     : How to Obtain Microsoft Support Files from Online Services

   Other potential sources of Visual Basic information include:

    - ftp.microsoft.com:
      /softlib/mslfiles
      /msdn
      /msdn/vbtech
      /devtools/lang/vb/public

   Microsoft has three services for customers on the Internet:

   www.microsoft.com     World-Wide-Web Server
   gopher.microsoft.com  Gopher Server
   ftp.microsoft.com     FTP server

   All three servers are registered in the Internet's Domain Name Service
   (DNS), so customers merely have to reference any of the servers by
   name:

   ftp ftp.microsoft.com
   In mosaic connect to:  http://www.microsoft.com
   In gopher connect to:  gopher.microsoft.com, port 70, type 1

   For additional information, please see the following article in the
   Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   ARTICLE-ID: Q120734
   TITLE     : Microsoft Windows NT Internet Servers

14. Q. What are some books that might be of use to a Visual Basic
   user/developer?

    A. There are hundreds of relevant books for Visual Basic and
   programming in general, but to name a few:

   Title:       Visual Basic 5.0 Programmer's Guide to the Win32 API
   Author:      Daniel Appleman
   ISBN:        1-56276-446-2
   Publisher:   Ziff Davis Press

   Title:       Microsoft® Visual Basic® 5.0 Programmer's Guide
   Author:      Microsoft Corporation
   ISBN:        1-57231-604-7
   Publisher:   Microsoft Press

   Title:       Visual Basic 5 Step by Step
   Author:      Michael Halvorson
   ISBN:        1-57231-435-4
   Publisher:   Microsoft Press

   Title:       Active Visual Basic® 5.0
   Author:      Guy Eddon, Henry Eddon
   ISBN:        1-57231-512-1
   Publisher:   Microsoft Press

15. Q. How do I apply for the beta program?

    A. You can request to become a beta site by writing to:

    Microsoft Corporation
    Attn: XXXX Beta Test Administrator
    One Microsoft Way
    Redmond, WA 98052-6399

    Where XXXX is the product you want to apply for. Various products
    within Microsoft have varying capacity to respond to those who are
    not elected. Unfortunately, due to the volume of requests, the Visual
    Basic group is not able to inform those who were not selected for the
    beta.

16. Q. Where can I find out more about Visual Basic certification?

    A. For information regarding the Microsoft Certified Professional
    program, the developer certification, or the Visual Basic or Access
    exams, please refer to the Microsoft Training and Certification Web
    site at http://www.microsoft.com/train_cert.

17. Q. How do I send suggestions for product features/improvements to
    Microsoft?

    A. Contact the Microsoft Wish Line at (425) 936-WISH [936-9474].

    If it takes more than two minutes to describe, you can:

    a. Fax it to us at 425-936-7329
    b. Write to us at:

      Attn: Microsoft Wish
      One Microsoft Way
      Redmond WA, 98052

Keywords          : ssint ssvb VB4ALL VB4WIN vbwin GnrlVb kbprg kbfaq
Technology        : kbvba
Version           : WINDOWS:5.0
Platform          : NT WINDOWS
Solution Type     : kbfile