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| name = Visual Basic
| logo = VB.NET Logo.svg
| year = {{Start date and age|2001}}
| designer = [[Microsoft]]
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| implementations = [[.NET Framework SDK]], [[Roslyn (compiler)|Roslyn Compiler]] and [[Mono (software)|Mono]]
| influenced_by = [[Visual Basic (classic)|Classic Visual Basic]]
| influenced = [[Microsoft Small Basic|Small Basic]], [[Mercury (RemObjects BASIC programming language)|Mercury]]
| typing = [[Dynamicly typed|Static]], [[Strong and weak typing|both strong and weak]],<ref name="option strict explicit" /> [[Type system#Safely and unsafely typed systems|both safe and unsafe]],<ref name="option strict explicit" /> [[Nominative type system|nominative]]
| dialects = Microsoft Visual Basic
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| platform = [[.NET Framework]], [[Mono (software)|Mono]], [[.NET]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/vbteam/2018/11/12/visual-basic-in-net-core-3-0/|title=Visual Basic in .NET Core 3.0|first=Kathleen|last=Dollard|website=blogs.msdn.microsoft.com|date=November 13, 2018|access-date=November 21, 2018|archive-date=November 19, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181119070011/https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/vbteam/2018/11/12/visual-basic-in-net-core-3-0/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="devblogs-2020-03-11">{{cite web |url=https://devblogs.microsoft.com/vbteam/visual-basic-support-planned-for-net-5-0/ |title=Visual Basic support planned for .NET 5.0 | Visual Basic Blog |publisher=Blogs.msdn.microsoft.com |date=2020-03-11 |access-date=2020-08-26 |archive-date=January 5, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220105022953/https://devblogs.microsoft.com/vbteam/visual-basic-support-planned-for-net-5-0/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
| operating_system = Chiefly [[Windows]]<br/>Also on [[Android (operating system)|Android]], [[BSD]], [[iOS (Apple)|iOS]], [[Linux]], [[macOS]], [[Solaris (operating system)|Solaris]], and [[Unix]] <!-- Mono implementations, remember? -->
| license = [[Roslyn (compiler)|Roslyn]] compiler: [[
| website = {{URL|https://docs.microsoft.com/dotnet/visual-basic/}}
| file_ext = <code>.vb</code>
}}
'''Visual Basic''' ('''VB'''), originally called '''Visual Basic .NET''' ('''VB.NET'''), is a [[Multi-paradigm programming language|multi-paradigm]], [[Object-oriented programming|object-oriented]] [[programming language]]
Microsoft's [[integrated development environment]] (IDE) for developing in Visual Basic is [[Visual Studio]]. Most Visual Studio editions are [[commercial software|commercial]]; the only exceptions are [[Visual Studio Express]] and [[Microsoft Visual Studio#Community|Visual Studio Community]], which are [[freeware]]. In addition, the [[.NET Framework SDK]] includes a freeware [[command-line]] [[compiler]] called vbc.exe. [[Mono (software)|Mono]] also includes a command-line VB.NET compiler.
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The Windows Forms library is most commonly used to create GUI interfaces in Visual Basic. All visual elements in the Windows Forms class library derive from the Control class. This provides the minimal functionality of a user interface element such as ___location, size, color, font, text, as well as common events like click and drag/drop. The Control class also has docking support to let a control rearrange its position under its parent.
Forms are typically designed in the [[Visual Studio]] [[Integrated development environment|IDE]]. In Visual Studio, 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 [[Attribute (computing)|attributes]] and [[
== Syntax ==
{{Expand section|date=April 2014}}
Visual Basic uses [[Statement (computer science)|statements]] to specify actions. The most common statement is an expression statement, consisting of an [[Expression (computer science)|expression]] to be evaluated, on a single line. As part of that evaluation, [[subroutine|functions or subroutines]] may be [[System call|called]] and [[Variable (programming)|variables]] may be [[assignment (computer science)|assigned]] new values. To modify the normal sequential execution of statements, Visual Basic provides several control-flow statements identified by reserved keywords. [[Structured programming]] is supported by several constructs including two conditional execution constructs (<code>If</code> ... <code>Then</code> ... <code>Else</code> ... <code>End If</code> and <code>Select Case</code> ... <code>Case</code> ... <code>End Select</code> ) and
In addition, in Visual Basic:
* There is no unified way of defining blocks of statements. Instead, certain keywords, such as "If
* Statements are terminated either with a [[Colon (punctuation)|colon]] (":") or with the [[end of line]]. Multiple-line statements in Visual Basic are enabled with " _" at the end of each such line. The need for the underscore continuation character was largely removed in version 10 and later versions.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff637436.aspx |title=New Features in Visual Basic 10 |date=June 3, 2010 |access-date=September 5, 2015 |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304231731/https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff637436.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref>
* The [[equals sign]] ("=") is used in both assigning values to variables and in comparison.
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</syntaxhighlight>
It prints "''Hello, World!''" on a [[command-line interface|command-line window]].
<syntaxhighlight lang="vbnet">
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</syntaxhighlight>
This is a module definition. Modules are a division of code, which can contain any kind of object, like constants or variables, functions or methods, or classes, but can
<syntaxhighlight lang="vbnet">
Sub Main()
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</syntaxhighlight>
This line performs the actual task of writing the output. ''Console'' is a system object, representing a command-line interface (also known as a "console") and granting programmatic access to the operating system's [[standard streams]].
Instead of Console.WriteLine, one could use MsgBox, which prints the message in a dialog box instead of a command-line window.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/3cf7t4xt(VS.80).aspx |title=Visual Basic Version of Hello, World |publisher=MSDN – Developer Center |access-date=January 20, 2010 |archive-date=January 11, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100111152427/http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/3cf7t4xt(VS.80).aspx |url-status=live }}</ref>
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Whether Visual Basic .NET should be considered as just another version of Visual Basic or a completely different language is a topic of debate. There are new additions to support new features, such as [[exception handling|structured exception handling]] and short-circuited expressions. Also, two important data-type changes occurred with the move to VB.NET: compared to Visual Basic 6, the <code>Integer</code> [[data type]] has been doubled in length from 16 bits to 32 bits, and the <code>Long</code> [[data type]] has been doubled in length from 32 bits to 64 bits. This is true for all versions of VB.NET. A 16-bit integer in all versions of VB.NET is now known as a <code>Short</code>. Similarly, the [[Windows Forms]] editor is very similar in style and function to the Visual Basic form editor.
The things that ''have'' changed significantly are the semantics—from those of an object-based programming language running on a [[deterministic]], [[reference counting|reference-counted]] engine based on [[Component Object Model|COM]] to a fully [[Object-oriented programming|object-oriented]] language backed by the [[.NET Framework]], which consists of a combination of the [[Common Language Runtime]] (a [[virtual machine]] using [[Garbage collection (computer science)#Generational GC (aka Ephemeral GC)|generational garbage collection]] and a [[just-in-time compilation]] engine) and a far larger [[class library]]. The increased breadth of the latter
The changes
==== Comparative examples ====
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* All procedure calls must be made with parentheses in VB.NET, whereas in Visual Basic 6 there were different conventions for functions (parentheses required) and subs (no parentheses allowed, unless called using the keyword <code>Call</code>).
* The names <code>Command1</code> and <code>Button1</code> are not obligatory. However, these are default names for a command button in Visual Basic 6 and VB.NET respectively.
* In VB.NET, the <code>Handles</code> keyword is used to make the sub <code>Button1_Click</code> a handler for the <code>Click</code> event of the object <code>Button1</code>. In Visual Basic 6, event handler subs must have a specific name consisting of the object's name (
* There is a function called <code>MessageBox.Show</code> in the <code>Microsoft.VisualBasic</code> namespace which can be used (instead of <code>MsgBox</code>) similarly to the corresponding function in Visual Basic 6. There is a controversy<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=55979|title=Visual Studio 2003 Retired Technical documentation|website=Microsoft Download Center|access-date=July 24, 2018|archive-date=December 30, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141230014657/http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa291820(VS.71).aspx|url-status=live}}</ref> about which function to use as a best practice (not only restricted to showing message boxes but also regarding other features of the <code>Microsoft.VisualBasic</code> namespace). Some programmers prefer to do things "the .NET way", since the Framework classes have more features and are less language-specific. Others argue that using language-specific features makes code more readable (for example, using <code>int</code> (C#) or <code>Integer</code> (VB.NET) instead of <code>System.Int32</code>).
* In Visual Basic 2008, the inclusion of
The following example demonstrates a difference between Visual Basic 6 and VB.NET. Both examples close the [[active window]].
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{{Main|Comparison of C Sharp and Visual Basic .NET}}
C# and Visual Basic are Microsoft's first languages made to program on the .NET Framework (later adding [[F Sharp (programming language)|F#]] and more; others have also added languages). Though C# and Visual Basic are syntactically different, that is where the differences mostly end. Microsoft developed both of these languages to be part of the same .NET Framework development platform.
== Examples ==
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CreateObject("Sapi.Spvoice").Speak(TextBox1.Text)
End Sub
End Class
</syntaxhighlight>
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== Version history ==
Succeeding [[Visual Basic (classic)|the classic Visual Basic]] version 6.0, the first version of Visual Basic .NET debuted in 2002. {{as of|2020|3 = }}, ten versions of Visual Basic .NET are released.
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=== 2003 (VB 7.1) ===
Visual Basic .NET 2003 was released with [[.NET Framework 1.1]]. New features included support for the [[.NET Compact Framework]] and a better VB upgrade [[wizard (software)|wizard]]. Improvements were also made to the performance and reliability of .NET IDE (particularly the [http://msdn.microsoft.com/msdnmag/issues/05/06/AdvancedBasics/default.aspx background compiler]) and runtime. In addition, Visual Basic .NET 2003 was available in the Visual Studio.NET Academic Edition, distributed to a certain number of scholars
=== 2005 (VB 8.0) ===
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For this release, Microsoft added many features intended to reinforce Visual Basic .NET's focus as a [[rapid application development]] platform and further differentiate it from [[C Sharp (programming language)|C#]]., including:
* ''Edit and Continue'' feature{{
* Design-time expression evaluation{{
* A pseudo-[[namespace]] called "My", which provides:<ref>{{cite web|url = http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/cc163680.aspx|title = Navigate The .NET Framework And Your Projects With The My Namespace|website = MSDN Magazine Visual Studio 2005 Guided Tour 2006|publisher = [[Microsoft]]|first = Duncan|last = Mackenzie|year = 2006|access-date = February 6, 2014|archive-date = February 15, 2014|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140215053141/http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/cc163680.aspx|url-status = live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url = http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms379610.aspx|title = My.Internals: Examining the Visual Basic My Feature|first = Tyler|last = Whitney|date = November 2005|website = [[MSDN]]|publisher = [[Microsoft]]|access-date = February 6, 2014|archive-date = June 14, 2012|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120614025325/http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms379610.aspx|url-status = live}}</ref>
** Easy access to certain areas of the .NET Framework that otherwise require significant code to access like using <syntaxhighlight lang="vbnet" inline>My.Form2.Text = " MainForm "</syntaxhighlight> rather than <syntaxhighlight lang="vbnet" inline>System.WindowsApplication1.Forms.Form2.text = " MainForm "</syntaxhighlight>
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For this release, Microsoft added many features, including:
* A true [[conditional operator]], "If(condition as
* [[Anonymous type]]s
* Support for [[Language Integrated Query|LINQ]]
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=== 2012 (VB 11.0) ===
Visual Basic 2012 was released alongside [[.NET Framework 4.5]]. Major features introduced in this version include:{{
* [[Asynchronous programming]] with "async" and "await" statements
* Iterators
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=== 2019 (VB 16.0) ===
Visual Basic 2019 (code named VB "16.0") was released with Visual Studio 2019.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/visualstudio/releases/2019/release-notes|title=Visual Studio 2019 Release Notes|last=
A minor update was later released as Visual Basic 16.9 which only added the ability to consume init-only properties.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/visual-basic/whats-new/#visual-basic-169|title=What's new for Visual Basic|website=learn.microsoft.com|date=February 21, 2023 |access-date=February 18, 2025}}</ref> This was done to maintain compatibility with C# 9.0<ref>{{cite web|url=https://devblogs.microsoft.com/dotnet/c-9-0-on-the-record/?source=post_page-----1a66d7f94a54---------------------------------------&hide_banner=true#init-accessors-and-readonly-fields|title=C# 9.0 on the record|first=Mads|last=Torgersen|website=devblogs.microsoft.com|date=November 10, 2020 |access-date=February 18, 2025}}</ref> per the current development strategy of the language.<ref name="vbstrategy">{{cite web|url=https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/visual-basic/getting-started/strategy|title=Annotated Visual Basic Language Strategy|website=learn.microsoft.com|date=May 29, 2024 |access-date=February 18, 2025}}</ref>
=== 2022 ===
Visual Basic received no updates with the release of Visual Studio 2022.<ref name="vbstrategy"/>
== Cross-platform and open-source development ==
The official Visual Basic compiler is written in Visual Basic and is available on GitHub as a part of the [[.NET Compiler Platform]].<ref>{{Citation|title=Roslyn|date=2019-04-13|url=https://github.com/dotnet/roslyn|publisher=.NET Foundation|access-date=2019-04-14|archive-date=February 22, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210222190922/https://github.com/dotnet/roslyn|url-status=live}}</ref> The creation of open-source tools for Visual Basic development has been slow compared to [[C Sharp (programming language)|C#]], although the [[Mono (software)|Mono]] development platform provides an implementation of Visual Basic-specific libraries and a Visual Basic 2005 compatible [[compiler]] written in Visual Basic,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mono-project.com/VisualBasic.NET_support|title=Redirecting…|website=www.mono-project.com|access-date=June 30, 2008|archive-date=January 30, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210130181059/https://www.mono-project.com/VisualBasic.NET_support/|url-status=live}}</ref> as well as standard framework libraries such as [[Windows Forms]] GUI library.
[[MonoDevelop]]
== See also ==
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<ref name="option strict explicit">{{cite web|title=Option Explicit and Option Strict in Visual Basic .NET and in Visual Basic|url=https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/311329|work=Support|publisher=[[Microsoft]]|access-date=August 22, 2013|date=March 19, 2008|archive-date=April 4, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150404001840/http://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/311329|url-status=live}}</ref>
}}
* {{Cite web |title=License.txt in the Roslyn repo at 0d04884 |url=https://github.com/dotnet/roslyn/blob/0d04884c243978cdd609e219fdb63cb58ebec69d/License.txt |access-date=2024-11-26 |website=GitHub |language=en}}
== Further reading ==
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