Datasheet

The key pieces of the IDE are labeled with numbers in Figure 1-1. The following list briefly describes
each of these pieces.
❑ (1) Menus — The menus contain standard Visual Studio commands. These generally manipu-
late the current solution and the modules it contains, although you can customize the menus as
needed. Visual Studio changes the menus, and their contents depending on the object you cur-
rently have selected. In Figure 1-1, a Form Designer (marked with the number 4) is open so the
IDE is displaying the menus for editing forms.
❑ (2) Toolbars — Toolbars contain tools that you can use to perform frequently needed actions.
The same commands may be available in menus, but they are easier and faster to use in tool-
bars. The IDE defines several standard toolbars such as Formatting, Debug, and Image Editor.
You can also build your own custom toolbars to hold your favorite tools. Visual Studio changes
the toolbars displayed to match the object you currently have selected.
❑ (3) Toolbox — The Toolbox contains tools appropriate for the item that you currently have
selected and for the project type that you are working on. In Figure 1-1, a Form Designer is
selected in a Windows Forms application so the Toolbox contains tools appropriate for a Form
Designer. These include Windows Forms controls and components, plus tools in the other
Toolbox tabs: Crystal Reports, Data, and Components (plus the General tab is scrolled off the
bottom of the Toolbox). You can add other customized tabs to the Toolbox to hold your favorite
controls and components. Other project types may display other tools. For example, a Web proj-
ect would display Web controls and components instead of Windows Forms components.
❑ (4) Form Designer — A Form Designer lets you modify the graphical design of a form. Select a
control tool from the Toolbox, and click and drag to place an instance of the control on the form.
Use the Properties window (marked with the number 6) to change the new control’s properties.
In Figure 1-1, no control is selected, so the Properties window shows the form’s properties.
❑ (5) Solution Explorer — The Solution Explorer lets you manage the files associated with the cur-
rent solution. For example, in Figure 1-1, you could select Form1.vb in the Project Explorer and
then click the View Code button (the icon third from the right at the top of the Solution Explorer)
to open the form’s code editor. You can also right-click an object in the Solution Explorer to get a
list of appropriate commands for that object.
❑ (6) Properties — The Properties window lets you change an object’s properties at design time.
When you select an object in a form designer or in the Solution Explorer, the Properties window
displays that object’s properties. To change a property’s value, simply click the property and
enter the new value.
❑ (7) Error List — The Error List window shows errors and warnings in the current project. For
example, if a variable is used and not declared, this list will say so.
If you look at the bottom of Figure 1-1, you’ll notice that the Toolbox and Error List windows each have
a series of tabs. The Toolbox’s other tab displays the Document Outline window, which displays an out-
line view of a project showing its forms and components.
The Error List window’s Output tab shows output printed by the application. Usually an application
interacts with the user through its forms and dialogs, but it can display information here to help you
debug the code. The Output window also shows informational messages generated by the IDE. For
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