Datasheet

At this point, there is no need to cover each menu topic in great detail. You will become familiar with
each of them as you progress through the book. Here is a quick rundown of what activities each menu
item pertains to:
❑ File: It seems every Windows program has a File menu. It has become the standard where you
should find, if nothing else, a way to exit the application. In this case, you can also find ways of
opening and closing single files and whole projects.
❑ Edit: The Edit menu provides access to the items you would expect: Undo, Redo, Cut, Copy,
Paste, and Delete.
❑ View: The View menu provides quick access to the windows that exist in the IDE, such as the
Solution Explorer, Properties window, Output window, Toolbox, and so on.
❑ Project: The Project menu allows you to add various files to your application such as forms and
classes.
❑ Build: The Build menu becomes important when you have completed your application and
want to run it without the use of the Visual Basic 2005 environment (perhaps running it directly
from your Windows Start menu, as you would any other application such as Word or Access).
❑ Debug: The Debug menu allows you to start and stop running your application within the
Visual Basic 2005 IDE. It also gives you access to the Visual Studio 2005 debugger. The debugger
allows you to step through your code while it is running to see how it is behaving.
❑ Data: The Data menu helps you to use information that comes from a database. It appears only
when you are working with the visual part of your application (the [Design] tab will be the
active one in the main window), not when you are writing code. Chapters 15 and 16 will intro-
duce you to working with databases.
❑ Format: The Format menu also appears only when you are working with the visual part of your
application. Items on the Format menu allow you to manipulate how the controls you create
will appear on your forms.
❑ Tools: The Tools menu has commands to configure the Visual Studio 2005 IDE, as well as links
to other external tools that may have been installed.
❑ Window: The Window menu has become standard for any application that allows more than
one window to be open at a time, such as Word or Excel. The commands on this menu allow
you to switch between the windows in the IDE.
❑ Community: The Community menu provides access to developer resources, where you can ask
questions, search for code snippets, and send product feedback.
❑ Help: The Help menu provides access to the Visual Studio 2005 documentation. There are many
different ways to access this information (for example, via the help contents, an index, or a
search). The Help menu also has options that connect to the Microsoft Web site to obtain
updates or report problems.
The Toolbars
Many toolbars are available within the IDE, including Formatting, Image Editor, and Text Editor, which
you can add to and remove from the IDE via the View ➪ Toolbars menu option. Each one provides quick
access to often-used commands, preventing you from having to navigate through a series of menu
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