Datasheet

Figure 1-3

The Major Components

Now that the main components of the IDE are visible (and you have even used some!) it’s time to tell

you what each section does. You should already be familiar with menus and toolbars — they’re present

in almost every current application. The thing to be aware of in Visual Basic Express is that they’re

dynamic, and show only the commands that are appropriate to the current context. For example, the

Format menu will disappear when you’re in a code window, as it doesn’t make sense for it to be present

when you’re writing code. Similarly, the Text Window toolbar won’t show when you’re designing a

form layout.

The next major window is the Toolbox. In the next several chapters, you’ll use the Toolbox to add various

components to your applications, which should give you an idea of what each one does. Every funda-

mental component you can add to your solution can be found in the Toolbox. To add one to your form

layout, you can double-click on it or click-and-drag it to the form.

Basic Installation

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