◄Contents►  ◄Index►  ◄Back►
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 Keyword Syntax
 
 ■ Visual Basic uses the following syntax conventions for keywords:
 
   Item                Description
   ══════════════════  ═════════════════════════════════════════════════════
   KEYWORD             Items in capital letters(1) indicate Visual Basic
                       reserved words: statements, functions, and other
                       keywords that are a required part of the syntax,
                       unless they are enclosed in brackets. You must spell
                       keywords correctly. See: ◄Visual Basic Reserved Words►
   argument            Items in lowercase are placeholders for information
                       you must supply in the statement, such as a file,
                       form, or  control name.
   [item]              Items inside square brackets are optional; you do not
                       have to use them in the statement.
   {this | that}       Braces and a vertical bar indicate a choice between
                       two or more items. You must use one of the items in
                       the statement unless the braces are enclosed in
                       square brackets.
   item, item, ...     Ellipses indicate that more of the preceding items can
                       be used in a single-line statement.
   beginning KEYWORD   Vertical ellipses are used to describe multiline or
   .                   block-structured statements; other statements can be
   .                   used between the beginning and the end of the block.
   .
   ending KEYWORD
   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
   (1) Uppercase and lowercase syntax conventions are used to help you read
       the syntax rules for a statement. They are not capitalization rules.
 
 ■ Here is an example of the PRINT method syntax:
 
   [form.][picturebox. | PRINTER.]PRINT [USING formatstring$;]
   [expressionlist] [{,|;}]
 
   • form                  Optional reference to the name of the form; if
                           omitted, implicit form reference is used
   • picturebox            Optional reference to name of picture box control;
                           if omitted, implicit form reference is used
   • PRINTER               Optional reference to PRINTER object
   • PRINT                 Required keyword
   • USING formatstring$   Optional USING keyword followed by formatstring
   • expressionlist        Optional expressionlist to print
   • , | ;                 Separators to choose from when specifying
                           multiple expressions
 
 ■ The following PRINT statements are all syntactically correct:
 
         PRINT
         PRINT x
         PRINT x, y + 1
         PRINT x,
         PRINT x;
         PRINT x + y + z, a - 1, b / 2;
 
 See: ◄Shortcut Keys►             ◄Using Dialog Boxes►
      ◄Using Menus and Commands►  ◄Using Help►