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The pages on this site contain documentation for very old MS-DOS software, purely for historical purposes. If you're looking for up-to-date documentation, particularly for programming, you should not rely on the information found here, as it will be woefully out of date.

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 Building an Application
 
 ■ An application is a collection of code and visual elements that work
   together as a single program. To build an application, you create form
   modules and code modules. The project file keeps track of all forms and
   modules in one application.
 
 ■ To create an application:
 
   1. Create a new project
      From the File menu, choose New Project; if no files are loaded, your
      screen display will not change. Code modules are created in the
      programming environment. Form modules are created in the Form Designer.
 
   2. Create a new form
      From the File menu, choose New Form. This starts the Form Designer,
      where you design and create the visual elements of your application.
      See: ◄Designing Forms►  ◄MDI Applications►
 
   3. Add controls to the form
      From the Toolbox (or the Tools menu), choose the controls to place on
      the form. The controls you place on a form determine the user interface
      design for your application.
      See: ◄Controls Summary►  ◄Drawing a Control►
 
   4. Define form and control properties
      From the Properties bar, view and set property values. Property
      settings determine the appearance and behavior of forms and controls.
      See: ◄Properties Summary►  ◄Setting Form and Control Properties►
 
   5. Write code for the form and controls
      • From the File menu in the Form Designer, choose Exit to return to the
        programming environment.
      • From the Edit menu, choose Event Procedures. Event procedures are
        either invoked in response to an event caused by the user or
        triggered by the system.
        See: ◄Creating an Event Procedure►  ◄Object Events Summary►
 
   6. Save the project
      From the File menu, choose Save Project. In general, a file type is
      determined by its extension:
 
           File Type       Extension      File Type         Extension
           ═══════════     ═════════      ═════════════     ════════════════
           Code module     .BAS           Executable        .EXE
           Form module     .FRM           Include           .BI
           Library         .LIB           Quick library     .QLB
           Project         .MAK           Text              .TXT
 
   7. Run and test the application
      • From the Run menu, choose Start, or press Shift+F5. Running your code
        allows you to analyze and test it before you compile.
      • To debug your code, use the Debug and Immediate windows.
        See: ◄Debugging Programs►
 
   8. Create an executable file (.EXE)
      • From the Run menu, choose Make EXE File.
        See: ◄Creating EXE Files►
      • Stand-alone applications can also be created from the MS-DOS command
        line using the Visual Basic Compiler.
        See: ◄BC Command-Line Options►
 
 See: ◄ISAM Database Development►
      ◄Tutorial: Creating an Application►
      ◄Tutorial: Debugging Your Application►
      ◄Tutorial: How Visual Basic Works►