And

A logical operator joining two logical expressions into one compound logical expression. All conditions connected by the And operator must be TRUE for the compound condition to be TRUE. Example:

Number >= 2 And Number <=10

You can use AndAlso as well.

Argument or Parameter

A value you pass to a function or to a procedure, so it has data to work with.

An argument can be a constant, a variable, or some other expression.

Array or Vector

An indexed group of related data. Elements within an array must be of the same data type (such as all integers or all strings), and each element has a unique, sequential index number.

Vector is a single-column array.

Assignment statement

A statement, for example txtName.Text = "My Name" that assigns a value to a variable or property.

Basic Modular Programming Structures:

•Sequence: A series of statements to be executed one after another.

•Branch: it is a structure that executes different statements depending on certain conditions. You can use If...Then...Else, or Select Case...

•Loop: A a structure to repeat statements while certain conditions are met.

•Subprogram (also known as Sub or Function): A routine that allows us to structure a program by breaking it into smaller units.

Boolean expression

An expression that evaluates to either True or False. Examples:

txtDeposit.Text = "" Or txtInterest.Text = ""

Class

A class is a blueprint for an object. A class is a blueprint or prototype that defines the variables and the methods common to all objects of a certain kind.

Comment

Text added to code that explains how the code works. In Visual Basic, a text like this can start with either an apostrophe (') or with the Rem keyword followed by a space.

Compiler

Converts entire program into machine code. Example: Visual Basic compiler.

Debugging

The process of finding and fixing errors in a program.

Dim

Used to declare variables of a specified type. Form:

Dim Var1 As Type, Var2 As Type, Var3 As Type

All variables must be declared before they can be used.

Event procedure

A place in a project (a subprogram) where code is written to respond to an event. Event procedures are named by joining the object name with the event name, such as btnMyButton_Click(...).

Exit

Used in conjunction with loop, function and subroutine identifiers will cause execution to prematurely leave that loop, function or procedure. Forms are Exit For, Exit Function, Exit Sub. You can also use Return.

Focus

The state in which an object can receive input from the mouse or keyboard. At any given time, only one object can have focus; this object is usually highlighted with a different color and contains the text cursor, where appropriate.

Function

A procedure, beginning with Function functionname() and ending with End Function, that accepts zero, one or more arguments, and returns a value to the calling procedure when it's complete.

Inheritance

Inheritance is the ability to define a new class that inherits the behaviors (and code) of an existing class. A programmer can simply create a new object that inherits many of its features from existing objects. This makes object-oriented programs easier to modify. For example, a label placed on a form inherits the characteristics of the form object, like BackColor property.

Method

A method is a predefined Visual Basic .NET procedure that you can call (or invoke) when needed. It can retrieve some object characteristics or manipulate its variables (properties). Example:

txtInterest.Clear() - a method which clear the text box named txtInterest

MyString.Padleft(15) - a method which will pad the string MyString to the left with blanks to make it 15 characters long.

Object

Objects are the central idea behind OOP. An object is a bundle of variables and related methods. Software objects are often used to model real-world objects you find in everyday life.

Or

This logical operator joins two well defined logical expressions to form a compound logical expression. Only one of the conditions connected by the Or operator needs to be true for the compound condition to be true. Example:

Number < -4 Or Number > 3

Sub

A procedure, beginning with Sub subname() and ending with End Sub.

Syntax

Rules for combining symbols of a computer language. Important elements of syntax might include spelling, spacing, and punctuation.

Variable

A named storage location that can contain data that can be modified during program execution. Each such location has a name that must begin with an alphabetic character.