Programming In Visual Basic.

NET
Lesson 4:
Menus, Sub Procedures and Sub Functions
Menus Control
• The Menus control allows developers to create and manage
menus in their applications.
• Menus provide a way for users to access various features
and commands in a structured and organized manner.
• The most common types of menus in VB.NET applications
are the
• MainMenu
• ContextMenu (or ContextMenuStrip).
Menus Control
• Menu Bar
• Drop-down list of commands
• Have properties
• Have events to write code for

• Add MainMenu control to form

• Appears in the Component Tray, pane at bottom of Form
Designer where nondisplay controls are shown
• Words "Type Here" appear at the top of the form

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Menu control
• Click on Menus & Toolbars to
expand the list of controls
• Double click on the MenuStrip
to open the menu editor in
your form
• See next slide for sample
screen

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Menu Designer Initially

Type first Menu here

MainMenu Control
appears in
Component Tray

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Using the Menu Designer
• To create the menus • You are entering the Text
simply type where the property for a MenuItem
words "Type Here" object
• Change MenuItem object
appear at the top of the names in the Properties
form Window to include mnu
• Include & symbol as prefix
you type to indicate
Keyboard Access Keys.
Example &File

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Submenus
•Popup to the right of the menu
•Filled triangle to the right of the menu item
indicates to the user the existence of a
submenu
•Avoid more than one level deep
•Create submenus by moving to the right of a
menu item and typing the next item's text

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SubMenus (cont.)

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Other options

Right click on the menu item Document Outline (Example)

Enable/Disable the menu

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Other options
Menu Properties
•Text
•Name, prefix = mnu
• Examples: mnuFileExit, mnuHelpAbout,
mnuFormatColorRed
•Checked, True/False Enabled, True/False
•Visible, True/False

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Menu Design Standards
• Follow the industry standards for
Windows for names,
order/location, access keys,
shortcut keys
• Basic Main Menus

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Writing a simple code.

• Double click on the “Exit”

• Write the above code.

• Note: you need to write code

for each of the items in the
menu.
Working with Container
Controls in VB.NET

1. Select the tab Control

2. Go to Property  Tab Pages  Collection
Windows Common
Dialog Boxes (dlg prefix)
•Predefined standard dialog boxes for:
• File Open and Saving
• Printing and Previewing
• Color selection
• Font selection
•Add the Common Dialog control to form
• Appears in the Component Tray, pane at bottom
of Form Designer where nondisplay controls are
shown

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Common dialog class inheritance

Common
Dialog

Color Font Print Page Setup

File Dialog
Dialog Dialog Dialog Dialog

Open File
Dialog

Save File
Dialog
ColorDialog
FontDialog
OpenFile Dialog
General Procedures
• Reusable code which can be called from multiple
procedures
• Useful for breaking down large sections of code
into smaller units
• Two Types
• Sub Procedure performs actions. Sub procedures are
procedures that do not return any value.
• Function performs actions AND returns a value

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Creating & Using Sub Procedures
• In the Editor Window enclose the lines of code with
Private Sub and End Sub statements
• Modifiers − specify the access level of the procedure; possible values
are - Public, Private, Protected, Friend, Protected Friend and
information regarding overloading, overriding, sharing, and
shadowing.
• SubName − indicates the name of the Sub
• ParameterList − specifies the list of the parameters

Syntax: Example:
[Modifiers] Sub SubName [(ParameterList)]
[Statements]
End Sub

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Calling Event Procedures
•Reusable code
•General Form
• [Call] ProcedureName ( )

•Examples
• Call btnCalculate_Click (x)
OR
• btnCalculate_Click (x)

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Passing Arguments to
Procedures
• Declare as local variable in
1st procedure (calling
procedure)
• Must be declared locally as
same data type expected
by Sub Procedure (called
procedure)
• Name of local variable does
not need to match name in
Sub Procedure argument
list
• Number of arguments and
order must match

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Passing ByVal or ByRef
• ByVal (default)
• Sends a copy, original cannot be altered

• ByRef
• Sends a reference to the memory location where the
original is stored and therefore the original can be altered

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Sub Procedure Example 2
Functions versus Sub Procedures
•Sub Procedures
• Can receive passed values (arguments)
• Performs actions
•Functions
• Can receive passed values (arguments)
• Performs actions
• Returns a value of a specific data type to the
procedure that called it originally

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Creating & Using Functions
• In the Editor Window enclose the lines
of code with Private Function and End Function
statements
• To use the Function, Call it by using it in an
expression

Function FunctionName ( ) As Datatype

' Statements to execute
End Function

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Functions - Return Values
• To return a value to the calling procedure set up a
return value
• The return value will be placed by VB in a variable
with the SAME name as the Function's name
OR
• Use the Return statement to return the value

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Function without return statement
•Syntax:
[Modifiers] Function FunctionName [(ParameterList)] As
ReturnType
[Statements]
End Function
Function with return statement
Function Example

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Passing value from Form1 to
Form2
Passing value from Form1 to
Form2