Learn how to create graphical user interface (GUI) applications using **Windows Forms** (WinForms) in VB.NET. We will go over controls, events, and how to use the Form designer to build interactive applications.
🖥️ Example Code: Basic WinForms Application
This example demonstrates a simple button click event in a WinForms application.
Console output will appear here...
💡 Pro Tip: Use the Form designer to drag and drop controls (buttons, labels, textboxes) and automatically generate event handlers in the code behind!
🔧 WinForms Controls
Windows Forms applications are built using controls. Here's a list of some basic controls you'll work with:
Button: Triggers actions when clicked.
Label: Displays text.
TextBox: Allows user input.
ComboBox: Provides a drop-down list of options.
CheckBox: Represents an on/off option.
RadioButton: Allows the user to select one option from a set of choices.
ListBox: Displays a list of items.
DataGridView: Displays tabular data.
🧠 Handling Events
Events are triggered when users interact with controls. Here's an example of how to handle the **Click** event for a button:
Event output will appear here...
📝 In **WinForms**, each control has its own set of events. For example, Click, TextChanged, MouseHover, etc.
🔑 Adding Controls in the Designer
In Visual Studio, you can use the **Form Designer** to drag and drop controls onto your form. Here’s how to add a button:
Open the **Toolbox** (usually on the left side in Visual Studio).
Drag a Button from the toolbox and drop it onto the form.
Double-click the button to automatically create a Click event handler in the code behind.
In the generated code, write the logic to execute when the button is clicked.
🧰 Example: Building a Simple Calculator
This example demonstrates how to create a simple calculator that adds two numbers:
Calculator output will appear here...
💡 Use **Convert.ToInt32()** to convert user input from a TextBox to an integer before performing calculations.
⚠️ Debugging Tips
Breakpoints: Use breakpoints to pause code execution and inspect variables.
Immediate Window: Type commands in the Immediate window during debugging to evaluate expressions.
Error Handling: Use Try...Catch to handle runtime errors, such as invalid input from users.
📚 Conclusion
WinForms is an easy-to-use GUI framework for building desktop applications in VB.NET. By combining controls, events, and logic, you can create rich interactive apps. Play around with the designer and experiment with different controls to build your own projects!
📷 Adding Images to Your Form
Adding images to your Windows Forms application can enhance the user interface. Here's how you can insert an image on your form:
First, add an PictureBox control from the Toolbox.
Next, set the Image property of the PictureBox to the image you want to display. You can do this by selecting the image from your project folder or setting it via code.