Introducing Visual Basic and the .NET Framework

• Introduction to the .NET Framework 4
• Creating Projects Within Visual Studio 2010
• Writing a Visual Basic Application
• Building a Graphical Application
• Documenting an Application
• Debugging Applications by Using Visual Studio 2010

Using Visual Basic Programming Constructs

• Declaring Variables and Assigning Values
• Using Expressions and Operators
• Creating and Using Arrays
• Using Decision Statements
• Using Iteration Statements

Declaring and Calling Methods

• Defining and Invoking Methods
• Specifying Optional Parameters and ByRef Parameters

Handling Exceptions

• Handling Exceptions
• Raising Exceptions

Reading and Writing Files

• Accessing the File System
• Reading and Writing Files by Using Streams

Creating New Types

• Creating and Using Modules and Enumerations
• Creating and Using Classes
• Creating and Using Structures
• Comparing References to Values

Encapsulating Data and Methods

• Controlling Visibility of Type Members
• Sharing Methods and Data

Inheriting from Classes and Implementing Interfaces

• Using Inheritance to Define New Reference Types
• Defining and Implementing Interfaces
• Defining Abstract Classes

Managing the Lifetime of Objects and Controlling Resources

• Introduction to Garbage Collection
• Managing Resources

Encapsulating Data and Defining Overloaded Operators

• Creating and Using Properties
• Creating and Using Indexers
• Overloading Operators

Decoupling Methods and Handling Events

• Declaring and Using Delegates
• Using Lambda Expressions
• Handling Events

Using Collections and Building Generic Types

• Using Collections
• Creating and Using Generic Types
• Defining Generic Interfaces and Understanding Variance
• Using Generic Methods and Delegates

Building and Enumerating Custom Collection Classes

• Implementing a Custom Collection Class
• Adding an Enumerator to a Custom Collection Class

Using LINQ to Query Data

• Using the LINQ Extension Methods and Query Operators
• Building Dynamic LINQ Queries and Expressions

Integrating Visual Basic Code with Dynamic Languages and COM Components

• Integrating Visual Basic Code with Ruby and Python
• Accessing COM Components from Visual Basic