View our videos which have information on how to use Flying Logic and the purpose behind the program. Visual Logic - Project 1 Introduction This project lays the foundation for programming as a problem- solving technique. Basic concepts of input and outp Like Operator (Visual Basic). BizSpark (for startups) DreamSpark. Visual Basic/Getting Started - Wikibooks, open books for an open world. Hello World. Select Standard. Open. Open VB's Project menu and click Add Module. Copy or type the Main subroutine shown above into the new code module. Go to VB's Project menu again and click the Project. Properties item (it should be the last item in the menu). In the Project Properties dialog box you should find a dropdown list labeled Startup Object, click there and choose Sub Main. Go to the Run menu and click Start (or press F5) to run the program. VB might ask if you want to save, just say no this time. The running program will show the words Hello World! VB programs can be written using other text editors, which must then be converted to executable code (compiled and linked) by the programmer. The VB IDE allows a programmer to write code and test it immediately, converting the source program to executable code as needed (on the fly). As the name implies, creation, editing, compiling, and linking are all integrated in this development environment. The top of the IDE window shows VB's menu bar (see screenshot). Common menu categories (File, Edit, Help, etc.) as well as items specific to creating code (Project, Debug, Run) provide the text interface for the IDE. Visual Logic, creates executable flowcharts. As with any modern programming language, Visual Basic supports many common programming constructs and language elements. This guide describes all the major elements of programming with Visual Basic. Contains documentation on.Commonly used menu items are provided as toolbar buttons directly below the menu bar. As initially configured, four dockable windows also appear in the IDE's application space; the Project Explorer, Properties Window, Form Layout Window, and Toolbox. These and other supplied windows may be floated above the IDE, or docked to the sides, top, or bottom of the IDE application space as may be convenient for the programmer. Clicking on the title bar of a dockable window and dragging it around will dock, or undock, the window at will. Availability. The visual interface is created by adding controls from the Toolbox to the Form Layout Window. To add a control to a form; click on the desired control in the Toolbox and then click and drag its bounding rectangle on the representation of the Form in the Form Layout Window. When you release the mouse button after the click and drag operation, the selected control will appear on the form. Clicking on a control, or the form, in the Form Layout Window highlights the control (or form) with sizing handles. You can use the sizing handles to change the Left, Top, Height, and Width properties of a control or the Height and Width properties of a form. A highlighted control can be dragged to other positions on the form simply by clicking on the control and dragging it into place. A highlighted control can also be copy and pasted to reproduce additional identical controls on the form. Clicking and dragging around multiple controls (a lasso operation) will highlight them all as a group, which can then be moved as a group, or copy and pasted as a group, as may be needed. Code Editing. The title text of a code module window shows the project and module name. Two dropdown lists show the objects accessible to that module (General) and the subroutines (Declarations) associated with the selected object in the General list. In a form's code module, the General list will list all of the controls that have been placed on the form. Each control has its own set of events and methods, which will populate the Declarations list upon selection of any control. These two windows combined help the programmer locate specific code for events and methods in the program. In small programs, the editors can be scrolled up and down to find a desired routine to work on. In large programs finding the right spot can be much more difficult, where these two lists bring the programmer to the desired location using a few clicks of the mouse. The code editors will show the program as one long text document, or it can show the program a single routine at a time. The two buttons in the lower left of the code module window allow the programmer to set his/her view preference. The code editors can be split into two views by moving the small bar in the upper right of the editing area. The two views show two different views of the same code module. Again, in larger programs, it may be helpful to see one section of the code in the module while working on another area of the code in the module. The split view mode allows the programmer to keep one section of the code in view while creating a new method or function. VB Project Files. The filename extension (. The project file (. With VB installed correctly, double clicking on a project file will bring the entire project into a new instance of the VB IDE, while double clicking on a form (. IDE. Typically, loading a single file from a multi file project (other than the project file) will not have all the information required to allow the program to run. However, in many cases, short test code, code written to test out some small idea, is best kept in its own module (and file) where it can be loaded and discarded at will. Such code can be added, removed, or edited, until it is perfected (debugged) and copied into the real program modules. Immediate Window. Setting breakpoints to stop the program at specific lines can help, as can sending printed values to a second window. VB provides a dockable window for text called the Immediate Window. It is available under the View menu or you can press CTRL+G to bring it into view. It is called the Immediate Window because it can be used to execute BASIC commands immediately. For example: When you type that line into the Immediate Window and press Enter, VB interprets that line as a VB command and executes the command. In this case it prints the number 3. You may find it listed either way in this literature. IDE NOTE: It should be noted that running a program using the VB IDE is not identical to running a stand alone executable program. The program running inside the IDE is running as a sub- process of the IDE. There are a few small connection and timing issues associated with running as a sub- process. On the whole, however, a program run in the IDE will look and feel like the finished program, but to fully test a program as the user will see it, it is advisable to create the program executable (. Parts of a Visual Basic Program. The . Caption property changes the text on the title bar of the window, and the . Min. Button and . Max. Button properties show or hide the minimize and maximize buttons. Different window styles such as Dialog boxes, Tool. Windows, and standard Forms; as well as some allowed user actions such as resizing and minimizing; are controled by the form's . Border. Style property. It is a common practice to name a form with frm< Form. Name> (ex: frm. Main, or frm. Alert). Components. Components are pre- compiled code modules used by other program writers with/without knowledge and understanding of the details of its inner workings. Pre- compiled components provide reuseable code that has already been written and debugged. Components can be code only (. DLL) or have a visual component that can be placed on a form (. VBX and . OCX). VB supplies many commonly used components (Button, Textbox, Listbox, etc.) as controls in the Toolbox. An event is an activity that occurs during a program's execution usually in response to the user's actions, such as a mouse click or a keypress. An event causes a procedure to execute. You the programmer can decide what code (if any) you want to place within the different event procedures. Controls. The Properties window initially appears on the right edge of the main window and contains all the names of the editable properties as well as their current values. Some control properties are only editable while the program is running, some are only editable while in design mode. Buttons. Each button should contain code, which is added by you, the programmer. Upon clicking the button, the user will be instructing the program to execute that portion of code. For example, you could set it so when pressed, the program will make a message box that says . Good programming styles generally use cmd< Button. Name> when naming a button. Text boxes. This text does not have to be typed in directly by the programmer, but could come from other sources such as database fields, text files or data the user will type in while the program is running. Although the default value for this is the name of the control, it can be set to anything including . Text box names are prefixed with txt, eg; txt< Box. Name>. Labels are one of the most used Visual Basic objects. They are often used to label other controls (textboxes, images, etc.) or provide feedback to the user. They are usually named like lbl< Label. Name>. Timers are interesting and easy to learn. If you want the program to perform a certain task after a certain amount of time, the Timer is there to help you out. Their only event procedure is . The most common steps to use Timers is as simple as follows: 1. Add a timer to the form and give it a name. Set the time interval in the Properties window to some value above 0. Double click the timer and add the code you want executed at the set intervals. Timers have very few properties too. This is a possible use of timer: (To see it in action add a Command button, Shape control, and Timer to a new form. Then set the Timer. Interval property using the Properties window. Copy the code below into the form's code module and press F5 to run the program.)Private. Sub. Command. 1. The flash interval is determined by the Timer's Interval property. Timer. Interval is measured in milliseconds. Here is another timer example of a counter: '***************************************************************** *'APRON TUTORIAL PRESENTED BY MORROWLAND *'***************************************************************** *'Project Name : Timer * * Project Description : Using Timer and'Counter * * Project Type : Visual Basic * * Author : Ronny Andr. Enginursday: Visually Programming Arduino - News. Visual programming languages are a unique way to introduce tyro programmers to thinking like a programmer. Here are some of the great tools we've discovered that enable visual programming for Arduino. Jimb. 0October 1. UTC3. 7 Favorited. Favorite. 0I got my first taste of programming with RCX Code and an old Mindstorms RCX 1. I really admire visual programming languages for their ability to introduce younger folks to programming. With color coded operators, geometrically shaped data types, and no semicolons (!), visual languages have a unique ability to make programming a more intuitive experience. And with the (admittedly necessary) annoyances of syntax removed, more of your programming focus can be directed towards solving the actual problem. On the National Tour, and just browsing the Internet, this is a form of programming I’ve been encountering a lot lately. So, in this week’s Enginursday post, I wanted to introduce a couple of exciting visual programming tools that are specifically geared toward the physical computing we love. Ardu. Block. A month or so ago, a coworker of mine (hi Brian!) showed me a beta release of Ardu. Block. Ardu. Block is a programming environment designed to make “physical computing with Arduino as easy as drag- and- drop.”It’s really neat how Ardu. Block ties the visual, drag- and- drop programming into actual Arduino programming. The software acts as a “tool” for the Arduino IDE. After drawing up your sketch and hitting upload, the software simply parses your block diagrams and turns it into real Arduino code. Then it compiles and uploads to your board normally. You can scroll through the generated code, compare it to your visual code, and even make your changes there. It has a lot of potential to be an amazing educational tool. Ardu. Block gets bonus points because it’s an open- source project, with development ongoing (last commit days ago!). In less than a month, the software has grown by leaps and bounds. It’s a project that’s continually improving. If you’re looking for a nifty, graphical alternative to Arduino programming, I’d encourage you to check Ardu. Block out! On the National Tour, I’ve had a few chances to see Ardu. Block in action. In a workshop last weekend at the (seriously amazing) . The workshop was a great success – seven hours of programming, zero compiling errors. It didn’t take much instruction before the students quickly took off on their own, creating cool projects like a tap- input metronome, “monster detector,” or a miniature police siren. Ardu. Block allowed the kids to focus everything they had into creating rather than debugging, and that’s what makes visual languages so special. Scratch For Arduino. There are a a variety of visual languages out there, and Scratch is near the top of the list, turning kids into budding animators and game designers. But (unless you have a Pico. Board) it’s tough to integrate with LEDs, motors, real- world sensors, and the like. Enter Scratch for Arduino. The sprites and animating tools are still there, but there are also digital/analog I/O blocks, motor controls, and streaming updates from the analog inputs. S4. A differs quite a bit from Ardu. Block. It uses a firmata- type of protocol to interface between actual executed code and the Scratch program you’ve drawn up. There are pros and cons there: Written code takes effect instantly, but you’re always tethered to the USB port. For any kids who are already better Scratch creators than I’d ever be (which is a lot, judging by what we’re seeing on the tour), S4. A is a perfect sidestep over into the physical world. Thoughts? Visual languages aren’t for everybody or every situation. As a “text” programmer, learning Ardu. Block proved frustrating at times. There are some constraints (the “repeat”/for loop can only initialize a variable with value 1, and increment by 1 each time) and annoyances (arrays references begin at 1 instead of 0) to get used to, just as with any language. But they still seem like an amazingly powerful tool to introduce beginners of all ages to programming and critical thinking. Are there any other visual programming tools out there we could be using alongside S4. A and Ardu. Block in our educational pursuits (Labview?)? With tablets, and touchscreens taking the world by storm, are graphical languages something us text- programming dinosaurs need to adjust to? Any other thoughts on the subject?
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
December 2016
Categories |