Microsoft Visual Basic 2010 Step by Step eBook

248 Part II Programming Fundamentals

To share variables and procedures among all the forms and event procedures in a project,

you can declare them in one or more modules included in the project. A module is a special

file that has a .vb file name extension and contains variable declarations and procedures that

can be used anywhere in the program.

Like forms, modules are listed separately in Solution Explorer. Unlike forms, modules contain

only code and don’t have a user interface. And although modules have some similarities

with classes, they are unlike classes in that they are not object-oriented, do not define the

structure and characteristics of objects, and cannot be inherited. (You’ll learn more about

creating classes in Chapter 16, “Inheriting Forms and Creating Base Classes .”)

Creating a Module

To create a new module in a program, you click the Add New Item button on the Standard

toolbar or click the Add New Item command on the Project menu. (You can also click the

Add Module command on the Project menu .) A dialog box opens, in which you select the

Module template and specify the name of the module. A new, blank module then appears

in the Code Editor. The first module in a program is named Module1 .vb by default, but you

can change the name by right-clicking the module in Solution Explorer, selecting Rename,

and typing a new name. You can also rename a module by changing the File Name property

in the Properties window. Try creating an empty module in a project now.

Create and save a module

1. Start Microsoft Visual Studio 2010, and then create a new Visual Basic Windows Forms
   Application project named My Module Test.
   The new project is created, and a blank form opens in the Designer.


2. Click the Add New Item command on the Project menu.

The Add New Item dialog box opens.

3. Scroll down the list of common templates in the central pane, and then select the
   Module template.
   The default name, Module1 .vb, appears in the Name text box, as shown on the
   following page:

Tip The Add New Item dialog box offers several templates that you can use in your

projects. Each template has different characteristics and includes starter code to help

you use them. Visual Studio includes many useful Windows Forms templates, including

Explorer Form, Splash Screen, and Login Form, plus numerous class-related templates.

You’ll use these templates after you read the introductory material about object-oriented

programming in Chapter 16.