Standard Visual Basic vs Visual Basic for Applications

[Deb Rutan]

I've recently purchased Front Page and understand that I can code with Visual
Basic as part of this software package.

1. What does Front Page contain: Standard Visual Basic or VBA?
2. Do either or both work with Visual Studio?
3. Is Visio different from Visual Studio?

 

[Mark Nelson [MS]]

Front Page and Visio are both Microsoft Office applications that contain VBA
(Visual Basic for Applications). These programs are productivity
applications first and programming platforms second.

Visual Studio is a pure programming application. (All it does is let you
write other programs.) Older versions of Visual Studio included support for
Standard Visual Basic as a programming language. Current versions include
support for Visual Basic.NET.

There are some similarities between VBA and Visual Basic that often let you
use the same code with both. Visual Basic.NET is fairly different from
these languages and the code is not easily shared. Visual Studio does not
have any support for VBA.

To make things a bit more confusing, a version of Visual Studio (the
Enterprise Architect edition) includes a copy of Visio with the program.
This version is not as recent as the Microsoft Office Visio version but has
some extra functionality for software and database modeling.

 

[Deb Rutan]

Thanks, Mark; very helpful.
Just want to clear up a few more points:
(4) So Visual Basic.net is a newer version of VBA?
and
(5) Is The community group folder of this discussion group area of MS titled
"Visio" referring to Visual Studio?

 

[Al Edlund]

Deb,
this the Visio community, not the VS community
VBA and VB.Net are different enough that in the MS documents they sometimes
refer to it as being a 'new' language. Usually we think of VBA for
applications, VB(6) as the legacy visual basic, and VB.Net for those that
want to do something with the web. Discussion beyond this tends to get
'religious' on which is better in what scenarios.
)
have a great one,
al

 

[Lori Pearce \(MSFT\)]

"VB.Net for those that want to do something with the web."

VB.Net is not just for the web. It's managed VB (VB6 is native or unmanaged
VB).

Al is correct that VBA is closer to VB6 than VB.NET. VB.NET, C# and managed
C++ are all languages of the .NET platform.

 

[Deb Rutan]

Thanks Al; now I know that Visio and VS are not the same thing.

But I couldn't leave it at that--in case some other new soul doesn't know
either,
Visio is described (from a Google search) as "Microsoft Visio 2002 is a
diagramming software that is used to create flowcharts, organization charts,
network diagrams, database diagrams, ... "

Visual Studio is an IDE (Individual Development Environment) which allows
programmers of several computer languages (you buy the specific program
plug-ins separately) to use a visual (point and click) environment to develop
software through its life cycle.

Any chance there's a discussion group for Visual Studio? I don't see one
listed.

 

[Al Edlund]

try doing a search in newsgroups for vsnet or dotnet...
al
ps Lori, I warned it was religion.....
al

 

[RobertWendellKenney]

I have a more primitive question:
What file extension do I use to open ".bas" files from my old GW Basic? I
gather that I should visit VB.Net. Any other website?
Need urgent help to get that $25 million Global Warming Virgin Airways Al
Gore Prize and save Humanity from certain disaster.
Robert Wendell Kenney of Oak Lawn Illinois

 

[Al Edlund]

you might check this out

http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/vbrun/default.aspx

al