Lesson 37

Console Application Part 1

In this lesson, you will learn how to create console applications in Visual Basic 2015 and understand how code is structured using modules and Sub Main.

← Lesson 36 Lesson 38 →

37.1 Introduction to Console Applications

Besides Windows Forms applications, Visual Basic 2015 also allows you to build console applications.

Console applications run in a text-based environment and are commonly used for:

Learning programming fundamentals
Testing logic and algorithms
Building lightweight tools

To create a console application:

Open Visual Basic 2015
Select Console Application
Click Create Project

Figure 37.1 – Creating a Console Application

37.2 Understanding the Code Structure

When a console application is created, the code is placed inside a Module. The main entry point of the program is:

Sub Main()

    ' Your code here

End Sub

All code execution begins inside Sub Main().

You can also add additional modules by:

Click Project → Add Module

Figure 37.2 – Adding Modules

37.3 Example 1: Displaying a Message

The following example displays a message using the MsgBox() function:

Sub Main()

    MsgBox("Welcome to Visual Basic 2015 Console Programming")

End Sub

When you run the program, a message box will appear displaying the message.

Figure 37.3 – Output Message

37.4 Example 2: A Looping Program

You can create loops using the Do Until...Loop structure.

Sub Main()

    Dim x As Single

    Do Until x > 10
        x = x + 1
    Loop

    MsgBox("The value of x is " & x)

End Sub

Output:

The value of x is 11

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Key Takeaways:

Console apps run in a text-based environment
Program starts from Sub Main()
Modules organize code
Loops and logic work the same as Windows Forms