FAQ: Non-technical Questions About Visual Basic 3.0

• Microsoft Visual Basic Standard and Professional Editions for Windows, version 3.0

SUMMARY

This article covers some of the most Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about non-technical issues for Microsoft Visual Basic 3.0 for Windows. You can find this and other FAQ articles by querying on the keyword "FAQ" in the Microsoft Knowledge Base.

MORE INFORMATION

Below is a list of questions and answers that this article addresses.

1. What is Visual Basic?



2. What is the current version of Visual Basic for Windows?



3. What are the differences between the Visual Basic 3.0 Standard and Professional Editions?



4. Where can I get the latest updates for Visual Basic files?



5. What is the Knowledge Base? What are the Qxxxxx numbers that people refer to and where can I find Microsoft article?



6. What can you tell me about the next version of...



7. What is Visual Basic for Applications (VBA)?



8. What do I do if I have a problem with Visual Basic 3.0?



9. What else could I do for assistance?



10. Where else can I get information about Visual Basic?



11. How do I send suggestions for product features/improvements to Microsoft?



12. If I register, will I be notified of fixes, workarounds, and bugs?

Questions and Answers

1. Q. What is Visual Basic?
   
   A. Visual Basic is a programming language developed by Microsoft to be the fastest way to create Windows applications. It provides a point- and-click integrated development environment that allows users to create a custom user interface without a single line of code. Code can be added to the forms and controls to cause them to respond to the user's actions. Visual Basic (VB) was designed from the start to be extensible and there are currently hundreds of VBXs (Visual Basic eXtensions) on the market (commercial, shareware, and free) to implement new features.
   
   Visual Basic 3.0 includes the Access 1.1 Jet engine, which allows Visual Basic to connect to Access, FoxPro, Paradox, BTrieve, and dBASE databases. The data control and data-aware controls allow you to access your database via controls with little or no code. The Data Manager is a utility that can help you design your databases. The Setup Wizard helps you create distribution disks for your applications.



2. Q. What is the current version of Visual Basic for Windows?
   
   A. Visual Basic for Windows is currently at version 5.0 with Service Pack 3. Visual Basic 5.0 for Windows ships in a Control Creation, Learning, Professional, and Enterprise Editions. Visual Basic 3.0 for Windows shipped in a Standard and Professional Edition.



3. Q. What are the differences between the Visual Basic 3.0 Standard and Professional Editions?
   
   A. The features of the Professional and Standard Editions are the same. Programs written in either will be identical. Differences consist entirely of additional features available in the Professional Edition.
   
   For additional information, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   Q113334 : Differences Between VB 3.0 Standard & Professional Editions




4. Q. Where can I get the latest updates for Visual Basic 3.0 files?
   
   A. All of the updates to Visual Basic 3.0 files have been documented in a Knowledge Base article. For additional information, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   Q104863 : UPD: List of Updated Files for Visual Basic 3.0




5. Q. What is the Knowledge Base? What are the Qxxxxx numbers that people refer to and where can I find Microsoft article?
   
   A. The Knowledge Base is a collection of articles written by Microsoft Support Engineers (and others) on a wide range of product- specific issues. It is designed to attempt to put all of the "known" issue information at your fingertips. The Qxxxxx numbers are the ID numbers of the articles. You use this number when searching the Knowledge Base.
   
   You can find the Knowledge Base on the following services:
   
   
   • Microsoft's World Wide Web Support Site on the Internet
     
     Visit the support.microsoft.com home page, and follow the instructions on that page.
     
     For additional information about downloading, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
     
     Q115780 : VB3: VB Articles on ftp.microsoft.com on the Internet
   
   
   



6. Q. What can you tell me about the next version of ...
   
   A. Stop! The answer is, we can not tell you anything. We cannot discuss unannounced products. That is standard Microsoft policy. Individuals involved in Beta testing our products are bound by a similar non- disclosure agreement, which requires that they not discuss the product.



7. Q. What is Visual Basic for Applications (VBA)?
   
   A. Visual Basic Programming System, Applications Edition is an edition of Visual Basic designed specifically to provide rich development capabilities for applications. VBA is incorporated into such products as Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Word. For more information about Visual Basic for Applications please visit the following web site:
   
   http://www.microsoft.com/vba



8. Q. What do I do if I have a problem with Visual Basic 3.0?
   
   A. Microsoft Visual Basic 3.0 is a discontinued product and there is no longer technical support available for this product per the Microsoft Support Obsolescence Policy found at:
   
   http://www.microsoft.com/support/supportnet/suppobsolescence.htm
   
   If you have technical support questions regarding Visual Basic 3.0, you may search for answers in the Microsoft Knowledge Base, the Knowledge Base still contains articles regarding Visual Basic 3.0.



9. Q. What else could I do for assistance?
   
   A. Read the manuals. The Visual Basic manuals cover every keyword and most common programming situations. This information is also available in the online Help files.
   
   Look in the Knowledge Base. The Microsoft Developer Knowledge Base is a tremendous resource for dealing with Microsoft products. Developer Support Engineers at Microsoft create solutions and explain problems or techniques that come up in the course of using Microsoft products. These discussions are written up into articles and placed into the Knowledge Base which is periodically updated.
   
   Look at the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) list. This file is one of several FAQs made available to the public by Microsoft Technical Support. Its goal is to answer only the most commonly asked questions as succinctly as possible. These FAQs are divided by technical areas in Visual Basic. Even if you're a long-time MSBasic native, these FAQs will be useful if only to steer beginners to the quick answers.
   
   Isolate the problem. Isolating the problem often leads to the solution.



10. Q. Where else can I get information about Visual Basic?
    
    For technical information regarding Visual Basic, visit the Microsoft Visual Basic World Wide Web site at:
    
    http://www.microsoft.com/vbasic
    
    For more in-depth technical information regarding Visual Basic, visit the Visual Basic owners area at:
    
    http://premium.microsoft.com/vbasic
    
    For information about Visual Basic Technical Support Resources:
    
    http://support.microsoft.com/support/vbasic



11. Q. How do I send suggestions for product features/improvements to Microsoft?
    
    A. There are several ways to provide feedback:
    
    
    1. Write to us at:
       
       Attn: Microsoft Wish
       One Microsoft Way
       Redmond WA, 98052
    
    
    
    2. On the World Wide Web at:
       
       http://register.microsoft.com/regwiz/regwiz.asp
    
    
    
    3. Send us e-mail:
       
       mswish@microsoft.com
       
       -or-
       
       vbwish@microsoft.com
    
    
    



12. Q. If I register, will I be notified of fixes, workarounds, and bugs?
    
    A. Microsoft's policy is to notify customers when a new version of the product is released, such as from Word 6.0 to Word 6.0a. This has not occurred with Visual Basic for Windows 3.0. When a small component of the product is modified to address specific problems, we have found it more efficient for all concerned to release that information as a Knowledge Base article. The Knowledge Base article Q104863 lists all of the updates to Visual Basic for Windows, and how to obtain them. You can also search the Knowledge Base using the keyword UPD to obtain a list of articles describing updates.
    
    The essence is that we send out notices of product UPGRADES (for example, 3.0 to 3.0a, or 3.0 to 3.1) but not fixes (the mail traffic would be prohibitive). However, you can search on the keyword BUGLIST and FIXLIST in the Microsoft Knowledge Base and pull up articles for any particular product which tell about all the bugs we know of and what the fixes or workarounds are.

Additional query words: kbVBp300 kbNoKeyWord

Keywords          : kbVBp300 
Version           : 3.0
Platform          : WINDOWS 
Issue type        : 

Last Reviewed: June 2, 1999