COURSE OUTLINE:

Overview

• Software Applications

• Components of an Application

Skills:

• Define the term “software application.”

• Briefly describe the purpose of some common computer applications, such as device drivers, data-analysis applications, games, office productivity tools, utilities, and multimedia applications.
• List the components of an application and explain the function of user interface, code, data, and algorithms.

TOP

Application Development

• Approaches to Application Development

• The Development Process
• Defining the Problem
• Designing the Application
• Writing the Solution Code
• Refining the Design

Skills:

• Briefly describe some approaches to application development, including chaotic, structured, modular, and object-based approaches.

• Explain the process of software development.

TOP

Designing Program Logic

• Program Logic Design Tools

• Designing Program Logic
• Modularizing Functionality
• Program Flow

• Lab: Creating a Windows application

Skills:

• Briefly describe some of the tools used to design program logic.

• Use flowcharting to design a solution to a problem.
• Design a simple input/output algorithm.
• Design a simple decision-making algorithm.
• Design a simple looping algorithm.
• Briefly describe the advantages of modularizing functionality.

TOP

Programming Syntax

• Keywords and Constants

• Operators

• Intrinsic Statements and Functions

• Documenting Your Code

• Using the Immediate Window

• Lab: Hello World

Skills:

• Identify Visual Basic keywords and constants, and describe their usage.

• Use operators to perform mathematical operations, value comparisons, string concatenations, and logical operations.
• Use Visual Basic intrinsic statements and functions to perform actions.
• Display messages to your users with a dialog box by using the MsgBox statement.
• Identify and correct syntax errors in code.
• Find Help files while programming by using context-sensitive Help.

TOP

Procedures and Modules

• Procedures

• Modules

Skills:

• Differentiate between a subroutine and a function.

• Differentiate between a general subroutine and an event subroutine.
• Define and create a module.
• Create a subroutine.
• Call a subroutine from the Immediate window.

TOP

Data Storage

• Types of Storage

• Variables
• Data Types
• Objects
• Using Variables
• Constants

• Lab: Accepting and Displaying Data

Skills:

• Differentiate between temporary and permanent storage.

• List types of permanent storage.
• Define a variable.
• Identify different data types.
• Define an object.
• Declare a constant.
• Populate a variable by using an InputBox function.
• Define NULL.
• Differentiate between implicit and explicit variable declarations.
• Assign values to variables.

TOP

Advanced Data Storage

• Arrays

• Scope and Lifetime
• Parameters and Return Values
• Data Type Validation
• Practice: Identifying Data Types and Scope

Skills:

• Define an array, and use integer and string arrays to store data.

• Define a variable scope and differentiate between local and global variables.
• Identify return values and parameters of functions and procedures.
• Perform data type validation.

TOP

Operators

• Comparison Operators

• Logical Operators
• Mathematical Operators
• Precedence

• Lab: Finding the Average Rainfall

Skills:

• Identify and explain the different types of comparison operators.

• Identify and explain the different types of logical operators.
• Identify and explain the different types of mathematical operators.
• Identify precedence of comparison and mathematical operators.

TOP

Decision-Making Constructs

• If...Then Constructs

• Select Case Constructs
• Using Decision-Making Constructs for Data Validation
• Logical Errors

• Lab: Determining the Minimum and Maximum of a Set of Input Numbers

Skills:

• Identify the appropriate use of IF constructs and SELECT constructs.

• Use the AND and OR logical operators with decision-making constructs.
• Validate user input by using range, length, empty, and NULL checks.
• Identify logic errors in decision-making constructs.

TOP

Looping Constructs

• The DO Construct

• The FOR Construct
• Exiting a Loop
• Logical Errors

• Lab: Accepting and Displaying Strings from an Array

Skills:

• Identify the appropriate use of DO constructs and FOR constructs.

• Use EXIT to exit a loop.
• Identify logic errors in looping constructs.
• Stop program execution by pressing CTRL+BREAK.

TOP

Adding a User Interface to an Application

• Forms

• Controls
• Control Properties
• Event-Driven Programming
• Coding Event Procedures

• Lab: Creating the Rainfall User Interface

Skills:

• State the purpose of a form and the purpose of the Form_Load and Form_Unload events.

• Identify simple Visual Basic controls, such as the Command Button, Label, and Text Box controls.
• Set control properties in a program.
• Define an event.
• Write an event procedure.

TOP

COM Programming

• COM architecture

• Creating a COM object
• Creating a COM object server
• Advanced COM topics

• Lab: Creating a COM object

Skills:

• Describe the architecture of COM.

• Explain COM interfaces.
• Explain how COM works.
• Build a COM object.
• Explain how Automation works.
• Describe the role of ActiveX Template Library.
• Explain the architecture of distributed COM (DCOM).
• Describe COM+.

TOP

Windows NT Services

• Introduction to Windows NT service architecture

• Programming a Win32 service
• Developing a service control program

• Lab: Creating a Windows NT service

Skills:

• Explain the Windows NT services architecture.

• Explain how to create a service application.
• Compare and contrast a UNIX daemon to a Windows NT service.

TOP

Performance Measurement Tools for Win32-based Applications

• Process Viewer (PView)

• Performance Monitor
• Profiler
• Visual Studio Analyzer

• Lab: Performance-tuning a Win32 application

Skills:

• Use PView to monitor running processes and see processor priority and usage, thread processor usage, and virtual-memory consumption.

• Use the Performance Monitor to detect and display dynamic system resource utilization.
• Use the Profiler to report on function coverage and timing and line coverage.
• Use the Visual Studio Analyzer to identify performance bottlenecks within a Windows NT application and graphically represent the application flow.

TOP

PARTICULARS:
 

Cost:	£1750 ( € 2625) excluding VAT
Platform:	Windows NT
Numbers:	Maximum of 6 people on each course at F1’s training facilities in London and Bath