The Visual Basic Keywords

As with all programming languages, Visual Basic is built using keywords. You'll find these keywords in Table 2.1. These keywords are reserved for use by Visual Basic, and you use them to build your programs.

Table 2.1: The Visual Basic keywords.
#Const	#If…Then…#Else	&	&=	*
*=	/	/=	\	\=
^^=	+	+=	=	-=
Add	AddHandler	AddressOf	Alias	And
AndAlso	Ansi	AppActivate	As	Asc
AscW	Assembly	Auto	Beep	Boolean
ByRef	Byte	ByVal	Call	CallByName
Case	Catch	CBool	CByte	CChar
CDate	CDbl	CDec	Char	ChDir
ChDrive	Choose	Chr	CInt	Class
Clear	CLng	Close	CObj	Command
Const	Count	CreateObject	CShort	CSng
CStr	CType	CurDir	Date	DateAdd
DateDiff	DatePart	DateSerial	DateString	DateValue
Day	DDB	Decimal	Declare	Default
Delegate	DeleteSetting	Description	Dim	Dir
Do	Double	Each	Else	ElseIf
End	Enum	Environ	EOF	Erase
Erl	Err	Error	ErrorToString	Event
Exit	ExternalSource	False	FileAttr	FileCopy
FileDateTime	FileGet	FileLen	FileOpen	FilePut
FileWidth	Filter	Finally	Fix	For
FormatCurrency	FormatDateTime	FormatNumber	FormatPercent	FreeFile
Friend	Function	FV	Get	GetAllSettings
GetAttr	GetChar	GetException	GetObject	GetSetting
GetType	GoTo	Handles	HelpContext	HelpFile
Hex	Hour	If	IIf	Implements
Imports	In	Inherits	Input	InputBox
InputString	InStr	InStrRev	Int	Integer
Interface	IPmt	IRR	Is	IsArray
IsDate	IsDBNull	IsError	IsNothing	IsNumeric
IsReference	Item	Join	Kill	LastDllError
LBound	LCase	Left	Len	Let
Lib	Like	LineInput	Loc	Lock
LOF	Long	Loop	LSet	LTrim
Me	Mid	Minute	MIRR	MkDir
Mod	Module	Month	MonthName	MsgBox
MustInherit	MustOverride	MyBase	MyClass	Namespace
New	Next	Not	Nothing	NotInheritable
NotOverridable	Now	NPer	NPV	Number
Object	Oct	On	Option	Optional
Or	OrElse	Overloads	Overridable	Overrides
ParamArray	Partition	Pmt	PPmt	Preserve
Print	PrintLine	Private	Property	Protected
Public	PV	QBColor	Raise	RaiseEvent
Randomize	Rate	ReadOnly	ReDim	Region
Rem	Remove	RemoveHandler	Rename	Replace
Reset	Resume	Return	RGB	RmDir
Rnd	RSet	RTrim	SaveSetting	Seek
ScriptEngine	ScriptEngine	ScriptEngine	ScriptEngine	Second
BuildVersion	MajorVersion	MinorVersion	Select	Set
SetAttr	Shadows	Shared	Shell	Short
Single	SLN	Source	Space	Spc
Split	Static	Step	Stop	Str
StrComp	StrConv	StrDup	String	StrReverse
Structure	Sub	Switch	SYD	SyncLock
SystemTypeName	Tab	Then	Throw	TimeOfDay
Timer	TimeSerial	TimeString	TimeValue	To
Today	Trim	True	Try	TypeName
TypeOf	UBound	UCase	Unicode	Unlock
Until	Val	Variant	VarType	VbTypeName
WeekDay	WeekDayName	When	While	With
WithEvents	Write	WriteLine	WriteOnly	Xor
Year

Tip

Although the keywords in Table 2.1 are reserved for use by VB .NET, it turns out you can use them for your own use if you surround them with brackets, [ and ]. For example, if you wanted to name a text string Error, you could actually use the term [Error] as a variable.

There are also quite a few keywords and phrases in VB6 that are now obsolete, which you can see in Table 2.2.

Table 2.2: Visual Basic 6 keywords and phrases now obsolete.
As Any	Atn	Calendar	Circle	Currency
Date$	Debug.Assert	Debug.Print	Deftype	DoEvents
Empty	Eqv	GoSub	Imp	Initialize
Instancing	IsEmpty	IsMissing	IsNull	IsObject
Let	Line	LSet	MsgBox	Now
Null	On…GoSub	On…GoTo	Option Base	Option
Private	Module	Property Get, Property Let, and Property Set	PSet	Rnd
Round	RSet		Scale	Set
Sgn	Sqr		Terminate	Time
Time$	Type	Varian	VarType	Wend

In general, Visual Basic programs are made up line by line of code, and these lines of code are called statements.