Editing Visual Basic (.NET) (section)

{{Short description|Object-oriented computer programming language}}
{{About|the modern programming language for .NET|the original Visual Basic, the last version of which was Visual Basic 6.0|Visual Basic (classic)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2019}}
{{Infobox programming language
| name = Visual Basic
| logo = VB.NET Logo.svg
| year = {{Start date and age|2001}}
| designer = [[Microsoft]]
| developer = [[Microsoft]]
| screenshot = 
| caption = 
| latest release version = {{wikidata|property|reference|edit|P348}}
| latest release date = {{Start date and age|{{wikidata|qualifier|P348|P577}}}}
| implementations = [[.NET Framework SDK]], [[Roslyn (compiler)|Roslyn Compiler]] and [[Mono (software)|Mono]]
| influenced_by = [[Visual Basic (classic)|Classic Visual Basic]]
| influenced = [[Microsoft Small Basic|Small Basic]], [[Mercury (RemObjects BASIC programming language)|Mercury]]
| typing = [[Dynamicly typed|Static]], [[Strong and weak typing|both strong and weak]],<ref name="option strict explicit" />  [[Type system#Safely and unsafely typed systems|both safe and unsafe]],<ref name="option strict explicit" /> [[Nominative type system|nominative]]
| dialects = Microsoft Visual Basic
| screenshot caption = 
| paradigm = [[Programming paradigm#Multi-paradigm|Multi-paradigm]]: [[Structured programming|structured]], [[Imperative programming|imperative]], [[Object-oriented programming|object-oriented]], [[Declarative programming|declarative]], [[generic programming|generic]], [[reflective programming|reflective]] and [[Event-driven programming|event-driven]]
| platform = [[.NET Framework]], [[Mono (software)|Mono]], [[.NET]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/vbteam/2018/11/12/visual-basic-in-net-core-3-0/|title=Visual Basic in .NET Core 3.0|first=Kathleen|last=Dollard|website=blogs.msdn.microsoft.com|date=November 13, 2018|access-date=November 21, 2018|archive-date=November 19, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181119070011/https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/vbteam/2018/11/12/visual-basic-in-net-core-3-0/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="devblogs-2020-03-11">{{cite web |url=https://devblogs.microsoft.com/vbteam/visual-basic-support-planned-for-net-5-0/ |title=Visual Basic support planned for .NET 5.0 &#124; Visual Basic Blog |publisher=Blogs.msdn.microsoft.com |date=2020-03-11 |access-date=2020-08-26 |archive-date=January 5, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220105022953/https://devblogs.microsoft.com/vbteam/visual-basic-support-planned-for-net-5-0/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
| operating_system = Chiefly [[Windows]]<br/>Also on [[Android (operating system)|Android]], [[BSD]], [[iOS (Apple)|iOS]], [[Linux]], [[macOS]], [[Solaris (operating system)|Solaris]], and [[Unix]] <!-- Mono implementations, remember? -->
| license = [[Roslyn (compiler)|Roslyn]] compiler: [[MIT License]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://github.com/dotnet/roslyn/blob/0d04884c243978cdd609e219fdb63cb58ebec69d/License.txt|title=Dotnet/Roslyn|website=[[GitHub]]|date=November 26, 2024}}</ref><br/>
| website = {{URL|https://docs.microsoft.com/dotnet/visual-basic/}}
| file_ext = <code>.vb</code>
}}

'''Visual Basic''' ('''VB'''), originally called '''Visual Basic .NET''' ('''VB.NET'''), is a [[Multi-paradigm programming language|multi-paradigm]], [[Object-oriented programming|object-oriented]] [[programming language]] developed by [[Microsoft]] and implemented on [[.NET]], [[Mono (software)|Mono]], and the [[.NET Framework]]. Microsoft launched VB.NET in 2002 as the successor to its [[Visual Basic (classic)|original Visual Basic]] language, the last version of which was Visual Basic 6.0. Although the ".NET" portion of the name was dropped in 2005, this article uses "Visual Basic [.NET]" to refer to all Visual Basic languages released since 2002, in order to distinguish between them and the [[Visual Basic (classic)|classic Visual Basic]]. Along with [[C Sharp (programming language)|C#]] and [[F Sharp (programming language)|F#]], it is one of the three main languages targeting the .NET ecosystem. Microsoft updated its VB language strategy on 6 February 2023, stating that VB is a stable language now and Microsoft will keep maintaining it.<ref>{{Cite web |last=KathleenDollard |title=Visual Basic language strategy - Visual Basic |url=https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/visual-basic/getting-started/strategy |access-date=2023-03-31 |website=learn.microsoft.com |date=February 6, 2023 |language=en-us |archive-date=March 31, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230331060301/https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/visual-basic/getting-started/strategy |url-status=live }}</ref>

Microsoft's [[integrated development environment]] (IDE) for developing in Visual Basic is [[Visual Studio]]. Most Visual Studio editions are [[commercial software|commercial]]; the only exceptions are [[Visual Studio Express]] and [[Microsoft Visual Studio#Community|Visual Studio Community]], which are [[freeware]]. In addition, the [[.NET Framework SDK]] includes a freeware [[command-line]] [[compiler]] called vbc.exe. [[Mono (software)|Mono]] also includes a command-line VB.NET compiler.

Visual Basic is often used in conjunction with the [[Windows Forms]] [[Graphical user interface|GUI]] [[Library (computing)|library]] to make [[Application software|desktop apps]] for [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]]. Programming for Windows Forms with Visual Basic involves dragging and dropping controls on a form using a [[Graphical user interface builder|GUI designer]] and writing corresponding code for each control.