Editing Visual Basic (.NET) (section)

=== 2005 (VB 8.0) ===
After Visual Basic .NET 2003, Microsoft dropped ".NET" from the name of the product, calling the next version Visual Basic 2005.

For this release, Microsoft added many features intended to reinforce Visual Basic .NET's focus as a [[rapid application development]] platform and further differentiate it from [[C Sharp (programming language)|C#]]., including:
* ''Edit and Continue'' feature{{explain|date=February 2014}}
* Design-time expression evaluation{{Explain|date=February 2014}}
* A pseudo-[[namespace]] called "My", which provides:<ref>{{cite web|url = http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/cc163680.aspx|title = Navigate The .NET Framework And Your Projects With The My Namespace|website = MSDN Magazine Visual Studio 2005 Guided Tour 2006|publisher = [[Microsoft]]|first = Duncan|last = Mackenzie|year = 2006|access-date = February 6, 2014|archive-date = February 15, 2014|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140215053141/http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/cc163680.aspx|url-status = live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url = http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms379610.aspx|title = My.Internals: Examining the Visual Basic My Feature|first = Tyler|last = Whitney|date = November 2005|website = [[MSDN]]|publisher = [[Microsoft]]|access-date = February 6, 2014|archive-date = June 14, 2012|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120614025325/http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms379610.aspx|url-status = live}}</ref>
** Easy access to certain areas of the .NET Framework that otherwise require significant code to access like using <syntaxhighlight lang="vbnet" inline>My.Form2.Text = " MainForm "</syntaxhighlight> rather than <syntaxhighlight lang="vbnet" inline>System.WindowsApplication1.Forms.Form2.text = " MainForm "</syntaxhighlight>
** Dynamically generated classes (e.g. ''My.Forms'')
* Improved VB-to-VB.NET converter<ref>{{cite web|url=http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms379614.aspx|title=What's New with the Visual Basic Upgrade Wizard in Visual Basic 2005|website=msdn2.microsoft.com|access-date=January 29, 2008|archive-date=April 6, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080406035326/http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms379614.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref>
* A "using" keyword, simplifying the use of objects that require the Dispose [[Design pattern (computer science)|pattern]] to free resources
* ''Just My Code'' feature, which hides (steps over) [[boilerplate code]] written by the Visual Studio .NET IDE and system library code during debugging
* Data Source binding, easing [[database]] client/server development

To bridge the gaps between itself and other .NET languages, this version added:
* [[Generic programming|Generics]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms379608.aspx|title=Defining and Using Generics in Visual Basic 2005|website=msdn2.microsoft.com|access-date=January 29, 2008|archive-date=April 23, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080423004351/http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms379608.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Partial classes]], a method of defining some parts of a class in one file and then adding more definitions later; particularly useful for integrating user code with auto-generated code
* [[Operator overloading]] and [[nullable type]]s<ref>{{cite web|url=http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms379613.aspx|title=Operator Overloading in Visual Basic 2005|website=msdn2.microsoft.com|access-date=January 29, 2008|archive-date=April 23, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080423001343/http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms379613.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref>
* Support for [[integer (computer science)|unsigned integer]] data types commonly used in other languages

Visual Basic 2005 introduced the <code>IsNot</code> operator that makes <code>'If X IsNot Y'</code> equivalent to <code>'If Not X Is Y'</code>. It gained notoriety<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/02/22/real_slams_ms_patent/ |title=Real Software slams MS IsNot patent application |last=Sherriff |first=Lucy |publisher=The Register |date=February 22, 2005 |access-date=April 6, 2009 |archive-date=August 3, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090803204929/http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/02/22/real_slams_ms_patent/ |url-status=live }}</ref> when it was found to be the subject of a Microsoft patent application.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1766949,00.asp |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120731141459/http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1766949,00.asp |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 31, 2012 |title=Real Software Slams Microsofts Patent Effort |last=Taft |first=Darryl K. |publisher=eWeek |date=February 21, 2005 |access-date=April 6, 2009 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://appft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PG01&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=%2220040230959%22.PGNR.&OS=DN%2F20040230959&RS=DN%2F20040230959 |title=United States Patent Application: 20040230959 |work=Patent Application Full Text and Image Database |last1=Vick |first1=Paul A. Jr. |last2=Barsan |first2=Costica Corneliu |last3=Silver |first3=Amanda K. |date=May 14, 2003 |publisher=US Patent & Trademark Office |access-date=April 6, 2009 |archive-date=February 11, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060211172531/http://appft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PG01&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=%2220040230959%22.PGNR.&OS=DN%2F20040230959&RS=DN%2F20040230959 |url-status=live }}</ref>