Visual Basic 2019 16.9.3 Evaluation and Criticism

Reflection

Reflection 1 - Visual Basic 2019
Reflection 2 -
Reflection 3 -

Introduction

The original programs of my research are written using Visual Studio 2010 under Windows 7. The names of VB programs start with VB2010.
In 2020 Visual Studio 2010 was upgraded to Visual Studio 2019.
After installing Visual Studio 2019, the first task was to open a VB2010 visual basic program using Visual Studio 2019. This was okay.
THe second task was to Debug this program. Select "Start Debugging" worked okay and caused no problems.
The main difference between VB2010 and VB2019 is the lay out of the screens. They are less frivolous, more rigid.
What that means that in 2020 I could run all my VB2010 programs using VB2019 with Windows 7.

In 2021 this changed, partly because I had to upgrade windows 7 into windows 10. Partly because I could not change the 2010 programs any more. The reason was the certification key of certain VB2010 programs. As a result I had to upgrade in principle all my Visual Basic programs from VB2010 into VB2019.

The general strategy is:

you make a new (Windows Form) program using the New function.
you create all forms. You copy the content of each form from the old version to the new version. This gives you the full database with all the "text" fields, "buttons" and "picture boxes."
You create all modules. You copy the content of each module from the old version to the new version. This gives you all the VB programs.
You copy the VB content of each form from the old version to the new version.
Now you are ready to run the application

Within Visual Studio 2019 environment, step 2, copying VB2010 form content to VB2019 does not work.

Latest update from 16.9.2 to 16.9.3 installed 31/3/2021. For the issues related to release 16.9.4 see this: Visual Basic 2019 16.9.4 Evaluation and Criticism

Microsoft: 'We Do Not Plan to Evolve Visual Basic as a Language' https://visualstudiomagazine.com/articles/2020/03/12/vb-in-net-5.aspx
No comments. Keep things simple. "Don't try to conquer the whole world". Only tears?
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/visualstudio/releases/2019/release-notes

Visual Studio 2019 Visual Basic Problems

This text describes all the necessary steps to perform to implement my first VB2019 program using Visual Studio 2019. What I wanted to do was to implement a Form called "Control" and to take care that this form is used when you open the application. This seems very simple, but it turned out as a horrible experiment.

To observe the problems perform the following steps.

Open and start the program "VB2010 Sagittarius" (or any program created with VB 2019)
Using the editor. Goto File. Goto New. Goto Project.
You get the screen: Create a new project.
At the right hand side: 1) In the box "All languages" select Visual Basic. 2) For "All Platforms" select Windows. 3) For "All Platform types". Select Desktop.
The result are 4 templates: 1) Windows Forms App 2) Windows Forms Class Library 3)Windows Forms Control Library 4) WPF Application. I Selected template #1.
Select Next at bottom right corner.
You get the screen: Configure your new project
I Changed Project Name from "WinFormsApp1" into: VB2019 Sagittarius.
I Changed Location in: C:\Users\Documents\Visual Studio 2019\Projects
Select "Next" at bottom right corner.
Select "Create"
Now you are 'inside' the Editor. Make the following three modifications:
- Change (A) name of "Form1" into "ControlForm" & Change (B) Text field from "Form1" into "Control Form"
- In properties Change Startup object "Sub Main" into "ControlForm"
- Select Form1.VB. Select File. Select Save Form1.VB AS ....
  Change C:\Users\Documents\Visual Studio 2019\Projects\Form1.VB into ...\ControlForm.vb Select Save
I expect that using this name ControlForm creates a serious Problem

The following is the layout ot the Solution Explorer

Solution VB2019 Sagittarius (1 of 1 project)
VB VB2019 Sagittarius
    >	Dependencies
    >	ControlForm.VB
		ControlForm.resx
	   >	ControlForm

    >   VB Form1.VB
	   >	VB Form1.Designer.VB
                Form1.resx

The problem is that all the three lines in red, which reference Form1 are wrong . They don't belong there.
When you debug this program you get 2 Errors 10 Warnings and 1 Message.

Proposed temporary solution

Don't Select the "Save Form1.VB AS ...." functionality but change the file names Form1.VB, Form1.Designer.VB and Form1.resx manually into: ControlForm.VB, ControlForm Designer.VB and ControlForm.resx
These files are part of the Visual Basic program application. The changes are directly vissible in the Solution Explorer.
To test the modifications perform a the "Start Debugging" Functionality.

How to convert a VB2010 Program into a VB2019 program

The first step is "Create a new 2019 project" as explained above.
The second step is ""Create all the Forms" you need (Select Project and Select "Add Form") and change all the names manually as explained above.
The results is that you have all the required VB2019 Forms, but the content is empty.
Open your 2010 project. Select "Control Form" in Project VB2010 and "Control Form" in Project VB2019.
Select a section of VB2010 "Control Form". Copy this section. Select vB2019 "Control Form". Select Paste. Paste does not work

A different task is to copy a Module from VB2010 to VB2019. That works correct, as far as I can see. I get 1518 Errors and 592 Messages, but that is as expected, because there is no database with "Text" and "buttons"

Will continue.

Reflection 1 - Visual Basic 2019

IMO there is something serious wrong with Microsoft.
I expect that none of the 4 templates (Part of create new Project process): 1) Windows Forms App 2) Windows Forms Class Library 3)Windows Forms Control Library and 4) WPF Application, work without any modification. You must at least make one adaptation.
I don't know how many different templates the user can create (40?) but all of these templates should have been properly tested, that when created, there have zero errors. I doubt if they are.
The problem is that Visual Studio becomes too complex with too many options.

In VB2019 when I write: A = A + 1 I get a message that I should optimize my code. Why?
In VB2019 there is not a Visual Basic only Help functionality. Why? Why do I see all these C help messages.
IN VB2019 why is there not a simple list with all the subroutines? Why do I see all these other variables?

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Created: 31 March 2021

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