Book excerpt: For courses in Visual Basic.NET Programming Introductory. Combining the Deitel(tm) signature LIVE-CODE(tm) Approach with a new Application-Driven(tm) methodology, this text uses a step-by-step tutorial approach to teach students the basics of programming using VB.NET. It builds upon previously learned concepts, and introduces new programming features in each successive tutorial. This comprehensive introduction to Visual Basic.NET covers GUI design, controls, methods, functions, data types, control structures, procedures, arrays, object-oriented programming, strings and characters, sequential files, and more. It also includes higher-end topics such as database programming, multimedia and graphics, and Web application development.