Chapter 2. Variables and Data Types

This chapter and the next discuss the fundamentals of any programming language: variables and data types. A variable stores data, which are processed with statements. A program is a list of statements that manipulate variables. To write even simple applications, you need a basic understanding of some fundamental topics, such as the data types (the kind of data you can store in a variable), the scope and lifetime of variables, and how to write procedures and pass arguments to them. In this chapter, we'll explore the basic data types of Visual Basic, and in the following one, you'll learn about procedures and flow-control statements.

If you're new to Visual Basic, you may find some material in this chapter less ...

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