VB.NET Language in a Nutshell, Second Edition

Name

Structure...End Structure Statement

Syntax

                  accessmodifier Structure StructureName 
   [Implements interfacenames]
   variable declarations
   procedure declarations
End Structure

accessmodifier (optional; Keyword)

The possible values of accessmodifier are Public, Private, Friend, Protected, Protected Friend. For more information, see Section 4.7 in Chapter 4.

Implements interfacenames (optional)

Indicates that the structure implements the members of one or more interfaces

Description

Used to declare user-defined types. Structures are similar to classes, but they are value types rather than reference types.

Rules at a Glance

• The members of a structure can be variables, properties, methods, or events. Note, however, that each member must be declared with an access modifier: Public (or Dim), Private, or Friend.

• You cannot assign a structure member an initial value at the same time as you declare it. As a result, the following Structure construct is illegal:

  Structure Point
     Public x As Integer = 0       ' Illegal
     Public y As Integer = 0       ' Illegal
  End Structure

• Structure members can be other structures or objects.

• If a structure member is an array, it cannot be explicitly dimensioned.

• Structures can be passed as arguments to functions or as the return type of a function.

• Although structures are similar to classes, the following class features are not supported in structures:

  • Structures cannot explicitly inherit, nor can they be inherited.

  • All constructors for a structure must be parameterized.

  • Structures ...