I am learning VB (using VS 2012) in order to interface with Agilent 33220A function generator (has USB, GPIB and LAN interfaces available) via USB or GPIB.
I am well versed in Matlab but am a beginner in VB and instrument control and interfacing with a PC.
Please could someone direct me to some relevant examples for me to get started?
Ideally, I would like to have examples dealing with Agilent 33220A.
The final aim is to add an additional functionality (of Agilent 33220A) to a code already written in VB (in VS 2012).
Thanks.
Here are all the examples provided by Keysight:
https://www.keysight.com/main/techSupport.jspx?cc=GB&lc=eng&nid=-536902324.536883183&pid=127539&pageMode=DS
Look through the pages for the VB example.
More general: Learn to control instruments with Visual Basic:
https://www.keysight.com/main/editorial.jspx?cc=GB&lc=eng&ckey=474107-1-eng&nid=-11143.0.00&id=474107-1-eng
Related
I was thinking about learning BASIC, because a friend told me that that is the language being used in Excel, but when I searched on net, it showed that VBA is the language being used to code in Excel. So I was confused whether both of them are the same thing. If they are not is it that both of them can be used to code in Excel? If it is so, which is better for a person oriented with OOP based Java language?
VBA is one BASIC
There are many different languages on the BASIC family and not a "standard" BASIC. VBA is acronym for Visual Basic for Applications. In its case, the name actually tells much of the story.
The first BASIC language was developed in 1964 as a general purpose language, relatively easy for non-scientists. Since then, many variations emerged. Diferent versions of BASIC were available on the ROM of most microcomputers on the 80's (MSX, Commodore etc.) and were the main languages used by hobbyists programmers. Each version had different syntax and semantics and moderate effort was required to port programs between plataforms using different BASICs.
In 1992, Microsoft developed a version for Windows that combined BASIC code with Drag'n'Drop UI design, and named it Visual Basic. Thus Visual Basic is a version of BASIC featurning Visual UI design for developing MS Windows programs.
When Microsoft decided to implement macro languages for the Microsof Office products these were BASIC variants (WordBasic, AccessBasic...) but later all these were unified to use a single language - derived from Visual Basic 6.0, and named Visual Basic for Applications. It was later adopted in some other non-Microsoft applications such as Corel Draw and WordPerfect. Thus, Visual Basic for Applications is a version of BASIC featurning Visual UI design for extending MS Office (and certain other) Applications.
So, all in all, VBA is just a (very specialized) version of the BASIC language.
I am looking for an interpreter (compiler would work too) for Visual Basic or VBA. I am not looking for any kind of UI support. Basically, I have a series of somewhat complex VBA modules which make no reference to any external DLLs and make no use of any user interfaces. Is there any such tool available short of having Microsoft Office or Microsoft Visual Basic for the Windows operating system?
VBA only exists as an embedded "macro language" inside a host application like Excel. At one time you could even buy the SDK to embed VBA in your own applications, but there was never any "stand alone VBA."
VBScript is close to VBA and VB in syntax and semantics, but it also requires a host. Common desktop hosts include WSH, MSHTA, and the Vista/Win7 "gadget" framework. That's probably your best bet if it meets your needs.
It is remotely possible to do what you want using VB5CCE (Control Creation Edition) if you can find it. This was free, but could not compile to EXEs. It might have worked as an interpreter however by running it with the /run switch. I'm not certain of that though.
There are 3rd party freebies as well such as Jabaco which uses a very VB/VBA-like syntax.
Update: VB5CCE does not support the /run switch.
This might be worth a peek if VB.NET is a fit. Visual Studio Express ... I'm not sure what the free version leaves out though.
http://www.microsoft.com/visualstudio/en-us/products/2010-editions/visual-basic-express
I've got a game in VB6 and it works great and all, but I have been toying with the idea of creating a scripting engine. Ii'm thinking I'd like VB6 to read in flat text script files for me and then lex/parse/execute them.
I have good programming experience, and I've built a simple C compiler, as well as a LOGO emulator before.
My question is:
Are there any tools that I can use, like Lexx/Yakk/Bison to help me? How should I approach this problem in regards to lexing, parsing, and feeding the commands back to VB6 so I can handle them? Is this idea a BAD IDEA in the sense that there are too many obstacles in the way (For example, building minesweeper in assembly, though not impossible, is very difficult, and a bad idea.)?
Use the Microsoft® Windows® Script Control because it is easy to integrate into existing VB6 applications. The control supports VBScript, JScript, or any other "Active Script" implementation.
I have used the Windows Script Control in four projects and it works extremely well. Very easy to integrate. I wish Microsoft would have given us a replacement in .NET, and made it as easy to use. (I understand the control is not needed in .NET, but having the ability to simply create an object that handles everything is nice.)
Windows Script Control
The Microsoft® Windows® Script Control
is an ActiveX® control that provides
developers with an easy way to make
their applications scriptable. This,
in turn, enables users to extend
application functionality through
scripts, much as they do with macros
today.
INFO: Where to Obtain the Script Control at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/184739. Includes links to other howto support articles.
Chapter 13: Adding Scripting Support to Your Application at http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa227413(VS.60).aspx
Designing a Calculator at http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa227421(VS.60).aspx
How To Use Script Control Modules and Procedures Collections, Inserted from http://support.microsoft.com/kb/184745
How To Use the AddObject Method of the Script Control, Inserted from http://support.microsoft.com/kb/185697
SAMPLE: SCRIPTEX.EXE Uses the ScriptControl with Visual Basic, Inserted from http://support.microsoft.com/kb/189484
Windows Script Control can be downloaded at http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=d7e31492-2595-49e6-8c02-1426fec693ac&displaylang=en. (Supported Operating Systems: Windows 2000; Windows 98 Second Edition; Windows ME; Windows NT; Windows Server 2003; Windows XP)
MSDN Search of "MSScriptControl.ScriptControlClass" at http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Search/en-US?query=%22MSScriptControl.ScriptControlClass%22&ac=8
MSDN Search of "Windows Script Control" at http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Search/en-US?query=%22Windows+Script+Control%22&ac=8
MSDN Search of "MSSCRIPT" at http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Search/en-US?query=MSSCRIPT&ac=8
Unless you're doing it for your own instruction, you may want to try using Lua: VB6 - Lua Integration
If you're willing to use VBScript rather than VB6 you might be able to just use the MSScriptControl to run the commands rather than creating your own. Here's an article discussing using it from a .Net app, though it's an ActiveX control so should give you quite a bit of flexibility.
The control can be downloaded from here.
I've actually seen some quite reasonable implementations of compilers/interpreters in VB6[1] - It's not the language I would choose (few functional features, insufficent static type system), but with experience, you can outweigh these drawbacks and be quite productive - So why not.
You can use the GOLD parser generator that supports VB6 as a start.
[1]: Somewhere on PSC or in this download repository I think ...
Note that there is the MSScriptControl too.
There also appears to be an additonal alternative for VB6:
SadScript is an variant of VB6 most prominently used for VB6 as an scripting engine in MMORPGS .
See here for more : What is sadscript? Can I use it in vb.net? Why hasn't anyone I have asked heard of it?
We are in the process of creating active-x controls used within our application.
Since Microsoft stopped supporting classic Visual Basic, is it wise to use Visual Basic to develop the Active X control or the latest VC++/ATL/MFC libraries provide more feature where we can create controls faster by leaving Visual Basic flexibility?
We will not be able to use .NET/VB.NET/C# since the application is supposed to work inside containers and containers may not support latest .NET runtime.
Any other language is best fit for Active X control development other than VB and VC++?
I, personally, would recommend using Delphi for this. It is still actively developed, and has the control you get with C++, but a rapid development environment more like VB.NET.
#nobugz: If you are really interested what is ActiveX in Delphi, look at docwiki. Normally it is 100% source code (yours + VCL, VCL is also available as sources) with autogenerated COM wrappers. So all potential security problems are also in source code. If you find a security problem in VCL, please send a bug report to Quality Central.
Here is a good example on how to create ActiveX Controls with C# .NET
http://www.codeproject.com/KB/cs/CreateActiveXDotNet.aspx
By all means VB6 is the best language. After reading your question I feel that you are a VB6 developer. If you know VB6 and use it then why hesitate using it for producing ActiveX controls.
I program in Delphi as well as VB6 along with VB.NET and C# but creating ActiveX controls is the easiest in VB6 compares to all other development tools.
If you are hell bent on not using VB and if you are looking for an alternative then try out PowerBasic (commercial - very costly) or PureBasic (commercial but affordable) Get it from here or better still MinGW (a GNU C++ compiler).
I have to say that VB6 with a good book like Developing COM/ActiveX Components with VB6: A Guide to the Perplexed you will be up and running faster.
I am less than a week into my Visual Basic education. I have downloaded Visual Studio 2008 and am teaching myself Visual Basic 2008 in hopes of landing a particular contract position.
In the meantime, a friend of mine told me that it is not recommended to write a Windows Service with Visual Basic. Is that true? Could he be referring to some much older version than 2008? Does the .NET version come into play?
What is at stake is that the company that my friend works for is going to completely re-write a component of their flagship product at great cost and expense and simply abandon their existing VB code. If the only hang-up is getting it to run as a service then they could save a lot of money if Visual Basic could, in fact, run reliably as a service.
You can write .NET services in any CLR language, including VB.NET --- your friend was thinking of VB6 and earlier.
(I do recall some fairly crazy kludges that allowed services to be written in VB6, but for all practical purposes, services written in VB6 weren't really a viable solution...)
There is no reason that Visual Basic .Net can't write a windows service. You can select a project which will create a windows service under the "Windows" projects in the Visual Basic section.
Writing a Windows Service in VB.NET (using any version of Visual Studio >= 2003) is just as effective as writing a Windows service in any other language.
Your friend may have been thinking of Visual Basic 6...or he's partial to another .NET language.
In either case...you should be fine to keep going on your path the way you are.
Your friend may be referring to Visual Basic, not VB.NET.
While VB.NET has syntax that is similar to Visual Basic and some convenience functions are still present, they are two entirely different languages and environments.
Your friend is correct in stating that Visual Basic (meaning 6 and earlier, not VB.NET) is a poor choice of a language for a service (or any new application), but VB.NET is every bit as legitimate as C# or any other CLR language.
It may be useful to refer to what you're learning as "VB.NET" or "Visual Basic .NET", rather than just "Visual Basic".
.NET certainly allows you to use Visual Basic to write a Windows Service. I believe there is even a default project template to do so. Here is an tutorial as such: http://www.vbdotnetheaven.com/UploadFile/mahesh/Winservvb11172005233242PM/Winservvb.aspx
All .NET code is converted to an intermediary language that is executed, thus all .NET languages can be used to write a windows service.