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70-176:

Designing and Implementing Desktop Applications with Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0

Exam 70-176 has been available since December 29, 1998.

Microsoft Certification Path

When you pass the Designing and Implementing Desktop Applications with Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 exam, you achieve Microsoft Certified Professional status. You also earn core or elective credit toward Microsoft Certified Solution Developer certification.

Skills Being Measured

This certification exam measures your ability to design and implement Win32 desktop application solutions by using Microsoft Visual Basic version 6.0.

Win32 Desktop Applications are applications that are run by a single user on a single computer that runs Microsoft Windows. These applications reside on the hard drive of the user's computer and use local COM components. These applications can employ a two-tier architecture that uses remote data.

Before you take the exam, you should be proficient in the job skills listed below.

Deriving the Physical Design

Assess the potential impact of the logical design on performance, maintainability, extensibility, and availability.

Design Visual Basic components to access data from a database.

Design the properties, methods, and events of components.

Establishing the Development Environment

Establish the environment for source code version control.

Install and configure Visual Basic for developing desktop applications.

Creating User Services

Implement navigational design.

• Dynamically modify the appearance of a menu.
• Add a pop-up menu to an application.
• Create an application that adds and deletes menus at run time.
• Add controls to forms.
• Set properties for controls.
• Assign code to a control to respond to an event.

Create data input forms and dialog boxes.

• Display and manipulate data by using custom controls. Controls include TreeView, ListView, ImageList, Toolbar, and StatusBar.
• Create an application that adds and deletes controls at run time.
• Use the Controls collection to manipulate controls at run time.
• Use the Forms collection to manipulate forms at run time.

Write code that validates user input.

• Create an application that verifies data entered at the field level and the form level by a user.
• Create an application that enables or disables controls based on input in fields.

Write code that processes data entered on a form.

• Given a scenario, add code to the appropriate form event. Events include Initialize, Terminate, Load, Unload, QueryUnload, Activate, and Deactivate.

Add an ActiveX control to the toolbox.

Create a Web page by using the DHTML Page Designer to dynamically change attributes of elements, change content, change styles, and position elements.

Use data binding to display and manipulate data from a data source.

Instantiate and invoke a COM component.

• Create a Visual Basic client application that uses a COM component.
• Create a Visual Basic application that handles events from a COM component.

Create callback procedures to enable asynchronous processing between COM components and Visual Basic client applications.

Implement online user assistance in a desktop application.

• Set appropriate properties to enable user assistance. Help properties include HelpFile, HelpContextID, and WhatsThisHelp.
• Create HTML Help for an application.
• Implement messages from a server component to a user interface.

Implement error handling for the user interface in desktop applications.

• Identify and trap run-time errors.
• Handle inline errors.

Creating and Managing COM Components

Create a COM component that implements business rules or logic. Components include DLLs, ActiveX controls, and active documents.

Create ActiveX controls.

• Create an ActiveX control that exposes properties.
• Use control events to save and load persistent properties.
• Test and debug an ActiveX control.
• Create and enable property pages for an ActiveX control.
• Enable the data binding capabilities of an ActiveX control.
• Create an ActiveX control that is a data source.

Create an active document.

• Use code within an active document to interact with a container application.
• Navigate to other active documents.

Debug a COM client written in Visual Basic.

Compile a project with class modules into a COM component.

• Implement an object model within a COM component.
• Set properties to control the instancing of a class within a COM component.

Use Visual Component Manager to manage components.

Register and unregister a COM component.

Creating Data Services

Access and manipulate a data source by using ADO and the ADO Data control.

Testing the Solution

Given a scenario, select the appropriate compiler options.

Control an application by using conditional compilation.

Set watch expressions during program execution.

Monitor the values of expressions and variables by using the Immediate window.

• Use the Immediate window to check or change values.
• Use the Locals window to check or change values.

Implement project groups to support the development and debugging processes.

• Debug DLLs in process.
• Test and debug a control in process.

Given a scenario, define the scope of a watch variable.

Deploying an Application

Use the Package and Deployment Wizard to create a setup program that installs a desktop application, registers the COM components, and allows for uninstall.

Plan and implement floppy disk-based deployment or compact disc-based deployment for a desktop application.

Plan and implement Web-based deployment for a desktop application.

Plan and implement network-based deployment for a desktop application.

Maintaining and Supporting an Application

Fix errors, and take measures to prevent future errors.

Deploy application updates for desktop applications.

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