Now that your interface is complete, it is time to make some of the buttons actually work. In class, you learned how to use the assignment operator (=) to change the state of control elements on your form. A computer instruction that uses the assignment operator is called an assignment statement. You also learned how to invoke some built-in operations called methods and how to create dialogue boxes. The one-line summary of this assignment is: Get everything working that only requires assignment statements, methods, and dialogue boxes to do their function. Since everyone's interface will be slightly different (because you had a choice of what control elements to use), that means everyone will have a different amount of work to do for this assignment. Someone who needs to get many control elements working this week will probably have a lighter load in the next assignment, and vice versa. Here are the details.
Part 1: Fix your design (3 pts.)
If you had any flaws in your interface from last assignment
(you'll get it back on Wed, 10/26), be sure to fix those. You can
still progress with some code writing (in the Clear all button
for example) in the meantime. As always, you will lose points
again for any design problems that remain unfixed.
Part 2: Practice with dialogue boxes (4 pts.)
You don't have enough of the VB language yet
to make the Play and Make purchases buttons
work correctly. So in the meantime, make each
of them pop up a dialogue box that says something to that
effect ("this will work soon!"). Both dialogue
boxes should have a title. At least one should have an icon.
Part 3: Make the Clear button work (5 pts.)
The Clear all button should return the form to its initial
state (i.e. when the user first sees it). All
option and checkbox buttons should
be turned off, all text fields (except those that give instructions
for the user) should be cleared, the ListBox that acts as
the Playlist should be cleared, and all PictureBoxes should
be cleared. If you have added other control elements that
are not part of the minimum, you should return those to their
initial state too.
Be sure to test this thoroughly. For example,
if you currently have an empty PictureBox (because a user action
will fill it with something later), then temporarily put
a default picture into it using the "Picture" property in the
Property List. That way you can make sure a filled PictureBox
is actually getting cleared. You can remove the default picture
after your tests succeed. Do the same trick with other
control elements if necessary.
Part 4: Make the Artist selection control elements work -- for some of you (3 pts.)
If you used option buttons for your artists, get these to work.
In my demo, for example, each option button fills a PictureBox
with a picture, puts appropriate songs in the PlayList ListBox,
and puts a description of the artist in a text field. If you
used a menu (like a ComboBox) or dialogue boxes for your artist
selection, you can't make this work yet. You'll make it
work in the next assignment.
Finally, if you had other control elements besides the minimum that you can get to work with just assignment statements, dialogue boxes, and methods, get those to work too. An example is an Instructions Command button that simply pops up a dialogue box with user instructions. If you have something "extra" that you are not sure if you can get to work yet, come ask me!