Class

VB.NET programs can be complex. A class is one part of a program—it is self-contained. When we modify a class, other parts of the program are not affected.

A program in VB.NET may also contain Modules and Namespaces. But the Class is the core unit—things like Strings and Lists are special classes.

First example

This program introduces an Example Class. In the Class, we have a Private field of type Integer. We also have a constructor—the New() Sub.

Class Example
    Private _value As Integer

    Public Sub New()
        _value = 2
    End Sub

    Public Function Value() As Integer
        Return _value * 2
    End Function
End Class

Module Module1
    Sub Main()
        ' Step 1: create a new instance of Example Class.
        Dim x As Example = New Example()

        ' Step 2: call Value Function on the Example.
        Console.WriteLine(x.Value())
    End Sub
End Module
4

Me qualifier

With the Me qualifier, we specify a member directly on the current instance of the class. If the class is derived, any further derived classes are ignored.

Class Bird
    Private species As Integer

    Public Sub New(ByVal species As Integer)
        ' Print Me and not-Me variables.
        Console.WriteLine("ME: {0}/{1}", Me.species, species)

        ' The Me qualification makes it clear we are assigning a field.
        Me.species = species
    End Sub
End Class

Module Module1
    Sub Main()
        Dim bird = New Bird(10)
    End Sub
End Module
ME: 0/10

Inherits

With Inherits, one class can inherit from another class. This means it gains all the fields and procedures from the parent class.

Class A
    Public _value As Integer

    Public Sub Display()
        Console.WriteLine(_value)
    End Sub
End Class

Class B : Inherits A
    Public Sub New(ByVal value As Integer)
        MyBase._value = value
    End Sub
End Class

Class C : Inherits A
    Public Sub New(ByVal value As Integer)
        MyBase._value = value * 2
    End Sub
End Class

Module Module1
    Sub Main()
        Dim b As B = New B(5)
        b.Display()

        Dim c As C = New C(5)
        c.Display()
    End Sub
End Module
5
10

MyClass versus Me

The MyClass and Me qualifiers have an important difference. MyClass refers to the current class, and Me refers to the current instance—it could be called "MyInstance."

Class Animal
    Public Sub Enter()
        ' Use MyClass and Me to call subroutines.
        MyClass.Test()
        Me.Test()
    End Sub

    Public Overridable Sub Test()
        Console.WriteLine("Animal.Test called")
    End Sub
End Class

Class Cat : Inherits Animal
    Public Overrides Sub Test()
        Console.WriteLine("Cat.Test called")
    End Sub
End Class

Module Module1
    Sub Main()
        Dim cat As Cat = New Cat()
        cat.Enter()
    End Sub
End Module
Animal.Test called
Cat.Test called

Shared

Some fields in a Class are not tied to a Class instance. Only one instance is needed. Shared is used on fields to make one field shared among all Class instances.

Class Test
    Public Shared _v As Integer
End Class

Module Module1
    Sub Main()
        Test._v = 1
        Console.WriteLine(Test._v)
        Test._v = 2
        Console.WriteLine(Test._v)
    End Sub
End Module
1
2

Shared Sub

These methods are not tied to a Class instance. A Shared Sub can be called with a composite name. Next, the Write Sub inside the Test class is called with "Test.Write()".

Class Test
    Public Shared Sub Write()
        Console.WriteLine("Shared Sub called")
    End Sub
End Class

Module Module1
    Sub Main()
        Test.Write()
    End Sub
End Module
Shared Sub called

Partial

This modifier specifies that a class is specified in multiple declarations. With Partial, we reopen a class and add new parts to it. A Class can span multiple files.

Module Module1

    Partial Class Test
        Public Sub X()
            Console.WriteLine("X")
        End Sub
    End Class

    Partial Class Test
        Public Sub Y()
            Console.WriteLine("Y")
        End Sub
    End Class

    Sub Main()
        ' Invoke methods on the partial class.
        Dim t As Test = New Test()
        t.X()
        t.Y()
    End Sub

End Module
X
Y

Friend

This modifier makes a member (like a Class, Sub or Function) unavailable outside the present assembly. An assembly is a physical file that contains compiled code.

Class Item
    Friend Sub Display()
        Console.WriteLine("Friend Class used")
    End Sub
End Class

Module Module1
    Sub Main()
        ' The Display Sub is public if we are in the same assembly.
        Dim local As Item = New Item()
        local.Display()
    End Sub
End Module
Friend Class used

Object

All classes inherit from Object, the ultimate base class. We thus can cast all variables to an Object. The object class provides some helpful methods.

Class Example
    ' An empty Example class: it automatically inherits from Object.
End Class

Module Module1
    Sub Main()
        ' Create instance of the Example class.
        Dim x As Example = New Example()

        ' The class inherits from Object, so we can cast it to an Object.
        Dim y As Object = x
        ' ... This method is from Object.
        Console.WriteLine(y.GetHashCode())

        ' When we call GetHashCode, the implementation from Object is used.
        Console.WriteLine(x.GetHashCode())
    End Sub
End Module
46104728
46104728

Classes are essential building blocks. A class is a reference type: it is allocated on the managed heap. It can have Functions, Subs, and data members.