CSE 100: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) List

On Wed, 7 Apr 1999, [one of you folks] wrote:

> hey,
> how do i open up my document in word again so that i can work on the
> assignment??
> i tried transferring the index.html and asn3.html over in FTP but that
> didn't work. it just opens up explorer and and i can't do anything to it.
> 
> help me out mayan!!!
> thanks

Here's how to handle this problem:

Rather than double-clicking the HTML file icon, you should
start Word and open the file from there.  In other words,
under the File menu, select Open..., and change to the
directory where you saved the HTML file.  Near the bottom
left corner, there should be a list Files of Type, which
lets you change the kinds of files (identified by the last
part of the name, after the period) the file browser window
lists.  Usually, you open Word documents in Word, so the
dialog starts out by listing only files whose name ends with
".doc", the conventional Word document name ending (a.k.a.
"filename extension").  In our case, we want to open an HTML
document, whose traditional extension is "html".  Change the
setting to "All files (*.*)" or "HTML document (...)", and
you should see the file you FTPed.  Opening your web
documents this way should work fine.

On IBM and IBM-compatible computers (the kind we're using in this course), the standard is to end filenames with a period ("dot," we also say) followed by three (sometimes four) letters that indicate what kind of file the file is. In other words, Microsoft Word documents always end with .doc, HTML (web) documents usuallyend with .html (sometimes just .htm), etc. Just by looking at the filename, you can tell what kind of file it is, if you remember some of these common extensions:

• txt - plain text files
• exe - programs, i.e. "executable" files
• gif, jpg, bmp - common image file formats

From any Windows Explorer window, from the View menu, select Options... Click the View tab at the top, and make sure Hide file extensions... is not checked. Click OK.

Unfortunately, Netscape (some versions at least) doesn't have this option. Use Internet Explorer instead.

You're right. Prof. Snyder will beat me up if I give you the answers, but more importantly (since I'm not that afraid of Prof. Snyder) my conscience will bother me forever. The best I can do is remind you of a few things:

Note that Visible is just a property of a command button control, just like Caption is another property. You can tell because they're both entries in the property list of a command button.

Making a button invisible amounts to little more than making the program change the button's Visible property from True to False in the middle of running, but what does the code look like to achieve this? That's what I can't tell you without risking getting beat up.

On today's (April 15) lab handout, check out the notes about the first Sub's last line (btnCalculatePrice_Click()). There's a way to change a property of a control, and the last line in this Sub is an example.

In fact, let me remind you that your clock programs worked by changing the Caption property of the label once every second.

This concludes our little hint. Good luck, y'all.

For the record, Prof. Snyder and my working relationship is one based on mutual respect, not fear.

Darn good question. It gets a little confusing because VB doesn't save programs in a single file. Instead, it splits it across a project file and one or more form files.

Although we've talked about the form and project file pairs before, let's go over 'em again:

In general, each VB program has at least two files:

• a project file, with filename extension .vbp (stands for Visual Basic Project)
• a form file, with filename extension .frm

So, the key is to make sure you have the right pair of files on your floppy disk: the project file and the corresponding form file.

If you've been following the naming conventions suggested by the VB IDE and by us in class, for a project called Zodiac, you'll probably have a project file called Zodiac.vbp and a form file called frmZodiac.frm.

One more thing you can try: Once you think you've saved the two files to your floppy disk, stick it in another computer with VB installed on it, and see if you can open it up and run it.

Remember, it's your responsibility to make sure what you've got on your submission disk is complete and correct.

Here's a good way to save a copy of your current project and form:

1. Have the project you want to save open in the VB IDE, i.e. you should be able to open your form window and run the program.

2. Open your form window, if it's not already. You can do this by double-clicking in the Project window or by selecting Object from the View menu.

3. From the File menu, select Save frmZodiac.frm As.... (The suggested filename will vary.) Note that this menu item is only available when the form window is selected.

4. Using the Save in list, switch to your floppy disk (probably A:) and make a new directory for this project using the new folder button with the little folder with a sparkly corner on it. Name the new folder appropriately (e.g. with the name of the project) and double-click it to open it up.

5. Give the form an appropriate filename, like the name of the form control itself (e.g. frmZodiac), and click Save.

   That's just half of it. Now, to save the project file:

6. From the File menu, now select Save Project As...

7. You should be in the same folder where you just saved your form file, since the VB IDE remembers it. Name the project file appropriately (e.g. the project name, Zodiac), and click Save.

   Now, let's double-check that it worked:

8. Open your floppy disk in Windows Explorer (the desktop), find and open the project folder you just made, and make sure the .frm and .vbp files you just saved are there. (Don't worry if there's some .vbw file there. It's a file that VB makes automatically, and it's nonessential.)

9. Like I said above, try putting the disk in another computer and making sure you can open and run the project there.

One last remark: Make a backup! Always have an extra floppy handy, and make a copy of your project folder(s) there, just in case your floppy somehow becomes unreadable (known to happen) or you lose it. It's well worth the trouble...ask anyone who's ever had to redo lost work, like Ken---once.

Well, some of you seem to be shy about this. Ask IMMEDIATELY! Don't pass up a chance to ask a question, 'cause a lot of what we learn in this class builds on material covered in the previous weeks. We love it when you ask us stuff, not because it lets us show off our astonishingly comprehensive and extraordinarily lucid understanding of the field, but because it helps us do our job better and it convinces us that teaching is worth spending our days (and nights, oh the long nights) on: because you're paying attention and putting in an honest effort, too.

Chances are, if you're unsure about something, someone else in the room feels the same way. If you're way to shy to speak up in class like I was a while back, just send us e-mail.

Oh, and one more option: If you know for a fact that a lot of people are also confused about a certain point, send it anonymously via the feedback page.

(Ah, technology.)

Remember, though, there are lot of questions that are most easily answered in good old-fashioned face-to-face conversation. Stop by during office hours (we get lonely) and make appointments if they don't fit with your schedule.