VB assignment

[T0MMY]

I've just started college and currently doing an assignment writing a basic visual basic program. I've got loads of experience with VB but the problem is almost everything I know is self taught off the net. I've never bothered to comment a single line of code and had never even heard of a algorithm until the other week!

As part of the assignment I need to produce the following but I’ve no idea how to go about making half of them

• Initial data table (I think this is just a table of the variables names and types?)
• Story-boards
• Action Chart
• Procedure specification
• Pseudocode for the main procedure

[Hack]

I have no idea what the first three are.

Do you know how to do the last two? Those seem pretty straight forward. Just some documentation with respect to procedure specifications.

Pseudocode is just another way of sayings "Write the specs in plain English with no tecno-speak."

[GaryMazzone]

Storyboard might simple be a flow chart as to how the application flows (user input - forms)
Action chart might be similar base on user actions.

[Hack]

Ahh....Ok....perhaps, along those lines, the "Initial Data Table" could be a description of the database table the app will use listing field names, field types, sizes, etc.

[Al42]

Now, how many of us actually create most of this stuff before writing the code? You talk to the customer (someone outside, your boss, etc.) and find out as much as you can about what he has and what he needs, you design a GUI, data structures and paste code together to do the job, maybe in a different order. Then you spend most of your time fixing bugs. (I think I'm spraying my next program with Flit before I start coding.)

[GaryMazzone]

What we do in the real world isn't necessarily the right way to do it. But Yes I agree with you Al42. As I stated in other earlier post that is what we do here I call it programing by the Bring me a rock method.

[T0MMY]

Asked today and he showed me the storyboard is like early pictures of each of the forms with arrows showing which button opens which form...etc

Action chart he wants a table listing each of the actions. Like:

Command1 | calculate investment, load mainform.
Command2 | clear text fields

but he didn't say if I need to list just controls or procedures too.

[Hack]

Then just list the controls.

If you wanted to, you could create two Action Charts. One for controls one for procedures.

[T0MMY]

Good thinking

Thanks for the help