Android Tutorial Converting VB6 to B4A

Below is a table listing features of Visual Basic 6 and their equivalents in B4A.

If you find errors or wish to add other features, post a reply here to have your input integrated into the table (which will be updated as needed).

B4X:
This file is primarily for reference when converting Visual Basic 6 source code to B4A.
  VB6                  B4A
  ===                  ===
controls            Views  (button, edittext, label, etc.)
In the VB6 code window, the top left drop-down list contains all
the controls you have placed in the current form and the right list
contains all the events for each control.  The equivalent in B4A can
be found by clicking on Designer - Tools - Generate Members. Once
you have created Subs in the program coding window, the tab "Modules"
on the right side will list each of the Subs.
In B4A, you start by typing "Sub [viewName]" followed by a space and
follow the prompts, pressing Enter after each selection until B4A
ends with "EventName" highlighted. This is where you would type in
the name of the Sub.
editBox = string      editBox.Text = string
In VB6, you can leave ".Text" off the names of controls when assigning
text to them, but this is not allowed in B4A.

Dim/ReDim:
---------
Dim Array(n)        Dim Array(n+1)
While "n" is the last index number in VB6, it indicates the number
of array elements when used in B4A. For example, to Dim an array
with 0-32 elements in VB6, you would say Dim A(32), while to convert
this to B4A, you need to change it to Dim A(33), yet index #33 is
never used (doing so would cause an out-of-range error).
ReDim Preserve      Use a List.
ReDim Array()       Dim Array(n+1) -- to clear an array, just Dim it again.
[Dim a Int: Dim b as Boolean]
If Not b Then...    If Not(b) Then...
If b Then...        same
If b = True Then    same
If a Then...        If a > 0 Then...
                       B4A does not treat any non-zero value as True like VB6.
a = a + b           If b = True Then a = a - 1
                       Boolean's value cannot be used in a math function in B4A.
Global Const x=1    B4A does not have a Global Const function.
                       In Sub Globals, you can say   Dim x as Int: x = 1
                       but x is not a constant (it's value can be changed).

Loops, If-Then, Select Case:
---------------------------
Do [Until/While]    same
Loop [Until/While]  Loop  [Until/While not allowed.]
For - Next          same
For i... - Next i   The loop variable (i) is not allowed with Next.
Exit Do/For         Exit
If - Then - Else    same, except VB's ElseIf is "Else If" in B4A; ditto EndIf
   ---              Continue [Skips to Next in For-Next loop]
For i = 1 to 6        For i = 1 to 6
  If i <> 4 Then        If i = 4 Then Continue
    ...code...          ...code...
  End If                ...
Next                  Next
Select Case [expr]  Select [value]

Colors:
------
L1.BackColor =      L1.Color = Colors.Red
    vbRed
L1.ForeColor =      L1.TextColor = Colors.Black
    vbBlack

Calling a sub:
-------------
SubName x, y        SubName(x, y)
Sub SubName()       Sub SubName() As Int/String/etc. -- a Global variable cannot be
                       a parameter, so say that "player" is a Global variable, you
                       cannot say: PlayCard(player). Instead you have to say:
                       i=player: PlayCard(i)
Function FName()    Sub FName() As [var.type]
   As [var.type]       In B4A, any Sub can be used like a Function by adding a
                       variable type such as
                          Sub CheckX(x As Int) As Boolean
                             ...optional code...
                             If x = [desired value] Then Return True
                             ...optional code...
                          End Sub
                       If no Return is given, then zero/False/"" is returned, but
                       the IDE will give a warning, so it is better to Return 0/False/"".
                       The calling code does not have to reference the returned
                       value, so that while "If CheckX(x) = True..." is valid,
                       so is just "CheckX(x)"
Exit Sub            Return
Exit Function       Return [value]

General:
-------
CInt
DoEvents            same, except that Erel says:
                    "Calling DoEvents in a loop consumes a lot of resources and
                    it doesn't allow the system to process all waiting messages
                    properly." This was in response to my pointing out that while
                    in a Do Loop with DoEvents in it, WebView could not be loaded
                    or if loaded, would not process a hyperlink click. And Agraham
                    says: "Looping is bad practice on mobile devices. The CPU will
                    be constantly executing code and using battery power as the
                    code will never get back to the OS idle loop where the hardware
                    power saving measures are invoked."
Format()            NumberFormat & NumberFormat2 [see documentation]
InputBox($)         InputList(Items as List, Title, CheckedItem as Int) as Int
can list multiple       Shows list of choices with radio buttons. Returns index.
choices for which       CheckedItem is the default.
the user enters a   InputMultiList(Items as List, Title) As List
number to choose.       User can select multiple items via checkboxes.
                        Returns list with the indexes of boxes checked.
MsgBox "text"       MsgBox("text", "title")
i=MsgBox()          MsgBox2(Message, Title, Positive, Cancel, Negative, Icon) as Int
                        Displays three buttons with text to display for buttons
                           (Positive, Cancel, Negative)
                        Icon is displayed near the title and is specified like:
                           LoadBitmap(File.DirAssets, "[filename].gif")
   ---              ToastMessageShow(text, b) [where b=True for long duration]
Following is a Sub from Pfriemler which acts like InputBox:
Sub InputBox(Prompt As String, Title As String, Default As String, Hint As String) As String
    Dim Id As InputDialog
    Id.Hint = Hint
    Id.Input = Default
    ret = Id.Show(Prompt, Title, "OK", "","Abbrechen", Null)
    If ret = -1 Then Return Id.Input Else Return ""
End Sub

Rnd is < 1          Rnd(min, max) is integer >= min to < max
Rnd(-#)             RndSeed(#) - causes Rnd to generate the same random number series
                                 for the same # entered.
Randomize           Not needed in B4A to randomize Rnd.
Round(n)            same, or Round2(n, x) where x=number of decimal places

i = Val(string)     If IsNumber(string) Then i = string Else i = 0 --
                    An attempt to use i=string "throws an exception" if the string is
                    not numbers, even if the string starts with numbers. For example,
                    t = "10:45"
                    i = Val(t) sets i=10 but causes an error in B4A.
                    Instead,
                    i = t.SubString2(0, 2) = 10
control.SetFocus    view.RequestFocus
n / 0 : error       n / 0 = 2147483647 -- B4A does not "throw an exception" for
                       division by 0, but it does return 2147483647 no matter
                       what the value of "n" is.
x = Shell("...")    See "Intent". This is not a complete replacement, but allows
                       code such as the following from the B4A forum (by Erel):
                    Dim pi As PhoneIntents
                    StartActivity (pi.OpenBrowser("[URL]file:///sdcard/yourfile.html[/URL]"))
t = Timer           t = DateTime.Now ' Ticks are number of milliseconds since 1-1-70

TabIndex:
--------
In VB6, TabIndex can be set to control the order in which controls get focus
when Tab is pressed. According to Erel, in B4A:
   "Android handles the sequence according to their position. You can set
    EditText.ForceDone = True in all your EditTexts. Then catch the
    EditText_EnterPressed event and explicitly set the focus to the next
    view (with EditText.RequestFocus)."

Setting Label Transparency:
--------------------------
Properties - Back Style        Designer - Drawable - Alpha

Constants:
---------
""                  Quote = Chr$(34)
vbCr                CRLF = Chr$(10)
vbCrLf              none

String "Members":
----------------
VB6 uses a character position pointer starting with 1.
B4A uses a character Index pointer starting with 0.
        VB6                        B4A
Mid$("abcde", 1, 1) = "a" = letter array index 0 -- "a" = "abcde".CharAt(0)
Mid$("abcde", 2, 1) = "b" = letter array index 1
Mid$("abcde", 3, 1) = "c" = letter array index 2
Mid$("abcde", 4, 1) = "d" = letter array index 3
Mid$("abcde", 5, 1) = "e" = letter array index 4
     VB6                               B4A
     ===                               ===
Mid$(text, n, 1)                    text.CharAt(n-1)
Mid$(text, n)                       text.SubString(n-1)
Mid$(text, n, x) [x=length wanted]  text.SubString2(n-1, n+x-1) [n+x-1=end position]
Mid$(text, n, x) = text2            text = text.SubString2(0, n-2) & _
                                           text2.SubString2(0, x-1) & _
                                           text.SubString(n-1 + z)  where...
                                             z = Min(x, text2.length)
Left$(text, n)  [n=num.of chars.]   text.SubString2(0, n)
Right$(text, n)                     text.SubString(text.Length - n + 1)
If a$ = b$...                       If a.CompareTo(b)...
If Right$(text, n) = text2...       If text.EndsWith(text2)...
If Left$(text, n) = text2...        If text.StartsWith(text2)...
If Lcase$(text) = Lcase$(text2)...  If text.EqualsIgnoreCase(text2)...
Following are some subs from NeoTechni which take the place of VB6
string functions:
Sub Left(Text As String, Length As Long)As String
   If length>text.Length Then length=text.Length
   Return text.SubString2(0, length)
End Sub
Sub Right(Text As String, Length As Long) As String
   If length>text.Length Then length=text.Length
   Return text.SubString(text.Length-length)
End Sub
Sub Mid(Text As String, Start As Int, Length As Int) As String
   Return text.SubString2(start-1,start+length-1)
End Sub
Sub Split(Text As String, Delimiter As String) As String()
   Return Regex.Split(delimter,text)
End Sub

x = Len(text)                       x = text.Length
text = Replace(text, str, str2)     text.Replace(str, str2)
Lcase(text)                         text.ToLowerCase
Ucase(text)                         text.ToUpperCase
Trim(text)                          text.Trim
  (no LTrim or RTrim in B4A)
Instr(text, string)                 text.IndexOf(string)
Instr(int, text, string)            text.IndexOf2(string, int)
                                       Returns -1 if not found.
                                       Returns char. index, not position.
                                       Starts search at "int".
InStrRev(text, str, start, case)    text.LastIndexOf(string)
  Searches from end of string,      text.LastIndexOf(string, start)
    optionally from "start".           Cannot specify case sensitivity.
  case = 0 = case-sensitive
  case = 0 = case-insensitive
                                    A boolean form of IndexOf is -
                                    If text.Contains(string) = True Then...
If Lcase$(x) = Lcase$(y)...         If x.EqualsIgnoreCase(y)...
text = Left$(text, n) & s &         text.Insert(n, s)
          Right$(Text, y)
Asc(s) [where s = a character]      same

Error Trapping:
--------------
VB6:
===
Sub SomeSub
   On [Local] Error GoTo ErrorTrap
      ...some code...
   On Error GoTo 0 [optional end to error trapping]
   ...optional additional code...
   Exit Sub [to avoid executing ErrorTrap code]
ErrorTrap:
   ...optional code for error correction...
   Resume [optional: "Resume Next" or "Resume [line label]".
End Sub
B4A:
===
Sub SomeSub
   Try
      ...some code...
   Catch [only executes if error above]
      Log(LastException) [optional]
      ...optional code for error correction...
   End Try
   ...optional additional code...
End Sub
WIth B4A, if you get an error caught in the middle of a large subroutine, you can
NOT make a correction and resume within the code you were executing. Only the code
in "Catch" gets executed, plus any code following "End Try".
Try-Catch in place of GoTo:
--------------------------
Try-Catch can be used as a substitute for GoTo [line label] for forward, but not
backward, jumps. It cannot be used to replace GoSub, for which B4A has no equivalent.
Start the code with "Try" and replace the [line label] with "Catch".
Replace "GoTo [line label]" with code which will create an exception, which causes
a jump to "Catch", such as OpenInput("bad path", "bad filename").

"Immediate Window" vs "Logs" Tab
--------------------------------
Comments, variable values, etc., can be displayed in VB6's Immediate
Window by entering into the code "Debug.Print ...".
In the B4A environment, the Logs tab on the right side of the IDE is a
way to show the values of variables, etc., while the code is running.
Both VB6 and (now) B4A allow single-stepping through the code while it
is running and viewing the values of variables. VB6 also allows changing
the value of variables, changing the code, jumping to other lines from
the current line, etc. Because B4A runs on a PC while the app runs on
a separate device, B4A is currently unable to duplicate all of these
VB6 debug features.
 
Last edited:

SoyEli

Active Member
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VB6 to B4A

Thank You:)
Thank You:)
Thank You:sign0087:

Verry Helpful

PLEASE more more more :)
 

NeoTechni

Well-Known Member
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The redim preserve (a very advantageous feature of VB) equivalent is to switch to a list

Vbnewline in VB is CRLF in B4A

B4X:
   ---              Continue [Skips to Next in For-Next loop]
For i = 1 to 6        For i = 1 to 6
  If i = 4 Then         If i = 4 Then Continue
    ...code...          ...code...
  End If                ...
Next                  Next
Those dont appear to be equivalent.
Shouldn't "If i = 4 Then Continue" skip that iteration, where the VB side only runs on 4?

B4X:
InputBox($)         InputList(Items as List, Title, CheckedItem as Int) as Int
                        Shows list of choices with radio buttons. Returns index.
                        CheckedItem is the default.
                    InputMultiList(Items as List, Title) As List
                        Usere can select multiple items via checkboxes.
                        Returns list with the indexes of boxes checked.
Those definitely aren't equivalent. Inputbox is to input a string, not a multiple choice question
I think I had to use the dialog library to get an inputbox equivalent
 
Last edited:

Pfriemler

Member
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Longtime User
B4X:
   ---              Continue [Skips to Next in For-Next loop]
For i = 1 to 6        For i = 1 to 6
  If i = 4 Then         If i = 4 Then Continue
    ...code...          ...code...
  End If                ...
Next                  Next
Those dont appear to be equivalent.
Shouldn't "If i = 4 Then Continue" skip that iteration, where the VB side only runs on 4?
You're right. A way to skip an iteration in VB6 is to change the loop variable. "If i=4 then i=5" (pay attention to the right stepping in the for-Statement) is equivalent to "Continue" in B4A. As this looks a bit ungly in VB6, it is an advantage to B4A.

B4X:
InputBox($)  ...
Those definitely aren't equivalent. Inputbox is to input a string, not a multiple choice question
I think I had to use the dialog library to get an inputbox equivalent

I got me a little substition using the DIALOG library. Unfortunatly, there's no way to overload the SUB, so you have to pass all Parameters in B4A.

B4X:
Sub InputBox(Prompt As String, Title As String, Default As String, Hint As String) As String
   Dim Id As InputDialog
   Id.Hint = Hint
   Id.Input = Default
   ret = Id.Show(Prompt, Title, "OK", "","Abbrechen", Null)
   If ret = -1 Then Return Id.Input Else Return ""
End Sub
Maybe there's a way to adapt the Button Labels ...
 

nfordbscndrd

Well-Known Member
Licensed User
Longtime User
The redim preserve (a very advantageous feature of VB) equivalent is to switch to a list

I'll add that tip. Thanks.

Vbnewline in VB is CRLF in B4A

Both vbCrLf and vbNewLine are Chr$(13) & Chr$(10).
CRLF in B4A, which acts like VB6's vbCr, is just Chr$(10):
http://www.b4x.com/forum/basic4android-updates-questions/7255-multi-line-msgbox.html#post41479

B4X:
   ---              Continue [Skips to Next in For-Next loop]
For i = 1 to 6        For i = 1 to 6
  If i = 4 Then         If i = 4 Then Continue
    ...code...          ...code...
  End If                ...
Next                  Next
Those dont appear to be equivalent.
Shouldn't "If i = 4 Then Continue" skip that iteration, where the VB side only runs on 4?

That was a brain fart. The VB6 code should be:
"If i <> 4 Then"

B4X:
InputBox($)         InputList(Items as List, Title, CheckedItem as Int) as Int
                        Shows list of choices with radio buttons. Returns index.
                        CheckedItem is the default.
                    InputMultiList(Items as List, Title) As List
                        User can select multiple items via checkboxes.
                        Returns list with the indexes of boxes checked.
Those definitely aren't equivalent. Inputbox is to input a string, not a multiple choice question
I think I had to use the dialog library to get an inputbox equivalent

I believe that I was thinking more of the button options in MsgBox rather than InputBox.

OTOH, I've used InputBox for multiple choice many times in VB6 programs.
Example:

B4X:
response = InputBox("The WordID-POS entered has these Type-Of entries:" & _
                    vbCr & EntryList$ & vbCr & _ 
                    "Enter the ID# of the entry to use or press Enter" & vbCr & _
                    "to use the original entry ID# you entered:",,Default$)
which might look something like this when the program runs:
B4X:
The WordID-POS entered has these Type-Of entries:
09300 type-of entry 0
10020 type-of entry 1
10734 type-of entry 2
Enter the ID# of the entry to use or press Enter
to use the original entry ID# you entered:
10020

In B4A, I would convert this to:
B4X:
response = InputList(EntryList [as List], "Enter the ID# to use...",  1)
where instead of entering the number, the user could click a radio button.

However, this doesn't really answer the question of how to replace InputBox with something similar in B4A for getting string input (rather than making simple choices), and due to a combination of lack of sleep and still being a noobie, it's not coming to me right now. Can someone help me out with that? If not, I'll research it later.
 

nfordbscndrd

Well-Known Member
Licensed User
Longtime User
A way to skip an iteration in VB6 is to change the loop variable. "If i=4 then i=5" (pay attention to the right stepping in the for-Statement) is equivalent to "Continue" in B4A. As this looks a bit ugly in VB6, it is an advantage to B4A.

I meant to say "If i <> 4 Then". Changing that to "If i = 4 Then Continue" in B4A is actually an optional change because the If-Then from VB6 works fine and IMO is easier to follow, though that may be because I'm not as accustomed yet to "Continue".

I got me a little substition using the DIALOG library. Unfortunatly, there's no way to overload the SUB, so you have to pass all Parameters in B4A.

B4X:
Sub InputBox(Prompt As String, Title As String, Default As String, Hint As String) As String
    Dim Id As InputDialog
    Id.Hint = Hint
    Id.Input = Default
    ret = Id.Show(Prompt, Title, "OK", "","Abbrechen", Null)
    If ret = -1 Then Return Id.Input Else Return ""
End Sub
Maybe there's a way to adapt the Button Labels ...

Thanks. If nobody has a more direct equivalent, I'll change the table to reference your message.
 

Pfriemler

Member
Licensed User
Longtime User
I meant to say "If i <> 4 Then". Changing that to "If i = 4 Then Continue" in B4A is actually an optional change because the If-Then from VB6 works fine and IMO is easier to follow, though that may be because I'm not as accustomed yet to "Continue".
I agree - I only tried to find a VB6 equivalent code for B4A's "Continue". In fact, no one should change the loop in this way. If-then is definitly better.

InputBox:
Thanks. If nobody has a more direct equivalent, I'll change the table to reference your message.
I think it would be a great idea to have a more or less complete VB6/eVB-to-B4A translation help (I think that embeddedVisualBasic, which I used for a long time, is quite similar to VB6) in the new WIKI. Your Table is a very good base for it.

My version of InputBox is quite enough for a quick&dirty programming during the test period of a program. In fact, such dialog is not really what Android progs normally looks like (AFAIK).

And with the other post of you: Regarding InputBox as a editable radio button input: I also have a code which couples a radio button choice with a last option to enter a new text, which just pops the inputbox. Works fine. Next stage is to integrate a EditText view and a radio choice to the panel in DIALOG's CustomDialog(2).
 

NeoTechni

Well-Known Member
Licensed User
Longtime User
I've been rewriting subs since I'm used to the VB way

ie:

B4X:
Sub Left(Text As String, Length As Long)As String 
   If length>text.Length Then length=text.Length 
   Return text.SubString2(0, length)
End Sub

Sub Right(Text As String, Length As Long) As String
   If length>text.Length Then length=text.Length 
   Return text.SubString(text.Length-length)
End Sub

Sub Mid(Text As String, Start As Int, Length As Int) As String 
   Return text.SubString2(start-1,start+length-1)
End Sub

Sub Split(Text As String, Delimiter As String) As String()
   Return Regex.Split(delimter,text)
End Sub
 

Kim Rowden

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Longtime User
Errors in VB6 conversion table

I see lots of discussion about "If-then" and chr$(13) in the VB6 conversion chart... which is good...

but the errors don't seem to have been removed from the chart. Any reason why?

As Erel pointed out in another post: the equivalent of VB6's vbCRLF is simply CRLF in B4A. And if you want to define it yourself it should be:
myCRLF = chr(10)
...NOT the chr$(13) as posted many times elsewhere.

-Kim
 

Kim Rowden

Member
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Longtime User
Thanks... and sorry for coming back again on this but perhaps the CR/LF portion of the chart for "Constants" should simply read:

vbCRLF CRLF = Chr(10)

...as this is probably the real conversion required (the vbCR is typically not used).

NOTE: there should NOT be a '$' in the chr() function in B4A usage.

It took me a couple of iterations before I realised the chart was incorrect... ;)

Thanks!
-Kim
 

nfordbscndrd

Well-Known Member
Licensed User
Longtime User
Thanks... and sorry for coming back again on this but perhaps the CR/LF portion of the chart for "Constants" should simply read:

vbCRLF CRLF = Chr(10)

Since CRLF is a constant, the line you are referring to was just meant to indicate that CRLF in B4A is equivalent to CHR$(10) in VB6.

Actually, though Erel has said that CRLF is just a Chr$(10) (or Chr(10) or whatever), the whole thing is kind of confusing because some programs in Windows, such as Notepad, treat a linefeed character as both a line feed and carriage return while others do not and just show a symbol for the ASCII-10 in the middle of the line.

Logically, since CHR$(10) is just a line feed:
"This is the first line." & CHR$(10) & "This is the 2nd line."
should appear as

B4X:
This is the first line.
                        This is the second line.

Meanwhile, if instead of CHR$(10) it was CHR$(13) (carriage return), then the cursor (or printer) should simply return to the start of the first line and overwrite it with the second line. Since neither of these results are desirable, some software fudges and treats a CHR$(10) and CHR$(13) & CHR$(10) the same.
 
Last edited:

Kim Rowden

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Longtime User
Yes - I would agree it can be a little confusing at times...

I simply take the approach that in VB a vbCRLF will get me the CR and the LF needed to do the carriage return and line feed to get to the begining of a new line (in, say, a message box) - while in Unix-land I only need the "\n", hence:

chr$(13) & chr$(10), or vbCRLF, in VB map to chr(10), or CRLF, in B4A

-Kim
 

agraham

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Longtime User
Linefeed as a new line indicator is standard for Unix and so Linux on which Android is based. Carriage return and linefeed is standard for MSDOS and so Windows. Pehaps the difference arose because DOS (and I!) started on Teletype machines that needed a CR to return the print head and a LF to advance the paper. Maybe the Unix guys could afford better line-at-a-time drum or belt printers that had no need for a CR. :)
 

Hubert Brandel

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Hi,

I have just red about chr(13) and Android (Linux), I have to work with and build to CSV files from and for Win32 systems.
Does this mean, that I can't use WriteLine() from the textwriter and have to
write( cTextLine1+chr(13)+chr(10) )
write( cTextLine2+chr(13)+chr(10) ) ?

Does the "\" from Windowsdirectorys have to be "/" ?
 

Hubert Brandel

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Longtime User
I found that the syntax of Basic4ppc is very different from Basic4Android, this is strange too ;-)
 
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