HomeProgram

How to Create a Simple Calculator in Visual Basic 6.0

This wikiHow teaches you how to use Microsoft's Visual Basic 6.0 to create a simple calculator that can add, subtract, multiply, and divide. Keep in mind that Visual Basic 6.0 is no longer used by modern computers, so you'll need to have...
Part 1 of 5:

Creating a New Project

  1. How to Create a Simple Calculator in Visual Basic 6.0 Picture 1How to Create a Simple Calculator in Visual Basic 6.0 Picture 1
    Create a new folder for your calculator. To house all of your calculator's necessary files, do the following:
    1. Go to the location in which you want to save your VB6 calculator.
    2. Right-click a blank space.
    3. Select New in the drop-down menu.
    4. Click Folder.
    5. Type in Calculator and press ↵ Enter.
  2. How to Create a Simple Calculator in Visual Basic 6.0 Picture 2How to Create a Simple Calculator in Visual Basic 6.0 Picture 2
    Open Visual Basic 6. This will bring up the project selection page.
  3. How to Create a Simple Calculator in Visual Basic 6.0 Picture 3How to Create a Simple Calculator in Visual Basic 6.0 Picture 3
    Click Standard EXE. It's in the project selection field.
  4. How to Create a Simple Calculator in Visual Basic 6.0 Picture 4How to Create a Simple Calculator in Visual Basic 6.0 Picture 4
    Click Open. This is in the bottom-right corner of the window. Doing so creates a new project.
Part 2 of 5:

Creating the Calculator's Input Fields

  1. How to Create a Simple Calculator in Visual Basic 6.0 Picture 5How to Create a Simple Calculator in Visual Basic 6.0 Picture 5
    Open the "Text Box" tool. Click the ab button on the left-hand side of the window.
  2. How to Create a Simple Calculator in Visual Basic 6.0 Picture 6How to Create a Simple Calculator in Visual Basic 6.0 Picture 6
    Create a text box. Click and drag your mouse down and right to draw an outline of the text box, then release the mouse button when the text box is the proper size.
    1. Ideally, your text box will be significantly longer than it is tall.
  3. How to Create a Simple Calculator in Visual Basic 6.0 Picture 7How to Create a Simple Calculator in Visual Basic 6.0 Picture 7
    Copy the text box. Click once the text box to select it, then press Ctrl+C to copy it.
  4. How to Create a Simple Calculator in Visual Basic 6.0 Picture 8How to Create a Simple Calculator in Visual Basic 6.0 Picture 8
    Paste in the text box twice. Press Ctrl+V twice to do so. You should see your pasted text boxes appear in the upper-right side of the page.
    1. If prompted to create a new control array after pasting in a text box, click No.
  5. How to Create a Simple Calculator in Visual Basic 6.0 Picture 9How to Create a Simple Calculator in Visual Basic 6.0 Picture 9
    Arrange the text boxes in a stack. Click and drag the text box in the top-left side of the page down to the bottom slot, then move the second text box from the top-left side of the page into the middle slot. You should now have a stack of three text boxes.[1]
    1. The order in which you do this is important; if you place the text box you pasted second in the middle, it will cause your coding later to malfunction.
  6. How to Create a Simple Calculator in Visual Basic 6.0 Picture 10How to Create a Simple Calculator in Visual Basic 6.0 Picture 10
    Remove the text boxes' default text. To do so:
    1. Click a text box.
    2. Click the text field to the right of the "Text" heading in the "Properties" pane on the right side of the window.
    3. Press Delete.
    4. Repeat with the other two text boxes.
  7. How to Create a Simple Calculator in Visual Basic 6.0 Picture 11How to Create a Simple Calculator in Visual Basic 6.0 Picture 11
    Create three label boxes. Click the A button in the left-hand toolbar, then do the following:
    1. Resize the label box to your preferred size.
    2. Select the label box, then copy it.
    3. Paste twice the label box.
  8. How to Create a Simple Calculator in Visual Basic 6.0 Picture 12How to Create a Simple Calculator in Visual Basic 6.0 Picture 12
    Place the label boxes to the left of the text boxes. Click and drag each label box to sit to the left of each text box.
  9. How to Create a Simple Calculator in Visual Basic 6.0 Picture 13How to Create a Simple Calculator in Visual Basic 6.0 Picture 13
    Edit the top label box's caption. To do so:
    1. Click the top label box.
    2. Click the text box to the right of the "Caption" heading in the "Properties" pane on the right side of the window.
    3. Type in Number 1.
  10. How to Create a Simple Calculator in Visual Basic 6.0 Picture 14How to Create a Simple Calculator in Visual Basic 6.0 Picture 14
    Edit the other two label boxes' captions. You'll label them like so:
    1. Click the middle label box, then change its caption to Number 2.
    2. Click the bottom label box, then change its caption to Result.
  11. How to Create a Simple Calculator in Visual Basic 6.0 Picture 15How to Create a Simple Calculator in Visual Basic 6.0 Picture 15
    Make the label boxes transparent. This isn't necessary, but it will make your calculator more visually appealing:
    1. Select a label box.
    2. Click the "BackStyle" drop-down box in the "Properties" pane.
    3. Click Transparent in the drop-down menu.
  12. How to Create a Simple Calculator in Visual Basic 6.0 Picture 16How to Create a Simple Calculator in Visual Basic 6.0 Picture 16
    Title your calculator. To change the text that appears at the top of the calculator's window when you run it, do the following:
    1. Click a blank space on the form.
    2. Click the "Caption" header's text box in the "Properties" pane.
    3. Type in Simple Calculator (or whatever you want to name the calculator).
Part 3 of 5:

Creating the Calculator's Buttons

  1. How to Create a Simple Calculator in Visual Basic 6.0 Picture 17How to Create a Simple Calculator in Visual Basic 6.0 Picture 17
    Click the "Button" tool icon. It's a grey box icon below the ab option in the left-hand toolbar.
  2. How to Create a Simple Calculator in Visual Basic 6.0 Picture 18How to Create a Simple Calculator in Visual Basic 6.0 Picture 18
    Create a square button. Click and drag in a diagonal direction until you see a small square outline appear, then release the mouse button. You should see a grey button display on the form.
  3. How to Create a Simple Calculator in Visual Basic 6.0 Picture 19How to Create a Simple Calculator in Visual Basic 6.0 Picture 19
    Copy the button. Select the button you just created, then press Ctrl+C.
  4. How to Create a Simple Calculator in Visual Basic 6.0 Picture 20How to Create a Simple Calculator in Visual Basic 6.0 Picture 20
    Paste the button three times. Press Ctrl+V three times to do so. This will create a total of four buttons on your project.
    1. You may have to click No when prompted each time after pressing Ctrl+V.
  5. How to Create a Simple Calculator in Visual Basic 6.0 Picture 21How to Create a Simple Calculator in Visual Basic 6.0 Picture 21
    Arrange the buttons below the calculator's input fields. Click and drag each button so that you have a row of them below the "Result" text box.
  6. How to Create a Simple Calculator in Visual Basic 6.0 Picture 22How to Create a Simple Calculator in Visual Basic 6.0 Picture 22
    Edit the buttons' captions. You'll do this by changing the text for each button's "Caption" heading in the "Properties" pane on the right side of the window:
    1. Click the left-most button, then change its "Caption" text to +.
    2. Click the next button to the right, then change its "Caption" text to -.
    3. Click the next button to the right, then change its "Caption" text to x (or *).
    4. Click the right-most button, then change its "Caption" text to /.
Part 4 of 5:

Adding the Calculator's Code

  1. How to Create a Simple Calculator in Visual Basic 6.0 Picture 23How to Create a Simple Calculator in Visual Basic 6.0 Picture 23
    Double-click the + button. Doing so opens a code console.
  2. How to Create a Simple Calculator in Visual Basic 6.0 Picture 24How to Create a Simple Calculator in Visual Basic 6.0 Picture 24
    Enter the addition code. Type the following code into the console, directly below the "Private Sub" text and directly above the "End Sub" text. 
    Text3.Text=val(Text1)+val(Text2)
  3. How to Create a Simple Calculator in Visual Basic 6.0 Picture 25How to Create a Simple Calculator in Visual Basic 6.0 Picture 25
    Return to the calculator form. Double-click the Form1 option under the "Project1" heading on the right side of the page to do so.
  4. How to Create a Simple Calculator in Visual Basic 6.0 Picture 26How to Create a Simple Calculator in Visual Basic 6.0 Picture 26
    Double-click the - button. This will re-open the console.
  5. How to Create a Simple Calculator in Visual Basic 6.0 Picture 27How to Create a Simple Calculator in Visual Basic 6.0 Picture 27
    Enter the subtraction code. Type the following into the console: 
    Text3.Text=val(Text1)-val(Text2)
  6. How to Create a Simple Calculator in Visual Basic 6.0 Picture 28How to Create a Simple Calculator in Visual Basic 6.0 Picture 28
    Double-click the x or * button. This will re-open the console.
  7. How to Create a Simple Calculator in Visual Basic 6.0 Picture 29How to Create a Simple Calculator in Visual Basic 6.0 Picture 29
    Enter the multiplication code. Type the following into the console: 
    Text3.Text=val(Text1)*val(Text2)
  8. How to Create a Simple Calculator in Visual Basic 6.0 Picture 30How to Create a Simple Calculator in Visual Basic 6.0 Picture 30
    Double-click the / button. This will re-open the console.
  9. How to Create a Simple Calculator in Visual Basic 6.0 Picture 31How to Create a Simple Calculator in Visual Basic 6.0 Picture 31
    Enter the division code. Type the following into the console: 
    Text3.Text=val(Text1)/val(Text2)
Part 5 of 5:

Saving Your Calculator

  1. How to Create a Simple Calculator in Visual Basic 6.0 Picture 32How to Create a Simple Calculator in Visual Basic 6.0 Picture 32
    Save your project. Do the following:
    1. Press Ctrl+S.
    2. Select your "Calculator" folder as the save location.
    3. Click Save.
  2. How to Create a Simple Calculator in Visual Basic 6.0 Picture 33How to Create a Simple Calculator in Visual Basic 6.0 Picture 33
    Click File. It's in the upper-left side of the window. A drop-down menu will appear.
  3. How to Create a Simple Calculator in Visual Basic 6.0 Picture 34How to Create a Simple Calculator in Visual Basic 6.0 Picture 34
    Click Make [name] exe…. This option is in the drop-down menu. Doing so re-opens the "Save As" window.
  4. How to Create a Simple Calculator in Visual Basic 6.0 Picture 35How to Create a Simple Calculator in Visual Basic 6.0 Picture 35
    Enter a file name. Type "calculator" or something similar into the "File name" text box.
  5. How to Create a Simple Calculator in Visual Basic 6.0 Picture 36How to Create a Simple Calculator in Visual Basic 6.0 Picture 36
    Select your "Calculator" folder. Go to the folder in which you saved your "Calculator" folder, then click the "Calculator" folder to select it.
  6. How to Create a Simple Calculator in Visual Basic 6.0 Picture 37How to Create a Simple Calculator in Visual Basic 6.0 Picture 37
    Click OK. It's in the bottom-right corner of the window. This will save your calculator as an executable (EXE) file in the "Calculator" folder.
  7. How to Create a Simple Calculator in Visual Basic 6.0 Picture 38How to Create a Simple Calculator in Visual Basic 6.0 Picture 38
    Create a shortcut to your calculator's EXE file. You can create a desktop shortcut to your calculator's EXE file by doing the following:
    1. Open the "Calculator" folder.
    2. Right-click the EXE file.
    3. Select Send to in the drop-down menu.
    4. Click Desktop (create shortcut).
4.3 ★ | 9 Vote
clicktextboxcalculator

You should read it

Maybe you are interested

Program