Difference Between Modules and Class In VB.NET With Examples

Difference Between Modules and Class In VB.NET With Examples

This tutorial will only describe the difference between modules and class in VB.Net with Examples.

Let’s Start!

What is Module in VB.Net?

A module is quite similar to a class but every module has exactly one instance and it does not need to be assigned to a variable and does not support inheritance.

A module in VB.net lasts a lifetime the same as your program because all of its members are Shared.

Module’s access levels can be adjusted with the access modifier.

Example of Module in vb.net:

• Open the Visual Basic, select “File” on the menu, hit new and create a new project.
  

  

• The New Project dialog will appear.
  

  

  Select “windows” in the project types, hit the “windows form application” in the templates and hit “ok“.

• Go to the solution explorer. Right click the application, click add and select a Module.
  

  

• The add new Item dialog will appear and do the process like what is shown below.

<li>Add the following code in the <em>Module1</em></li>

Module Module1
Public Sub popUpMsg(ByVal msg As String)
MsgBox(msg)
End Sub

End Module

• Design the form just like shown below.
  

  

• Go to the form design and double click a button to fire the click event handler of it. Add the following code in the method.

Private Sub Button1_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles Button1.Click
popUpMsg("Hello World")
End Sub

Output:

What is a class in VB.Net?

A Class is a group of an object that defines its functionality as a set of properties and the methods that will respond to.

And it is also a container of your data and code. Wherein you can limit the data that you’re accessing.

In Object-Oriented Programming(OOP), classes, methods, and properties help you create a complete application.

This is an example of how to use a class in vb.net application.

• Open the Visual Basic, select “File” on the menu, hit new and create a new project.
  

  

• The New Project dialog will appear.
  

  

  Select “windows” in the project types, hit the “windows form application” in the templates and hit “ok“.

• Go to the solution explorer. Right click the application, click add and select a class
  

  

• The add new Item dialog will appear and do the process like what is shown below.
  

  

• Design the form just like shown below.

  

• Select Lines(class) and add this following code:

Private lenLines As String

Property Lines() As String
Get
Return lenLines
End Get
Set(ByVal Value As String)
lenLines = Value
End Set
End Property

ReadOnly Property Length() As Integer
Get
Return lenLines.Length
End Get
End Property

• Go to the form design and double-click a button to fire the click event handler of it. Add the following code in the method.

Dim oLine As Lines

oLine = New Lines()

oLine.Lines = txtlines.Text
txtlen.Text = oLine.Length.ToString()

Output:

Summary

In summary, the difference between module and class in vb.net is that module is quite similar to a class but every module has exactly one instance and it does not need to be assigned to a variable and does not support inheritance.

And a module in VB.net lasts a lifetime the same as your program because all of its members are Shared.

Module’s access levels can be adjusted with the access modifier.

Technology stack and requirements

To run this VB.NET project, you need the following on your development machine:

• Visual Studio 2019 or later. The free Community Edition is enough for building, debugging, and running the project.
• .NET Framework 4.7.2 or higher. Most Windows 10 and 11 systems have it preinstalled through Windows Update.
• MySQL Server 8.0 or MSSQL Express 2019. Choose whichever your capstone panel prefers; both work with VB.NET data adapters.
• MySQL Connector/NET or SqlClient library. Add via NuGet Package Manager inside Visual Studio.
• Crystal Reports (optional). Required only if the project generates printable reports; install the runtime redistributable.

Installing the source code

The download link contains a ZIP archive with the full solution. Extract and set up in five steps:

1. Extract the archive to a folder outside Program Files (avoids permission issues).
2. Open the .sln file in Visual Studio. It loads the full solution with all forms and modules.
3. Restore NuGet packages. Right-click the solution then Restore NuGet Packages if prompted.
4. Import the database. Locate the .sql file in the archive and import via phpMyAdmin (MySQL) or SQL Server Management Studio.
5. Update the connection string in App.config or module code to match your local database name, user, and password.

How to use this project for your BSIT capstone

This VB.NET project maps cleanly to standard BSIT capstone documentation. Suggested chapter alignment:

• Chapter 1 (Introduction). Discuss the problem the system solves in real-world context. Cite Philippine business or academic use cases where a manual process could be replaced.
• Chapter 2 (Review of Related Literature). Compare this system’s features against 5-10 similar published projects. Cite journals like IJERT or IEEE Access for academic-standard sources.
• Chapter 3 (Methodology). Include Use Case Diagram, Data Flow Diagram, Entity Relationship Diagram, and Activity Diagram covering all major workflows in the system.
• Chapter 4 (Results and Discussion). Screenshot each module of the running system with a caption explaining what data it processes and which user role interacts with it.
• Chapter 5 (Conclusion and Recommendations). Identify features that could be added in a Version 2, such as web dashboard, mobile app, or REST API export.

Modules typical of Difference Between Modules and Class

• Master data. CRUD forms for the primary entities the system manages, with search and filter.
• Transaction processing. Data entry forms for the day-to-day operations the system automates.
• Reports. Formatted printable output summarizing activity per day, per user, or per category.
• User management. Login with role-based permissions (Admin, Encoder, Viewer).
• Backup and restore. Export database to a .sql or .bak file and restore when needed.

Common enhancements for capstone review

• Modernize the UI. Add Bunifu or Guna UI controls for a more polished, modern appearance.
• Add printable receipts. Integrate a printer preview form with page-setup options.
• Multi-user concurrency. Ensure the database handles simultaneous writes without lost-update errors.
• Web version. Rewrite the front-end in ASP.NET Core or React for a modern deployment path.

Inquiries

If you have any questions or suggestions about the difference between the modules and class in vb.net, please leave a comment below.