Declared Element Characteristics
A characteristic of a declared element is an aspect of that element that affects how code can interact with it. Every declared element has one or more of the following characteristics associated with it:
Data type — the values the element can hold, and how it stores those values. For more information, see Data Type Summary (Visual Basic).
Lifetime — the period of execution time during which the element is available for use. For more information, see How to: Lengthen a Variable's Lifetime.
Scope — the set of all code that can refer to the element without qualifying its name. For more information, see How to: Control the Scope of a Variable.
Access level — the permission for code to make use of the element. For more information, see How to: Control the Availability of a Variable.
Characteristics of the Elements
The following table shows the declared elements and the characteristics that apply to each one.
| Element | Data Type | Lifetime | Scope 1 | Access Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Variable |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Constant |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Enumeration |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Structure |
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Property |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Method |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Procedure (Sub or Function) |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Procedure parameter |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Function return |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Operator |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Interface |
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Class |
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Event |
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Delegate |
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
1 Scope is sometimes referred to as visibility.
See Also
Concepts
Declared Element Names
Lifetime in Visual Basic
Scope in Visual Basic
Access Levels in Visual Basic
Data Types in Visual Basic
Variable Declaration in Visual Basic
Other Resources
Declared Elements in Visual Basic
References to Declared Elements