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:

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