As an alternative to compiling Visual Basic .NET programs from within Visual Studio .NET, you can compile from the command line to produce executable (.exe) files or dynamic-link library (.dll) files.
The Visual Basic .NET command-line compiler supports a complete set of options that control input and output files, assemblies, and debug and preprocessor options. Each option is available in two interchangeable forms: -option and /option. This documentation shows only the /option form.
The following table lists some sample command lines you can modify for your own use.
| To | Use |
|---|---|
| Compile File.vb and create File.exe | vbc File.vb |
| Compile File.vb and create File.dll | vbc /target:library File.vb |
| Compile File.vb and create My.exe | vbc /out:My.exe File.vb |
| Compile all Visual Basic files in the current directory, with optimizations on and the DEBUG symbol defined, producing File2.exe | vbc /define:DEBUG=1 /optimize /out:File2.exe *.vb |
| Compile all Visual Basic files in the current directory, producing a debug version of File2.dll without displaying the logo or warnings | vbc /target:library /out:File2.dll /warn:0 /nologo /debug *.vb |
| Compile all Visual Basic files in the current directory to Something.dll | vbc /target:library /out:Something.dll *.vb |
Visual Basic Compiler Options |