This approach holds for all numbers although larger numbers may take more than a byte of storage. Strings cannot be stored this way and are always stored as one byte per character. Visual Basic has commands which can read or store in both storage methods. The storage method you use can make a big difference in how simple the code can be in your application. I won't cover all the details now, but will bring it up as needed in the tutorial.
Binary storage is more useful for storing numbers.
VB commands let you read one or more bytes of binary data at a time and if provides more flexibility in moving around through the file. There are, of course, other schemes for storing data. Many programs such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint have their own storage schemes. This is also true of database program files such as those created by Access or dBase. This tutorial won't discuss proprietary formats except to note that they exist.