Chapter 4 - Creating Data Input Forms and Dialog Boxes

( Contents )

 

Chapter Objectives

• Display and manipulate data by using custom controls. Controls include ListView, ImageList , ToolBar, and StatusBar.

• Create an application that adds and deletes controls at runtime.

• Use the Controls Collection to manipulate controls at runtime.

• Use the Forms Collection to manipulate forms at runtime.

The objectives for this chapter broaden the focus of the objective of the previous chapter by adding more elements of user interface programming:

The first objective (Add an ActiveX control to the ToolBox) and the first subobjective (Display and manipulate data by using custom controls) of the second objective (Create data input forms and dialog boxes) focus on several controls that are not found in the standard VB toolbox. You must know how to add such custom controls to the VB toolbox so that you can program with them, and then, of course, you must know something about each control's object model and design- and runtime behaviors. We discuss each of the controls listed in the second objective in this chapter.

The remaining subobjectives deal with broader issues of programmatic manipulation of VB objects in the visual interface. These objectives apply to any type of control in any VB application.

Contents

1. Introduction to Creating Data Input Forms and Dialog Boxes

2. Adding an ActiveX Control to the ToolBox

3. Using the ImageList Control
             ListImage Object and ListImages Collection
             Add and Remove Methods
             Draw Method
             Overlay Method
             ImageHeight and ImageWidth Properties
             MaskColor and UseMaskColor Properties

4. Using the TreeView Control
             Node Object and Nodes Collection
             Add and Remove Methods
             EnsureVisible and GetVisibleCount Methods
             TreeView Properties
             TreeView Events

5. Using the ListView Control
             ListItem Object and ListItems Collection
             View Property
             Icon and SmallIcon Properties
             Arrange Property
             ColumnHeader Object and ColumnHeaders Collection
             SubItems Property

6. Using the ToolBar Control
             Button Object and Buttons Collection
             Style Property
             Appearance Properties
             Add and Remove Methods
             Customizing Toolbars

7. Using the StatusBar Control
             Panel Object and Panels Collection
             Add and Remove Methods
             Using the Controls Collection

8. Techniques for Adding and Deleting Controls Dynamically
             Adding and Deleting Controls Dynamically Using Control Arrays
             Adding and Deleting Controls Dynamically Using the Controls Collection
                       Getting a Control's ProgID
                       Declaring an Intrinsic Control and Programming Its Events
                       Declaring an ActiveX Control and Programming Its Events
                       Adding and Removing a Control in the Controls Collection
                       Keeping a Reference in the Project to an ActiveX Control
                       Managing the License for an ActiveX Control

9. More on Creating Data Input Forms and Dialog Boxes
             Loading form objects into memory and unloading them
             Showing and hiding forms from the screen
             Showing how VB Form objects are stored

10. Using the Forms Collection
              Using Methods and Properties of the Forms Collection
              Using Specific Items Within the Forms Collection
              Looping Through the Forms Collection
              Using the Forms Collection to Verify Whether a Form Is Loaded
              Using the Forms Collection to Unload All Forms