How to Decipher the VB.INI Initialization file

- Professional Edition of Microsoft Visual Basic programming system

  for Windows, version 3.0

SUMMARY

This article explains each section in the Visual Basic Initialization file (VB.INI) distributed with the Professional Edition. You'll find the VB.INI file in your \WINDOWS directory.

MORE INFORMATION

The VB.INI file is amended when you make a change by using the environment options menu of Visual Basic, or you quit or start Visual Basic. The VB.INI file is not documented in the manual; the various parts are deciphered and described below. Each line is described in the comments shown below it.

The following codes keep track of the various positions of the design environment windows. The format of each is left, top, width, height and the display state:

   1,5,9  Normal with focus
   2      Minimized with focus (default)
   3      Maximized with focus
   4,8    Normal without focus
   6,7    Minimized without focus

VBPath=c:\vb ;This is where your Visual Basic installation is kept.

ReportDesign=0 ;This determines if the entry "Report Designer" appears in the Window ;menu within Visual Basic. Valid options are 0=No or 1=Yes.

DataAccess=1 ;This determines if the entry "Data Manager" appears in the Window :menu within Visual Basic as well as if the Data Control appears in ;the Toolbox. Valid options are 0=No or 1=Yes.

MainWindow=1 14 640 72 1 ;This refers to the Window being shown at the top of the environment ;containing the Main Menu Options (File, Edit, View, Run, Debug, Options, ;Window, Help). The first four sets of digits represent the window ;position, and the last one represents its visibility (valid options are ;0=No or 1=Yes).

ColorPalette=69 491 0 0 0 ;This refers to the Color palette Window being shown, giving it's screen ;location, the first four sets of digits represent the window position ;and the last one represents its visibility (valid options are 0=No or ;1=Yes).

ToolBox=4 85 0 0 1 ;This refers to the set of buttons on the left of the screen that you use ;to draw and place controls on a form (image box, command buttons, ;picture box, label, and so on). Additional .VBX files are placed in this ;box. The last digit represents the visibility of the tool box (valid ;options are 0=No or 1=Yes).

RecentFile1=C:\VB\TEST.MAK ;This displays the four most recent projects that the user had been ;working on.

DefSaveFormat=1 ;Defines what the default save format will be (valid options are ;0=Binary or 1=Text).

SaveBeforeRun=1 ;This allows you to save the project every time it is run. Valid options ;are 0=No or 1=Yes.

ProjectWindow=451 70 297 128 9 ;This window displays two buttons (View Code & View Form). This is the ;window that displays details about your data files and forms as well as ;additional .VBX file names.

DebugWindow=400 374 400 226 0 ;This window is usually painted on the bottom right of the Visual Basic ;environment. The last digit represents its visibility (valid options are ;0=No or 1=Yes).

PropertiesWindow=574 290 180 110 9 ;This window provides property information to all or each of the objects ;on the form (Alignment, AutoRedraw, BackColor, ForeColor, and so on).

CustomColors=16777215 16777215 16777215 16777215 16777215 16777215 16777215 16777215 16777215 16777215 16777215 16777215 16777215 16777215 16777215 16777215 ;Custom colors associated with the color palette that are set by choosing ;Color Palette from the Window menu and then clicking the Custom Colors ;button.

ToolBar=0 ;This determines whether the toolbar from the main menu is shown (0=true ;or 1=false).

TabStops=4 ;Tab Stop Width within Visual Basic. It is used to change the amount of ;spaces that will be inserted whenever the TAB key is pressed.

InsOptExplicit=1 ;Refers to 'Require Variable Declaration' within Visual Basic. It allows ;the user to choose whether or not to have option explicit set to true or ;false in program code or when starting new projects. Option explicit ;is used to force all variables to be explicitly declared before they are ;used.

SyntaxChecking=1 ;Refers to 'Syntax Checking' within Visual Basic. It checks whether each ;line of program code is to be checked before moving to another line.

FileSaveFormat=0 ;Refers to 'Default Save As Format' within Visual Basic. it allows VB to ;Save all files before the program is run. Valid options are 0=No or 1=Yes.

SelectText=15 ;Refers to 'Selection Text' within Visual Basic. This determines the ;color of the text when highlighted in the program code.

SelectBkground=1 ;Refers to 'Selection Background' within Visual Basic. This determines ;the background color of the text when highlighted.

NextStatementText=0 ;Refers to "Next Statement Text' within Visual Basic. This determines ;the color of the text if the user decides to step through the program.

NextStatementBkground=15 ;Refers to 'Next Statement Background' within Visual Basic. This ;determines the background color if the user chooses to step through ;the program.

BreakPtText=15 ;Refers to 'Breakpoint Text' within Visual Basic. This allows the user to ;determine the color of the breakpoint text during debugging.

BreakPtBkground=4 ;Refers to 'Breakpoint Background' within Visual Basic. This allows the ;user to determine the background color during debugging.

CommentText=2 ;Refers to 'Comment Text' within Visual Basic. It allows the user to ;determine the color of commented text in program coding.

CommentBkground=15 ;Refers to 'Comment Background' within Visual Basic. This allows the user ;to determine the background color of commented text in program coding.

KeywordText=1 ;Refers to 'Keyword Text' within Visual Basic. This allows the user to ;change all program coding keyword colors except for commented text and ;variables.

KeywordBkground=15 ;Refers to 'Keyword Background' within Visual Basic. It allows the user ;to change all program coding keyword background colors except for ;commented text and variables.

IdentifiersText=0 ;Refers to 'Identifier Text' within Visual Basic. It allows the user to ;change all program identifiers with program code, including variable ;declarations.

IdentifiersBkground=15 ;Refers to 'Identifier Background' within Visual Basic. It allows the ;user to change all background color program identifiers with code, ;inclucing variable declarations and data types

CodeWinText=0 ;Refers to 'Code Window Text' within Visual Basic. It allows the user to ;change the color of variable declarations and data types.

CodeWinBkground=15 ;Refers to 'Code Window Background' within Visual Basic. It allows the ;user to change the background color of variable declarations and ;data types.

DebugWinText=0 ;Refers to 'Debug Window Text' within Visual Basic. It allows the user to ;change the colour of the debug window text.

DebugWinBkground=15 ;Refers to 'Debug Window Background' within Visual Basic. It allows ;the user to change the background color of the debug window text.

DefSaveFormat=0 ;Settings in the options environment dialog. Valid options are ;0=No or 1=Yes.

GridWidth=105 ;Determines the Width value of the grid.

GridHeight=105 ;Determines the Height value of the Grid.

ShowGrid=1 ;Depicts whether the grid will be shown at startup. Valid options are ;1=visible or 0=invisible.

AlignToGrid=1 ;Determines whether or not controls are snapped into place when ;drawn on the form. Valid options are 0=No or 1=Yes.

[Installable ISAMs]

Btrieve=C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\btrv110.dll ;Path of the Btrieve Driver.

FoxPro 2.0=C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\xbs110.dll ;Path of the Foxpro 2.0 Driver.

FoxPro 2.5=C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\xbs110.dll ;Path of the Foxpro 2.5 Driver.

dBASE III=C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\xbs110.dll ;Path of the Dbase III Driver.

dBASE IV=C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\xbs110.dll ;Path of the Dbase IV Driver.

Paradox 3.X=C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\pdx110.dll ;Path of the Paradox Driver.

[dBase ISAM]

Deleted=On ;Show and operate on deleted records (Deleted=On means never operate ;on deleted records).

Mark=47 ;Decimal Value of the ASCII mark character. ;correlates to the SET MARK command in dBASE.

Date=American ;Date format: correlates to the SET DATE command in dBASE.

Century=Off ;Use of four-digit dates (On or Off).

CollatingSequence=Ascii ;Collating Sequence (ASCII or International).

PageTimeout=600 ;60 Seconds.

[Btrieve ISAM]

PageTimeout=600 ;60 Seconds.

[Paradox ISAM]

Pagetimeout=600 ;60 seconds.

ParadoxUserName=Joe User ;Name displayed when lock conflicts occur.

ParadoxNetPath=P:\PDOXDB\ ;Path to the Paradox.NET file.

CollatingSequence=Ascii ;Collating Sequence of your files (ASCII, International, ;Norwegian-Danish, or Swedish-Finnish).

[ISAM]

PageTimeout=5 ;500ms - non read - locked page timeout.

MaxBufferSize=128 ;128K.

LockRetry=20 ;20 - retries on read/write locks.

CommitLockRetry=20 ;20 - retries on commit locks.

ReadAheadPages=16 ;16 Pages.

[Options]

SystemDB=C:\MYPATH\SYSTEM.MDA ;Access SYSTEM.MDA for use only if Microsoft Access is being used.