The information in this article applies to:
- Standard, Professional, and Enterprise Editions of Microsoft Visual
Basic for Windows, 32-bit only, version 4.0
SUMMARY
A feature of the Windows 95 user interface is the toolbar. A toolbar is a
collection of buttons that activate some of the most commonly used features
of a program. Visual Basic allows you to add a toolbar to your program
through the Toolbar custom control. This article explains the toolbar
custom control and provides a sample program that uses this Toolbar
control.
MORE INFORMATION
The Toolbar control is a 32-bit custom control for use only in a 32-bit
operating systems, such as Windows 95 and Windows NT version 3.51. The
control acts as a container for button objects. Buttons can be added to the
toolbar using the Add method, as demonstrated in the sample application or
by setting the [Custom] property of the Toolbar control. In addition to
performing a function when clicked, buttons can also contain descriptions
and ToolTip text. A ToolTip is a one or two word description of the
button s function and is displayed when the cursor is passed over the
button.
To use the Toolbar control, you must add the COMCTL32.OCX file to your
project. When you ship your program, you must install COMCTL32.OCX into
your user's Windows SYSTEM directory.
SAMPLE PROGRAM WITH A TOOLBAR
The sample program is a simple word processor that uses a toolbar to
perform some functions, such as opening a file, saving a file, and
formatting the document. The program contains the Rich Text Box control
where the user types in a document, a toolbar control containing buttons to
perform a function, an Image List control to store the bitmaps appearing on
the buttons, and a Common Dialog control to perform the file open and save
functions.
In this example, the buttons are added programmatically in the Load event
of the Form. The properties of the buttons are also set during the load
event. The button's function are set in the ButtonClick event of the
Toolbar control.
The toolbar has the added feature of wrapping the buttons when the form is
resized and customizing the positions of all the buttons. Wrapping the
buttons is enabled by setting the Wrappable property of the Toolbar to
True.
A button is used to customize the position of the different buttons.
Clicking this button displays a dialog box that allows you to add a
separator bar, remove buttons, and rearrange the button position. Before
the dialog box displays, the current button positions are stored in the
registry. When you click the Restore Toolbar button, the information stored
in the registry is used to reset the positions of the buttons.
Steps to Create the Sample Program
- Start the 32-bit version of Visual Basic 4.0 or if it is already
running, click New Project on the File menu.
- Add a Toolbar, Rich Text Box, Image List, and a Common Dialog control to
the Form1 form.
- Copy the following code to the Form1 code window.
Option Explicit
'SaveToolbar method constants.
Const SaveToolbarKey = 1
Const SaveToolbarSubKey = "MyToolbar"
Const SaveToolbarVal = "True"
Private Sub Form_Load()
'Create object variable for the ImageList.
Dim imgX As ListImage
'Load pictures for the toolbar buttons into the ImageList control.
Set imgX = ImageList1.ListImages. _
Add(, "open", LoadPicture("bitmaps\tlbr_w95\open.bmp"))
Set imgX = ImageList1.ListImages. _
Add(, "save", LoadPicture("bitmaps\tlbr_w95\save.bmp"))
Set imgX = ImageList1.ListImages. _
Add(, "left", LoadPicture("bitmaps\tlbr_w95\lft.bmp"))
Set imgX = ImageList1.ListImages. _
Add(, "right", LoadPicture("bitmaps\tlbr_w95\rt.bmp"))
Set imgX = ImageList1.ListImages. _
Add(, "center", LoadPicture("bitmaps\tlbr_w95\cnt.bmp"))
Set imgX = ImageList1.ListImages. _
Add(, "justify", LoadPicture("bitmaps\tlbr_w95\jst.bmp"))
Set imgX = ImageList1.ListImages. _
Add(, "bold", LoadPicture("bitmaps\tlbr_w95\bld.bmp"))
Set imgX = ImageList1.ListImages. _
Add(, "italic", LoadPicture("bitmaps\tlbr_w95\Itl.bmp"))
Set imgX = ImageList1.ListImages. _
Add(, "customize", LoadPicture("bitmaps\tlbr_w95\prop.bmp"))
Set imgX = ImageList1.ListImages. _
Add(, "restore", LoadPicture("bitmaps\tlbr_w95\redo.bmp"))
Toolbar1.ImageList = ImageList1
'Create object variable for the Toolbar.
Dim btnX As Button
'Add button objects to Buttons collection using the Add method.
'After creating the button, set the Description and ToolTipText
'properties.
'Create Open Button
Set btnX = Toolbar1.Buttons.Add(, "open", , tbrDefault, "open")
btnX.ToolTipText = "Open File"
btnX.Description = btnX.ToolTipText
'Create Save Button
Set btnX = Toolbar1.Buttons.Add(, "save", , tbrDefault, "save")
btnX.ToolTipText = "Save File"
btnX.Description = btnX.ToolTipText
'Add a Separator
Set btnX = Toolbar1.Buttons.Add(, , , tbrSeparator)
'Create Paragraph Align Left button
Set btnX = Toolbar1.Buttons.Add(, "left", , tbrButtonGroup, _
"left")
btnX.ToolTipText = "Align Left"
btnX.Description = btnX.ToolTipText
'Create Paragraph Align Center button
Set btnX = Toolbar1.Buttons.Add(, "center", , _
tbrButtonGroup, "center")
btnX.ToolTipText = "Center"
btnX.Description = btnX.ToolTipText
'Create Paragraph Align Right button
Set btnX = Toolbar1.Buttons.Add(, "right", , tbrButtonGroup, _
"right")
btnX.ToolTipText = "Align Right"
btnX.Description = btnX.ToolTipText
'Add a Separator
Set btnX = Toolbar1.Buttons.Add(, , , tbrSeparator)
'Create a Bold Button
Set btnX = Toolbar1.Buttons.Add(, "bold", , tbrCheck, "bold")
btnX.ToolTipText = "Bold"
btnX.Description = btnX.ToolTipText
'Italic Button
Set btnX = Toolbar1.Buttons.Add(, "italic", , tbrCheck, _
"italic")
btnX.ToolTipText = "Italic"
btnX.Description = btnX.ToolTipText
'Add a Separator
Set btnX = Toolbar1.Buttons.Add(, , , tbrSeparator)
'Create a Customize Toolbar button
Set btnX = Toolbar1.Buttons.Add(, "customize", , tbrCheck, _
"customize")
btnX.ToolTipText = "Customize Toolbar"
btnX.Description = btnX.ToolTipText
'Create a Restore Toolbar button
Set btnX = Toolbar1.Buttons.Add(, "restore", , tbrCheck, _
"restore")
btnX.ToolTipText = "Restore Toolbar"
btnX.Description = btnX.ToolTipText
With Toolbar1
.Wrappable = True ' Buttons can wrap.
'Prevent customization except by clicking Customize button.
.AllowCustomize = False
End With
'Configure commondialog1 for opening and saving files.
With CommonDialog1
.DefaultExt = ".rtf"
.Filter = "RTF file (*.RTF)|*.RTF"
End With
'Set margin of the RichTextBox to the width of the control.
richtextbox1.RightMargin = richtextbox1.Width
End Sub
Private Sub richtextbox1_SelChange()
'When the insertion point changes, set the Toolbar buttons to
'reflect the attributes of the text where the cursor is located.
'Use the Select Case statement. The SelAlignment property returns
'either 0, 1, 2, or Null.
Select Case richtextbox1.SelAlignment
Case Is = rtfLeft ' 0
Toolbar1.Buttons("left").Value = tbrPressed
Case Is = rtfRight '1
Toolbar1.Buttons("right").Value = tbrPressed
Case Is = rtfCenter '2
Toolbar1.Buttons("center").Value = tbrPressed
Case Else ' Null -- No buttons are shown in the up position.
Toolbar1.Buttons("left").Value = tbrUnpressed
Toolbar1.Buttons("right").Value = tbrUnpressed
Toolbar1.Buttons("center").Value = tbrUnpressed
End Select
'SelBold returns 0, -1, or Null. If it's Null then set the
'MixedState property to True.
Select Case richtextbox1.SelBold
Case 0 ' Not bold.
Toolbar1.Buttons("bold").Value = tbrUnpressed
Case -1 ' Bold.
Toolbar1.Buttons("bold").Value = tbrPressed
Case Else ' Mixed state.
Toolbar1.Buttons("bold").MixedState = True
End Select
'SelItalic returns 0, -1, or Null. If it's Null then set the
'MixedState property to True.
Select Case richtextbox1.SelItalic
Case 0 ' Not italic.
Toolbar1.Buttons("italic").Value = tbrUnpressed
Case -1 ' Italic.
Toolbar1.Buttons("italic").Value = tbrPressed
Case Else ' Mixed State.
Toolbar1.Buttons("italic").MixedState = True
End Select
End Sub
Private Sub toolbar1_ButtonClick(ByVal Button As Button)
'Use the Key property with the SelectCase statement to specify
'an action.
Select Case Button.Key
Case Is = "open" ' Open file.
Dim strOpen As String ' String variable for file name.
CommonDialog1.ShowOpen ' Show Open File dialog box.
strOpen = CommonDialog1.filename ' Set variable to filename.
richtextbox1.LoadFile strOpen, 0 ' Use LoadFile method.
Case Is = "save" ' Save file.
Dim strNewFile As String ' String variable for new
' file name.
CommonDialog1.ShowSave ' Show Save dialog box.
strNewFile = CommonDialog1.filename ' Set variable to
'file name.
richtextbox1.SaveFile strNewFile, 0 ' Use SaveFile method.
Case Is = "left"
richtextbox1.SelAlignment = rtfLeft
Case Is = "center"
richtextbox1.SelAlignment = rtfCenter
Case Is = "right"
richtextbox1.SelAlignment = rtfRight
Case Is = "bold"
'Test to see if the MixedState property is True. If so,
'then set it to false before doing anything else.
If Button.MixedState = True Then
Button.MixedState = False
End If
'Toggle the SelBold property.
richtextbox1.SelBold = Abs(richtextbox1.SelBold) - 1
Case Is = "italic"
'Test to see if the MixedState property is True. If so,
'then set it to false before doing anything else.
If Button.MixedState = True Then
Button.MixedState = False
End If
'Toggle the SelItalic property.
richtextbox1.SelItalic = Abs(richtextbox1.SelItalic) - 1
Case Is = "customize"
'Save the state of Toolbar1 in the registry before
'allowing further customization.
With Toolbar1
.SaveToolbar SaveToolbarKey, SaveToolbarSubKey, _
SaveToolbarVal
.AllowCustomize = True 'AllowCustomize must be True to
'change toolbar.
.Customize 'Customize method invokes Customize
'Dialog box.
.AllowCustomize = False 'After customization, set this
'to False.
End With
Case Is = "restore"
'Restore state of Toolbar1 using the information stored in
'the registry.
Toolbar1.RestoreToolbar SaveToolbarKey, _
SaveToolbarSubKey, SaveToolbarVal
End Select
End Sub
- On the Run menu, click Start or press the F5 key to start the program.
Pass the cursor over each button to display the Tooltip describing the
button's function. Click the button to perform the function.
REFERENCES
Microsoft Visual Basic: Professional Features: Custom Control
Reference." See the Toolbar control, pages 437-451.
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