HOWTO: Set a Minimum and Maximum Size for a UserControl

• Microsoft Visual Basic Learning, Professional, and Enterprise Editions for Windows, versions 5.0, 6.0

SUMMARY

When you create UserControls in Visual Basic, you may want to limit the size of your UserControl. This article shows how to set a minimum and maximum size for your UserControl so that a developer who uses the control can't size the control past the preset minimum or maximum.

MORE INFORMATION

This example uses a UserControl that is inside a Standard EXE project. You can use the same technique for a UserControl in an ActiveX Control project. When the ActiveX control is built, anyone using the ActiveX control will not be able to size it any larger or smaller then the limits you set inside the UserControl itself.

NOTE: This is only intended to work within Visual Basic applications and may not work in other containers, such as Microsoft Word or Excel.

Steps to Create Sample Project

1. Create a new Standard EXE project. Form1 is created by default.



2. Add a UserControl to the Project by clicking Add UserControl on the Projects menu and then clicking Open.



3. Change the BackColor property of the UserControl to a different color, such as red.



4. Add two labels to the UserControl.



5. Add the following code to the code window for the UserControl:

   
         Private Sub UserControl_Resize()
         ' Check to see if the control is larger or smaller than the preset
         ' minimum or maximum size.
         ' If it is larger or smaller, set the size of the control.
            Select Case Height
              Case Is < 2400
                Height = 2400
              Case Is > 3600
                Height = 3600
            End Select
   
            Select Case Width
              Case Is < 2400
                Width = 2400
              Case Is > 3600
                Width = 3600
            End Select
           ' The label reports the height and width of the control in
           ' twips even if the container has a different scalemode.
           Label1.Caption = "Height: " & Height
           Label2.Caption = "Width: " & Width
         End Sub
    




6. Close the UserControl and it appears in the ToolBox. Place it on Form1.



7. Try resizing the UserControl. If you try to make the control larger or smaller then the limit you set in the Resize event of the UserControl, the control returns to the maximum or minimum size.

Keywords : kbcode kbCtrlCreate kbVBp500 kbVBp600 kbGrpVB
Version : WINDOWS:5.0
Platform : WINDOWS
Issue type : kbhowto