Using the SystemColors Class

To use the SystemColors class, just as with the other classes in this chapter, first create a new instance of the class, and then work with its properties. For example, to change the background color of buttons, you could use code like this:

Dim sc As New SystemColors
Dim lngColor As Long
lngColor = sc.ButtonFace
' Set the button background to be red.
sc.ButtonFace = 255

By the way, should you try this experiment, you may be surprised; changing the ButtonFace property also changes the color of many other objects in Windows, including scrollbars and menu bars. Unfortunately, there’s no support in the API for controlling the Windows color scheme, so you’ll need to work with each color separately. It’s also unfortunate that we could find no documentation on the interrelations between various screen artifacts and the system colors—you’ll find that changing one of the properties of the SystemColors object may, in fact, change the color of a seemingly unrelated object. Experiment carefully when using these properties in applications.

Using System Colors in Your User Interface

If you intend to assign the system color values to elements of your application’s user interface, don’t assign the value you retrieved from properties of the SystemColors object. Although you can do this if you like, it will defeat your purpose. If a user changes the system colors, you want your interface to automatically alter itself to match the new colors. If you hard-code a value you retrieve at design time, your interface cannot magically alter itself.

If, instead, you choose a value from Table 9.24, your user interface will always match the settings chosen in the Windows color scheme. Use the values in the first column in your VBA code and the values in the second column in property sheets.

Table 9.24: System Color Constants for Use in the User Interface

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