1	Chapter 9 – Additional Controls and Objects 9.1 List Boxes, Combo Boxes, and the File-Opening Control The List Box Control The Combo Box Control The OpenFileDialog Control
2	The List Box Control Items can be placed into the list at design time or runtime The Sorted property causes items in the list to be sorted automatically If the Sorted property is set to True, then the following will place an item into the list in order and assign the index of its position to num: num = lstBox.Items.Add(str)
3	Useful Properties of the List Box For the total number of items in a list box: lstBox.Items.Count For the index number of the currently highlighted item: lstBox.SelectedIndex
4	More List Box Properties lstBox.Items() is the list of items in the list box. The value of the item with an index of "n" is: lstBox.Items(n) The data type of the elements in the lstBox.Items() array is Object. To put the first element of lstBox.Items in a text box: txtBox.Text = CStr(lstBox.Items(0))
5	Currently Highlighted Item in a List Boxes The currently highlighted item can be obtained by: lstBox.Items(lstBox.SelectedIndex) Or lstBox.Text
6	Removing Items from a List Box To delete an item at a given location: lstBox.Items.RemoveAt(n) To delete the first occurrence of an item: lstBox.Items.Remove(str) To remove everything from a list box: lstBox.Items.Clear()
7	List Box Events Three main types of events with list boxes: Click – if the user clicks on an item in the list box SelectedIndexChanged - if the user clicks on an item or uses the arrow keys to select it DoubleClick - if the user double-clicks on an item Click, DoubleClick, and SelectedIndexChanged events are triggered when the user double-clicks.
8	Example 1 Private Sub lstOxys_SelectedIndexChanged(...) Handles lstOxys.SelectedIndexChanged txtSelected.Text = CStr(lstOxys.SelectedItem) End Sub Private Sub btnAdd_Click(...) Handles btnAdd.Click Dim item As String item = InputBox("Item to Add:") lstOxys.Items.Add(item) End Sub Private Sub lstOxys_DoubleClick(...) Handles lstOxys.DoubleClick lstOxys.Items.RemoveAt(lstOxys.SelectedIndex) txtSelected.Clear() End Sub
9	Filling a List Box at Design Time Select the Items property of the list box. Click on the ellipses button on the right side of the Settings box. (A window titled String Collection Editor will be displayed.) Type in the first item, and press Enter. Repeat Step 3 for each of the other items. When you are finished entering items, click on the OK button.
10	The Combo Box Control A list box combined with a text box The user has the option of selecting from a list or typing in something Three types of combo boxes in the DropDownStyle property: Simple DropDown DropDownList
11	Example 2 Private Sub btnDisplay_Click(...) Handles btnDisplay.Click txtDisplay.Text = cboTitle.Text & " " & txtName.Text End Sub
12	The OpenFileDialog Control Implements the standard File Open dialog box Normally the 37^th control in the Tool Box When you place the control on the form, it will not be visible The icon and default name will appear in the pane below the Main area
13	An Open File Dialog Box
14	Using the OpenFileDialog control To display the control: OpenFileDialog1.ShowDialog() After the Open button has been pressed, the file name selected and its complete filespec will be contained in the property: OpenFileDialog1.FileName
15	Example 3 Private Sub btnSelect_Click(...) Handles btnSelect.Click Dim textFile As String OpenFileDialog1.ShowDialog() textFile = OpenFileDialog1.FileName Dim sr As IO.StreamReader = IO.File.OpenText(textFile) lstOutput.Items.Clear() Do While sr.Peek <> -1 lstOutput.Items.Add(sr.ReadLine) Loop sr.Close() End Sub
16	9.2 Seven Elementary Controls The Group Box Control The Check Box Control The Radio Button Control The Timer Control The Picture Box Control The Horizontal and Vertical Scroll Bar Controls
17	The Group Box Control Group boxes are passive objects used to group other objects together When you drag a group box, the attached controls follow as a unit To attach a control to a group box, create the group box, then drag the control you want to attach into the group box
18	Group Box Example
19	The Check Box Control Consists of a small square and a caption Presents the user with a Yes/No choice Checked property is True when the check box is checked and False when it is not CheckedChanged event is triggered when the user clicks on the check box
20	Example 1 Private Sub Tally(...) Handles chkDrugs.CheckedChanged, chkDental.CheckedChanged, chkVision.CheckedChanged, chkMedical.CheckChanged Dim sum As Double = 0 If chkDrugs.Checked Then sum += 12.51 End If If chkDental.Checked Then sum += 9.68 End If If chkVision.Checked Then sum += 1.5 End If If chkMedical.Checked Then sum += 25.25 End If txtTotal.Text = FormatCurrency(sum) End Sub
21	Example 1 output
22	The Radio Button Control Consists of a small circle with a caption (that is set by the Text property) Give the user a single choice from several options Clicking on one removes the selection from another Normally Radio Buttons are attached to a Group Box
23	Radio Button Properties To determine if the button is on or off radButton.Checked To turn a button on radButton.Checked = True
24	Example 2 Private Sub btnVote_Click(...) Handles btnVote.Click If radCandidate1.Checked Then txtVote.Text = "You voted for Kennedy." ElseIf radCandidate2.Checked Then txtVote.Text = "You voted for Nixon." Else txtVote.Text = "You voted for neither." End If End Sub
25	Example 2 output
26	The Timer Control Invisible during runtime Triggers an event after a specified period of time The Interval property specifies the time period – measured in milliseconds To begin timing, set the Enabled property to True To stop timing, set the Enabled property to False The event triggered each time Timer1.Interval elapses is called Timer1.Tick.
27	The Picture Box Control Designed to hold drawings and pictures To draw a blue rectangle with the upper left hand corner x pixels from the left of the picture box and y pixels from the top, with width w and height h: picBox.CreateGraphics. DrawRectangle(Pens.Blue, x, y, w, h)
28	Picture Box Containing a Red Circle picBox.CreateGraphics. DrawEllipse(Pens.Red, 35, 35, 70, 70)
29	Picture Box Properties A picture can be placed in a picture box control with the Image property. Prior to setting the Image property, set the SizeMode property. AutoSize will cause the picture box control to be resized to fit the picture. StretchImage will cause the picture to be resized to fit the picture box control.
30	Picture Box at Run Time A picture also can be assigned to a picture box control at run time: picBox.Image = Image.FromFile(filespec) The SizeMode property can be altered at run time with a statement such as picBox.SizeMode = PictureBoxSizeMode.AutoSize
31	The Horizontal and Vertical Scroll Bars
32	Scroll Bar Behavior When the user clicks on one of the arrow buttons, the scroll box moves a small amount toward that button. When the user clicks between the scroll box and one of the arrow buttons, the scroll box moves a large amount toward that button. The user can also move the scroll box by dragging it.
33	Scroll Bar Properties The main properties of a scroll bar control are Minimum Maximum Value SmallChange, LargeChange hsbBar.Value is a number between hsbBar.Minimum and hsbBar.Maximum
34	Scroll Bar Notes The setting for the Minimum property must be less than the setting for the Maximum property. The Minimum property determines the values for the left and top arrow buttons. The Maximum property determines the values for the right and bottom arrow buttons. The Scroll event is triggered whenever any part of the scroll bar is clicked.
35	9.3 Four Additional Objects The Clipboard Object The Random Class The MainMenu Control Multiple Forms
36	The Clipboard Object Used to copy information from one place to another Maintained by Windows so it can even be used with programs outside VB.NET A portion of memory that has no properties or events
37	Using the Clipboard Object To place something in the Clipboard: Clipboard.SetDataObject(str) To get something out of the Clipboard: Dim data As IDataObject = _ Clipboard.GetDataObject() str = CStr(data.GetData(DataFormats.Text)) To delete the contents of the Clipboard Clipboard.SetDataObject("")
38	The Random Class A random number generator declared with the statement: Dim randomNum As New Random() If m and n are whole numbers and m < n then the following generates a whole number between m and n (including m, but excluding n) randomNum.Next(m, n)
39	Example 1 Private Sub btnSelect_Click(...)Handles btnSelect.Click 'Display the winning lottery numbers Dim randomNum As New Random() Dim num1, num2, num3 As Integer num1 = randomNum.Next(0, 10) num2 = randomNum.Next(0, 10) num3 = randomNum.Next(0, 10) txtNumbers.Text = num1 & " " & num2 & " " & num3 End Sub
40	Example 1 Output
41	The Main Menu Control
42	Menu Events Each menu item responds to the Click event Click event is triggered by the mouse Alt + access key Shortcut key
43	Multiple Forms VB.NET programs can contain more than one form To add the new form select Windows Form from the Templates pane, optionally type in a name, and press the Open button.
44	Variables and Multiple Forms Local variables are declared with Dim Class-level variables are declared with Dim Variables declared with Public will be available to all forms in the program. When a Public variable is used in another form, it is referred to by an expression such as secondForm.variableName.