Multiple Forms & Procedures

Form Methods: –Show, Hide, Activate, Close Events: –Load, Activated, Closing, Closed

Form Closing Event Example If MessageBox.Show("Are you sure?", "Warning", MessageBoxButtons.YesNo) = DialogResult.Yes Then e.Cancel = False Else e.Cancel = True End If

Modeless or Modal Modeless form: Other forms can receive input focus while this form remains active. –formName.Show() Modal form: No other form can receive focus while this form remains active. –formName.ShowDialog()

Multiple Forms Two forms: Form1, Form2 To Open Form2 from Form1: Dim f2 As New Form2() f2.Show() Open Form2 as a Modal form: f2.ShowDialog() Note: Form is defined as a class. Must create an instance of the form class by using the keyword New to access the form.

SharingVariables Among Forms Define these variables with class-level scope using the Public keyword. –Must use formName to qualify variables. – –Dim f2 As New Form2() –TextBox1.Text = f2.g2 *** g2 is declared in form2

SharingVariables Among Forms Define these variables with project-level scope in a module using the Public keyword: –Module Module1 – Public testVar As Integer –End Module –Note: Use Project/Add Windows form to add a module.

Modules A file contains code such as: –Variable declarations –Procedures and functions Variables and procedures used by more than one form should store in a module. Global variables: Public

Starting Application with Sub Main The Sub Main procedure must reside in a module. Choose Sub Main as startup object. The code in Main will execute. –Write code in Main to open forms.

Sub Main Example Public Sub main() Dim dateToday As Date dateToday = Today If dateToday.DayOfWeek = DayOfWeek.Saturday Or dateToday.DayOfWeek = DayOfWeek.Sunday Then Dim frmWeekEnd As New Form2() frmWeekEnd.ShowDialog() Else Dim frmWeekDay As New Form1() frmWeekDay.ShowDialog() End If End Sub

Declare Form’s Instance Variable in An Open Form Event Procedure Private Sub Button1_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles Button1.Click Dim f2 As New Form2() f2.Show() End Sub Problem: This will create a new instance of the form every time the button is clicked.

Declare Form’s Instance Variable in a Module as Public Variable Module Module1 Public f1 As New Form1() Public f2 As New Form2() End Module It can be accessed in a procedure: Private Sub Button1_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles Button1.Click f2.Show() End Sub Problem: Once the form is closed the variable is no longer exists. Attempt to access it again will trigger error.

Close Form Or Hide Form Use a form’s Closing event to change Close to Hide: Private Sub Form2_Closing(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As System.ComponentModel.CancelEventArgs) Handles MyBase.Closing e.Cancel() = True Me.Hide() End Sub

Main Menu Control –Add MainMenu control and follow the TypeHere instruction. –Each submenu and each item on a submenu is represented by a MenuItem control. –Use an & to specify an access key in the caption. Ex. &File, Sho&s –Write an event procedure for each menu item.

Shortcut keys –Select the Shortcut key property in the MenuItem’s property window. –Select the Shorcut key from list. –Set ShowShortcut property to true. Separator bar –Right clock a menu item/Insert Separator Inserting, deleting a menu item –Right click and select the option. Rearranging menu items –dragging

Context Menu A context menu is a menu that displays when an object on the screen is right- clicked. Add the ContextMenu control (it is placed in a tray under the form). Right-click the control and choose Edit to create the menu. Use the object’s ContextMenu property to bind the object to the context menu.

Simple Text Editor Textbox’s properties, methods –Help –Object Browser System.Windows.Forms Menu: Undo, Copy, Cut, Paste, SelectAll, Search Clipboard: –Clipboard.SetDataObject(TextBox1.SelectedText) –Clipboard.GetDataObject()

Procedures. Sub procedure: Private/Public Sub SubName(Arguments) … End Sub Private: Can only be accessed by procedures in the same form. Public: Can be accessed by procedures in other forms. To call a sub procedure SUB1 Call SUB1(Argument1, Argument2, …)

Function Private Function tax(salary) As Double tax = salary * 0.1 End Function –Or Private Function tax(salary) Return salary * 0.1 End Function

Call by Reference Call by Value ByRef –Default –The address of the item is passed. Any changes made to the passing variable are made to the variable itself. ByVal –Only the variable’s value is passed.

ByRef, ByVal example Private Sub Command1_Click() Dim myStr As String myStr = TextBox1.Text ChangeTextRef (myStr) TextBox1.Text = myStr End Sub Private Sub ChangeTextRef(ByRef strInput As String) strInput = "New Text" End Sub

Input, Output Arguments Private Sub Button1_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles Button1.Click Dim sal, tax As Single sal = CSng(TextBox1.Text) Call CalTax(sal, tax) TextBox2.Text = tax.ToString End Sub Private Sub CalTax(ByVal Salary As Single, ByRef Tax As Single) Tax = 0.1 * Salary End Sub Can we pass the Tax ByVal?

Static Variables Static VariableName as DataType Static variables are local variables but are not destroyed when a procedure terminates. Their value are kept.

Static Variable Example Private Sub Button1_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles Button1.Click Static clickCounter As Integer = 0 clickCounter += 1 If clickCounter > 3 Then MsgBox("Sorry, you can only click 3 times!") Button1.Enabled = False End If End Sub

Event Procedures Example: –Private Sub Button1_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles Button1.Click The Handles keyword –Procedure name may change Handling multiple events: –Private Sub AllButtons_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles Button1.Click, Button2.CLick

Using One Event Handler to Handle Events Generated by Many Controls Assume we have 3 buttons. Use the Handles clause in the event procedure to associate controls with the event procedure. We can assign a value for each control’s Tag property, or use control’s TabIndex property to determine which control generates the event.

Private Sub Button_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles Button1.Click, Button2.Click, Button3.Click If sender.tag = "1" Then MessageBox.Show("button 1 clicked") ElseIf sender.tag = "2" Then MessageBox.Show("button 2 clicked") Else MessageBox.Show("button 3 clicked") End If End Sub Note: VB IntelliSense will not show the Tag property after you type sender.

Early Binding/Late Binding Early binding: VB compiler knows the object’s data type. It enables the use of IntelliSense. Late binding: VB compiler can’t determine the type of object that we are calling. This occurs because the object is declared as Object data type.

Demo: Phone Simulator