Using
drop-down lists
Drop-down lists are another way to present simple lists of
information to the user. You can present your lists with just text (in a
DropDownListBox) or with text and pictures (in a DropDownPictureListBox).
You add DropDownListBox and DropDownPictureListBox controls to windows in
the same way you add other controls: select DropDownListBox or
DropDownPictureListBox from the Insert>Control menu and click the
window.
Adding items to drop-down list
controls
In the painter
Use the Items property page for the control to add items.
To add items to a DropDownListBox or
DropDownPictureListBox:
-
Select the Items tab in the Properties view for the
control. -
Enter the name of the items for the ListBox. For a
PictureListBox, also enter a picture index number to associate the
item with a picture.For how to add pictures to a DropDownPictureListBox, see Adding pictures to
DropDownPicture ListBox controls.
In a script
Use the AddItem and InsertItem functions to dynamically add items to
a DropDownListBox or DropDownPictureListBox at runtime.
AddItem adds items to the end of the list. However, if the list is
sorted, the item will then be moved to its position in the sort order. Use
InsertItem if you want to specify where in the list the item will be
inserted.
|
Function |
You supply |
|---|---|
|
InsertItem |
Item name Picture index (for a Position in which the item |
|
AddItem |
Item name Picture index (for a |
This example inserts three items into a DropDownPictureListBox in
the first, second, and third positions:
|
1 2 3 |
This.InsertItem ("Atropos", 2, 1) This.InsertItem ("Clotho", 2, 2) This.InsertItem ("Lachesis", 2, 3) |
This example adds two items to a DropDownPictureListBox:
|
1 2 |
this.AddItem ("Plasma", 2) this.AddItem ("Platelet", 2) |
Using the Sort property
You can set the control’s sort property to TRUE to ensure that the
items in the list are always arranged in ascending sort order.
Adding pictures to
DropDownPicture ListBox controls
In the painter
Use the Pictures and Items property pages for the control to add
pictures.
To add pictures to a DropDownPictureListBox:
-
Select the Pictures tab in the Properties view for the
control. -
Select an image from the stock image list, or use the Browse
button to select a bitmap, cursor, or icon image. -
Select a color from the PictureMaskColor drop-down menu for the
image.The color selected for the picture mask will appear transparent
in the DropDownPictureListBox. -
Select a picture height and width for your image.
This will control the size of the image in the
DropDownPictureListBox.Dynamically changing image size
The image size can be changed at runtime by setting the
PictureHeight and PictureWidth properties before you add any
pictures when you create a DropDownPictureListBox. For more
information about PictureHeight and PictureWidth, see the section called “PictureHeight” in Objects and Controls and
the section called “PictureWidth” in Objects and Controls. -
Repeat the procedure for the number of images you plan to use in
your DropDownPictureListBox. -
Select the Items tab and change the Picture Index for each item
to the appropriate number.
In a script
Use the AddPicture function to dynamically add pictures to a
PictureListBox at runtime. For instance, this example adds two BMP files
to the PictureListBox:
|
1 2 |
This.AddPicture ("c:imagesjustify.bmp") This.AddPicture ("c:imagescenter.bmp") |
Deleting pictures from DropDownPicture ListBox
controls
For instructions on deleting pictures from DropDownPictureListBox
controls, see Deleting
pictures from picture list controls.