This help file is designed for use from inside Buttons
Please don't change it as it may then not function properly
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GENERAL INFORMATION
IN THE MAIN PROGRAMME WINDOW:- Click the RIGHT mouse button on the item you want help with and then press F1 or Click Help on the menu bar. Clicking on items in the toolbar with the RIGHT mouse button also displays a brief description of the buttons functions.
ALL OTHER WINDOWS - Press F1
This programme was created to help me design buttons for use in Visual Basic programmes. There are two different ways to use this programme.
(1) Save individual buttons as 3 BMP files. Button Up, Button Down & Button Off.
(2) Add the buttons to a master bitmap that will contain all the buttons needed for the programme you are designing. Then save the master bitmap to one BMP file. Using this method you can reload the bitmap and edit or add to the contents.
Click on the color to replace with the left mouse button. The painting expands from the selected point, replacing the selected colour with the current colour, until no other touching areas containing the selected are colour are located.
Click the right mouse button in the drawing area to select the pen.
Draws a circle or elipse outline using the currently selected color.
Click on the starting position of the box with the left mouse button and drag the cursor to the finishing position.
Click the right mouse button in the drawing area to select the pen.
NOTE:- The vertical & horizontal diameters of the circle or elipse should be odd numbers if you want the resulting drawing to be inside the limits of the guiding outline. If you use even numbers, that would put the centre of the circle between two pixels! Which is impossible.
Draws a solid circle or elipse using the currently selected color.
Click on the starting position of the box with the left mouse button and drag the cursor to the finishing position.
Click the right mouse button in the drawing area to select the pen.
NOTE:- The vertical & horizontal diameters of the circle or elipse should be odd numbers if you want the resulting drawing to be inside the limits of the guiding outline. If you use even numbers, that would put the centre of the circle between two pixels! Which is impossible.
Changes the size of the button. If you have been saving buttons to the master bitmap, then the present bitmap will be destroyed. A new one will be created the next time you decide to save a button to the bitmap.
You will be asked if you want to save any changes to the button or the bitmap before a new button is created and before the old master bitmap is destroyed.
Sizes are in Pixels. As a guide to what size button to create - the buttons in the Toolbar at the top of the main window are 25 X 25 pixels. The sizes range from a minimum of 11 pixels to whatever will fit onto your screen. So for really large buttons, maximise the window and hide the toolbar.
Asks if you want to save any changes to the current button and then clears the button face, ready for you to create the next button.
This is the best method for creating a series of buttons, as you are automatically asked if you want to save any changes to the current button. This is quicker than selecting the 'Save' button & then selecting the 'Next' button.
To save time while you are creating buttons the 'Off' or 'Disabled' button is not drawn as you design your button. It will be drawn automatically if you decide to save the buttons. This button gives you the opportunity to view the button before it is saved.
NOTE. The disabled button is created from the darker pixels on the 'Up' button, (QBColor(0) to QbColor(6) and QBColor(8). If you have none off these colours on your button, the disabled button will be blank.
Save the current button as 3 separate buttons to BMP files.
******_U.BMP = the 'Up' button
******_D.BMP = the 'Down' button
******_O.BMP = the 'Off' or 'Disabled' button
Where you supply a Group Name of up to six letters to replace the asterisks.
(2)
Save the current button to the master bitmap. If this is the first button to be added to the master bitmap, you will be asked which elements of the button you wish to save. The button is then saved to the master bitmap.
(3)
Save the master bitmap to disk. You will be asked to enter a Group Name for the file (See above). Two files are created, the BMP file and a Data File ******_D.BMP.
(4)
Save the current button to the master bitmap and then save the master bitmap to disk. This combines the two above routines and is normally used when you have created the last in a series of buttons.
If your display is in 256 color mode, then the BMP files you create will also be saved as 256 Colors. To reduce the amount of space they take up in your Visual Basic programmes, load them into 'PaintBrush' and save them as a 16 color BMP file. This will cut the size of the files by almost 50%.
Used to load master bitmaps for editing or adding to. There is no option to edit buttons that have been saved as individual BMP files. (It's easier to load them into 'Paintbrush' and edit them there).
You will be asked to select the Data file from the filelist box, (******_D.DAT). The programme reads this to re-size the drawing area to fit the new buttons, and then loads the master bitmap.
The scroll bar on the right of the form is used to scroll the Master BitMap up and down in the viewport.
You can change the order that the buttons appear in the bitmap by using the scroll bar on the left.
To move any button you must first select it by clicking it with the mouse.
To EDIT a button you must first move it to the bottom of the bitmap and then select Edit from the menu bar. IF YOU HAVE AN UNSAVED BUTTON THAT YOU HAVE BEEN WORKING ON, IT WILL BE LOST AS THE BUTTON YOU HAVE CHOSEN TO EDIT WILL REPLACE IT WITHOUT ASKING IF YOU WANT TO SAVE.
When you have completed editing & save it to the bitmap, it will replace the original version at the bottom of the bitmap.
To DELETE a button, move the button to the bottom of the bitmap and select Delete from the menu bar.
Type text into the textbox that appears to the right of the drawing area. This will be copied onto a transparent label that is positioned over the 'Test' button. Drag the label across the 'Test' button until the text is positioned correctly. Click 'OK' and the text will be copied onto your button.
The textbox is multi-line so pressing 'Enter' starts a new line, it is not the equivalent of pressing 'OK'.
This represents the button you are creating in the OFF or DISABLED position, it will only be drawn when you save the button or if you click the 'Update' button
Use the left mouse button to draw on this area with the selected tool and color.
If you are using the pen, the right mouse button draws with the button face color (Grey). If you are not using the pen the right mouse button selects the pen.
The toolbar can be reduced in height to show only the color buttons. Select Toolbar from the menu bar to reduce or enlarge. Click on individual buttons in the toolbar with the right mouse button and press F1 to get more help on each buttons function.
For buttons being saved to disk as individual buttons the 3 elements of the button will be saved separately. For example if you give your button the Group Name 'MYBUT' then the 3 elements will be saved as MYBUT_U.BMP (Up), MYBUT_D.BMP (Down) & MYBUT_O.BMP (Off).
For buttons being saved in a Master Bitmap the bitmap will be saved as MYBUT_B.BMP and MYBUT_D.BMP. The latter file is the data file that can be used to reload the bitmap for editing.
This window only appears the first time you save a button to a new Master Bitmap. It is used to size the bitmap ready to receive your buttons.
You have a choice of which of the button elements you wish to save. The most obvious use is if you don't require disabled buttons. This choice is permanent until the Master Bitmap is replaced by a new Master Bitmap (By selecting a new size button).
You will also be asked for the size of border around the buttons. The ones on the toolbar in the main window of this programme have a border of 2 pixels. The first button is printed at 0,0 but it appears to be 2 pixels from the edge of the window and to be separated by 4 pixels from the next button which in fact is positioned immediately following it. In other words the border is the bit you can't see around the edge of each button.
NOTE. The border is always Grey (QBColor(7)) so if you plan to place the buttons against any other color, choose a border of zero.
A PROGRAMME FOR CREATING BUTTONS FOR USE IN VISUAL BASIC PROGRAMMES. Copyright G.Fairchild.
This programme is supplied as Shareware so please pass it on.
Now you all know that I'm not the sort of person to beg for money, but if you find this programme useful. Please register by sending ú10 to
G.Fairchild
11 Cressall Close
Leatherhead
Surrey
KT22 7DZ.
In return I'll send you the full version that enables you to edit buttons saved as individual files & to transfer buttons between Master BitMaps.
I'll also include the code for a handy calendar utility that you can add to your programmes, plus my fantastic DOS Menu programme. (Requires VGA Color)
This funtion is not available in this demo version of BUTTONS. If you register you will be able to use the function to load and edit individual buttons, not necessarily created by this programme.
You will also be able to add them to Master BitMaps, (as long as they are the same size as the buttons in the current Master). This will enable you to transfer buttons from one Master BitMap to another.
