best way to float and move randomly a picture on top of a vb6 form

[isnoend07]

i am trying to determine how to float move randomly a picture on top of a form. should i use a picturebox or another borderless form or maybe even a child form. Once i determine the best way I will post another question on how to randomly move it and keep it within the boundaries of the form it is over

[jmsrickland]

Use a Picturebox or an Image Control

Dim nX As Single
Dim nY As Single

Private Sub Image1_MouseDown(Button As Integer, Shift As Integer, X As Single, Y As Single)
 nX = X / Screen.TwipsPerPixelX
 nY = Y / Screen.TwipsPerPixelY
End Sub

Private Sub Image1_MouseMove(Button As Integer, Shift As Integer, X As Single, Y As Single)
 If Button = 1 Then
   Image1.Move Image1.Left + ((X / Screen.TwipsPerPixelX)) - nX, Image1.Top + ((Y / Screen.TwipsPerPixelY)) - nY
 End If
End Sub

Private Sub Picture1_MouseDown(Button As Integer, Shift As Integer, X As Single, Y As Single)
 nX = X / Screen.TwipsPerPixelX
 nY = Y / Screen.TwipsPerPixelY
End Sub

Private Sub Picture1_MouseMove(Button As Integer, Shift As Integer, X As Single, Y As Single)
 If Button = 1 Then
   Picture1.Move Picture1.Left + ((X / Screen.TwipsPerPixelX)) - nX, Picture1.Top + ((Y / Screen.TwipsPerPixelY)) - nY
 End If
End Sub

NOTE: If your Picturebox has it's ScaleMode = vbPixels then don't use the Screen.TwipsPerPixelX and Screen.TwipsPerPixelY

[isnoend07]

Use a Picturebox or an Image Control

Dim nX As Single
Dim nY As Single

Private Sub Image1_MouseDown(Button As Integer, Shift As Integer, X As Single, Y As Single)
 nX = X / Screen.TwipsPerPixelX
 nY = Y / Screen.TwipsPerPixelY
End Sub

Private Sub Image1_MouseMove(Button As Integer, Shift As Integer, X As Single, Y As Single)
 If Button = 1 Then
   Image1.Move Image1.Left + ((X / Screen.TwipsPerPixelX)) - nX, Image1.Top + ((Y / Screen.TwipsPerPixelY)) - nY
 End If
End Sub

Private Sub Picture1_MouseDown(Button As Integer, Shift As Integer, X As Single, Y As Single)
 nX = X / Screen.TwipsPerPixelX
 nY = Y / Screen.TwipsPerPixelY
End Sub

Private Sub Picture1_MouseMove(Button As Integer, Shift As Integer, X As Single, Y As Single)
 If Button = 1 Then
   Picture1.Move Picture1.Left + ((X / Screen.TwipsPerPixelX)) - nX, Picture1.Top + ((Y / Screen.TwipsPerPixelY)) - nY
 End If
End Sub

NOTE: If your Picturebox has it's ScaleMode = vbPixels then don't use the Screen.TwipsPerPixelX and Screen.TwipsPerPixelY

Thanks for adding that, but this has nothing to do with the mouse and i don't think an image control will float on top of other controls, only a picturebox

[jmsrickland]

I'm sorry, I thought you wanted to move a picture on top of a VB6 Form using a mouse.

So, you want to move the picture using code to move picture here and there over other objects on a Form. Without going into code then you need to do a random number selection for X and Y of the picture and make sure that these values keep the picture within the borders of the Form. Is this correct?

Question:

Do you want the picture to show without showing the container box it's in, like moving a ball around the Form?

[jmsrickland]

Thanks for adding that, but this has nothing to do with the mouse and i don't think an image control will float on top of other controls, only a picturebox

Correct, but you can simulate an Image control if you use a User Control that has a transparent image on it.

[isnoend07]

I'm sorry, I thought you wanted to move a picture on top of a VB6 Form using a mouse.

So, you want to move the picture using code to move picture here and there over other objects on a Form. Without going into code then you need to do a random number selection for X and Y of the picture and make sure that these values keep the picture within the borders of the Form. Is this correct?
Yes that is correct

Question:

Do you want the picture to show without showing the container box it's in, like moving a ball around the Form?

yes this is a Keno game jackpot, trying to duplicate how the ones at the casino works. have not made the image yet. Wanted to see if and how it works
first

[jmsrickland]

Maybe you could look up on the net about how to make a sprite program.

[isnoend07]

Maybe you could look up on the net about how to make a sprite program.

Thanks I will try

[jcis]

You need to use a PictureBox, it has it's own window and you can also control it's Zorder (Front/Back). About how to move he picturebox with the mouse, it's as easy as:

Private Sub Picture1_MouseMove(Button As Integer, Shift As Integer, X As Single, Y As Single)
Static lx  As Single, ly As Single
    If Button = 0 Then
        lx = X
        ly = Y
    ElseIf Button = vbLeftButton Then
        Picture1.Left = Picture1.Left + X - lx
        Picture1.Top = Picture1.Top + Y - ly
    End If
End Sub

Explanation on the code: If we would set Left and Top values to be X and Y parameters then we would always be dragging the PictureBox by holding its Top-Left corner, so this code first gets the distance between Left/Top PictureBox borders and the X/Y coordinates where the mouse moves (before dragging start), so having this offsets, when dragging starts by holding left mouse button down we can substract them from Left and Top to be able to drag the control by taking it from the real spot where the user clicked inside the PictureBox. Static variables are perfect for doing this since they always retain the value they had the last time the Sub/Function executed, keeping this value even when the Sub/Function where they are declared lose scope. Using modular declared variables for doing this would be exactly the same thing.

EDIT: I see you'll also need transparency, then a PictureBox may not be enough for that, you could use other sort of control like the controls Lavolpe's submitted to the CodeBank.

[isnoend07]

You need to use a PictureBox, it has it's own window and you can also control it's Zorder (Front/Back). About how to move he picturebox with the mouse, it's as easy as:

Private Sub Picture1_MouseMove(Button As Integer, Shift As Integer, X As Single, Y As Single)
Static lx  As Single, ly As Single
    If Button = 0 Then
        lx = X
        ly = Y
    ElseIf Button = vbLeftButton Then
        Picture1.Left = Picture1.Left + X - lx
        Picture1.Top = Picture1.Top + Y - ly
    End If
End Sub

Explanation on the code: If we would set Left and Top values to be X and Y parameters then we would always be dragging the PictureBox by holding its Top-Left corner, so this code first gets the distance between Left/Top PictureBox borders and the X/Y coordinates where the mouse moves (before dragging start), so having this offsets, when dragging starts by holding left mouse button down we can substract them from Left and Top to be able to drag the control by taking it from the real spot where the user clicked inside the PictureBox. Static variables are perfect for doing this since they always retain the value they had the last time the Sub/Function executed, keeping this value even when the Sub/Function where they are declared lose scope. Using modular declared variables for doing this would be exactly the same thing.

EDIT: I see you'll also need transparency, then a PictureBox may not be enough for that, you could use other sort of control like the controls Lavolpe's submitted to the CodeBank.

Thanks for adding that, but this has nothing to do with the mouse as i told jmsrickland. Don't need transparency

[jcis]

What is the movement you need the PBox to perform? like a ball bouncing inside the Form's borders or what?

[isnoend07]

What is the movement you need the PBox to perform? like a ball bouncing inside the Form's borders or what?

was thinking kind of like as screen saver where the pic just floats around without disappearing past the form.

[jcis]

See this example, add a Timer and a PictureBox (Timer1 and Picture1)

Private Const mSpeed As Single = 5

Private Sub Form_Load()
    With Picture1
        .AutoSize = True
        .BorderStyle = 0
        .BackColor = vbYellow
        .Picture = Me.Icon
    End With
    Timer1.Interval = 1
    Timer1.Enabled = True
    Me.ScaleMode = vbPixels
    Picture1.ScaleMode = vbPixels
End Sub

Private Sub Timer1_Timer()
Static GoingLeft As Boolean, GoingUp As Boolean
Dim NewX As Single, NewY As Single

    With Picture1
        If GoingLeft Then
            If .Left - mSpeed <= 0 Then
                NewX = .Left
                GoingLeft = False
            Else
                NewX = .Left - mSpeed
            End If
        Else
            If .Left + .ScaleWidth + mSpeed >= Me.ScaleWidth Then
                NewX = Me.ScaleWidth - .ScaleWidth
                GoingLeft = True
            Else
                NewX = .Left + mSpeed
            End If
        End If
        If GoingUp Then
            If .Top - mSpeed < 0 Then
                NewY = .Top
                GoingUp = False
            Else
                NewY = .Top - mSpeed
            End If
        Else
            If .Top + .ScaleHeight + mSpeed > Me.ScaleHeight Then
                NewY = Me.ScaleHeight - .ScaleHeight
                GoingUp = True
            Else
                NewY = .Top + mSpeed
            End If
        End If
        .Move NewX, NewY
    End With
End Sub

You can resize your Form even at runtime to test that the PictureBox is confined inside the Form. You can also change speed by using different values for constant mSpeed.

[jmsrickland]

Hi jcis,

That's pretty cool app. I did one like that in Java using many balls balls bouncing off the walls of the Form and if any two collided they blew up. I'm wondering, however, if this will resolve the OP's request as I was under the impression that he wanted a random like movement without any reason to direction of the object instead of straight-line. I guess he will say so.Anyway, like I said, it is a really cool app.

[jmsrickland]

Hi jcis,

That's pretty cool app. I did one like that in Java using many balls balls bouncing off the walls of the Form and if any two collided they blew up. I'm wondering, however, if this will resolve the OP's request as I was under the impression that he wanted a random like movement without any rhyme or reason to direction of the object, kind of like an aquarium of fish freely swimming around in all directions, instead of straight-line. I guess he will say so. Anyway, like I said, it is a really cool app.

[jcis]

Well, this is how Windows screensavers do it, the image bouncing on the screen borders in 90 degree angles. The movement will look less repetitive If the Form is not a perfect square. Anyway many other effects can be made, for example, by suddenly using different speeds for x and y or making not linear movement, curves, spiral, whatever..