Change Text of Button with Click/Input Box

[BWilliams]

Hi all,

I am not sure if this is the place to post (new to this site), but I am trying to change the text of a button with a click followed by a prompt to enter the new text. Ideally, I would be able to type in the new text right into the button without a popup window, as I am trying to eliminate all extra windows that I can. I am using Visual Studio Express 2013.

Thank you for any help you can provide in advance!

[si_the_geek]

Welcome to VBForums

Thread moved from the 'Application Deployment' forum (which is for questions about installing/distributing your software) to the 'VB.Net' (VB2002 and later) forum

[Gruff]

If you mean entering new text into a button then off hand without creating your own new button class or usercontrol I'd say no.

To enter text you need to have somewhere to enter it, be that an inline inputbox() statement or a control that accepts text.

Do you mean enter text into the button you are clicking? How do you imagine that would work? If the click event allows you to change the text how do you expect it to do anything else?

[BWilliams]

If you mean entering new text into a button then off hand without creating your own new button class or usercontrol I'd say no.

To enter text you need to have somewhere to enter it, be that an inline inputbox() statement or a control that accepts text.

Do you mean enter text into the button you are clicking? How do you imagine that would work? If the click event allows you to change the text how do you expect it to do anything else?

Yes, I suppose I am not sure. I guess in my mind it would go:

-Click button
-Interface allows you to change text in button, say, from "Food" to "Apple."
-You click off the button and it accepts the change
-When you click the button again, it brings you to another form designated to information you would input about "Apple"

I am just trying to avoid pop-up windows, but can accept if that isn't necessarily possible unless following the initials things you mentioned, like creating my own button class or usercontrol, but I am completely unfamiliar with those. I am almost a complete beginner with Visual Basic and Visual Studio.

[Gruff]

One Thought would be to place a textbox on top of your button. Offset it to the left so there is an area to click on the right side of the button. Type anything you want into the textbox at any time. Click on the right side to launch your form. Again this might me best done in a usercontrol where you can wrap both controls into one control.

Same sort of thing but perhaps use the right mouse button on the button to allow editing of the button text.

The example that follows would be best used if wrapped up as a user control.

Private Sub Form1_Load(sender As System.Object, e As System.EventArgs) Handles MyBase.Load
    txtButton1.BackColor = Button1.BackColor
    txtButton1.TextAlign = HorizontalAlignment.Center
    txtButton1.visible = false
  End Sub
 
  Private Sub Button1_MouseUp(sender As Object, e As System.Windows.Forms.MouseEventArgs) Handles Button1.MouseUp
    If e.Button = Windows.Forms.MouseButtons.Right Then
      txtButton1.Text = ""
      Dim lt As Integer = Button1.Left + (Button1.Width \ 2) - (txtButton1.Width \ 2)
      Dim tp As Integer = Button1.Top + (Button1.Height \ 2) - (txtButton1.Height \ 2)
      txtButton1.Location = New Point(lt, tp)
      txtButton1.Visible = True
      txtButton1.Focus()
    End If
  End Sub
 
  Private Sub txtButton1_KeyUp(sender As Object, e As System.Windows.Forms.KeyEventArgs) Handles txtButton1.KeyUp
    Select Case e.KeyData
      Case Keys.Escape
        txtButton1.Visible = False
      Case Keys.Return
        Button1.Text = txtButton1.Text
        txtButton1.Visible = False
    End Select
  End Sub
 
  Private Sub txtButton1_LostFocus(sender As Object, e As System.EventArgs) Handles txtButton1.LostFocus
    txtButton1.Visible = False
  End Sub

[BWilliams]

One Thought would be to place a textbox on top of your button. Offset it to the left so there is an area to click on the right side of the button. Type anything you want into the textbox at any time. Click on the right side to launch your form. Again this might me best done in a usercontrol where you can wrap both controls into one control.

That sounds like a good idea!

[Gruff]

New information in my previous post.

[BWilliams]

New information in my previous post.

Thank you!!! I am still getting my feet wet but I appreciate it - I was thinking about doing the right mouse click as well, I will have to pour over your code there and absorb

[Gruff]

Glad to help. BTW txtButton1 is a textbox control.

Added code to the form_load event to make the textbox invisible initially.

When visible:
Enter accepts the edit
Escape cancels the edit
Clicking any other control than the textbox cancels the edit.

[BWilliams]

It doesn't seem to want to accept txtButton1 for txtButton1.Text...

[BWilliams]

Whoops! Think I got it....told you I was a beginner, haha