VS 2008 [RESOLVED] Want to check all labels on form to see if Label name has certain string within it.

[EntityX]

I have a form that has a large number of labels. Is there a way I can move the focus from label to label. After I move the focus I'll check if the name of the label has a certain string in it. If it does then I'll leave the focus at that label. If it doesn't I'll move the focus to the next label and check if that label name has the string in it. I just need to know how to move the focus from label to label. I was trying SelectNextControl without success. Maybe I can tab programmatically to the next label but I don't know how to do that.

[gep13]

Hey,

Have you seen jm's post here:

http://www.vbforums.com/showthread.php?t=387308

I think this might help you. Check each control to see if it is a Label, and if it is, do the check that you need.

Hope that helps!!

Gary

[.paul.]

try this:

for each ctrl as control in me.controls
    ctrl.focus
    if ctrl.name.contains("string") then exit for 
next 

[mickey_pt]

You cant select labels with selectnextcontrol...

You can do something like:

For Each ctrl As Control In Me.Controls
            If TypeOf ctrl Is Label Then
                Me.ActiveControl = ctrl
                MsgBox(Me.ActiveControl.Name)
            End If
        Next 

[gep13]

Hey,

Am I not right in saying that to use each of the above approaches, you would also need to recurse into each control to see whether it had additional child controls? i.e. if there is a Panel on the form.

That is why I suggested jm's approach, as this recursion is not needed.

Gary

[EntityX]

Thanks for the help. .paul your code works perfectly. Perfectly that is the first time but for some reason if I close the form and change the string to something else and then reopen the form it goes to the first result every time. I tried setting ctrl = nothing before closing the form but it doesn't change anything. Not sure why. I'm putting the code in the form load sub.

I've checked to see that the string is changing and it is but once the form opens at a certain position going to the correct label it keeps on opening at the same position even though the string is changing to something that is found in some other label name for that form. I looked at jmc's code and I get the same problem using his method.

I tried setting the focus to the first label on the form before running the code but it doesn't fix the problem.

[.paul.]

delete your binaries + rebuild

thats your bin/debug folder

[.paul.]

if that didn't work...
what are the names of the 2 controls + what are you searching for?

[EntityX]

OK. I tried deleting both the bin and obj(has debug folder in it) folders and did a rebuild and the problem is still there.

On a particular first trial the string st5 = "Dph". I open the form with all the labels and it goes to LabelDph just like it should. I close the form and click in a different combobox ComboBoxBph. st5 = "Bph" now since I use :

   st5 = Me.ActiveControl.Name
   st5 = st5.Replace("ComboBox", "")

I reopen the form with all the labels and it still goes to LabelDph and not LabelBph which is way above it on the Form.

I used st6 to see what ctrl.Name is and it's LabelDph in the first case and LabelBph in the second case even though the form is opening at the LabelDph position in both cases.

   For Each ctrl In Me.Controls
        ctrl.Focus()
        If ctrl.Name.Contains(st5) Then
             st6 = ctrl.Name
             Exit For
        End If
   Next

If I could make the second, third, etc. opening of the form respond like the first then I'd be ok.

If I click in ComboBoxBph first and then open the form with all the labels then it will open at LabelBph. If I then closed the form clicked in ComboBoxDph and then opened the form it would open at LabelBph again. It always gets the first opening of the form right and it always keeps the same position at all openings of the form after that until I close my application and start it up again.

[EntityX]

I created a new project from scratch. Made it very simple. 2 labels on the form that opens and I had the same problem even when using different code. I tried using Me.AutoScrollPosition = New Point(0, 1100) and Me.AutoScrollPosition = New Point(0, 0). And it would again open at the proper position the first time but would keep opening at the same position after that. I traced it to using Form2.ShowDialog()instead of using Form2.Show(). If I use Show instead of ShowDialog then the problem disappears. Thanks for your help everyone.

[mickey_pt]

I'm a little bit confused...

You're trying to change the label names at runtime, and expect the second time you open the form the name it's the new one?
When you say close the form, you say close the application?

[.paul.]

try changing this:

If ctrl.Name.Contains(st5) Then 

to:

if typeof ctrl is label andalso ctrl.Name.Contains(st5) Then 

[EntityX]

An explanation for mickey pt :

The second form in my large application was a form to explain the settings that are seen on a form that has numerous ComboBoxes. So I have ComboBoxBph and ComboBoxDph, etc, etc, on one form and then you click a button Explain Settings and another form opens with explanations of the settings that you change with the ComboBoxes. So LabelBph on form ExplainSettings would explain setting Bph which is alterred using ComboBoxBph which is on the first form and not on the form that has the explanations.