Flex Grid

I am using the MS flex grid for some data entry and I need to know if it is at all possible to use the tab key to move across coloumns??

Currently the data is being entered into an invisible text box and the tabbing will work on the keydown event of the grid but will not regestier in the text box does anyone know why?

Could you show us some of the code?

I'm not sure if I understand you. How can anyone enter any data in an invisible TextBox?

You must mean that the textbox gets visible when you want to enter data in the grid. You probably move the textbox and size it to the active cell size in the grid. I'm I right so far?

The textbox will get a KeyDown event if the textbox has the focus and you press the tab key.

VB Code:

Private Sub Text1_KeyDown(KeyCode As Integer, Shift As Integer)
    If KeyCode = vbKeyTab Then
        MsgBox "Tab was pressed", vbInformation
    End If
End Sub

Best regards

Yes you are correct with the textbox entry.

And the code i have been trying is similar to what you supplied however i have found that the tab key would not fire the keydown or keypress event for the textbox, it will work for the corresponding events on the grid...

This is some code i have been using do you have any ideas ?

Code:

---

Private Sub grdItems_KeyDown(KeyCode As Integer, Shift As Integer)
    'MsgBox "grdItems_keydown"
    Select Case KeyCode
        Case vbKeyDelete
            grdItems = ""
        Case vbKeyTab
            If grdItems.Col < grdItems.Cols - 2 Then
                grdItems.Col = grdItems.Col + 1

            ElseIf grdItems.Col = grdItems.Cols - 2 Then
                If grdItems.Row = grdItems.Rows - 1 Then
                    grdItems.Row = 1
                    grdItems.Col = grdItems.Col - 1
                Else
                    grdItems.Row = grdItems.Row + 1
                    grdItems.Col = grdItems.Col - 1
                End If
            End If
        Case Else
            f1GridEdit KeyCode
    End Select
End Sub

Private Sub Text1_KeyDown(KeyCode As Integer, Shift As Integer)
    MsgBox "text1_keydown"
  Select Case KeyCode
      Case vbKeyTab
        grdItems.SetFocus
        If grdItems.Col < grdItems.Cols - 2 Then
            grdItems.Col = grdItems.Col + 1

        ElseIf grdItems.Col = grdItems.Cols - 2 Then
            If grdItems.Row = grdItems.Rows - 1 Then
                grdItems.Row = 1
                grdItems.Col = grdItems.Col - 1
            Else
                grdItems.Row = grdItems.Row + 1
                grdItems.Col = grdItems.Col - 1
            End If
        End If
      Case vbKeyEscape
        Text1.Visible = False
        grdItems.SetFocus
       
      Case vbKeyReturn

        DoEvents
        grdItems.SetFocus
       
        If grdItems.Row < grdItems.Rows - 1 Then
            grdItems.Row = grdItems.Row + 1
           
        ElseIf grdItems.Row = grdItems.Rows - 1 Then
            grdItems.Row = grdItems.Row - 1
        End If
     
      Case vbKeyDown
        DoEvents
        grdItems.SetFocus
        If grdItems.Row < grdItems.Rows - 1 Then
            grdItems.Row = grdItems.Row + 1
        End If
       
      Case vbKeyUp
        DoEvents
        grdItems.SetFocus
        If grdItems.Row > grdItems.FixedRows Then
            grdItems.Row = grdItems.Row - 1
        End If
      Case vbKeyTab
        DoEvents
        grdItems.SetFocus
        If grdItems.Row > grdItems.FixedRows Then
            grdItems.Row = grdItems.Row - 1
        End If
      Case Else
        'f1GridEdit KeyCode
  End Select


End Sub


Private Sub grdItems_KeyPress(KeyAscii As Integer)
    'MsgBox "grditems_keypress"
    f1GridEdit KeyAscii
End Sub
Sub f1GridEdit(KeyAscii As Integer)
Dim cr As Integer
Dim CC As Integer

    cr = grdItems.Row
    CC = grdItems.Col

  Text1.FontName = grdItems.FontName
  Text1.FontSize = grdItems.FontSize
 
  Select Case KeyAscii
    Case 0 To Asc(" ")
        Text1 = grdItems
        Text1.SelStart = 1000
    Case Else
        Text1 = Chr(KeyAscii)
        'Text1.SelStart = 0
    End Select
   
    'position the edit box
 
  With Me
        .Text1.Left = .grdItems.CellLeft + .grdItems.Left
        .Text1.Top = .grdItems.CellTop + .grdItems.Top '
        .Text1.Width = .grdItems.CellWidth
        .Text1.Height = .grdItems.CellHeight
        .Text1.Visible = True
        .Text1.SetFocus
 
  End With

 
 
End Sub


Private Sub grditems_LeaveCell()

If Text1.Visible Then
    grdItems = Text1
   
    Text1.Visible = False

End If

End Sub
Private Sub grditems_GotFocus()
   
    Dim iCol As Integer
    iCol = grdItems.Col


    If Text1.Visible Then
        grdItems = Text1
        Text1.Visible = False
    End If

End Sub

Private Sub Text1_KeyPress(KeyAscii As Integer)
MsgBox "text1_keypress"
End Sub

---

The way to use tab within a flexgrid is to disable the tabstop property of other controls on the form. I use the following routines to do this:

VB Code:

Private Sub RemoveTabStops()
' Prepare controls for tabbing only within grid
 
Dim obj As Control
 
    On Error Resume Next
    
    For Each obj In Me.Controls
        obj.TabStop = False
    Next
    fg.TabStop = True
    
End Sub
 
 
Private Sub RestoreTabStops()
' Restore tabbing to all controls
 
Dim obj As Control
 
    On Error Resume Next
    
    For Each obj In Me.Controls
        obj.TabStop = True
    Next
    
End Sub

You then have to handle the tab press in the flexgrid keydown event:

VB Code:

Private Sub fg_KeyDown(KeyCode As Integer, Shift As Integer)
' The tabstop property for all controls on the form have to be disabled
' so that the grid keypress event is triggered by the tab key.
' Cursor key movement is automatically handled by the flexgrid control
' and does not need to be dealt with here.
' The need to determine whether SHIFT-TAB is being pressed means that the
' KeyDown event is used rather than the KeyPress event
    ' Deal with normal keyboard navigation
 
    Select Case KeyCode
        ' Other cases here
        Case vbKeyTab             ' TAB (9)
            TabPressed
            Exit Sub
        ' More stuff here
    End Select

The TabPressed routine is shown below:

VB Code:

Private Sub TabPressed()
' Deal with Tab, Shift-Tab, and cursor left and right keypresses.
' In the case of Tab and Shift-Tab, the active cell will
' cycle through all cells on a row-by-row basis and will
' loop when the end/beginning of the grid is reached.
' NB This is an extension to Excel default behaviour as
' the normal tab behaviour is to cycle through the cells
' but not to change row.  The cursor keys behave as for Excel.
  
    On Error Resume Next
    
    If Not mbCellSelectedByMouse Then
        If Not mbShiftPressed Then
            If fg.col + 1 <= fg.Cols - 1 Then
                fg.col = fg.col + 1
            Else
                fg.col = 1
                If fg.row + 1 <= fg.Rows - 1 Then
                    fg.row = fg.row + 1
                Else
                    fg.row = 1
                End If
            End If
        Else
            If fg.col > 1 Then
                fg.col = fg.col - 1
            Else
                fg.col = fg.Cols - 1
                If fg.row > 1 Then
                    fg.row = fg.row - 1
                Else
                    fg.row = fg.Rows - 1
                End If
            End If
        End If
        
        ' The above code does the revelant grid positioning, now make sure
        ' that the cell to be moved to is an allowed cell
        GridAllowedCells
        
        ' Check the new column is visible and scroll grid if needed
        If Not fg.ColIsVisible(fg.col) Then
            fg.LeftCol = fg.col
        End If
        
        ' Check the new row is visible and scroll grid if needed
        If Not fg.RowIsVisible(fg.row) Then
            fg.TopRow = fg.row
        End If
    End If
    mbCellSelectedByMouse = False
End Sub

The TabPressed routine above has some extra coding for my program as the user wanted to cycle through the cells and move to the next row if tabbed from the previous row on the last column. There is also a call to GridAllowedCells as again my program has to prevent access to certain cells.