Minimizing multiple forms

I have used three forms in my project which are placed one below the other. I have disabled the border of the forms and used images instead of buttons. But when I press the ImageButtom for minimizing the forms they are minimized under three diferent tabs. I want them to go into one tab in the tray. I know it is possible using MDI parent and child forms but in MDI paren form it is not possible to remove the border of the form.

Please help me.

kinjal

Just make one single form with showintaskbar=true, then if you want to switch between which one is getting the focus on the base which one was minimized you can use setfocus in the form showed in taskbars gotfocus event

I think you didn't get my question. I want all the three forms to be minimised under single space like Jet Audio MP3 player which uses multiple forms but when minimized, goes into a single tab named JET AUDIO in the system tray.

You have your app in system tray? then i'm sure you don't have that kind of problem, or do you mean taskbar`?

Sorry I meant taskbar and not system tray.

you can't make them all "go into one item" on the task bar. What you're going to have to do is make it look like they do. You're going to have to have only one of the forms show on the task bar.

I think want you want is when the main form is minimized, all forms are minimized but only one item on the task bar. What you're going to have to do is put some code in the Resize event for the main form. In that code, you're going to want to check to see if the main forms windowstate is VbMinimized.. if so, minimize the others.... if it's VbNormal.. you're going to want to make the others VbNormal. That will make the other forms minimize and maximize with the main form without showing them in the task bar. Hope that helps.

rchiav, i think you don't understand this, all forms are shown in taskbars whenever they're visible. Minimizing resoring or maximizing just puts the windows to do it. Just put showintaskbar true on one form and making the restoring&minimizing by code

What he explaind was that he wants the fuctionality of a MDI form without using a MDI form. He minimizes the main form.. they all minimize..he restores the one item in the system tray.. they all restore. Like VB in a SDI environment.. you have a bunch of windows but when you minimize VB, you minimize all windows and there's only one item in the task bar.

Exactly !!! :D

Yes RCHIAV you got it right. I want that functionality in my program. Is there any way to do it.

Thanks for understanding my question.

Kinjal

All right maybe i missunderstood something here, but this is easy thing then:

1. Search up the resize event of you mainform
2. If the mainforms windowstate is not vbnormal then for each all items in forms and put their windowstate properties to mainforms windowstate

;)

Just to jump in and say my two cents

There is a proporty in the forms "ShowInTaskBar" if you set this to "False" for the two forms that you don't want to show in the task bar I think you'll have it liked.

Best

call me crazy.. but didn't I already say what the last two posters did?

OK.. here goes again..

In the main form... for the Resize event (this will get called when you minimize or maximize it).. do something like..

Dim i as Integer

If me.WindowState = VbMinimized then
For i = Forms.Count - 1 to 1 Step -1
Forms(i).WindowState = VbMinimized
Next i
End If


Then do one for the windowstate = VbNormal. You're going to have to set the other forms to not show on the task bar. The one problem is that what are you going to do when you minimize one of the other forms and want to bring it back again? In the VB development environment, the windows show up as boxes on the desktop but I'm not sure how to do that part. Hope that helps...

Well, call me crazy too, go look at my first post on this thread ;)

uhm.. that post talks about setting focus.. where does it mention anything about the resize event and minimizing other forms? Here's your first post..

"Just make one single form with showintaskbar=true, then if you want to switch between which one is getting the focus on the base which one was minimized you can use setfocus in the form showed in taskbars gotfocus event"

I'm not trying to be hostile here but it looks like people keep regergitating what has already been said..

ok, i misunderstood, i thought kinjalgp understand that part, sorry about that.