Setting tab stops in listbox with VB5

I'm trying to use the example in Setting Tab Stops in a ListBox and the results are hosed.

I am running VB5.0 SP3 at home. Should I be able to use the above example?

I am rewriting the old DOS Basic doorprize drawing program for our PC Users Group. In the form that displays the "lucky numbers", I am adding the names & numbers to a list box. To make it easier to read (there are a lot of senior citizens in the club), I want to format the text.

The following code is my routine that loads the ListBox. I must point out that, as the membership file was loaded, the lengths of the longest first & last names were saved. The lengths are used to determine the tab stops.

Code:

Private Sub Form_Load() ' Load the list box Dim lTabs(2) As Long ' set my size Me.Height = 6600 Me.Width = 10155 lstReviewV.Clear lTabs(0) = 0 lTabs(1) = giFNLen + 2 ' giFNLen was set to 7 lTabs(2) = lTabs(1) + giLNLen + 2 ' giLNLen was set to 9 DoTabs lstReviewV, lTabs ' set the tabs For cntl = 1 To giRecCount ' load the listbox lstReviewV.AddItem gsFName(cntl) & vbTab & _ gsLName(cntl) & vbTab & _ "has lucky #" & Format(giNumber(cntl, 2), "000") Next cntl End Sub

The results look like the following. The group is small, so I have included the entire output in the hopes that some pattern may be seen. The first & last names have been replaced for privacy. Note: I have also provided a rule above the output as an aid for anyone looking at this.

Code:

1234567890123456789012345678901234567890 FFFFFF LLLLLLLL has lucky #021 FFFFFF LLLL has lucky #015 FFFFFF LLLLLL has lucky #020 FFFFF LLLLLLL has lucky #008 FFFF LLLLLLL has lucky #018 FFFFF LLLLLLL has lucky #014 FFF LLLLLL has lucky #035 FFFFFF LLLLLLL has lucky #028 FFFF LLLLLLL has lucky #019 FFFFF LLLLLLL has lucky #034 FFFF LLLLLLL has lucky #031 FFFFF LLLLLLLLL has lucky #027 FFFFF LLLLLLLLL has lucky #038 FFFF LLLLLLLL has lucky #002 FFFFFF LLLLLLL has lucky #036 FFFFFF LLLLLLL has lucky #024 FFFFFF LLLLLLL has lucky #037 FFFF LLLLLL has lucky #023 FFF LLLLLL has lucky #029 FFFFFFF LLLLL has lucky #013 FFFFF LLLLLL has lucky #006 FFFFF LLLLLL has lucky #041 FFF LLLLLL has lucky #042 FFFF LLLLLL has lucky #032 FFFFF LLLLLLL has lucky #040 FFFFF LLLLLLL has lucky #012 FFFFFF LLLLLL has lucky #026 FFFF LLLLL has lucky #016 FFFFF LLLLLL has lucky #033 FFFFF LLLLLL has lucky #025 FFF LLLLLL has lucky #030 FFFF LLLLLLLLL has lucky #004 FFF LLLLL has lucky #022 FFFFF LLLLL has lucky #001 FFFFFF LLLLLL has lucky #010 FFFF LLLLL has lucky #005 FFFF LLLLLLL has lucky #011 FFFF LLLLLLLL has lucky #007 FFFFF LLLLL has lucky #039 FFF LLLLL has lucky #017 FFFFFF LLLLLL has lucky #009 FFFF LLLLLL has lucky #003

Set the font of your listbox to Courier New. This font has the property that each char of it has the same screen width.
I mean that "i" occupies the same screen width as "w", no matter of the screen resolution. Of course, that only solves your problem at its surface. My opinion is that you definetely shouldn't use a listbox if you want to display multicolumn text such as you discribed to us. Maybe you should give the DataGrid a try, or a similar control.

Surgeon

I am using Courier New. It's one of the few fixed pitch fonts that are available and I tend to favor it when alignment is important.

I'm relatively new to VB and am trying different things to see how well they work. At work, I program in C and string manipulation in C is a piece of cake compared to VB.

Guess I'll take a look at DataGrids...something new to play with. ~¿ô

I just found something interesting!

I had a little time to play around and tried using the code exactly as it appears in the above mentioned tip. I added the extra line to display a rule.

The last name lined up at byte 25 (not 100) as I expected. The title was off the edge of the control.

Code:

Private Sub Form_Load() Dim Tabs(2) As Long Tabs(0) = 0 Tabs(1) = 100 Tabs(2) = 200 DoTabs List1, Tabs List1.AddItem "01234567890123456789012345678901234567890" List1.AddItem "John" & vbTab & "Percival" & vbTab & "Content Editor" List1.AddItem "James" & vbTab & "Limm" & vbTab & "Senior Editor" End Sub Output was: 01234567890123456789012345678901234567890 John Percival James Limm

I halved the values for Tabs(1) and Tabs(2) and reran.

Code:

Tabs(0) = 0 Tabs(1) = 50 Tabs(2) = 100 Output was: 01234567890123456789012345678901234567890 John Percival Content Editor James Limm Senior Editor

Note: the left side of the last names actually started in the middle of the 2.

My expectations were that text would start at positions 100 & 200, and later at 50 & 100. It appears that the actual starting position is 1/4 of the tab value.

Can anyone shed some light on this?

i prefer to use a different approach to tabs in a listbox:

i will assume a safe length of the string and adjust the
spacing according to this length. a fixed font has to
be used with this, i use courier new.

Code:

Private Sub Form_Load() List1.Clear List1.AddItem "John" & Space$(15 - Len("John")) & _ "Percival" & Space$(15 - Len("Percival")) & "Content Editor" List1.AddItem "James" & Space$(15 - Len("James")) & _ "Limm" & Space$(15 - Len("Limm")) & "Senior Editor" End Sub

I've had this problem

I struggled with this problem before and wound up using a simple grid control. The above code only works if the items are around the same length. For example

Code:

Private Sub Form_Load() List1.Clear List1.AddItem "John" & Space$(15 - Len("John")) & _ "Percival" & Space$(15 - Len("Percival")) & "Content Editor" List1.AddItem "Alexandra" & Space$(15 - Len("James")) & _ "Limm" & Space$(15 - Len("Limm")) & "Senior Editor" End Sub

shifts the tabstops.

I found myself using the listbox only because I did not know how to use the grid controls, but found out they are much better for displaying tabular data and not difficult to use.

I like to dig into things to see how they work. Using the odd discovery that I posted earlier, I multiplied my tab values by 4 and the result was just what I wanted.

Code:

lTabs(0) = 0 lTabs(1) = (giFNLen + 1) * 4 ' giFNLen = 7 lTabs(2) = (giFNLen + giLNLen + 2) * 4 ' giLNLen = 9

I still don't have a good explanation for what is happening. I found some info in the feedback replies to the tip which states that the tabs are measured in pixels.

This doesn't seem to correspond with my values and their results. My lTabs(1) is set to 32 and lTabs(2) is set to 72. I'm using Courier New at 20 pt. At that pitch, I would think that a 7 letter first name would be more than 32 pixels wide.

I took a look at the DataGrid control. I doesn't provide the presentation that I am looking for. Since I have figured out how to manipulate the tabs, I'm going to leave things alone.

Thanks for all the suggestions.