Controls cannot be sized on a form.

[parkerstnc]

This just happened in the last few days. Our site administrators push updates to WIN XP SP3 frequently and I'm assuming that one of these has done something... Controls can be added to a form in VB6, but sizing does not work after the control has been placed on the form. Everything else works. Any ideas?

[si_the_geek]

Welcome to VBForums

Right-click on the form, and make sure that "Lock controls" does not have a tick next to it.

[Code Doc]

Welcome to VBForums

Right-click on the form, and make sure that "Lock controls" does not have a tick next to it.

Good catch, Si. He may have right clicked on the form and somehow pressed the L key. I have done this a few times but not often.

I have to question why this "feature" even existed.

[si_the_geek]

I have found it useful at times, such as when I have carefully placed various items and just want to select one of them to alter properties, but not risk accidentally moving them (which can take a while to fix).

[parkerstnc]

Lock Controls is not highlighted. Controls on the form can be added, moved, and deleted, but not sized. Strange. I've been using VB6 since it came out and I've never seen this. Just started a few days ago.

[LaVolpe]

1. Does this happen with brand new projects too?
2. Do you get the grab handles when you select a control?
3. If you try resizing using the mouse, does the control just snap back? If so check your grid size & snap-to-grid settings in the Options menu
4. Can you resize a control by changing its Width/Height property directly in the property sheet?
5. Oh, is this for all controls or just some? If some, which ones?

[parkerstnc]

1. Does this happen with brand new projects too?
Yes.

2. Do you get the grab handles when you select a control? Yes, but as soon as I click on the grab handle, focus goes from the control to the form.

3. If you try resizing using the mouse, does the control just snap back? If so check your grid size & snap-to-grid settings in the Options menu.
See #2. I changed the grid size from 120x120 to 60x60 and 240x240 with no change. Don't know where the snap-to-grid settings are?
4. Can you resize a control by changing its Width/Height property directly in the property sheet?
Yes.

5. Oh, is this for all controls or just some? If some, which ones? All that I've tried.

[LaVolpe]

Interesting. This is a legit copy of VB6 correct? If no one else has any suggestions, you may want to try to reinstall VB & latest service pack.

[parkerstnc]

Yes. I've reinstalled VS 6 with SP5 and the problem remains. My guess is that one of the MS updates has done something.

[Code Doc]

Yes. I've reinstalled VS 6 with SP5 and the problem remains. My guess is that one of the MS updates has done something.

Open a new form. Right click on the form and post a captured image of the window that pops up. It should look like this:


Does it? If not, what actually does appear?

[parkerstnc]

Yes it looks identical except that paste is grayed out because I have nothing to paste.

[ne23843]

i work @ the same plant with parkerstnc, different building, but same IT downloads. i've been having the same issue for the last month with vb6. doesn't happen with studio 2005 or any other app.

[InvisibleDuncan]

I can't see Code Doc's image, so a quick question: when you click on a control, are the grab-handles blue or white?

[ne23843]

they are blue and appear as usual when i left clik. when i hover the mouse over one, the correct resize arrows appear (horizontal, vertical or diagonal). as soon as i left clik and hold to drag, the object lose focus and the form is now selected, which of course causes the subsequent drag to simply create the dotted line selection box on the form.

it doesn't happen on vb6 c, visual studio 2005, or any other app i've tried.. plus it's happened on 3 different pcs (2 of them dell desktops and mine is a dell notebook) for 3 different users who have 3 different licensed copies. parker has tried a reload of vb which didn't fix it. the only common seems to be that we all get updates/downloads from our corporate IT (they would happen at different times based on when we have the pc online, the way IT sequences downloads based on user/equipment id's, etc).

until i found out the other 2 guys have the problem and that the other apps are ok., i figured it was some weird mouse-hardware related problem

[Doogle]

I think I'd ask if the Site Administrators have made any changes in the last month or so which could have affected VB6. (Most likely, IMHO, changed some Policy settings which have had an unintentional knock-on effect)

Is everyone with VB6 installed affected ?

Does your configuration allow unrestricted access to the C drive or are all your working files held on a Server ? Perhaps the permissions have changed.

Have you tried running VB6 using "Run as Administrator" to see if that makes any difference? (right click on VB6 and chose "Run as Administrator" from the resulting Drop-down menu.)

Also, if you're running Vista or W7 try switching UAC off (if you are allowed to)

You could also try installing SP6

[Doogle]

until i found out the other 2 guys have the problem and that the other apps are ok., i figured it was some weird mouse-hardware related problem

You could try sizing and moving via the Keyboard to eliminate any 'mouse funnies'

Select the control, then:
Shift and left arrow will decrease the width
Shift and right arrow will increase the width
Shift and up arrow will decrease height
Shift and down arrow will increase the height

Ctrl and left arrow moves it to the left
Ctrl and right arrow moves it to the right
Ctrl and up arrow moves it up
Ctrl and down arrow moves it down

[Doogle]

Did you Guys ever get this sorted ? I'd be very interested to know the cause / resolution

[parkerstnc]

Tried SP6. No solution yet... Using the shift + arrow method. Thanks.

[tcurrier]

Has anyone tried to contact Microsoft directly about this problem ?

[Code Doc]

Has anyone tried to contact Microsoft directly about this problem?

That will die without an audience. Microsoft provides practically no support at all for VB6 except for what is already shown on the support site jungle.