SetTimer inside a UserControl questions

[DOSida]

Hi there.

I want to create a button that has custom shape and I also
want to implement hottracking (or mouseout/mouseover-type
functionality).

I've been trying to implement that with SetTimer/KillTimer
but it only works for the first instance of my control.

1) How can I go around this obstacle?
2) if not possible is there an alternative? and if YES can you please give me an example? or just send me to a site with such
an example?

Thanks in Advance
DOSida.

[Chris]

I don't think you need that API right. you can use the UserControl_MoveMove event for you need.

Private Sub UserControl_MouseMove(Button As Integer, Shift As Integer, X As Single, Y As Single)
    '// Put your code here...
End Sub

[DOSida]

Its not the MouseMove part that I cant handle its that I want
a quick way of detecting when the Mouse is OUT of the control.

That's why I am using SetTimer/KillTimer.

Because what I want to create in the final run is a custom
shaped button that can detect when the user takes the mouse
Off it so that I can duplicate the rollover buttons that we see
on webpages.

The only way to get an accurate report of where the mouse is
is to use POINTAPI structures and set the usercontrol to
the shape that I want. BUT where I'm STUCK is on how to
detect whether the mouse is actually in the mouse or not.

I managed that with the SetTimer/KillTimer Combo BUT only
for the 1st Instance. The other instances of my control are
dead in the water doing NADA.

Any help or pointers?
Thanks in advance

DOSida

[Chris]

or.. you can use the window ready made HitTest API PtInRegion when ever your move inthe control is move.

[DOSida]

Chris,

Thanks again for your response.

I am indeed using PntInRegion to detect that.
but in the case where I have a button that has a shape
different than the default rectangle it doesnt work.

The reason being is that when you apply the shape to the
control and the button is indeed out of it there is NO
MouseMove anywhere to execute PntInRegion so that
I can detect whether or not the cursor is out of the control.

To your (or anyone else's) knowledge is there a way to
implement an instance-independent SetTimer/KillTimer
combo?

(hope this makes sense)
Thanks in advance.
DOSida.

[Chris]

Hi! DOSida, here is what i found from MSDN Library

HOWTO: Use the HitTest Event and HitBehavior Property

Q185882


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Visual Basic Learning Edition for Windows, version 6.0
Microsoft Visual Basic Professional Edition for Windows, version 6.0
Microsoft Visual Basic Enterprise Edition for Windows, version 6.0

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


SUMMARY
This article discusses a new Event-Property pair available for UserControls created using Visual Basic 6.0. The general purpose of the HitTest Event, and the HitBehavior Property is to give greater flexibility in responding to UserControl events. Specifically, this article demonstrates how to build a transparent UserControl that responds to mouse events. This was not possible in previous versions of Visual Basic.



MORE INFORMATION
Using HitTest is relatively straightforward. "HitResult" is a value that is passed into the HitTest event by the system. By examining the value of HitResult, you can determine on which area of the control the mouse event occurred. Based on that information, you can reset the value of HitResult to have the control respond in the desired manner. You can instruct the control to process the mouse event, or you can instruct the control to pass the event on to the container. The default settings for the HitBehavior Property do not need to be changed for these examples.

For the examples used here, there are two different scenarios depending on whether or not the UserControl has been masked using MaskPicture and MaskColor. If your UserControl does not have a masked area please see the section entitled "Capturing Mouse Events on a Transparent UserControl." If your UserControl has a masked area, please see the section entitled "Capturing Mouse Events on a Masked Usercontrol."

It is important to note that the HitTest event occurs only on a Windowless UserControl with the BackStyle property set to Transparent. Windowless UserControls are also new to Visual Basic 6.0.


Capturing Mouse Events on a Transparent UserControl
Create a New Standard EXE project.


Add a UserControl to the project. (You may receive a warning that the UserControl can not be Public in this type of project. Choose OK in response to this message.)


Set the BackStyle property of the UserControl to Transparent.


Set the Windowless property of the UserControl to True.


Add the following code to the UserControl's module:

Private Sub UserControl_Click()
Debug.Print "Usercontrol Click"
End Sub

Private Sub UserControl_DblClick()
Debug.Print "Usercontrol Doubleclick"
End Sub

Private Sub UserControl_HitTest(X As Single, Y As Single, _
HitResult As Integer)

'Instruct the UserControl to behave as if the click occurred on a
' painted region of the control.
If HitResult = vbHitResultOutside Then
HitResult = vbHitResultHit
End If

End Sub




Place the UserControl on Form1. You may wish to draw a rectangle or other shape around the control since the control will not be visible.


Run the project.


Clicking or double-clicking the UserControl should result in the display of the message boxes.


Capturing Mouse Events on a Masked UserControl
This example requires a UserControl set up to use the MaskPicture and MaskColor Properties.

For more information on using the MaskPicture and MaskColor properties, please see the article listed in the REFERENCES section.

Create a bitmap with a white background that contains a filled red circle.


Perform steps 1-4 from the previous section.


Set the following properties for the UserControl:

BackStyle: 0 - Transparent
MaskColor: &H00FFFFFF& 'White
MaskPicture: The bitmap created in Step 1.
BackColor: &H000000FF& 'Red




Add the following code to the UserControl:

Private Sub UserControl_Click()
Debug.Print "Usercontrol Click"
End Sub




Add the following code to Form1:

Private Sub Form_Click()
Debug.Print "Form Click"
End Sub




Run the project. Click the masked (or visible) portion of the UserControl. You should see the "UserControl Click" message box. Clicking the transparent area of the control should cause the "Form Click" message box to display. This is the default behavior of a masked control - events on the painted area will be processed by the control and events on the transparent area will be forwarded to the container.


The event process behavior can be modified at this point to create separate responses based on which area of the UserControl received the Mouse event.


Add the following code to the General Section of the UserControl's module:

Private HitTestFlag As Integer

Private Sub UserControl_HitTest(X As Single, Y As Single, _
HitResult As Integer)
HitTestFlag = HitResult
'Set the UserControl to respond to the event.
HitResult = vbHitResultHit
End Sub




Replace the UserControl_Click event created in step 2 with the following:

Private Sub UserControl_Click()
If HitTestFlag = vbHitResultOutside Then
Debug.Print "usercontrol transparent area click"
ElseIf HitTestFlag = vbHitResultHit Then
Debug.Print "usercontrol painted area click"
End If
End Sub




Run the project. Clicking the Masked area of the control should display the "painted area click" message. Clicking the transparent area of the control should display the "transparent area click" message.


Using X and Y Coordinates with HitTest
Along with the HitResult argument, the X and Y coordinates of the mouse event are also passed into the HitText Event. The ability to determine whether the event occurred on a transparent area of the control or a masked area of the control can be sufficient in many cases. However, it may be necessary to determine if the event occurred on a specific area on the control. The X and Y coordinates can be used to accomplish this. The following example demonstrates a simple scenario.

For the example, we will determine over which quadrant of a UserControl the mouse pointer is currently positioned.

Start a new Standard EXE project in Visual Basic 6.0.


Add a Usercontrol to the project.


Set the Windowless property of the UserControl to True.


Set the BackStyle property of the UserControl to Transparent.


Add the following code to the UserControl module:

Private Sub UserControl_HitTest(X As Single, Y As Single, _
HitResult As Integer)

Dim txtDisplay As String
With UserControl
If Y < .Height / 2 Then
txtDisplay = "Upper "
Else
txtDisplay = "Lower "
End If
If X < .Width / 2 Then
txtDisplay = txtDisplay & "Left"
Else
txtDisplay = txtDisplay & "Right"
End If
End With

Parent.Label1.Caption = txtDisplay

End Sub




Add a Label to the Form.


Add the UserControl to Form1. You may wish to draw a square or rectangle around the control since it will not be visible. You may also want to display a picture on the form using the form's Picture property.


Set the BackStyle of the Label to Transparent.


Run the Project. As you move the mouse over the UserControl, the text in the Label control changes as you move from one quadrant to another.


The HitBehavior Property
The HitBehavior is settable at design time or run-time, and controls how HitTest works. There are three options, which are explained in Online Help. Since HitBehavior has the potential to effect logical evaluations in your code, it is important to understand the differences and determine which HitBehavior is desirable before you write the code.

Summary
HitTest and HitBehavior are new features in Visual Basic 6.0. These features allow event handling on transparent UserControls that was not possible in previous versions. There are many possible combinations when using HitTest, HitBehavior, and XY coordinates. They could be used to create any number of behaviors, ToolTips or HotSpots for example. Keep in mind that these properties and events are available for Windowless, Transparent UserControls only.



REFERENCES
For additional information on using the MaskPicture and MaskColor properties, please see the following article(s) in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:


Q174216 : TransparentPaint Backstyle Option Unavailable

Additional query words: kbDSupport kbDSD kbCtrlCreate kbVBp600 kbVBp

Keywords : kbGrpDSVB
Issue type : kbhowto
Technology :


Last Reviewed: January 9, 2001
© 2001 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Terms of Use.




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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[ZanM]

use the x and y of the control to test if you are in the control or not i'm looking for the code now but the mouse move fires after you are outside the control one last time. I'll get the code and place it here its really easier than the hit thing

[ZanM]

i don't have it anymore and microsoft won't let me log in yet again.... but if you can log in to the download area for VB grab the soft-button example it is exactly what you need to look at + grab the web control examples

[kedaman]

A while ago, i posted an activeX dll of mine that adds mouseenter/exit events to any window
http://forums.vb-world.net/showthrea...ght=mouseenter

[DOSida]

Hey guys thanks for all the responses to my question

Thanks also go to Kedaman.
The DLL fits right in to my project and its working great

Do you mind if I use it in my freeware projects that I am working
on right now?

(Full credits will be attributed, that goes without saying)

Thanks again to all of you guys
See ya later.

DOSida

[kedaman]

no problemo