Find out which label caption I have the mouse over?

[Justin M]

Hi there folks! I have a program where I am teaching kids how to spell simple words, anyway. Basically, they drag letters via mouse move events to labels. What I would to know is how to figure out that if my mouse move event for any letter is started on a specific label caption, a message box will appear with the number it is.

For example, say the word is 6 letters long (so 6 labels are visible), the kindergarten student drags each letter (the letters are image boxes) to its spot on the label caption. What I would like to do is if the student drags a letter to box number 1 (going from left to right), a msgbox will pop up with a "1".

If anyone knows how to do that, it would be very much appreciated!

Thanks!!

[ColinE66]

Use a control array for the labels. That will give you will one MouseMove event for all of them and the Index parameter of the event will tell you which label the mouse is over.

[Justin M]

Ok, thank you for your response. Maybe something like this?

Private Sub LetterSpotLBL_MouseMove(Index As Integer)
With LetterSpotLBL(Index)
 
Select Case Index
 
Case 0
SpotLBL.Caption = "1"
 
Case 1
SpotLBL.Caption = "2"
 
Case 2
SpotLBL.Caption = "3"
 
Case 3
SpotLBL.Caption = "4"
 
Case 4
SpotLBL.Caption = "5"
 
Case 5
SpotLBL.Caption = "6"
 
Case 6
SpotLBL.Caption = "7"
 
End Select
End With
End Sub

[Spooman]

Justin

Did that work?
If not, I have a less elegant approach in mind.

Spoo

[ColinE66]

Ok, thank you for your response. Maybe something like this?

Private Sub LetterSpotLBL_MouseMove(Index As Integer)
With LetterSpotLBL(Index)
 
Select Case Index
 
Case 0
SpotLBL.Caption = "1"
 
Case 1
SpotLBL.Caption = "2"
 
Case 2
SpotLBL.Caption = "3"
 
Case 3
SpotLBL.Caption = "4"
 
Case 4
SpotLBL.Caption = "5"
 
Case 5
SpotLBL.Caption = "6"
 
Case 6
SpotLBL.Caption = "7"
 
End Select
End With
End Sub

Well, something a little less verbose (but equivalent) will suffice

Private Sub LetterSpotLBL_MouseMove(Index As Integer)
  SpotLBL.Caption = Index
End Sub

[dilettante]

I wasn't sure what you were after exactly. This might be overkill, and even then it might be refined a bit.



It is a lot more verbose than the other suggestions though.

[Ordinary Guy]

I think you might want to consider DragOver instead of MouseMove

Dim nX As Single
Dim nY As Single

Private Sub Image1_MouseDown(Button As Integer, Shift As Integer, X As Single, Y As Single)
 nX = X
 nY = Y
 Image1.Drag vbBeginDrag
End Sub

Private Sub Image1_MouseMove(Button As Integer, Shift As Integer, X As Single, Y As Single)
 If Button = 1 Then
   With Image1
   
     .Move .Left + ScaleX(X - nX, vbTwips, Me.ScaleMode), .Top + ScaleY(Y - nY, vbTwips, Me.ScaleMode)
   End With
 End If
End Sub

Private Sub LetterSpotLBL_DragOver(Index As Integer, Source As Control, X As Single, Y As Single, State As Integer)
 Caption = LetterSpotLBL(" & Index & ")"
End Sub

[Justin M]

Well, something a little less verbose (but equivalent) will suffice

Private Sub LetterSpotLBL_MouseMove(Index As Integer)
  SpotLBL.Caption = Index
End Sub

These are all great ideas, and I appreciate them.

I tried yours first, but I get this odd error it says

Compile Error

Procedural Declaration does not match description of event or procedure having the same name.

Then it highlights the line...

Private Sub LetterSpotLBL_MouseMove(Index As Integer)

But I don't get it, the label array is called LetterSpotLBL, and when I double click on it, the code takes me to that sub..

[Ordinary Guy]

That's because MouseMove is LetterSpotLBL_MouseMove(Index As Integer, Button As Integer, Shift As Integer, X As Single, Y As Single)

[Ordinary Guy]

I'm a little confused. Do you want to drag a letter (image control) over a label and then have a message box say which label you are over or do you want to drag a letter over a label and have a messagebox say if the letter matches the letter on the label

Either way I don't suggest using a messagebox

[Justin M]

I'm a little confused. Do you want to drag a letter (image control) over a label and then have a message box say which label you are over or do you want to drag a letter over a label and have a messagebox say if the letter matches the letter on the label

Either way I don't suggest using a messagebox

Sorry for the confusion! Yes I would like to drag a letter (which is an image control) over a label, and then the message box would pop up saying which label it is over. : )

[Ordinary Guy]

Then don't use MouseMove event. See my post 7. MouseMove is for the object you are moving (images, not labels) and DragOver is for the object you drag the letters over (labels, not images). Also, since you have many letters I suggest you use an array of images representing each letter and if you do and if you use the code in post 7 make sure you indicate which index you are dragging

[ColinE66]

That's because MouseMove is LetterSpotLBL_MouseMove(Index As Integer, Button As Integer, Shift As Integer, X As Single, Y As Single)

Yes, sorry about that. I just copied OP's code (without paying any attention to the event's signature, it would seem) and made it less verbose...

[dilettante]

Here is a version of my previous example with some tweaks.

The "letter" Image controls have lowercase letters and a 1-pixel width box drawn around them. The DragXXX events are used here.

This way you have very limited control over things during drag operations, so I create a cursor from the dragged item's Picture to give some visual feedback. Since cursors and icons have OS-determined sizes there is a little distortion but it still works well enough... at least at 96 DPI.


Six of one, half a dozen of the other. I still like the first version despite the extra code since you aren't bound to the icon/cursor size for showing feedback to the user.


Oh: I used a Debug.Print instead of your MsgBox because it doesn't cancel the drag operation.

[dilettante]

While the GDI/OLE code to make an opaque icon/cursor from a StdPicture is easy enough, there is a bit more work involved if you want transparency.

But you can make use of an ImageList control to manufacture either type, and it is pretty easy. Here's another silly demo with transparency:

Dragging a second "A" block to drop onto
the picture of marbles

Most of the attachment size comes from the marbles picture.


The control instances were pre-created at design time with various colors. They could also use differing font faces and sizes if desired.

Option Explicit

'All containers have ScaleMode = vbTwips.

Private Sub Form_Load()
    Dim SourceWidth As Single
    Dim SourceHeight As Single
    Dim OnePxX As Single
    Dim OnePxY As Single
    Dim I As Integer
    Dim Char As String

    With ilSource
        .ImageWidth = 32
        .ImageHeight = 32
        SourceWidth = ScaleX(.ImageWidth, vbPixels, vbTwips)
        SourceHeight = ScaleY(.ImageWidth, vbPixels, vbTwips)
        .UseMaskColor = True 'Assign False instead for "solid" Dragicons.
    End With
    OnePxX = ScaleX(1, vbPixels, ScaleMode)
    OnePxY = ScaleY(1, vbPixels, ScaleMode)
    With picSource
        For I = .LBound To .UBound
            With .Item(I)
                .Width = SourceWidth
                .Height = SourceHeight
                .DrawWidth = 2
                picSource(I).Line (OnePxX, OnePxY)- _
                                  (SourceWidth - OnePxX, SourceHeight - OnePxY), _
                                  , _
                                  B
                .ForeColor = .FillColor 'We are using FillColor to hold the text color
                                        'we assigned at design time.
                Char = ChrW$(AscW("A") + I) 'Assumes LBound = 0.
                .CurrentX = (SourceWidth - .TextWidth(Char)) / 2
                .CurrentY = (SourceHeight - .TextHeight(Char)) / 2
                picSource(I).Print Char;
                
                ilSource.MaskColor = .BackColor
                ilSource.ListImages.Add 1, , .Image
                .DragIcon = ilSource.ListImages(1).ExtractIcon
                ilSource.ListImages.Clear 'We no longer need it.
            End With
        Next
    End With
End Sub

Private Sub picDest_DragDrop(Source As Control, X As Single, Y As Single)
    With Source
        picDest.PaintPicture .Image, _
                             X - .Width / 2, _
                             Y - .Height / 2
    End With
End Sub

[Justin M]

Oh you are marvelous! The kids are going to love this! I hate to both you further, but could you add a command button so when pressed, it would pick another word for the kids to spell. What I did is add a listbox with a bunch of words I would like them to be able to spell, and the command button would randomly pick an item from the list to use that to spell.

Again thank you so much!!