Help: ICON DO IT!

[Waat?]

In my quest to decrease code size, I am looking at the toolbar/menu controls offered by vbAccelerator.

Only used to using an Imagelist control and standard toolbar control that comes with vb5, I'm now required to venture out of my comfort zone into the unknown.

The toolbar code from vbAccelerator requires that I assign a file, picture or resource to the .ImageFile = line, i.e.

With cToolbar1
.Imagefile = 256_1.bmp
...

Now, I can see that this .bmp file is a picture strip with 20 or so icons layed out in a nice clean row. My question is...

HOW DO I MAKE ONE OF THESE FOR MY OWN ICONS TO USE IN MY PROGRAM!?!

I've search the internet high and low, but this must be so basic that nobody cares to discuss it. Like discussing whether water is wet, etc.

I have about 12 icons currently in my Imagelist control. But if I'm going to get rid of that control to cut down program size, my understanding is to create a resource file or one of these neat bitmap files and just assign it directly to my new toolbar control.

Could someone please help me by letting me know how to create these icon strip files correctly, so when I reference them in my program with indexes 0 to 11 that the correct icon is selected?

Appreciate in advance.

[peet]

do u have a sample .bmp file provided by vbAcc... ?

If so, make a copy of it and use that as u'r base for u'r own bmp strip.

Tool: try PSP (Paint Shop Pro) its shareware and its good.

[Waat?]

Thanks for your reply peet.

I do have a copy of the .bmp strip, and it is just a series of 24x24 square bitmaps that are indexed into my toolbar control.

I also have Paintshop Pro 6. Been using that great program for years.

Thing is, you have to align each square on this strip perfectly, and it just seems that somewhere out there someone has created a solution to making these bmp strips rather than doing this one by one by hand.

Also, I noticed that the background color of my strip is light blue. Wonder if there is some significance to this, or whether that background was used to select TRANSPARENCY ???

[Static]

probably used to pic transparency.. (like the hot pink some people choose)


there is NO better way that I have found.

I usually create bmp long enough to exactly fit however many icons. then I start a new image at 24x24
one Im done with it. I copy and paste. then, with th strip of icons zoomed in. you can easily align it with the previous image.

[Waat?]

Guess that's the only way.

Thanks geoff_xrx.

[peet]

Originally posted by Waat?
Thanks for your reply peet.

I do have a copy of the .bmp strip, and it is just a series of 24x24 square bitmaps that are indexed into my toolbar control.

I also have Paintshop Pro 6. Been using that great program for years.

Thing is, you have to align each square on this strip perfectly, and it just seems that somewhere out there someone has created a solution to making these bmp strips rather than doing this one by one by hand.

Also, I noticed that the background color of my strip is light blue. Wonder if there is some significance to this, or whether that background was used to select TRANSPARENCY ???

hmm.. seems like I totally misunderstood u Waat?
sorry about that.

what I did when I needed a strip of icons like that, is that i made a template like this



made it a bit easyer.

I'v also got a big selection of strips. (stolen from ms products mostly ) if u want them let me know and I'll upload them.

seems like ms uses all sorts of color as theyr transp. color (magenta, cyan, wine, green..)

[Waat?]

Thanks Peet.

You'd think that something as easy as putting icons on a strip would be easy to create a program to do this.

Wish I had the time, I'd do it myself.

An icon program where you can draw or extract your icon, set the output size, and then send it to the strip output. The strip would have each icon side by side as required, a simple task.

Maybe someone will read this and make one.

I just used Paintshop pro and created the strip, used cyan as the background, selected transparency for the background, and tested it on my new toolbar. Works like a charm. First time for everything.

Thanks again.