FF_Functions for controls

[Ivan Iraola]

I would be nice if there were FF_Functions for other controls such as TRACKBAR, HSCROLLBAR, VSCROLLBAR, etc.

[Paul Squires]

If you (or anyone else) have any functions written for those controls then I would be more than happy to include them as part of the standard FF3 distribution.

[José Roca]

If you (or anyone else) have any functions written for those controls then I would be more than happy to include them as part of the standard FF3 distribution.

My headers include wrapper functions and macros for each and every one message of all Windows common controls:

AnimateCtrl.inc (Animation control)
ButtonCtrl.inc (Button control)
ComboBoxCtrl.inc (ComboBox control)
ComboBoxExCtrl.inc (ComboBoxEx control)
DateTimeCtrl.inc (Date Time control)
EditCtrl.inc (Edit control)
HeaderCtrl.inc (Header control)
HotKeyCtrl.inc (Hot Key control)
IPAddressCtrl.inc (IP Address control)
ListBoxCtrl.inc (ListBox control)
ListViewCtrl.inc (ListView control)
MonthCalCtrl.inc (Month Calendar control)
PagerCtrl.inc (Pager control)
ProgressBarCtrl.inc (Progress Bar control)
RebarCtrl.inc (Rebar control)
RichEditCtrl.inc (Rich Edit control)
ScrollBarCtrl.inc (Scroll Bar control)
StaticCtrl.inc (Static control)
StatusbarCtrl.inc (Status Bar control)
SysLinkCtrl.inc (SysLink control)
TabCtrl.inc (Tab control)
TaskDialogCtrl.inc (Task Dialog control)
ToolbarCtrl.inc (Toolbar control)
TrackbarCtrl.inc (Track Bar control)
TreeViewCtrl.inc (TreeView control)
UpDownCtrl.inc (UpDown control)

And are documented here:

http://www.jose.it-berater.org/comctrl/iframe/index1.htm
http://www.jose.it-berater.org/comctrl/iframe/index1.htm

[Rolf Brandt]

I can only recommend to have look at Josè's website. If you need code for any functionality of a common control you can be shure to find it there. Even if you are new to PB it is very easy to use his wrappers.

[Paul Squires]

I agree. There is rarely nothing PB/WinAPI related that I can't find on Jose's site. Rather than reinventing the wheel with a multitude of additional FF Functions, it probably would be a better exercise to educate users on where to find PB-Friendly functions that handle win api stuff. Jose's website would be my first stop.

No need to create more FF Functions that wrap a wrapper in a wrapper.

[José Roca]

 
With 900+ include files, they provide access to all the Windows API and the COM subsystem.

Also, accessible from my web page, there are many reference guides that use the PB syntax instead of MSDN C++ syntax.

Accessibility
ADO/ADOX
CDO
Common Controls I
Common Controls II
GDI
GDI+ Flat API
MSXML
ODBC
PSAPI
Rich Edit Control
SDL
Structured Storage
System Information
Task Scheduler
Visual Styles
WebBrowser Control
Windows Script
WinHTTP
WMI

http://www.jose.it-berater.org/index.html

And there are many hundreds of examples in my forum.

I haven't promoted them in the PB forum because there are mostly interested in DDT, but since FireFly users will have to use SDK, they can greatly benefit using them.

I will prepare version 1.15 incorporating the latest updates.

[Ivan Iraola]

Great, thank you. I'll sign up and get those INC.

No need to create more FF Functions that wrap a wrapper in a wrapper.

I agree, but since it's FF it would be logical to have "native" FF functions, but that's just my opinion. 

[Haakon Birkeland]

And are documented here:

I assume you intended to have a second link to the "More ..." page, so the links are;

http://www.jose.it-berater.org/comctrl/iframe/index1.htm for

• Macros
• Animation Control
• Button Control
• ComboBox Control
• ComboBoxEx Control
• Date and Time Picker Control
• Drag List Box Control
• Edit Control
• Flat Scroll Bar Control
• Header Control
• Hot Key Control
• Image List Control
• IP Address Control
• List Box Control
• List-View Control
• Month Calendar Control

and http://www.jose.it-berater.org/comctrl/iframe/index2.htm for

• Macros
• Pager Control
• Progress Bar Control
• Property Sheet Control
• Rebar Control
• Scroll Bar Control
• Static Control
• Status Bar Control
• SysLink Control
• Tab Control
• Task Dialog Control
• Toolbar Control
• Tooltip Control
• Trackbar Control
• Tree-View Control
• Up-Down Control

[John Montenigro]

... Even if you are new to PB it is very easy to use his wrappers.

"How easy?" "Very easy."

But HOW do you use them? Is there an explanation anywhere that can help someone like me (not familiar with Jose's wrappers) get set up to use them?

Thanks,
-John

[Paul Squires]

What exactly do you need help with? I can't explain how to use every wrapper available. That would be impossible. There are hundreds and hundreds of functions and wrappers. Each function on Jose's site has a description that indicates what it is used for. The links to Jose's site clearly shows the categories of controls available and under each control are the Constants, Structures, Functions and Wrappers related to it.

For the most part, all you need to do is to ensure that you have set the Project Setting to use Jose Roca's Includes (rather than the PB Includes). This will point FF3 to use the includes as defined in the Compiler setup (Environment Options). Of course, you still need to download Jose's includes and install them on your computer. Once that is done then you can freely use any of Jose's wrappers related to the control in question and FF3 will happily compile it into your EXE.

[José Roca]

There are hundreds and hundreds of functions and wrappers.

Around 18,000. And you have to add the interface declarations, with thousands of methods and properties (more than 80,000).

[Paul Squires]

Around 18,000. And you have to add the interface declarations, with thousands of methods and properties (more than 80,000).

With that many functions it always amazes me why some people have such a resistance to wanting to learn aspects of the Windows API. There is so much power available at our fingertips but yet many people cringe whenever the "API" term is used. For just about anything you need to do there exists a set of functions to accomplish the task. Calling a WinAPI function is just as easy as calling a native PB function... actually, most of the time it can be even easier! 

PB programmers need to expand their boundaries away from just DDT or some EZ this or EZ that. Everything is available to us and it is free for the taking. Luckily, FireFly users seem more willing to explore the WinAPI.

Hopefully I can help by creating some tutorials that at least highlight some of the most common API functions (e.g. GetClientRect, GetWindowRect, SetWindowPos, SetFocus, ShowWindow, EnableWindow, etc...).

[Ivan Iraola]

With that many functions it always amazes me why some people have such a resistance to wanting to learn aspects of the Windows API

I believe that the main problem is the lack of good and simple examples or tutorials, personally, I'd love to learn more about the WinAPI but whatever documentation I find (books or online) are always lacking clarity, so, the fast way to get what you need to do is to EZ this or EZ that.

FireFly is indeed a good tool, which I enjoy using along with PB, but sometimes is a little frustrating when you want or need to do something and you have to stop because either you don't know which API might be the right one or how in the heck you use it.

[Haakon Birkeland]

I think Ivan is into one of the main reasons regarding tapping into the vast resource the API is â€" availability. Most people just don't know where and what to look for.

When I bought my first VB, ages ago, I read through the reference book and highlighted all the commands that I knew I would use and those that I wanted to use â€" because they did cool stuff.

Nobody would do this with 18.000+ functions, even though they are grouped. Looking through the 900+ include files, I don't even have a clue what most of them contain functions for.

Earlier I used Dan Applemans API bible for VB users, and I see that Jose has taken his role for the PB community â€" tenfold, and then some!

[Rolf Brandt]

Yep - Dan Appleman's 'Programmers Guide to WIN32 API', that's what my eyes fell on when I read this thread. It's still standing in my bookshelf. (Even found the Barnes & Noble receipt still in it.)

Good comparison: Jose, the Appleman of PB!

Rolf