Textbox with Columns

 
==Creating Columns in a Textbox with _EM_SETTABSTOPS==

[[image:mColTBImage1.png align="right"]]
The typical Liberty BASIC textbox display is a single line of text.  With a few simple changes, the textbox #main.col, can and will display the output in column format.  Copy or type this small program into your Liberty BASIC IDE.  All changes will be made within the
[[code format="vbnet"]]
' =========================================================
' Modified Code
' =========================================================
[[code]]
block of code.

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[[code format="vbnet"]]

    Nomainwin

' Design a GUI with a textbox
    WindowWidth = 400
    WindowHeight = 300

    UpperLeftX = Int((DisplayWidth - WindowWidth) /2)
    UpperLeftY = Int((DisplayHeight - WindowHeight) /2)

    Statictext #main, "Capital Cities", 24, 20, 350, 24
    Textbox #main.col, 20, 50, 350, 100
    Open "Multicolumn Textboxes" for Window as #main
    #main, "Trapclose XbyTrap"

' =========================================================
' Make changes to code here

    #main, "Font Times_New_Roman 14"

' Create data appropriate for column output
    Dim capital$(20)
    capital$ = ""
    For i = 1 to 20
        Read c$
        capital$(i) = c$
        capital$ = capital$;capital$(i);Chr$(13);Chr$(10)
    Next i

    #main.col capital$

' =========================================================

Wait

Sub XbyTrap handle$
    Close #handle$
    End
End Sub

    Data "Canberra, Australia"
    Data "Vienna, Austria"
    Data "Santiago, Chile"
    Data "Copenhagen, Denmark"
    Data "Cairo, Egypt"
    Data "London, England"
    Data "Helsinki, Finland"
    Data "Paris, France"
    Data "Athens, Greece"
    Data "Rome, Italy"
    Data "Tokyo, Japan"
    Data "Amsterdam, Netherlands"
    Data "Abuja, Nigeria"
    Data "Oslo, Norway"
    Data "Lisbon, Portugal"
    Data "Mogadishu, Somalia"
    Data "Madrid, Spain"
    Data "Bern, Switzerland"
    Data "Damascus, Syria"
    Data "Ankara, Turkey"
[[code]]
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===Multilines with Carriage Return and Line Feed===

[[image:mColTBImage2.png align="right"]]
The text output of any Liberty BASIC textbox can be forced to the next line using a carriage return, {{Chr$(13)}}, and a line feed {{Chr$(10)}}.

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[[code format="vbnet"]]
' =========================================================
' Make changes to code here

    #main "Font Times_New_Roman 14"

' Create data appropriate for column output
    Dim capital$(20)
    capital$ = ""
    For i = 1 to 20
        Read c$
        capital$(i) = c$
        capital$ = capital$;capital$(i);Chr$(13);Chr$(10)
    Next i

    #main.col capital$

' =========================================================
[[code]]
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===Simulating Tabs with Spaces===

[[image:mColTBImage3.png align="right"]]
It is possible to simulate tabs using spaces.
# Determine the number of spaces to place the second column
# Determine the number of characters in the text of the first column
# Subtract that number of characters from the desired second column position

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[[code format="vbnet"]]
' =========================================================
' Make changes to code here

    #main "Font Times_New_Roman 14"
' Create data appropriate for column output
    Dim capital$(20)
    capital$ = ""
    For i = 1 to 20
        Read c$
        city$ = Word$(c$, 1)
        nation$ = Word$(c$, 2)
        capital$(i) = city$;Space$(14 - Len(city$));nation$
        capital$ = capital$;capital$(i);Chr$(13);Chr$(10)
    Next i

    #main.col capital$

' =========================================================
[[code]]
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===Variable Font Width vs Fixed Font Width===

[[image:mColTBImage4.png align="right"]]
Hey, this doesn't look right.  What happened?  The problem with using {{Space$(20 - Len(city$))}} lies with the choice of font.  This math formula is not dependable with fonts of variable font width, such as {{Times New Roman}}.  The math formula is dependable with fonts of fixed font width, such as {{Courier New}}.  Changing the font to a fixed font width will give a more desirable output.

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[[code format="vbnet"]]
' =========================================================
' Make changes to code here

    #main "Font Courier_New 14"
' Create data appropriate for column output
    Dim capital$(20)
    capital$ = ""
    For i = 1 to 20
        Read c$
        city$ = Word$(c$, 1)
        nation$ = Word$(c$, 2)
        capital$(i) = city$;Space$(14 - Len(city$));nation$
        capital$ = capital$;capital$(i);Chr$(13);Chr$(10)
    Next i

    #main.col capital$

' =========================================================
[[code]]
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===Setting a TabStop with _EM_SETTABSTOPS===

[[image:mColTBImage5.png align="right"]]
A tabstop can be defined in your Liberty BASIC programs by sending the {{_EM_SETTABSTOPS}} message to the textbox.  Setting a tabstop allows column formatting with fonts of variable fonts such as Times New Roman.  Tabstops are defined as a set, the set being passed as an array.  Liberty BASIC passes an array as a struct.  In this simple example, only one tabstop is being set.  Still that one tabstop must be passed as a struct.

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[[code format="vbnet"]]
' =========================================================
' Make changes to code here

    #main "Font Times_New_Roman 14"

' Get the handle of the textbox
    hTB = hWnd(#main.col)

' Define the struct
    Struct TabStop, tab1 as Long

' Set the struct variable
    TabStop.tab1.struct = 56

' Define the tab key [ Tab = Chr$(9) ]
    LBTab$ = Chr$(9)

' Send the message
    CallDLL #user32, "SendMessageA", _
        hTB as Ulong, _ ' Handle of textbox
        _EM_SETTABSTOPS as Long, _ ' Windows Constant 203
        1 as Long, _ ' The number of tabstops to set
        TabStop as Struct, _ ' The array of tabstops
        SetTabs as Long ' Non-zero equals success

' Create data appropriate for column output
    Dim capital$(20)
    capital$ = ""
    For i = 1 to 20
        Read c$
        city$ = Word$(c$, 1)
        nation$ = Word$(c$, 2)
        capital$(i) = city$;LBTab$;nation$
        capital$ = capital$;capital$(i);Chr$(13);Chr$(10)
    Next i

    #main.col capital$

' =========================================================
[[code]]
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===Dialog Units===

[[image:mColTBImage6.png align="right"]]
Notice that {{TabStop.tab1.struct}} is set to 56.  This doesn't set the tabstop position to 56 characters to the right, but 56 {{dialog units}} to the right.  A {{dialog unit}} is approximately 1/4 the width of a character in the assigned font.  In the fixed width ({{Courier New}}) example, the tabstop was simulated at 14 characters to the right.  Multiplying that number of characters by 4 ({{14 x 4 `=` 56}}), yields the tabstop position of {{56 dialog units}}.

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===Adding a Scrollbar and Editing the Textbox===

Add a scrollbar to the textbox with [[Stylebits - Textboxes|Stylebits]].  Stylebits must be added //before// the window is opened.
[[code format="vbnet"]]
    Textbox #main.col 20, 50, 350, 100
    Stylebits #main.col _WS_VSCROLL OR _ES_MULTILINE, _ES_AUTOHSCROLL, 0, 0
[[code]]
Text within the textbox can be edited.  To force a new line, press Ctrl-Enter.  To advance to the next tabstop, press Ctrl-Tab.  Try editing one of the capital cities in the text box or add a new capital city to the list.

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===Multiple Tabstops===

[[image:mColTBImage7.png align="right"]]
It is possible to set a number of tabstops in the textbox.  Each tabstop must be passed as part of the struct.  The following demo sets up three tabstops, each of varying distances.





[[code format="vbnet"]]

    Nomainwin

' Design a GUI with a textbox
    WindowWidth = 400
    WindowHeight = 300

    UpperLeftX = Int((DisplayWidth - WindowWidth) /2)
    UpperLeftY = Int((DisplayHeight - WindowHeight) /2)

    Statictext #main, "Capital Cities", 24, 20, 350, 24
    Textbox #main.col, 20, 50, 350, 100
    Stylebits #main.col, _WS_VSCROLL OR _ES_MULTILINE, _ES_AUTOHSCROLL, 0, 0
    Open "Multicolumn Textboxes" for Window as #main
    #main "Trapclose XbyTrap"

    #main "Font Times_New_Roman 14"

' Get the handle of the textbox
    hTB = hWnd(#main.col)

' Define the struct to hold 3 tabstops
    Struct TabStop, tab1 as Long, tab2 as Long, tab3 as Long

' Define the tab key [ Tab = Chr$(9) ]
    LBTab$ = Chr$(9)

' Make the API Call
    Call SetTabStops hWnd(#main.col), 12, 68, 112

' Create data appropriate for column output
    capital$ = ""
    For i = 1 to 20
        Read c$
        city$ = Word$(c$, 1)
        nation$ = Word$(c$, 2)
        txt$ = LBTab$;city$;LBTab$;nation$;LBTab$;"*"
        capital$ = capital$;txt$;Chr$(13);Chr$(10)
    Next i

    #main.col capital$

Wait

Sub XbyTrap handle$
    Close #handle$
    End
End Sub

Sub SetTabStops hTb, tb1, tb2, tb3
    TabStop.tab1.struct = tb1
    TabStop.tab2.struct = tb2
    TabStop.tab3.struct = tb3
    CallDLL #user32, "SendMessageA", _
        hTb as Ulong, _ ' Handle of textbox
        _EM_SETTABSTOPS as Long, _ ' Windows Constant 203
        3 as Long, _ ' The number of tabstops to set
        TabStop as Struct, _  ' The array of tabstops
        SetTabs as Long ' Non-zero equals success
End Sub

    Data "Canberra, Australia"
    Data "Vienna, Austria"
    Data "Santiago, Chile"
    Data "Copenhagen, Denmark"
    Data "Cairo, Egypt"
    Data "London, England"
    Data "Helsinki, Finland"
    Data "Paris, France"
    Data "Athens, Greece"
    Data "Rome, Italy"
    Data "Tokyo, Japan"
    Data "Amsterdam, Netherlands"
    Data "Abuja, Nigeria"
    Data "Oslo, Norway"
    Data "Lisbon, Portugal"
    Data "Mogadishu, Somalia"
    Data "Madrid, Spain"
    Data "Bern, Switzerland"
    Data "Damascus, Syria"
    Data "Ankara, Turkey"

[[code]]
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A special thanks to Bill Beasley who posted code using {{_EM_SETTABSTOPS}} for the [[http://libertybasic.conforums.com/index.cgi?board=novice&action=display&num=1164614387|Liberty BASIC community.]]

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