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dotnet windows forms : Displaying a help- string in the status bar
Hinnerk,
I would handle the MouseMove or MouseEnter & MouseLeave event for each control, If the mouse moves over the control update the status text, otherwise clear it. I would consider creating an ExtenderProvider to implement this. (Implement the System.ComponentModel.IExtenderProvider interface). Which allows you to put the StatusBarExtenderProvider component on your form, then this component adds properties to all your other controls. Internally StatusBarExtenderProvider maintains a collections of each control with the properties, it would also handle the MouseMove event (or MouseEnter & MouseLeave) for each control, updating the Status Bar as needed. StatusBarExtenderProvider can use AddHandler & RemoveHandler to attach event handlers to the controls being tracked. I do not have a clear example handy right now. ErrorProvider, HelpProvider and ToolTip are examples of Extender Providers available in the Framework. Hope this helps Jay [quoted text, click to view] "Hinnerk Feldwisch" <dielisten@yahoo.de> wrote in message news:u6bGFFUfDHA.2484@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl... > Hello, > > I'm writing a program with VB.NET at the moment, and want to have an easy > possibility to display a help string in the status bar when the user places > the mouse over a control. > I know that there was an easy way some years ago, when I used Delphi 3 or VB > 4; but I didn't find it anymore - is it still possible? > > Then I tried to filter a appropiate message from the message queue, and > installed a filter with application.addMessagefilter() (or similar). I also > overwrote the WndProc- procedure. But I'm not sure which WM I shall filter; > I heard about WM_SETCURSOR, this should be called not for the controls but > for the parent form. > This doesn't work though... > > Any help? > Thank you very much!, > Hinnerk > >
Hello,
I'm writing a program with VB.NET at the moment, and want to have an easy possibility to display a help string in the status bar when the user places the mouse over a control. I know that there was an easy way some years ago, when I used Delphi 3 or VB 4; but I didn't find it anymore - is it still possible? Then I tried to filter a appropiate message from the message queue, and installed a filter with application.addMessagefilter() (or similar). I also overwrote the WndProc- procedure. But I'm not sure which WM I shall filter; I heard about WM_SETCURSOR, this should be called not for the controls but for the parent form. This doesn't work though... Any help? Thank you very much!, Hinnerk
[quoted text, click to view] "Jay B. Harlow [MVP - Outlook]" <Jay_Harlow@email.msn.com> wrote: > I would handle the MouseMove or MouseEnter & MouseLeave event for each > control, If the mouse moves over the control update the status text, > otherwise clear it. > > I would consider creating an ExtenderProvider to implement this. (Implement > the System.ComponentModel.IExtenderProvider interface). Which allows you to > put the StatusBarExtenderProvider component on your form, then this > component adds properties to all your other controls. Internally > StatusBarExtenderProvider maintains a collections of each control with the > properties, it would also handle the MouseMove event (or MouseEnter & > MouseLeave) for each control, updating the Status Bar as needed. Hello Jay, thank you very much, that was exactly the idea I needed! IExtenderProvider is the way to go... Thanks again, Hinnerk
[quoted text, click to view]
> I'm writing a program with VB.NET at the moment, and want to have an easy > possibility to display a help string in the status bar when the user places > the mouse over a control. This is an ideal job for an extender-provider. An extender provider associates some data with a chosen group of objects, possibly those based on Control or MenuItem or whatever. The Extender Provider would handle the mouse enter event and then provide a nother event that you could use to update the status bar. Last months issue of Well Formed had an atricle on creating extender-providers that updated a status bar for a MenuItem. This functionality could easily be adapted to provide a status message for chosen controls. Check out the contents of that issue here http://www.bobpowell.net/August2003.htm There are C# and VB editions. -- Bob Powell [MVP] C#, System.Drawing September's edition of Well Formed is now available. http://www.bobpowell.net/currentissue.htm Answer those GDI+ questions with the GDI+ FAQ http://www.bobpowell.net/gdiplus_faq.htm [quoted text, click to view] "Hinnerk Feldwisch" <dielisten@yahoo.de> wrote in message news:u6bGFFUfDHA.2484@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl... > Hello, > > I'm writing a program with VB.NET at the moment, and want to have an easy > possibility to display a help string in the status bar when the user places > the mouse over a control. > I know that there was an easy way some years ago, when I used Delphi 3 or VB > 4; but I didn't find it anymore - is it still possible? > > Then I tried to filter a appropiate message from the message queue, and > installed a filter with application.addMessagefilter() (or similar). I also > overwrote the WndProc- procedure. But I'm not sure which WM I shall filter; > I heard about WM_SETCURSOR, this should be called not for the controls but > for the parent form. > This doesn't work though... > > Any help? > Thank you very much!, > Hinnerk > >
Ha, I need to get my news-reader sorted out. I missed this post entirely.
Sorry for the duplication of info. -- Bob Powell [MVP] C#, System.Drawing September's edition of Well Formed is now available. http://www.bobpowell.net/currentissue.htm Answer those GDI+ questions with the GDI+ FAQ http://www.bobpowell.net/gdiplus_faq.htm [quoted text, click to view] "Jay B. Harlow [MVP - Outlook]" <Jay_Harlow@email.msn.com> wrote in message news:eQe9drUfDHA.556@TK2MSFTNGP11.phx.gbl... > Hinnerk, > I would handle the MouseMove or MouseEnter & MouseLeave event for each > control, If the mouse moves over the control update the status text, > otherwise clear it. > > I would consider creating an ExtenderProvider to implement this. (Implement > the System.ComponentModel.IExtenderProvider interface). Which allows you to > put the StatusBarExtenderProvider component on your form, then this > component adds properties to all your other controls. Internally > StatusBarExtenderProvider maintains a collections of each control with the > properties, it would also handle the MouseMove event (or MouseEnter & > MouseLeave) for each control, updating the Status Bar as needed. > > StatusBarExtenderProvider can use AddHandler & RemoveHandler to attach event > handlers to the controls being tracked. > > I do not have a clear example handy right now. > > ErrorProvider, HelpProvider and ToolTip are examples of Extender Providers > available in the Framework. > > Hope this helps > Jay > > "Hinnerk Feldwisch" <dielisten@yahoo.de> wrote in message > news:u6bGFFUfDHA.2484@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl... > > Hello, > > > > I'm writing a program with VB.NET at the moment, and want to have an easy > > possibility to display a help string in the status bar when the user > places > > the mouse over a control. > > I know that there was an easy way some years ago, when I used Delphi 3 or > VB > > 4; but I didn't find it anymore - is it still possible? > > > > Then I tried to filter a appropiate message from the message queue, and > > installed a filter with application.addMessagefilter() (or similar). I > also > > overwrote the WndProc- procedure. But I'm not sure which WM I shall > filter; > > I heard about WM_SETCURSOR, this should be called not for the controls but > > for the parent form. > > This doesn't work though... > > > > Any help? > > Thank you very much!, > > Hinnerk > > > > > >
Another technique to try is one I picked up from Francesco Balena's
excellent book "Programming Microsoft Visual Basic .NET" Basically, in your form, you hook into the Application object's Idle event (which is conveniently fired after a mouse move message is processed by the form). We work in C# at work, so the code is in C#, but it should be easy enough to translate - just change the event handler to have a Handles clause, and remove the delegate assignment in the Form Load event: private void Form1_Load(object sender, System.EventArgs e) { Application.Idle += new System.EventHandler(this.Application_Idle); } private void Application_Idle(object sender, EventArgs e) { Control ctrl = this.GetChildAtPoint(this.PointToClient(Cursor.Position)); if(ctrl != null) { this.statusBar1.Text = ctrl.Name; } } [quoted text, click to view] "Hinnerk Feldwisch" <dielisten@yahoo.de> wrote in message news:u6bGFFUfDHA.2484@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl... > Hello, > > I'm writing a program with VB.NET at the moment, and want to have an easy > possibility to display a help string in the status bar when the user places > the mouse over a control. > I know that there was an easy way some years ago, when I used Delphi 3 or VB > 4; but I didn't find it anymore - is it still possible? > > Then I tried to filter a appropiate message from the message queue, and > installed a filter with application.addMessagefilter() (or similar). I also > overwrote the WndProc- procedure. But I'm not sure which WM I shall filter; > I heard about WM_SETCURSOR, this should be called not for the controls but > for the parent form. > This doesn't work though... > > Any help? > Thank you very much!, > Hinnerk > >
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