VISUAL BASIC TOOLBAR BITMAPS (VB_BITMAPS.ZIP) INSTRUCTIONS  


CHOOSING AN IMAGE FROM THE COLLECTION

There are 13 common Windows style toolbar images (such as File New and Edit Cut) in this file, plus 12 of the designer's custom images, such as colored buttons and other designs.  Every image is available in 2 sizes, a 16 pixel 
x 16 pixel bitmap and a 32 pixel x 32 pixel bitmap.  Thus, there are a total of 50 available images in VB_BITMAPS.ZIP. 

Images are stored with names that reference the tool buttons that they are usually assigned to.  For example, the blank piece of white paper image that is normally seen on a File New toolbar button is named File New ##.bmp. 

The ## will be either 16 or 32. 16 means that the image is a 16 pixel by 16 pixel bitmap, the size that is normally used in an MS Word or an MS Wordpad styled toolbar.  32 means that the image is a 32 pixel by 32 pixel bitmap, the size that is normally used in an MS Internet Explorer styled toolbar. 

The custom buttons are differentiated from the usual Windows buttons by the word "Special" at the beginning of the image's name. 


GETTING MORE CUSTOM IMAGES CREATED 

The designer is available to create custom images at a nominal cost.  He may be reached via e-mail (ALCeleste@aol.com) or via his Home Page (http://users.aol.com/ALCeleste).


ADDING A TOOLBAR TO A VISUAL BASIC 4.0 STANDARD EDITION PROJECT

If you have heard that you cannot add toolbars to a Visual Basic 4.0 Standard Edition form, you have heard wrong.  It just takes a little creativity (and knowing where to find the somewhat hidden toolbar control).   

Click Tools | Custom Controls to add the following controls file to your toolbox: Microsoft Windows Common Controls 5.0.  Once you have added this file to your toolbox, the toolbar and image list controls will be available. 

Click toolbar in the toolbox and then click and drag to design your toolbar. Please note that by default, it will align itself with the top of your form, just under your menu bar (if any).  Use the toolbar's properties dialog to add as many toolbar buttons as you need.  

Double click image list to create an image list for the toolbar.  Please note that since the image list is invisible at runtime, its size and location on the form are irrelevant. Use the image list's properties dialog to add the desired VB_Bitmap images to the image list. 

In order to connect the toolbar to the image list, you MUST go to the toolbar's properties dialog, click General | Image List and insert the name of the image list.  Otherwise, you will have a toolbar with nothing but blank buttons.  

Each button in the toolbar is assigned an index number when it is created.  However, you still need to link that index number to an image in the image list.  The settings are found in the properties dialog for the toolbar at Buttons | Index (this is the button number) and at Buttons | Image (this is the image number that you are assigning to the button).  The images were also assigned numbers when you created them.  If you need to confirm an image's number, go to the image list properties dialog and click Images | Current Image Index.  


THE REQUIRED LEGAL STUFF

The VB_Buttons.zip file is freeware.  As such, you may distribute it freely, but you may not charge for it or receive services in exchange for it.       


Happy VBing, 
Tony Celeste

ALCeleste@aol.com
http://users.aol.com/ALCeleste