PC Forms: Run Minimized Property Doesn't Function in E-form (114028)

SYMPTOMS

If you select Run Minimized in the Properties dialog box (choose Properties from the Program Manager File menu) for an electronic form (E-form) created with version 1.0 of Microsoft Electronic Forms Designer, the form opens as a full-screen window when you start it.

CAUSE

When you create an executable file in Visual Basic, you can set the startup form by choosing Project from the Options menu. The two sample forms and the generic template form included with Electronic Forms Designer use a subroutine for the startup form, rather than an actual Visual Basic form. Because E-forms are loaded using the Show method from this subroutine, the Run Minimized property is ignored. To run an E-form minimized, you must add additional code to the EFORM.BAS file.

RESOLUTION

To run an E-form minimized, modify the ParseCommandLine function defined in the EFORM.BAS file. To do this, use the following procedure:

Open the E-form project in Visual Basic.
From the Project window, select EFORM.BAS.
Choose View Code.
From the Proc list, select ParseCommandLine.

Scroll to the following comment in the code:

      Load form based on command and message flags.

Add "frmCompose.WindowState = 1" to the Select Case function as defined below:

      Select Case gCommand
         Case wcommandCompose
         frmCompose.WindowState = 1
         frmCompose.Show

This will set the WindowState property of the form to be minimized.

NOTE: Making this code modification will load the form minimized regardless of how it is started in Windows.