MORE INFORMATION
NOTE: For backward compatibility, Visual FoxPro still supports FOXTOOLS.FLL
(included in earlier FoxPro versions), the Visual FoxPro API library that
allows calls to 16-bit .DLL functions. However, in Visual FoxPro, the
DECLARE command is the preferred method for calling .DLL functions.
For more information about using the DECLARE command, search the online
Help.
Mouse Pointers
There are two properties (DragIcon and MousePointer) that control mouse
pointers:
Property Value
---------------------------------------------------------------------
DragIcon <cFilename> - the name of any .CUR file created with
a cursor editing program such as IMAGEDIT
MousePointer 0 - Default
1 - Arrow
2 - Cross
3 - I-Beam
4 - Icon
5 - Size
6 - Size NE SW
7 - Size NS
8 - Size NW SE
9 - Size WE
10 - Up Arrow
11 - Hourglass
12 - No Drop
The DragIcon property controls the shape of the mouse pointer while an
object is being dragged to a new location. The MousePointer property
controls the shape of an object while the mouse is located over that
object. These two properties may be set in tandem to achieve a desired
effect.
For example, in an object that may be dragged, set the following properties
through the Forms Designer Properties Sheet:
- Set the DragIcon property to:
\VFP\SAMPLES\GRAPHICS\DRAGMOVE
- Place the following code in the Drag event to have all controls,
except EditBoxes, display a No Drop pointer:
ThisForm.setall("MousePointer",12)
ThisForm.setall("MousePointer", 0, "EditBox")
- Place the following code in the DragDrop event to reset the mouse
pointer for all controls back to the default:
Thisform.Setall("MousePointer",0)
This example allows the mouse pointer to remain at the default until a drag
and drop operation is performed. Once the drag starts, the mouse pointer
for every control on the form is set to a "No Drop" icon. Then all the edit
boxes are set back to the default icon for edit boxes.
After the object is dropped, all controls on the form are set back to the
default.
Icons
There are two properties (Icon and Picture) that control icons:
Property Value
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Icon The name of any valid .ICO file
Picture The name of any valid .BMP or .ICO file, or the name of a
general field which contains a .BMP or .ICO.
The Icon property controls the icon displayed when a form is minimized. The
Picture property controls the icon displayed for the following controls
contained within a formset: check box, CommandButton, Form, Image,
OptionButton, and Page.
The Form.Picture property acts as a wallpaper behind all the controls
placed on a form. The Form.PageFrame.Page.Picture property creates a
wallpaper effect for a specific page within a pageframe.
Version 2.x Compatibility
The following compares the version 3.0 property functionality with the
functionality available in FoxPro version 2.x commands.
Version 3.0 Property Version 2.x Commands
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
DragIcon No drag and drop functionality was available
MousePointer SET LIBRARY TO FOXTOOLS
Use REGFN and CALLFN to access the Windows
LoadCursor API call
Form.Picture DEFINE WINDOW ... FILL <bmp file name>
Page.Picture No page frame functionality was available
Check box.Picture Specify the picture as part of an @ GET
CommandButton.Picture command, or use the SHOW GET PROMPT command
OptionButton.Picture to change the picture associated with an
existing control
Image.Picture Specify the picture as part of an @ SAY
BITMAP command.
Form.Icon MODIFY WINDOW ... ICON <icon file name> or
specify the filename in the Window Style dialog
from the Screen, Screen Layout menu.
Advantages of Version 3.0 Functionality
Visual FoxPro offers the advantage of built-in mouse pointer functionality.
You can easily change the shape of the mouse pointer without using Windows
API calls or loading the FOXTOOLS.FLL file with its memory overhead.
In version 2.x, the developer had to be familar with a number of different
commands to control the image displayed. In Visual FoxPro, these
capabilities are consistently under the control of the picture property.
In some cases in version 2.x, bitmaps were not refreshed if the image was
changed in Paintbrush during an application session. An undocumented sys
function was used to reorganize memory and cause the bitmap to be reread
from disk. The image.picture property eliminates this problem in Visual
FoxPro version 3.0.
Sample Files
Visual FoxPro version 3.0 offers a large number of sample cursor (.CUR),
bitmap (.BMP), and icon (.ICO) files in \VFP\SAMPLES\GRAPHICS.