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Text Box Input
A Basic Text Box Example
Text Box Input
The text box is one of the most widely used controls in desktop and web development.
A text box can be used to display data or to allow the user to input data. Please note that the same control exists within the .Net environment and this example can be 'massaged' to work in VB.Net or C#.Net
This hub is a little example of how to use a basic text box
Set up a text box
Ok, so open up your VB development environment.
From the toolbox select a text box and draw on onto your form.
Using the properties section re-name the textbox to txtInputName and re-name the form to frmTextBoxExample.
In the text property of the text box enter the text 'This is a text box'
Hit F5 to run your application and the text box will be displayed as shown below.
How your form will look
Allowing user input
Text boxes are great for allowing users to input information.
Draw a label control next to the text box and call it lblName. Change the caption property to read 'Enter your name'
Alter the text property of the text box to be blank - we do not want any text to show now.
The form should now look like the following:
The form with the label
Add a button
Now add a button control to the form.
Re-name it cmdGo and change the caption property to '&Go'
The form should now look like:
The form with the button added
A VB6 Textbox Example
Adding a little code to the form
In design mode double click on the button to take you into the code window.
The code for the button is created by VB and will be displayed as:
Private Sub cmdGo_Click()
End Sub
Add in the following code so the sub
Private Sub cmdGo_Click()
If Len(txtInputName.Text) > 0 Then
MsgBox "Your name is: " & txtInputName.Text, vbInformation, "Hello"
End If
End Sub
The Len statement checks for actual text in the textbox - so if nothing has been entered then no action is taken.
Run the application, enter your name in the text box and click the Go button to see the result
Getting into programming - Final Note
This is an easy place to start if you are thinking of getting into programming.
I started with my favourite of the 8-bit retro computers the good old ZX Spectrum way back in the 80's, I always wanted to be a games developer (due to playing hundreds of ZX Spectrum Games) but never really had the talent for it.
Anyway, I hope you find Text Box Input helpful - it's a great way for a novice to get started.
Programming Links
- VB Box
An easy to follow example of using a message box and applying different styles and options to it