Left-aligned Checkbox

[Mark Newman]

How does one get a checkbox to use left-aligned caption text using DDT?
I'm specifying %BS_LEFT in the CONTROL ADD CHECKBOX statement but it still
shows up right-aligned.

A forum search found 2 topics about this, but no resolution or workaround.

Any ideas?


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Mark Newman

[Lance Edmonds]

Actually, %BS_LEFT specifies the alignment of the text within the text frame (this is the default/normal style).

%BS_LEFTTEXT is the style that should give you the checkbox on the right side. If you use %BS_RIGHT, then the text will be right-aligned in the text frame. SO combining %BS_LEFTTEXT and %BS_RIGHT should give you a checkbox with the check on the right with the text right-aligned on the left (!). Clear as mud?

However, if %BS_LEFTTEXT does not work, try using the _extended_ style %WS_EX_RIGHT in it's place.


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Lance
PowerBASIC Support
mailto:[email protected][email protected]</A>

[Mark Newman]

Thanks for the info Lance, though %BS_LEFTTEXT didn't help. Here's my code:

Control Add Checkbox, hDlg, %CHKSAVEFILES, "Save Files", 265, 50, 60, 14, %WS_TABSTOP Or %WS_GROUP Or %BS_LEFTTEXT

The Help file entry for ADD CHECKBOX should be clarified, as it states:

%BS_LEFT Places the text on the left side of the control.

Perhaps adding %BS_LEFTTEXT would also help a bit.



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Mark Newman

[Lance Edmonds]

Yes, this has already been scheduled for correction in the next update to the help file, and added to the Errata listings for the current documentation.

Did %WS_EX_RIGHT work for you?

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Lance
PowerBASIC Support
mailto:[email protected][email protected]</A>

[Simon Morgan]

Mark,
As a workaround try:

Control Add Button, hDlg, %CHKSAVEFILES, "Save Files", 265, 50, 60, 14, %BS_AUTOCHECKBOX OR %WS_TABSTOP Or %WS_GROUP Or %BS_LEFTTEXT

In some cases PB/DLL DDT doesn't pass your style to Windows unless you use the 'native' control type (Button in this case)
CheckBox, Option and Frame are actually styles of button.

This has been aired on this forum before, but I don't know if its been picked up by tech support.
(It took me many hours to solve this problem.)

Regards, Simon

[This message has been edited by Simon Morgan (edited June 15, 2001).]

[Mark Newman]

Lance - I checked the FAQ forum and didn't see anything there about
style bits; I must have missed it.

Using the extended style %WS_EX_RIGHT didn't help.

Simon - I tried your suggestion but didn't have any luck. Thanks just
the same!



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Mark Newman

[Scott Turchin]

I just double checked my code in Winlog, from 4.31 to 5.0 t his works and puts the text at a left alignment (Right next to the checkbox)

    Control Add Frame, oDlg, 1, "Configuration", 10,25,225,65
    Control Add CheckBox, oDlg, %IDCHKBOX1, "Record Log At System Startup (Default = On)",15,35,200,10
    Control Add CheckBox, oDlg, %IDCHKBOX2, "Show Splash Screen At System Startup",15,45,200,10
    Control Add CheckBox, oDlg, %IDCHKBOX3, "Show Splash Screen at Application Startup",15,55,200,10
    Control Add CheckBox, oDlg, %IDCHKBOX4, "Prompt to Clear Log",15,65,120,10
    Control Add CheckBox, oDlg, %IDCHKBOX5, "Display log in reverse order (Last boot-up first)",15,75,160,10

'
'
Produces:



Scott



[This message has been edited by Scott Turchin (edited June 15, 2001).]

[Scott Turchin]

Why didn't the image take? It said UBB was on...hmmm





Scott

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Scott

[Lance Edmonds]

The IMG tag is switched off in this forum... it is mentioned in the small frame to the left of the reply edit box.


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Lance
PowerBASIC Support
mailto:[email protected][email protected]</A>

[Lance Edmonds]

Mark, I suspect you placed the %WS_EX_RIGHT style in the normal style field... if you place it in the extended style field, it should work fine (it produces the same effect as %BS_LEFTTEXT OR %BS_RIGHT are supposed to provide), thus:

CONTROL ADD CHECKBOX, hDlg, 202, "Test CheckBox", 0, 0, 50, 10,,%WS_EX_RIGHT

Produces a control that looks like this:

+---------------------------+
|         Test CheckBox [X] |
+---------------------------+

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Lance
PowerBASIC Support
mailto:[email protected][email protected]</A>

[Mark Newman]

Lance, ahh, much better now! But why? The Help file states that %WS_EX_RIGHT only has
an effect for Hebrew or Arabic languages that read right-to-left. How does this work
in this case?

In any case, my thanks to all who replied!


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Mark Newman

[Lance Edmonds]

Good question. %WS_EX_RIGHT means the control has "generic right-aligned properties", which are control class-dependent.

Therefore we can gather that this extended style has a particular effect for the Windows BUTTON class.

Bottom line is that it works.

However, the next update to the compiler will likely work correctly with %BS_LEFTTEXT.

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Lance
PowerBASIC Support
mailto:[email protected][email protected]</A>

[Clay Clear]

Lance,

Speaking of compiler updates to PB/DLL 6.0, does PB's staff have
a target date for it being publicly available? I am VERY eager
to upgrade, as the WS_EX_RIGHT generates right-aligned controls,
which are very sloppy in appearance if the dialog has controls
with different text lengths.

Right now, for the programs in which that is unacceptable, I put
the dialog in an RC file, and use DialogBox to display it. The
controls' lines in the RC file contain BS_LEFTTEXT (BS_LEFT not required).
When pulled as a resource, those controls DO work as they should.



Regards,


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Clay C. Clear
http://www.v3space.com/a/a39/202/

[email protected]

[This message has been edited by Clay Clear (edited July 13, 2001).]

[Lance Edmonds]

PowerBASIC operates a "no vaporware" policy which precludes us from preannouncing updates and upgrades before they are actually ready for shipping.

However, I can probably get away with telling you that the update is not very far away now.

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Lance
PowerBASIC Support
mailto:[email protected][email protected]</A>