Bold Button

Hi,
i want to make a button on a toolstrip that is like the bold Button in Microsoft Word, ive tried a few things but i think im way off.. and im farely new to VB soo could sum1 please explain how to do this and show me the script!

What part of it is giving you trouble? We don't know exactly what the button is supposed to do, or to what.

What version of VB are you using?

Can you show us what you've done so far?

What part of it is giving you trouble? We don't know exactly what the button is supposed to do, or to what.

What version of VB are you using?

Can you show us what you've done so far?

Well Basically ive done nothing.. i keep writing stuff and running program and it doesnt work.. soo i try again and im using Visual Basic 2005 Express Edition,.. and i want a button to bold selected text when clicked.. and wen clicked again it will unbold the selected text.. is that enough information for u to help me?

Well Basically ive done nothing.. i keep writing stuff and running program and it doesnt work.. soo i try again and im using Visual Basic 2005 Express Edition,.. and i want a button to bold selected text when clicked.. and wen clicked again it will unbold the selected text.. is that enough information for u to help me?

Not me, because I don't know VB2005 - only VB6.

However, what is the text in? If it's in a textbox for example, I think you can only turn bold on or off for the entire control, not part of the text. The RichTextBox control is a different story, of course.

You could also try asking in the .Net forum and see whether you get a better response.

Not me, because I don't know VB2005 - only VB6.

However, what is the text in? If it's in a textbox for example, I think you can only turn bold on or off for the entire control, not part of the text. The RichTextBox control is a different story, of course.

You could also try asking in the .Net forum and see whether you get a better response.

thanks and it's in a RichTextBox

thanks and it's in a RichTextBox

Well, if you have selected some of the text in the RTB then hit your button, I think you need to set (or clear) the .SelBold property (of the RTB). I haven't played with this for a while, though.

Well, if you have selected some of the text in the RTB then hit your button, I think you need to set (or clear) the .SelBold property (of the RTB). I haven't played with this for a while, though.

uhh.. i dont really understand wat u mean by the .selbold property of the RTB.. atm i just have a button with no code in it.. cause i got frusted and deleted all the previous code for the button.. lol..

uhh.. i dont really understand wat u mean by the .selbold property of the RTB.. atm i just have a button with no code in it.. cause i got frusted and deleted all the previous code for the button.. lol..

RTB was just a shorthand way of referring to the RichTextBox control. If you look through the properties of the control, you should find a bunch that start with "Sel" (Eg. SelBold, SelColor). These relate to the part of the contents which is currently selected (if any). Thus, you may select part of the text in your RTB then change the SelBold property to switch it between bold and normal. Likewise you can change the SelColor property to adjust the colour of the text.

From the sound of it, you should try searching for tutorials (there's a Google search box at the top-right). We're really here to help people out with specific problems in their code, not so much to teach people to program.

RTB was just a shorthand way of referring to the RichTextBox control. If you look through the properties of the control, you should find a bunch that start with "Sel" (Eg. SelBold, SelColor). These relate to the part of the contents which is currently selected (if any). Thus, you may select part of the text in your RTB then change the SelBold property to switch it between bold and normal. Likewise you can change the SelColor property to adjust the colour of the text.

From the sound of it, you should try searching for tutorials (there's a Google search box at the top-right). We're really here to help people out with specific problems in their code, not so much to teach people to program.

yes well .. i know the basics and stuff and there is no selbold etc.. in the property of the RTB.. thats why i asked wat u where talking about.. i looked through the property's b4 and there wasnt anything and i just looked through again...and still cant see anything.. anyway.. im gonnah fully explain wat i wanna do again cause i was kindah fuzzy to begin with...

Im making a Text Editor.. Like NotePad and Microsoft Word combined... i already have my Open butons and save buttons.. cut paste copy etc.. coded.. but i would like to make bold, ittalic and underline buttons.. like the ones in microsoft word.. ive looked all over the internet.. (using google).. and im really frustrated now cause i couldnt find anything.. originally i thought i could just write..

(very basic way of writing wat i thought, but this was the basic princibal i was thinking of)

Buuut.. that's not the case.. lol.... do you think it's possible to set sumthing in RTB code.. such as:
?(again a very basic way of writing wat i thought, but this was the basic princibal im thinking of)

i havent tried that yet.. but im looking for a simple way to do it.. and im really tired at the moment.. sooo sorry if none of this makes much sense.. ... :)

Hm... VB2005 must be more different than I thought. In VB6, the RichTextBox has the properties that I mentioned. I don't get it.

Ah! Got it.

I'll bet you're looking in the list of properties which can be set at design time, in the GUI. The .Selxxx properties aren't listed there, because they don't apply at that point.

In VB6, there is an option to have the properties and methods automatically listed as soon as you type the object name in your code, then a dot. Alternatively, you can enter the object name then select "List Properties/Methods" from the Edit menu. VB2005 must have something analogous, so you can see the available properties while writing your code.

Try pasting this code somewhere (for example, the form click event procedure) and executing it, to see what happens (that is, if it compiles)... In theory, this should bold the word "following".

Fonts are more difficult in .Net, but much more versatile. What you want is
HTH --Sam

Fonts are more difficult in .Net, but much more versatile. What you want is

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1. RichTextBox1.SelectionFont = New Font(RichTextBox1.Font, FontStyle.Bold)

HTH --Sam

okay thanks i managed to figure that out.. but now.. wen i make my italic and underline buttons, i cant make the selected font bold and italic...

okay thanks i managed to figure that out.. but now.. wen i make my italic and underline buttons, i cant make the selected font bold and italic...

I just had a look at MSDN, and I think you can just set the .Bold, .Italic and .Underline properties (among others) of the SelectionFont. In other words...
Have a look at these links...

• Font object
• SelectionFont property

No, the Bold property, etc are all readonly. From help: "Because the Font object is immutable (meaning that you cannot adjust any of it's properties), you can only assign the Font property a new Font object. However, you can base the new font on the existing font."

In other words, you always have to create a new Font object. You just look at which buttons are up and which are down, and then you add the FontStyles together. You also want to use the SelectionFont as the prototype font. For example,

Okay, umm here is the code i have
BoldButton:
Italic Button:
Underline Button:
And each button Can either be Checked Or unChecked but wen i want to check the bold button and lets say the underline button for the same text if it is bold first naturally, wen i click the underline button it becomes unbolded but underlined.. Does anyone know how to check two of the buttons at once and have both effects applied to the same selected text?..

im thinking ill need an "If statement" involving all 3 buttons.. but i havent tried that yet And im not sure if it will be possible to do it that way... Can anyone Help me?

No, the Bold property, etc are all readonly. From help: "Because the Font object is immutable (meaning that you cannot adjust any of it's properties), you can only assign the Font property a new Font object. However, you can base the new font on the existing font."

????? That's crazy! :O
What were M$ smoking when they came up with that one?

Does that apply to the Font object in general, or a particular one (such as the one provided by SelectionFont)?

????? That's crazy! :O
What were M$ smoking when they came up with that one?

Does that apply to the Font object in general, or a particular one (such as the one provided by SelectionFont)?

i think it's the font object in general.. could be wrong but im pretty sure it apply's to the font object in general

Okay, umm here is the code i have
BoldButton:

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1.         If RichTextBox1.SelectionFont.Style <> FontStyle.Bold Then
2.             RichTextBox1.SelectionFont = New Font(RichTextBox1.Font, FontStyle.Bold)
3.         Else
4.             RichTextBox1.SelectionFont = New Font(RichTextBox1.Font, FontStyle.Regular)
5.         End If

Italic Button:

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1.         If RichTextBox1.SelectionFont.Style <> FontStyle.Italic Then
2.             RichTextBox1.SelectionFont = New Font(RichTextBox1.Font, FontStyle.Italic)
3.         Else
4.             RichTextBox1.SelectionFont = New Font(RichTextBox1.Font, FontStyle.Regular)
5.         End If

Underline Button:

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1.         If RichTextBox1.SelectionFont.Style <> FontStyle.Underline Then
2.             RichTextBox1.SelectionFont = New Font(RichTextBox1.Font, FontStyle.Underline)
3.         Else
4.             RichTextBox1.SelectionFont = New Font(RichTextBox1.Font, FontStyle.Regular)
5.         End If

And each button Can either be Checked Or unChecked but wen i want to check the bold button and lets say the underline button for the same text if it is bold first naturally, wen i click the underline button it becomes unbolded but underlined.. Does anyone know how to check two of the buttons at once and have both effects applied to the same selected text?..

im thinking ill need an "If statement" involving all 3 buttons.. but i havent tried that yet And im not sure if it will be possible to do it that way... Can anyone Help me?

So No1 Has Any Ideas then?..

????? That's crazy! :O
What were M$ smoking when they came up with that one?

I doubt that they allow smoking ;o), but that's sort of what I thought: it doesn't seem to match the rest of DotNet's framework, but since you can base the new font on the existing font and do in one line, its not so bad, but it takes a while to figure out the first time. --Sam

So No1 Has Any Ideas then?..

Look back at my last posting of code. Notice that I use SelectionFont as the base for the new font. You are using the control's default font. Don't forget to check the case when the selected text has more than one font style. It will be hard to model MS toggle buttons, but fun (for you)! -- Sam

umm i changed them too selectionFont .. but still it wont work.. this is proving to be harder then i thought.. lol here is the code i have now..

but it still wont let me apply 2 styles to the one selection.. :(.. any other ideas :|

umm i changed them too selectionFont .. but still it wont work.. this is proving to be harder then i thought.. lol here is the code i have now..

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1.     Private Sub tlbItalic_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles tlbItalic.Click
2.  
3.         If RichTextBox1.SelectionFont.Style <> FontStyle.Italic Then
4.             RichTextBox1.SelectionFont = New Font(RichTextBox1.SelectionFont, FontStyle.Italic)
5.         Else
6.             RichTextBox1.SelectionFont = New Font(RichTextBox1.SelectionFont, FontStyle.Regular)
7.         End If
8.  
9.     End Sub
10.  
11.     Private Sub tlbUnderline_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles tlbUnderline.Click
12.  
13.         If RichTextBox1.SelectionFont.Style <> FontStyle.Underline Then
14.             RichTextBox1.SelectionFont = New Font(RichTextBox1.SelectionFont, FontStyle.Underline)
15.         Else
16.             RichTextBox1.SelectionFont = New Font(RichTextBox1.SelectionFont, FontStyle.Regular)
17.         End If
18.  
19.     End Sub
20.  
21.     Private Sub tlbStrikeout_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles tlbStrikeout.Click
22.  
23.         If RichTextBox1.SelectionFont.Style <> FontStyle.Strikeout Then
24.             RichTextBox1.SelectionFont = New Font(RichTextBox1.SelectionFont, FontStyle.Strikeout)
25.         Else
26.             RichTextBox1.SelectionFont = New Font(RichTextBox1.SelectionFont, FontStyle.Regular)
27.         End If
28.  
29.     End Sub

but it still wont let me apply 2 styles to the one selection.. :(.. any other ideas :|

i guess no1 knows then?... ahh well.. ill probably figure it out eventually....... i hope..... lol :)

i guess no1 knows then?... ahh well.. ill probably figure it out eventually....... i hope..... lol :)

I don't know the answer, but don't be too impatient.

Remember that TSDN is peopled by volunteers, in various timezones all over the world, who put in their own time when they can spare it. It can sometimes take a while.

In the meantime, I'd suggest you try searching TSDN and the web as a whole for tutorials covering VB.Net, the use of fonts and the RichTextBox control. If you find anything good, post a link here and we won't have so much trouble next time someone needs this stuff.

I don't know the answer, but don't be too impatient.

Remember that TSDN is peopled by volunteers, in various timezones all over the world, who put in their own time when they can spare it. It can sometimes take a while.

In the meantime, I'd suggest you try searching TSDN and the web as a whole for tutorials covering VB.Net, the use of fonts and the RichTextBox control. If you find anything good, post a link here and we won't have so much trouble next time someone needs this stuff.

i alrdy searched for alot of stuff.. but ill keep looking.. im thinkin it may involve script in the RTB aswell as script for the buttons aswell.. im not rly sure.. but it is alot harder then what i thought it would be.. :).. anywayz thanks for all ur suggestions.. i guess ill check back later if i figure sumffin out.. :)

Thanks again,

Prose.

i alrdy searched for alot of stuff..

Well, I guess we both should have read the help. The Font object is even stranger than I had thought. The constructor that we are using, Font(prototype,style) does not use the prototype to initialize the style, so you need:
RichTextBox1.SelectionFont = New Font(RichTextBox1.SelectionFont, RichTextBox1.SelectionFont.Style Or FontStyle.Bold)
to bold the selection. But, at least the event code is now a single line.

i alrdy searched for alot of stuff.. but ill keep looking.. im thinkin it may involve script in the RTB aswell as script for the buttons aswell.. im not rly sure.. but it is alot harder then what i thought it would be.. :).. anywayz thanks for all ur suggestions.. i guess ill check back later if i figure sumffin out.. :)

Keep in mind that the VB.Net font stuff is way over my head. But I just had an idea.

What if you just did the attributes in three steps. I mean, let's say you have a chunk of text selected in the RTB. You want to set it to both bold and italic. Can't you just set it bold, then set it italic, using the techniques already discussed here? Since the "old font" used as the basis of each would be the SelectionFont, one would imagine that setting one attribute shoudn't affect the others.

Or am I talking nonsense?

<snip> What if you just did the attributes in three steps. <snip>
Or am I talking nonsense?

No, I think that that is the best way to go: just use the ToolBar ItemClick event and cascade thru each of the buttons, but you will also need a SelectionChange event to keep the buttons in sync with the text. I started that way (after downloading VB Express), but got bogged down like Prose & only could get a single style, so I went back to the Button click event.

Now, I think I could go back to a single ItemClick event, but I couldn't get the Selection_Change event to work either, so I'm just going to bed. ;o)>>> Sam

Well, I guess we both should have read the help. The Font object is even stranger than I had thought. The constructor that we are using, Font(prototype,style) does not use the prototype to initialize the style, so you need:
RichTextBox1.SelectionFont = New Font(RichTextBox1.SelectionFont, RichTextBox1.SelectionFont.Style Or FontStyle.Bold)
to bold the selection. But, at least the event code is now a single line.

Okay thanks for that SammyB ive got it all working now.. and with only 1 line of code for each button.. but like u said in ur last post im going to have to mess around with sum other stuff.. eg SelectionChange.. to make it like the MS word buttons :).. thanks for all you help everyone :) im very very grateful!!

Prose

P.S if this question ever comes up again.. just give them the link of this forum.. here is the code!
that is for.. bold, italic, underline and strikeout! but remember it still may not be exactly what you want.. but that allows more the one fontstyle to be applied to the same text!!

Thanks Again,

Prose.

Thanks for that, Prose. It will be very useful to have here for future searchers to find.

One question - does this work alright (that is, not crash) if the user has not selected any text before clicking?

One question - does this work alright (that is, not crash) if the user has not selected any text before clicking?

If nothing is selected then it looks like SelectionFont is the control's default font. In any case it is not null, so it does not crash. --Sam

If nothing is selected then it looks like SelectionFont is the control's default font. In any case it is not null, so it does not crash. --Sam

Excellent. Just wanted to ensure you hadn't built in a nasty bug. I would have tried it myself, but I only have VB6 here.

Well, sounds as though your project is well on its way. Have fun!

I also have been having a lot of problems with the bold italic and underline buttons however using the tips here as a basis i was able to make them function very closely to how they function in MS Word and other such programs. The key is you need 3 global boolean flags to get all 3 to work together properly.

I then Used a sub procedure to do all the text formatting
Then all you need in the buttons is to reference the sub procedure and change the boolean flag when appropriate