peter aitken

Articles

Enumerate your CD-ROM drives

August 4, 2005 4:13pm PDT

If you are writing a Visual Basic program that makes use of the CD drive, it is usually a good idea to check to see what is actually available. This Visual Basic tip shows you how to get a list of...

7 Latest comment by adityachs@...

Articles

Schedule tasks with VB6's Timer control

August 2, 2005 7:00am PDT

When you want something to happen after a set interval or on a regular basis, you should consider using VB6's Timer control. Follow the steps in this tip to schedule tasks using a Timer control.

11 Latest comment by vickyruffian

Articles

Create an up-down box for your VB6 programs

August 2, 2005 7:00am PDT

The up-down box gives users the option of typing the number in directly or of clicking up or down buttons to increase or decrease the value. See how you can create an up-down box in your VB6...

5 Latest comment by omnitech_1@...

Articles

Create a 'sticky' button that toggles in VB6

August 2, 2005 7:00am PDT

If you want to use a VB6 Command Button that you can toggle, then learn how to create "sticky" buttons, which are useful for selecting On/Off options as an alternative to a checkbox.

10 Latest comment by Malygris

Articles

Simplify programming with enumerations in VB6

August 2, 2005 7:00am PDT

VB6 lets you create enumerations, which are programmer-defined data types that can take on a set of constant values. Peter Aitken shows you how to create and use enumerations.

Articles

Save time with VB6's Common Dialog control

August 2, 2005 7:00am PDT

VB6's Common Dialog control can save you a lot of programming time, as well as provide a standard Windows look to certain parts of your program. Learn how to use this control.

7 Latest comment by rajbdilip

Articles

Say hello to polymorphism in VB6

August 1, 2005 7:00am PDT

In object-oriented programming, polymorphism refers to the ability to define more than one class with the same interface. Discover some of the tasks that can benefit from the use of polymorphism.

8 Latest comment by hartoto

Articles

Explore the various benefits of the Collection object in VB6

August 1, 2005 7:00am PDT

VB6 makes use of collections in many ways, such as keeping track of controls on a form and system printers. Learn how to create a Collection object, as well as how to use the Add method to add...

11 Latest comment by howzilla@...

Articles

Become acquainted with the Friend keyword in VB6

August 1, 2005 7:00am PDT

When writing property procedures and methods for a VB6 class, you can use the Friend keyword when you want a property or method to be accessible to other objects in the project but not to the...

6 Latest comment by vamann

Articles

Performing date comparisons in VB6

August 1, 2005 7:00am PDT

The representation of dates in VB6 makes it really easy to compare dates, yet some programmers still go to unnecessary lengths to perform a comparison. Peter Aitken demonstrates that it's a breeze...

18 Latest comment by ViRiV

Articles

Refer to VB6 objects as properties

August 1, 2005 7:00am PDT

Many VB programmers don't know that a property can also be an object reference. In other words, one object can contain a reference to another object as a property. See how this approach can be...

Articles

Make use of Visual Basic's predefined constants

July 29, 2005 7:00am PDT

VB6 provides a set of predefined symbolic constants that you can use anywhere in your program. This article takes a look at a few of the more useful constants.

18 Latest comment by warren.keller@...

Articles

Keep a VB6 application log

July 29, 2005 7:00am PDT

Learn how to create an application log file, which Peter Aitken believes is the easiest way to troubleshoot user problems. Even though it requires a little more effort to program log file...

7 Latest comment by rhaimson@...

Articles

The advantages of creating and using DLLs in VB6

July 29, 2005 7:00am PDT

In VB, you create a Dynamic Link Library (DDL) by selecting ActiveX DLL from the New Project dialog box. This tip highlights the various uses and benefits of using DLLs.

3 Latest comment by Jaqui

Articles

Customize your code editor in VB6

July 28, 2005 7:00am PDT

One of the features in the Visual Basic 6 code editor allows you to display different code elements in different colors, making it easier for you read and interpret code. Find out how you can...

2 Latest comment by Realvdude

Articles

Changing VB6's default control font

July 28, 2005 7:00am PDT

VB6 uses the MS Sans Serif font in 8 point size for its controls that support a Font property. However, you can change the font after the control is created. Here are two techniques that simplify...

Articles

Avoid program bugs in VB6 with the Option Explicit statement

July 28, 2005 7:00am PDT

In Visual Basic 6, you can use a variable in code without declaring it. Some VB programmers tout this as an advantage of VB, but, in fact, it's a serious shortcoming. Peter Aitken explains why.

9 Latest comment by mjwlo1

Articles

Swap your mouse's right and left buttons in VB6

July 27, 2005 7:00am PDT

On the Windows OS, the mouse usually has a right and a left button. See how easy it is to swap the buttons so that pressing the left button triggers a right-button event and vice versa.

Articles

Save programming time by utilizing VB6's layout tools

July 27, 2005 7:00am PDT

The task of positioning and sizing lots of controls into an efficient and easy-to-use form layout can be rather time-consuming. Peter Aitken explains how you can save a lot of programming time by...

1 Latest comment by xLoggr

Articles

Working with project groups in VB6

July 27, 2005 7:00am PDT

There may be times when you need to work on more than one project at the same time because the projects are dependent on each other in some way. Learn the ins and outs of working with project...

4 Latest comment by zdmalazada