User Interface advice

[Raoul Watson]

I am looking for some advise on user interface related to the date picker
control.

I have a user form with a date picker associated to a database. The date
picker has a meeting date, however, not every record has this date set (i.e.
some record has no meeting date).

Unfortunately, the date picker when not set to any particular date, would
display whatever date the control was created. Even when the control is
disabled, this shows. I can't find a way to make this control "blank".

I have use a regular text box and move the date into it but it becomes
cumbersome code-wise when you have multiple date pickers on the screen.

Would anyone have a suggestion how to handle this?

Any advise is greatly appreciated. Thanks and God Bless.
_Raoul

[Rick Rothstein]

Re: User Interface advice

>I am looking for some advise on user interface related to the date picker

control.
>
I have a user form with a date picker associated to a database. The date
picker has a meeting date, however, not every record has this date set
(i.e.
some record has no meeting date).
>
Unfortunately, the date picker when not set to any particular date, would
display whatever date the control was created. Even when the control is
disabled, this shows. I can't find a way to make this control "blank".
>
I have use a regular text box and move the date into it but it becomes
cumbersome code-wise when you have multiple date pickers on the screen.
>
Would anyone have a suggestion how to handle this?

I'm not sure what you mean by "a date picker associated to a database"... if
you mean it is bound to a database, then I am not sure if the following can
be made to work or not (I never bind controls to databases directly);
however, if you are interrogating the database and then attempting to set
the initial display in the DatePicker control, then you can definitely make
use of the following...

From a previous post of mine...

Put the code which appears after my name in the Form's code window and see
if it does what you want. When you want to blank the DatePicker control
within code, say using a CommandButton, put this in its Click event.

Private Sub Command1_Click( )
DTPicker1.Value = vbNull
FormatDTPicker
End Sub

Once you execute the above, the text field for the DatePicker control will
be blanked out; however, the drop-down calendar will still display today's
date when dropped down (there is no way to "blank" the monthly display that
I know of).

Rick

' Place the following code into the form's code window
'
Private Sub DTPicker1_Close Up()
FormatDTPicker
End Sub

Private Sub DTPicker1_Forma t(ByVal CallbackField As String, _
FormattedString As String)
If CallbackField = "X" Then
FormattedString = ""
End If
End Sub

Private Sub FormatDTPicker( )
With DTPicker1
If .Value = vbNull Then
.Format = dtpCustom
.CustomFormat = "X"
Else
.Format = dtpShortDate
End If
End With
End Sub

Private Sub DTPicker1_Mouse Down(Button As Integer, _
Shift As Integer, X As Single, Y As Single)
With DTPicker1
If .Value = vbNull Then
.Value = Now
End If
End With
End Sub

[Steve Gerrard]

Re: User Interface advice


"Rick Rothstein" <rickNOSPAMnews @NOSPAMcomcast. netwrote in message
news:1bCdnUbMqd vXn0vZnZ2dnUVZ_ vqdnZ2d@comcast .com...

>I have a user form with a date picker associated to a database. The date
>picker has a meeting date, however, not every record has this date set (i.e.
>some record has no meeting date).
>>
>Unfortunatel y, the date picker when not set to any particular date, would
>display whatever date the control was created. Even when the control is
>disabled, this shows. I can't find a way to make this control "blank".
>>

>
I'm not sure what you mean by "a date picker associated to a database"... if
you mean it is bound to a database, then I am not sure if the following can be
made to work or not (I never bind controls to databases directly); however, if
you are interrogating the database and then attempting to set the initial
display in the DatePicker control, then you can definitely make use of the
following...

(code snipped)

Same idea, different arrangement. This one might work better for a data-bound
date picker, since it does not need a call to "FormatDTPicker "; it will work off
of the built in format events. Note that the keyboard shortcuts for changing the
date won't work, however.

Const PickerFormat As String = "MMM dd, yyyy"

Private Sub Form_Load()
DTPicker1.Check Box = True
DTPicker1.Custo mFormat = "X"
DTPicker1.Forma t = dtpCustom
End Sub

Private Sub DTPicker1_Forma t(ByVal CallbackField As String, FormattedString As
String)
FormattedString = GetDateString(D TPicker1)
End Sub

Private Sub DTPicker1_Forma tSize(ByVal CallbackField As String, Size As Integer)
Size = Len(PickerForma t)
End Sub

Private Function GetDateString(P icker As DTPicker) As String
With Picker
If IsNull(.Value) Then
GetDateString = ""
Else
GetDateString = Format(.Value, PickerFormat)
End If
End With
End Function

[Raoul Watson]

Re: User Interface advice


"Steve Gerrard" <mynamehere@com cast.netwrote in message
news:_OGdnSkPqv dtvUvZnZ2dnUVZ_ rudnZ2d@comcast .com...

>
"Rick Rothstein" <rickNOSPAMnews @NOSPAMcomcast. netwrote in message
news:1bCdnUbMqd vXn0vZnZ2dnUVZ_ vqdnZ2d@comcast .com...

Thank you Rick and Steve. I can use either method but prefer Steve's since
it doesn't add a checkbox to the control. Thanks again, I've learned
something new about DTPicker today..

[Rick Rothstein]

Re: User Interface advice

Thank you Rick and Steve. I can use either method

but prefer Steve's since it doesn't add a checkbox
to the control. Thanks again, I've learned something
new about DTPicker today..

Personally, I don't mind which of our methods you use since the important
thing is for you to find one that get the job done; but I am confused by
your posting... the method I posted does not require a CheckBox to be added
(nor did I even mention the word CheckBox in my response) whereas I see in
Steve's code a line that sets the CheckBox property to True (although I'm
not sure if that is a requirement for the rest of his code to be able to
work or not). Anyway, I'm glad you learned something new about ht DatePicker
control... hopefully you will find ways to expand on what you learned and
provide your programs with even more functionality in the future.

Rick

[Steve Gerrard]

Re: User Interface advice


"Rick Rothstein" <rickNOSPAMnews @NOSPAMcomcast. netwrote in message
news:acGdnckxRN jh-kvZnZ2dnUVZ_oWd nZ2d@comcast.co m...

>Thank you Rick and Steve. I can use either method
>but prefer Steve's since it doesn't add a checkbox
>to the control. Thanks again, I've learned something
>new about DTPicker today..

>
Personally, I don't mind which of our methods you use since the important
thing is for you to find one that get the job done; but I am confused by your
posting... the method I posted does not require a CheckBox to be added (nor
did I even mention the word CheckBox in my response) whereas I see in Steve's
code a line that sets the CheckBox property to True (although I'm not sure if
that is a requirement for the rest of his code to be able to work or not).
Anyway, I'm glad you learned something new about ht DatePicker control...
hopefully you will find ways to expand on what you learned and provide your
programs with even more functionality in the future.
>
Rick
>

My DTPicker control doesn't allow assigning Null to the Value property unless
the CheckBox property is true, which does cause it to display a checkbox. It is
version 6, SP6, running in VB6.

The only advantage of my method is that it can be used for bound controls;
otherwise I think Rick's is more flexible.

[Raoul Watson]

Re: User Interface advice


"Rick Rothstein" <rickNOSPAMnews @NOSPAMcomcast. netwrote in message
news:acGdnckxRN jh-kvZnZ2dnUVZ_oWd nZ2d@comcast.co m...

>.. but I am confused by
your posting... the method I posted does not require a CheckBox to be

added

(nor did I even mention the word CheckBox in my response) whereas I see in

The confusion is all mine.. sorry.. I attributed it to age if one can't even
differentiate between the two names he just read a couple of minutes before
:-)