Creating Forms w/Code

I'm creating a VB front end for a database application, and was wondering if anyone knew of a way to automatically create forms based on information in a text file, etc. Basically, I'd like to create an application that could read information from a text file, then create a VB form with controls based on data in the file. I could then add the form to another project. Any ideas?

The automatic in "automatically create forms based on information
in a text file" means you write the program to create the form.
I expect you meant something that someone else has already
written. I doubt that exists, and even if it did, it probably wouldn't
work the way you want it to.

If I were going to do this, I would spend a great deal of time
looking at .FRM files (in notepad) that were in the format of the
forms I wanted to duplicate. I would then write the code to
create a .FRM file based on the specific requirements (whether
from a txt file, or from filling out fields in a wizard.) This can be
done, but is so specific to the way you want to do it, that I can't
imagine a generic solution that would be any easier to use than
the VB IDE.

Good Luck :)

Wow, I never realized I could open up forms using a text editor, I assumed they were saved as some nasty binary file. Thanks for the help.

I am trying to do a very similar thing and am wondering how to do it.

I am also putting a fronend onto a database and wish to creat user defined forms....

i am creating an administration section to manage the database and wish to create new forms to manage new tables in the database.

I believe i know how to manipulate the form to look as i want it to but i cannot figure out how to actually create the form.....

any ideas?

If you want to create forms and controls at runtime you'd better be familiar with the Windows API first. Click here (http://64.23.12.52//Tutorials/GeneralVB/GM_Win32.asp) for a tutorial and example code.

Not for the faint-hearted. :eek:

User Created Forms is very cool...

but it's more interesting when you create a "template" in IDE and make the changes of the forms limited to pictures and texts !

=D

Creating the controls at run-time can be used to create a "form" at runtime. Create the form "template" and add the controls that users should be able to edit/modify/design through the database, and use code similar to this for each control.


Do While Not rs.EOF
' if this is a long or memory-intensive process, add DoEvents to allow for screen repaint
DoEvents
ctl_index = Control.UBound +1 ' increment index by 1

Load Control(ctl_index)

With Control(ctl_index)
.Caption = rs("item")
.Enabled = True
.Visible = True
.Value = False
' these are arbitrary values that suited my code, but display the final result in a list on the form
.Height = 255
' get the top position of the previous control, and use that reference to determine the top position of the current control you are adding
.Top = (Control(ctl_index - 1).Top + 300)
.Width = 5415
.Left = 720
End With

rs.MoveNext
Loop


This is a solution I used, and allows me to avoid re-coding forms for a program based on a database configuration. As new options are added, the form dynamically updates.

Hope this helps

This thread is a year old!
Please do not drag up such old fossils in future.