Q66240: INFO: Aligning Columns in a Windows 3.x List Box
Article: Q66240
Product(s): Microsoft Windows Software Development Kit
Version(s): WINDOWS:3.1
Operating System(s):
Keyword(s): kb16bitonly kbCtrl kbListBox kbSDKPlatform
Last Modified: 10-JUN-1999
3.00 3.10
WINDOWS
kbprg
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The information in this article applies to:
- Microsoft Windows Software Development Kit (SDK) 3.1
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SUMMARY
=======
To align columns of text in a list box in an application running under Windows
version 3.0, the suggested approach is to use the proportional system font and
to use tab characters to align the text. For tabs to work properly, you must
specify the LBS_USETABSTOPS style when you create the list box.
Code that depends on space characters for correct alignment of text does not work
correctly with the Windows proportional system font. This is a common problem
when migrating applications written for Windows 2.x and earlier to Windows 3.0.
This problem can be corrected by using tabs, or by using a fixed-pitch font in
the list box.
MORE INFORMATION
================
One particular fixed-pitch font is always available as a system resource. This
font, identified as the SYSTEM_FIXED_FONT, is used by applications developed for
previous versions of Windows that have not been marked for Windows 3.0 font
compatibility.
To use a fixed font in a dialog box, you must send each control a WM_SETFONT
message as part of the dialog box's initialization process. The handle to the
font is passed in wParam for the message. When lParam contains a nonzero value,
the control redraws itself using the new font. An lParam of zero omits the
redraw. Below is a small code fragment that demonstrates the processing of the
WM_INITDIALOG message. ID_CONTROL represents the control ID of the list box (or
other control).
HFONT hFixedFont;
...
case WM_INITDIALOG:
hFixedFont = GetStockObject(SYSTEM_FIXED_FONT);
SendDlgItemMessage(hDlg, ID_CONTROL, WM_SETFONT,
hFixedFont, 0L);
... /* possibly other processing */
break;
The following code fragment selects a fixed font into a device context (DC):
HFONT hFixedFont;
...
hFixedFont = GetStockObject(SYSTEM_FIXED_FONT);
hOldFont = SelectObject (hDC, hFixedFont);
...
/* before calling DeleteDC() or ReleaseDC(),
* restore original font */
SelectObject(hDC, hOldFont);
...
More information on this and other subjects related to Windows programming is
contained in the file TIPS.TXT. The SDK installation program places this file in
the WINDEV directory, with the other SDK files. TIPS.TXT contains a set of notes
provided by Microsoft Product Support Services to help answer some of the most
commonly asked questions by developers of Windows 3.0 applications. The notes
are addressed to new Windows developers as well as to those moving Windows 2.x
applications to Windows 3.0.
Additional query words: 3.00
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Keywords : kb16bitonly kbCtrl kbListBox kbSDKPlatform
Technology : kbAudDeveloper kbWin3xSearch kbSDKSearch kbWinSDKSearch kbWinSDK310
Version : WINDOWS:3.1
Issue type : kbinfo
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