KnowledgeBase Archive

An Archive of Early Microsoft KnowledgeBase Articles

View on GitHub

Q167107: FIX: Missing Controls on the SSTAB Control Tabs

Article: Q167107
Product(s): Microsoft Visual Basic for Windows
Version(s): 4.0 5.0
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): kbGrpDSVBDB
Last Modified: 11-JAN-2001

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The information in this article applies to:

- Microsoft Visual Basic Control Creation Edition for Windows, version 5.0 
- Microsoft Visual Basic Learning Edition for Windows, version 5.0 
- Microsoft Visual Basic Professional Edition for Windows, version 5.0 
- Microsoft Visual Basic Enterprise Edition for Windows, version 5.0 
- Microsoft Visual Basic Standard Edition, 32-bit, for Windows, version 4.0 
- Microsoft Visual Basic Professional Edition, 32-bit, for Windows, version 4.0 
- Microsoft Visual Basic Enterprise Edition, 32-bit, for Windows, version 4.0 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SYMPTOMS
========

One or more of the tabs on the SSTAB control is missing its controls when
displayed at run-time.

CAUSE
=====

The SSTab control does not respond correctly when attempting to manipulate the
Tab or TabVisible properties from the Form-Load event. If the SSTab control has
not completely finished initializing when you attempt to set the Tab property to
reflect a value different than the default, then the controls are still located
in their temporary holding area at -72960. The Tab will display without its
controls. To guarantee that the SSTab control has finished initializing, you can
access its properties from any event after Form_Load has completed and the SSTab
can receive the focus. This will occasionally work from the Form_Load event but
has inconsistent behavior when you have various controls on one the tabs.

RESOLUTION
==========

Tab Property
------------

If you attempt to set a certain tab as the current tab on initial display, then
setting the Tab property in either the Form_Activate event or the
SSTab1.Got_Focus event instead of the Form_Load event fixes this problem, as
follows:

     Private Sub Form_Activate
     Static bReactivate as Boolean  'default is false
     If Not bReactivate Then
      SSTab1.Tab = GetSetting("MyApp","Settings","MyTab",0)
      bReactivate = True
     End If
     End Sub

TabVisible Property
-------------------

If you attempt to display only a certain tab on initial display, then setting the
desired tab as the current tab and then setting the REMAINING tabs TabVisible
property to false in reverse order (leaving the current tab set to visible) from
either the Form_Activate event or the SSTab.Got_Focus events solves this
problem, as follows:

     Private Sub Form_Activate()
     Static bReactivate as Boolean  'default is false
      If Not bReactivate Then
       SSTab1.Tab = GetSetting("MyApp","Settings","MyTab",0)
       For i = SSTab1.Tabs - 1 To 0 Step -1
        If SSTab1.Tab <> i Then
         SSTab1.TabVisible(i) = False
        End If
       Next i
       bReactivate = True
      End If
     End Sub

This code assumes that have stored an entry "MyTab" in the registry.

The GetSetting function can be replaced with a module level Public integer
variable and set as needed.

- You should not make the current tab invisible using SSTab1.TabVisible() =
  False.

- You should not set an invisible tab as the current tab.

- You should always leave at least one 'tab' set to visible. If you want to
  make all the tabs invisible, use SSTab1.Visible = False

STATUS
======

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a bug in the Microsoft products listed at the
beginning of this article. This bug has been fixed in Visual Studio 97 Service
Pack 2.

For more information on the Visual Studio 97 Service Pack 2, please see the
following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

  Q170365 : INFO: Visual Studio 97 Service Packs - What, Where, and Why

For a list of the Visual Basic 5.0 bugs that were fixed in the Visual Studio 97
Service Pack 2, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge
Base:

  Q171554 : INFO: Visual Basic 5.0 Fixes in Visual Studio 97 Service Pack 2

MORE INFORMATION
================

Activate & Got_Focus
--------------------

If you do not want the tab selected every time the SSTab control or the form its
on receives focus, then use a Static flag such as bReactivate in the sample. If
you do want the tab to be set every time the form receives focus, then remove
the flag:

     Private Sub Form_Activate
      SSTab1.Tab = GetSetting("MyApp","Settings","MyTab",0)
     End Sub

Steps to Reproduce Behavior
---------------------------

SSTab Control
-------------

Tab property:

1. Put an SSTab control with five tabs on a form.

2. Add a textbox to each tab.

3. Click on tab 0 to set design time current tab to 0.

4. In Form_Load, add:

        SSTab1.Tab = 3

5. Run the project and note that the textbox will be gone. The textbox is
  actually at -72960.

Tabvisible property:

1. Put an SSTab control with three tabs on a form.

2. Add a textbox to each tab.

3. In form load, add:

        sstab1.tabvisible(0) = false
        sstab1.tabvisible(1) = false
        sstab1.tabvisible(2) = false
        *(this will fail with the older SSTab, giving invalid property value)

4. Put three CommandButtons on the form, reversing what was done in form load:

        sstab1.tabvisible(0) = true
        sstab1.tabvisible(1) = true
        sstab1.tabvisible(2) = true

Note that the textbox will be gone; it is actually at -72960.

REFERENCES
==========

For more information, please see the following article in the Microsoft
Knowledge Base:

  Q149328 : Selecting Invisible Tab Can Cause GPF with SSTab Control

Additional query words: missing invisible kbVBp500fix kbVBp kbWinOS98 kbDSupport kbdse kbVBp400fix

======================================================================
Keywords          : kbGrpDSVBDB 
Technology        : kbVBSearch kbAudDeveloper kbZNotKeyword6 kbZNotKeyword2 kbVB500Search kbVBA500Search kbVBA500 kbVB500 kbVB400Search kbVB400 kbZNotKeyword3
Version           : 4.0 5.0
Issue type        : kbbug
Solution Type     : kbfix

=============================================================================

THE INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THE MICROSOFT KNOWLEDGE BASE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. MICROSOFT DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT SHALL MICROSOFT CORPORATION OR ITS SUPPLIERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER INCLUDING DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, LOSS OF BUSINESS PROFITS OR SPECIAL DAMAGES, EVEN IF MICROSOFT CORPORATION OR ITS SUPPLIERS HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES SO THE FOREGOING LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY.