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Q184687: INFO: Lightweight Controls in Visual Basic 6.0

Article: Q184687
Product(s): Microsoft Visual Basic for Windows
Version(s): WINDOWS:6.0
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): kbCtrl kbVBp600 kbGrpDSVB kbDSupport
Last Modified: 11-JAN-2001

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The information in this article applies to:

- Microsoft Visual Basic Learning Edition for Windows, version 6.0 
- Microsoft Visual Basic Professional Edition for Windows, version 6.0 
- Microsoft Visual Basic Enterprise Edition for Windows, version 6.0 
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SUMMARY
=======

This article contains information about the lightweight, or windowless, controls
that ship with Visual Basic version 6.0. This article also describes lightweight
controls, explains their advantages and disadvantages, and illustrates how to
install lightweight controls in your Visual Basic project.

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

Lightweight controls, sometimes referred to as windowless controls, are similar
to the regular controls shipped in Visual Basic except that they do not have a
window handle. Because lightweight controls do not have a window handle, these
controls use less system resources. Lightweight controls are ideal for projects
where system resources might be a limiting factor, such as Internet applications
and distributed applications.

Lightweight controls with a Transparent BackStyle property are truly transparent.
A regular control might appear to be transparent under the same conditions.
However, the control is still processing Windows messages in that transparent
background area. When a lightweight control has a transparent background, the
container holding the lightweight control actually processes the Windows
messages instead of the lightweight control. Because lightweight controls are
truly transparent, these controls can be any shape.

There are some disadvantages to lightweight controls. Lightweight control
containers can only contain other lightweight controls. If you put a regular
control in a lightweight control container, the container will revert to a
regular window control container. Regular controls always appear on top of a
lightweight control because the lightweight control uses the resources of the
parent window.

When you run Visual Basic, the following controls in your Toolbox are lightweight
controls:

- Image Control
- Label Control
- Line Control
- Shape Control

In addition to these intrinsic lightweight controls, following are other
lightweight controls included in the component file MSWLess.ocx that ships with
Visual Basic 6.0:

- WLCheck Control
- WLCombo Control
- WLCommand Control
- WLFrame Control
- WLHScroll Control
- WLVScroll Control
- WLList Control
- WLOption Control
- WLText Control

To use these controls in your Visual Basic program, you must complete the
following steps:

1. Register the windowless component file in your system registry.

2. Copy the component file and help files to the appropriate directories in your
  system.

3. Add the ActiveX controls to your Visual Basic program.

How To Register the Windowless Component File
---------------------------------------------

1. Search for the registration file, MSWLess.reg, on your Visual Basic
  installation disks. The file is located in the Common\Tools\Vb\WinLess
  directory on disk 1. NOTE: The windowless controls are in the following
  location on the August 1998 MSDN CDs: Disk3\Common\Tools\VB\Winless.

2. Double-click MSWLess.reg. The following Registry Editor dialog box appears
  when you have successfully registered the windowless component file:

  Information in the Common\Tools\Vb\WinLess\MSWLess.reg has been successfully
  entered into the registry.

You have just registered the windowless component file. The next section shows
you how to copy the appropriate windowless component and Help files to your
computer.

How To Copy the Windowless Component Files
------------------------------------------

1. Search for the following files on your Visual Basic installation disks. These
  files are located in the Common\Tools\Vb\WinLess directory on disk 1.

  Filename           Description
  ------------------------------------------------------------------------
  ltwtct98.chi       Help file on windowless controls.
  ltwtct98.chm       Help file on windowless controls.
  MSWLess.ocx        Windowless component file with the windowless ActiveX
                     Controls.

2. Copy the two Help files to your local Windows\Help directory.

3. Copy the windowless component file, MSWLess.ocx, to your local Windows\System
  directory.

You have just copied all the necessary windowless component files. The next
section shows you how to add a windowless control to your Visual Basic program.

How To Add a Windowless Control To Your Project
-----------------------------------------------

1. Start a new project in Visual Basic.

2. From the Project menu, click Components. The Components dialog box appears.

3. From the Controls tab, select the Microsoft Windowless Controls 6.0 check
  box.

4. Click OK to close the Components dialog box. All the windowless controls
  appear on the toolbar.

REFERENCES
==========

"Creating Lightweight Controls", Visual Basic Product Documentation

For additional information about lightweight controls, please see the following
article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

  Q184645 HOWTO: Create Lightweight Controls with Visual Basic 6.0

For additional installation instructions, please see the following articles in
the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

  Q189950 HOWTO: Install the Microsoft Windowless Controls for VB6

For additional information, click the article number below to view the article in
the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

  Q259564 INFO: Windowless Controls in the Mswless.ocx File Are Not Supported

Additional query words:

======================================================================
Keywords          : kbCtrl kbVBp600 kbGrpDSVB kbDSupport 
Technology        : kbVBSearch kbAudDeveloper kbZNotKeyword6 kbZNotKeyword2 kbVB600Search kbVBA600 kbVB600
Version           : WINDOWS:6.0
Issue type        : kbinfo

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