by Stephen Kent (10 Submissions)
Category: Windows API Call/Explanation
Compatability: Visual Basic 3.0
Difficulty: Beginner
Date Added: Wed 3rd February 2021
Rating: 
(6 Votes)
This sub-procedure will allow the developer to fairly easily switch between a form's border styles during runtime. Normally this isn't really possible because several of the attributes are read-only at runtime. This code overcomes those limitations.
I have only tested this with VB6, but since it is basically just API calls it should be able to work with any version that supports API calls.
Thanks to Fred_CPP for the tip on using SWP_FRAMECHANGED instead of resizing the form.
Assumes
For certain buttons to work such as those in the control box they need to be enabled in design time (even if they are then hidden at runtime) otherwise there will be no handlers linked to those buttons and they will be useless. This applies to the What's This Button, Min Button, Max Button, and the Control Box. (What's this button has same restrictions on it as it does when used normally)
API DeclarationsPrivate Declare Function SetWindowLong Lib "user32" Alias "SetWindowLongA" (ByVal hwnd As Long, ByVal nIndex As Long, ByVal dwNewLong As Long) As Long
Private Declare Function SetWindowPos Lib "user32" (ByVal hwnd As Long, ByVal hWndInsertAfter As Long, ByVal x As Long, ByVal y As Long, ByVal cx As Long, ByVal cy As Long, ByVal wFlags As Long) As Long
'Get/Set WindowLong Constants (only those used)
Private Const GWL_STYLE = (-16)
Private Const GWL_EXSTYLE = (-20)
'SetWindowPos Constants (only those used)
Private Const SWP_FRAMECHANGED = &H20 'The frame changed: send WM_NCCALCSIZE
Private Const SWP_NOMOVE = &H2
Private Const SWP_NOSIZE = &H1
'Dialog Styles (also present in the GWL_STYLE area)
Private Const DS_ABSALIGN As Long = &H1
Private Const DS_SYSMODAL As Long = &H2
Private Const DS_3DLOOK As Long = &H4
Private Const DS_FIXEDSYS As Long = &H8
Private Const DS_NOFAILCREATE As Long = &H10
Private Const DS_LOCALEDIT As Long = &H20 'Edit items get Local storage.
Private Const DS_SETFONT As Long = &H40 'User specified font for Dlg controls
Private Const DS_MODALFRAME As Long = &H80 'Can be combined with WS_CAPTION
Private Const DS_NOIDLEMSG As Long = &H100 'WM_ENTERIDLE message will not be sent
Private Const DS_SETFOREGROUND As Long = &H200 'not in win3.1
Private Const DS_CONTROL As Long = &H400
Private Const DS_CENTER As Long = &H800
Private Const DS_CENTERMOUSE As Long = &H1000
Private Const DS_CONTEXTHELP As Long = &H2000
'Window Styles (GWL_STYLE area)
Private Const WS_OVERLAPPED As Long = &H0
Private Const WS_POPUP As Long = &H80000000
Private Const WS_CHILD As Long = &H40000000
Private Const WS_MINIMIZE As Long = &H20000000
Private Const WS_VISIBLE As Long = &H10000000
Private Const WS_DISABLED As Long = &H8000000
Private Const WS_CLIPSIBLINGS As Long = &H4000000
Private Const WS_CLIPCHILDREN As Long = &H2000000
Private Const WS_MAXIMIZE As Long = &H1000000
Private Const WS_CAPTION As Long = &HC00000 'WS_BORDER | WS_DLGFRAME
Private Const WS_BORDER As Long = &H800000
Private Const WS_DLGFRAME As Long = &H400000
Private Const WS_VSCROLL As Long = &H200000
Private Const WS_HSCROLL As Long = &H100000
Private Const WS_SYSMENU As Long = &H80000
Private Const WS_THICKFRAME As Long = &H40000
Private Const WS_GROUP As Long = &H20000
Private Const WS_TABSTOP As Long = &H10000
Private Const WS_MINIMIZEBOX As Long = &H20000
Private Const WS_MAXIMIZEBOX As Long = &H10000
Private Const WS_TILED As Long = WS_OVERLAPPED
Private Const WS_ICONIC As Long = WS_MINIMIZE
Private Const WS_SIZEBOX As Long = WS_THICKFRAME
'Extended Window Styles (GWL_EXSTYLE area)
Private Const WS_EX_DLGMODALFRAME As Long = &H1
Private Const WS_EX_NOPARENTNOTIFY As Long = &H4
Private Const WS_EX_TOPMOST As Long = &H8
Private Const WS_EX_ACCEPTFILES As Long = &H10
Private Const WS_EX_TRANSPARENT As Long = &H20
Private Const WS_EX_MDICHILD As Long = &H40
Private Const WS_EX_TOOLWINDOW As Long = &H80
Private Const WS_EX_WINDOWEDGE As Long = &H100
Private Const WS_EX_CLIENTEDGE As Long = &H200
Private Const WS_EX_CONTEXTHELP As Long = &H400
Private Const WS_EX_RIGHT As Long = &H1000
Private Const WS_EX_LEFT As Long = &H0
Private Const WS_EX_RTLREADING As Long = &H2000
Private Const WS_EX_LTRREADING As Long = &H0
Private Const WS_EX_LEFTSCROLLBAR As Long = &H4000
Private Const WS_EX_RIGHTSCROLLBAR As Long = &H0
Private Const WS_EX_CONTROLPARENT As Long = &H10000
Private Const WS_EX_STATICEDGE As Long = &H20000
Private Const WS_EX_APPWINDOW As Long = &H40000
VBcodersPublic Sub ChangeFormBorder(frmForm As Form, _
ByVal eNewBorder As FormBorderStyleConstants, _
Optional ByVal bClipControls As Boolean = True, _
Optional ByVal bControlBox As Boolean = True, _
Optional ByVal bMaxButton As Boolean = True, _
Optional ByVal bMinButton As Boolean = True, _
Optional ByVal bShowInTaskBar As Boolean = True, _
Optional ByVal bWhatsThisButton As Boolean = False)
Dim lRet As Long
Dim lStyleFlags As Long
Dim lStyleExFlags As Long
'Initialize our flags
lStyleFlags = 0
lStyleExFlags = 0
'If we want ClipControls then add that flag and change the form property
If bClipControls Then
lStyleFlags = lStyleFlags Or WS_CLIPCHILDREN
frmForm.ClipControls = True
Else
frmForm.ClipControls = False
End If
'If we want the control box then add the flag (property is read-only)
If bControlBox Then lStyleFlags = lStyleFlags Or WS_SYSMENU
'If we want the max button then add the flag (property is read-only)
If bMaxButton Then lStyleFlags = lStyleFlags Or WS_MAXIMIZEBOX
'If we want the min button then add the flag (property is read-only)
If bMinButton Then lStyleFlags = lStyleFlags Or WS_MINIMIZEBOX
'If we want the form to show in taskbar then add the flag (property is read-only)
If bShowInTaskBar Then lStyleExFlags = lStyleExFlags Or WS_EX_APPWINDOW
'If we want the what's this button then add the flag (property is read-only)
If bWhatsThisButton Then lStyleExFlags = lStyleExFlags Or WS_EX_CONTEXTHELP
'If the form is an MDI Child form then add the flag (Don't want to screw up the form)
If frmForm.MDIChild Then lStyleExFlags = lStyleExFlags Or WS_EX_MDICHILD
'Now we need to set the flags for the border we are changing to
Select Case eNewBorder
Case vbBSNone
lStyleFlags = lStyleFlags Or (WS_VISIBLE Or WS_CLIPSIBLINGS)
'No change to extended style flags.
Case vbFixedSingle
lStyleFlags = lStyleFlags Or (WS_VISIBLE Or WS_CLIPSIBLINGS Or WS_CAPTION)
lStyleExFlags = lStyleExFlags Or WS_EX_WINDOWEDGE
Case vbSizable
lStyleFlags = lStyleFlags Or (WS_VISIBLE Or WS_CLIPSIBLINGS Or WS_CAPTION Or WS_THICKFRAME)
lStyleExFlags = lStyleExFlags Or WS_EX_WINDOWEDGE
Case vbFixedDialog
lStyleFlags = lStyleFlags Or (WS_VISIBLE Or WS_CLIPSIBLINGS Or WS_CAPTION Or DS_MODALFRAME)
lStyleExFlags = lStyleExFlags Or (WS_EX_WINDOWEDGE Or WS_EX_DLGMODALFRAME)
Case vbFixedToolWindow
lStyleFlags = lStyleFlags Or (WS_VISIBLE Or WS_CLIPSIBLINGS Or WS_CAPTION)
lStyleExFlags = lStyleExFlags Or (WS_EX_WINDOWEDGE Or WS_EX_TOOLWINDOW)
Case vbSizableToolWindow
lStyleFlags = lStyleFlags Or (WS_VISIBLE Or WS_CLIPSIBLINGS Or WS_CAPTION Or WS_THICKFRAME)
lStyleExFlags = lStyleExFlags Or (WS_EX_WINDOWEDGE Or WS_EX_TOOLWINDOW)
End Select
'WS_VISIBLE makes sure the form is visible
'WS_CLIPSIBLINGS makes sure that when there are other windows with the same relative family that they do not draw over each other.
'WS_CAPTION provides the form's caption
'WS_THICKFRAME makes the form sizable
'DS_MODALFRAME allows dialog forms to have 3d effect
'WS_EX_WINDOWEDGE is for the border around the form
'WS_EX_DLGMODALFRAME says the window has a double border and may or may not have a caption
'WS_EX_TOOLWINDOW says we need a shorter caption and smaller font
'Change our styles
lRet = SetWindowLong(frmForm.hwnd, GWL_STYLE, lStyleFlags)
lRet = SetWindowLong(frmForm.hwnd, GWL_EXSTYLE, lStyleExFlags)
'Signal that the frame has changed
lRet = SetWindowPos(frmForm.hwnd, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, SWP_NOMOVE Or SWP_NOSIZE Or SWP_FRAMECHANGED)
'Make that we've changed the border in the form's property
frmForm.BorderStyle = eNewBorder
End Sub
