How to roll your own combo box?

[MLH]

Am interested in larger fonts in controls. Combo boxes,
no matter how you size them and their font, have tiny
little hard-to-hit dropdown buttons on the right end. Is
it possible/practical to combine some kind of control
(built-in to A97) with a command button to emulate a
c ombo-box of sorts?

[Rick Brandt]

MLH wrote:

Am interested in larger fonts in controls. Combo boxes,
no matter how you size them and their font, have tiny
little hard-to-hit dropdown buttons on the right end. Is
it possible/practical to combine some kind of control
(built-in to A97) with a command button to emulate a
c ombo-box of sorts?

The size of that arrow is controlled by Windows. If you think they are too
small in Access you must feel they are also too small everywhere else you see
them in Windows. That being the case then changing the Windows setting would
seem the best solution.

--
Rick Brandt, Microsoft Access MVP
Email (as appropriate) to...
RBrandt at Hunter dot com

[Tom van Stiphout]

On Tue, 13 Mar 2007 21:45:06 -0400, MLH <CR**@NorthState.netwrote:

I like Rick's suggestion. A large font theme would do nicely.

To literally answer your question: no, you cannot build controls with
Microsoft Access. You can build controls with any development tool
that can create ActiveX Controls, such as Visual Basic, and if you're
lucky you can then use those controls in A97 (10 years old, but who's
counting). I say lucky because early Access versions weren't very good
hosts to ActiveX controls.

I guess you could patch something together with a textbox, a listbox,
and a button with an image on it, but believe me, it's going to be
quite a bit of work to make this work seamlessly.

Also note that there are keyboard equivalents to hitting the dropdown
button, such as Alt+CurDown.

If you consider those buttons small, how about the smart tag buttons,
or those forms with a mini title bar?

-Tom.

>Am interested in larger fonts in controls. Combo boxes,
no matter how you size them and their font, have tiny
little hard-to-hit dropdown buttons on the right end. Is
it possible/practical to combine some kind of control
(built-in to A97) with a command button to emulate a
c ombo-box of sorts?

[fredg]

On Tue, 13 Mar 2007 21:45:06 -0400, MLH wrote:

Am interested in larger fonts in controls. Combo boxes,
no matter how you size them and their font, have tiny
little hard-to-hit dropdown buttons on the right end. Is
it possible/practical to combine some kind of control
(built-in to A97) with a command button to emulate a
c ombo-box of sorts?

I don't quite understand what the larger font size has to do with the
size of the drop-down button.

To make the button wider, set the Scroll bar size in the Windows
properties dialog, however it will change the scroll bar size for all
Windows programs.
You can also make it a bit taller in the combo box simply by sizing
the height of the combo box taller. Try 0.3 inches.
--
Fred
Please respond only to this newsgroup.
I do not reply to personal e-mail

[MLH]

Thx for the input, Rick. When I Right- lick on a blank section of the
Windows Desktop. Select Properties + Appearance + Advanced, I
see 18 Windows objects listed in the dropdown box there whose
appearances may be selected for modification. I don't see the combo
box arrow listed as a configurable item. Where did you find the
facility for controlling the size of the arrow?

>
The size of that arrow is controlled by Windows. If you think they are too
small in Access you must feel they are also too small everywhere else you see
them in Windows. That being the case then changing the Windows setting would
seem the best solution.

[fredg]

On Wed, 14 Mar 2007 11:04:22 -0400, MLH wrote:

Thx for the input, Rick. When I Right- lick on a blank section of the
Windows Desktop. Select Properties + Appearance + Advanced, I
see 18 Windows objects listed in the dropdown box there whose
appearances may be selected for modification. I don't see the combo
box arrow listed as a configurable item. Where did you find the
facility for controlling the size of the arrow?

>>
The size of that arrow is controlled by Windows. If you think they are too
small in Access you must feel they are also too small everywhere else you see
them in Windows. That being the case then changing the Windows setting would
seem the best solution.

Did you not see my reply?
It's the Scroll Bar size. You can make it wider there.
Then make the combo box height taller to make the scroll bar taller.
--
Fred
Please respond only to this newsgroup.
I do not reply to personal e-mail

[MLH]

I think you said Message Box - not Scroll Bar size.
I just tried scroll bar size and that's the ticket. Did
the trick for me. Many thx, fredg.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

>
Did you not see my reply?
It's the Scroll Bar size. You can make it wider there.
Then make the combo box height taller to make the scroll bar taller.