Help with KeyDown Event

[Dan2kx]

Hello peeps,

bit of a trivial question really...

I have a form with 2 buttons, a left scroll and a right which moves the form through dates.

i want to use the keyboard arrow buttons to "press" these buttons which all works fine so far..

My problem is that i want the focus to remain on these buttons (which ever was "pressed") but every other "press" moves the focus to the next form control and then back on the next control...

I want to avoid this...

I have tried to set the focus again to the button in question and have also tried to first set the focus to the opposite button to then be set again to the button i want but it still seems to only work alternatively.... any suggestions?

cheers fellas (and fellettes)

Dan

[ADezii]

Let's assume that you have two Command Buttons named cmdForward and cmdBackward that you wish to also activate through the Arrow Keys (Left and Right):

1. Set the Caption Property of the Forward Key to &Forward (Shortcut Key F).
2. Set the Caption Property of the Backward Key to &Backward (Shortcut Key B).
3. Set the KeyPreview Property of the Form to True/Yes.
4. Place the following code in the KeyDown() Event of your Form:
   

   Private Sub Form_KeyDown(KeyCode As Integer, Shift As Integer)
   Select Case KeyCode
     Case vbKeyRight
       SendKeys "%F"
     Case vbKeyLeft
       SendKeys "%B"
     Case Else
       'Do nothing
   End Select
   End Sub

5. This should enable the specific Command Button to retain Focus.

[Dan2kx]

Sendkeys works, i was calling the on click event in the same way.


Genious as ever Cheers

Dan

[Dan2kx]

OK.. round two...

What about using the up and down keys to cycle through a combo box, no caption box?

EDIT: i dont want the focus to remain on the combo box in this instance...Just want to stop the form scrolling through controls (up/down)

[ADezii]

I'm literally running out the door, so here goes some thrown-together code that will cycle through entries Downward in a Combo Box. You may have to modify it, and I didn't have time to complete KeyUp, but here it goes with two Assumptions:

1. The KeyPreview Property of the Form is set to True/Yes.
2. Combo Box Name is cboTest.
   

   Private Sub Form_KeyDown(KeyCode As Integer, Shift As Integer)
   Dim cbo As ComboBox
    
   Set cbo = Me![cboTest]
    
   If cbo.ListCount = 0 Then Exit Sub      'Combo not populated
    
   With cbo
     Select Case KeyCode
       Case vbKeyDown
         KeyCode = 0
         'A ListIndex of -1 means that no Item is selected in the Combo Box. The
         'Combo Box itself may/may not be selected, so let's be sure by directing
         'Focus to it
         cbo.SetFocus
           If .ListIndex = .ListCount - 1 Then         'Last Item in Combo
             'Move back to the first? It's up to you.
             .ListIndex = 0       '1st Item
           Else
             'Move Down one Item
             .ListIndex = .ListIndex + 1
           End If
       Case vbKeyUp
         KeyCode = 0
         'for you to fill in
       Case vbKeyLeft
         KeyCode = 0
       Case vbKeyRight
         KeyCode = 0
       Case Else
         'Do nothing
     End Select
   End With
   End Sub

3. As far as the Arrow Key Movement through Fields, the code also Demos how to Cancel that effect by setting KeyCode = 0 for the Arrow Keys (Lines 11, 24, 27, and 29).

[Dan2kx]

Thanks ADezii, the Keycode = 0 bit was the most helpfull in my situation.

[Annie Bender]

I know this is an old thread, but I came across it and wanted to let ADezii know that his KeyCode=0 bit solved a problem for me too. Not altogether sure I know why that works, but it does what is needed. Thanks.

Annie

[ADezii]

@Annie Bender
Your are quite welcome, Annie. Glad it benefitted you also.