Tek-Tips is the largest IT community on the Internet today!
Members share and learn making Tek-Tips Forums the best source of peer-reviewed technical information on the Internet!
-
Congratulations Mike Lewis on being selected by the Tek-Tips community for having the most helpful posts in the forums last week. Way to Go!
Touch-Screen
- Thread starter wawanz
- Start date
Yes, VB applications can be designed and operated by
PC's with touchscreens. We've done this.
However, using a PC with a touchscreen adds several
problems!
1) The touchscreen needs monthly recalibration.
2) The touchscreen is easily scarred, rendering it
uselesss.
3) Screen illumination is greatly reduced. (This is
bad for outdoor use.)
You really don't want to use a touchscreen if any of these above problems matters.
PC's with touchscreens. We've done this.
However, using a PC with a touchscreen adds several
problems!
1) The touchscreen needs monthly recalibration.
2) The touchscreen is easily scarred, rendering it
uselesss.
3) Screen illumination is greatly reduced. (This is
bad for outdoor use.)
You really don't want to use a touchscreen if any of these above problems matters.
dirknerkle
Programmer
Any version of VB works with touch screens when the touch screen uses a Windows driver for activation. Typically, activation is via the CLICK event. In your app, you would likely use a control array and read the index of the array to know which item is being "touched" (i.e. "clicked"
by the user.
Also, it is not true that all touch screens are as fragile as some people assume. Monthly recalibration is not necessarily an issue, glass touch panels are quite thin and clear, and capacitive touch screens are impervious to the surface scratching which can damage resistive screens.
On the recalibration issue: it's important to understand that the calibration of the touch screen overlay on the monitor is based on the location of the video picture beneath it. If the end user adjusts the size or position of the video display (either manually or via changing screen resolution) the touch screen calibration does not follow automatically and recalibration then becomes an issue.
One last tip: When programming for a touch screen app, be aware of the size of the controls you display to the end user so that you don't make them so small they are difficult to "hit" with the point of a finger. Bear in mind that the user's view of the control they're trying to touch is also obscured by a finger, making it doubly important to make them large enough. Close boxes, maximize/minimize buttons, checkboxes, etc. are often too small and need to be replaced by image controls, pictureboxes, or other object.
by the user.Also, it is not true that all touch screens are as fragile as some people assume. Monthly recalibration is not necessarily an issue, glass touch panels are quite thin and clear, and capacitive touch screens are impervious to the surface scratching which can damage resistive screens.
On the recalibration issue: it's important to understand that the calibration of the touch screen overlay on the monitor is based on the location of the video picture beneath it. If the end user adjusts the size or position of the video display (either manually or via changing screen resolution) the touch screen calibration does not follow automatically and recalibration then becomes an issue.
One last tip: When programming for a touch screen app, be aware of the size of the controls you display to the end user so that you don't make them so small they are difficult to "hit" with the point of a finger. Bear in mind that the user's view of the control they're trying to touch is also obscured by a finger, making it doubly important to make them large enough. Close boxes, maximize/minimize buttons, checkboxes, etc. are often too small and need to be replaced by image controls, pictureboxes, or other object.
- Status
Similar threads
