Width of Tab(n), Picture.Print 2

[Disferente]

How can I find out how wide the tab is when using it with picturebox.print and printer.print?

 

[HughLerwill]

Picture1.Print vbTab & "|"
Picture1.CurrentX = Picture1.TextWidth(vbTab)
Picture1.Print "|"

seems to be working ok form me.

 

[Disferente]

That is not exactly what I was looking for.

Picture1.Print "Something"; Tab(20); "Something Else"

Where does the "Something Else" start? How wide is Tab(1)?
I know that vbTab is not the same width as Tab(1).

 

[HughLerwill]

>not exactly

I suspected as much just after I posted.

Given a fixed space font these 2 lines appear to be equivalent;

Print Tab(11); "blah"
Print Space$(10); "blah"

If a proportional font is used it's more complicated as explained in

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa263382(VS.60).aspx

I wonder if you are rejuvenating some code developed for DOS because I cannot recall Tab being of much use since those times.

 

[Disferente]

I need to be able to get the width of the Tab() in any font, not just fixed width fonts.
The reason I use Tab is that it seem to be better to use

Picture1.Print "Something"; Tab(20); "Something Else"

instead of

TmpLong=Picture1.CurrentY
Picture1.Print "Something"
Picture1.CurrentY=TmpLong
Picture1.CurrentX=150
Picture1.Print "Something Else"

Is there any other better way to do it?

 

[HughLerwill]

It may seem better but I personally always use a variation on your Picture1.CurrentX=150; as in..

'at the top of the print routine define an array holding the column offsets
'do them in cms
Picture1.ScaleMode = vbCentimeters
Dim Col as variant
Col = Array(0,0,2,5,7) 'a zero based array we will not use index = 0
'then you can do stuff like
Picture1.currentX = Col(1)
Picture1.Print "Column 1"
'and better, if you setup an array holding the text of each column
For MyCol = 1 to nCols
Picture1.CurrentX = Col(MyCol)
Picture1.print ColumnContents$(MyCol); 'semicolon prevents change in CurrentY and so your Picture1.CurrentY=TmpLong is not required after each print
Next
Picture1.Print 'just one carriage return at the end of the line

This kind of thing can be very handy when printing the contents of Grid and Listview type Controls.

If you are printing a number of lines to a fixed left margin do something like a ...

Pdev.ScaleMode = vbCentimeters
Pdev.Scale (-LeftMargin%, 0)-(Pdev.ScaleWidth - LeftMargin%, Pdev.ScaleHeight)

... at the top of the code; that will return CurrentX to LeftMargin rather than the extreme left of the paper after each carriage return and will save you setting having to reset CurrentX after each carriage return is printed.

 

[Disferente]

Thank you, that looks like something I could use.
I did not know about the semicolon in the end of the print.

 

[HughLerwill]

Pleased to help. Do come back if you need more.

 

[strongm]

SOmething along the following lines will work if you are still interested:

[blue][Private Function GetTabn(ByVal n As Long, ctlControl As Object) As Double
    Dim CurrentX As Double
    CurrentX = ctlControl.CurrentX
    ctlControl.CurrentX = 0
    ctlControl.Print Tab(n);
    GetTabn = ctlControl.CurrentX
    ctlControl.CurrentX = CurrentX
End Function[/blue]