GAMBAS-BOOK 3.19.5

Colour values as valid data in a programme require secure inputs. The ColorButton component is available for direct but discreet input of colour values. The colour button (gb.form) allows the user to select a colour. The component has two notable properties and has only one special event.

A ColorButton has ColorButton.Color (type Integer) as its dominant property, whose value you can read or set. The property ColorButton.Value is a synonym for the property ColorButton.Color.The event ColorButton_Change() is triggered when you change the colour in the colour dialogue.

Figure 17.14.1.1: Safe input of colours → ColorButton

After clicking on the ColorButton, a colour selection dialogue opens. You can select the colour and then accept the colour value by clicking OK.

Illustration 17.14.1.2: ColorButton Dialogue

In the following source code, the colour value is displayed hexadecimally (→ Figure 17.14.1.1) and stored in a (global) variable iColourValue. This allows the colour value to be used further in the project:

' Gambas class file
 
Public iFarbWert As Integer
 
Public Sub Form_Open()
  FMain.Center
  FMain.Resizable = False
  PictureBox1.Stretch = True
  PictureBox1.Picture = Picture["Symbols/color.png"]
  ColorButton.Color = Color.Orange
  txtColor.Text = "&H" & Hex(ColorButton.Color, 6)
End
 
Public Sub btnClose_Click()
  FMain.Close
End
 
'******************************************************
 
Public Sub ColorButton_Change()
  iFarbWert = ColorButton.Color
  txtColor.Text = "&H" & Hex(ColorButton.Color, 6)
End

In the Gambas sample editor, two ColorButtons are used to set the text colour and to set the text background colour.

In the procedure Form_Open() the initialisation of the text colour and the text background colour is done:

  Object.Lock(ColorButton1)
  Object.Lock(ColorButton2)
    ColorButton1.Color = TextEdit1.Format.Color
    ColorButton2.Color = TextEdit1.Format.Background
  Object.UnLock(ColorButton1)
  Object.UnLock(ColorButton2)

Changes to the text colour and the text background colour are implemented in the editor source text like this:

Public Sub ColorButton1_Change()
  TextEdit1.Format.Color = ColorButton1.Color
End
 
Public Sub ColorButton2_Change()
  TextEdit1.Format.Background = ColorButton2.Color
End

With a ColorButton, only the selected colour is visible in the original. If, on the other hand, you use a ButtonBox, you can read the (hexadecimal) colour value in the TextBox and see the colour in the recoloured icon:

Figure 17.14.3.1: ColorButtonBox in action

The source code is quite simple:

Public Sub ColorButtonBox_Click()
  Dim picColor As Picture
 
  If Dialog.SelectColor() Then
     ColorButtonBox.Text = "Farbwert"
     ColorButtonBox.Picture = Picture["Symbols/color.png"]
  Else
   ' ColorButtonBox.Text = Dialog.Color ' Anzeige dezimal
     ColorButtonBox.Text = "&H" & Hex(Dialog.Color, 6)
     picColor = New Picture(16, 12, False)
     picColor.Fill(Dialog.Color)
     ColorButtonBox.Picture = picColor
   Endif
 
End

The original colour selection dialogue (→ Dialog.SelectColor) of the ColorButton is used.