How to Create a Form at Runtime in VB6

Visual Basic 6 (VB6) can be used to develop many different applications for Microsoft Windows-based computing platforms. Creating a new form for the application user at the time that the application begins to run, or "runtime," is a good practice exercise for novice VB6 programmers who need to learn to present their users with application options at the time the application launches on the user's desktop.

Instructions

1. Create a list of global variables for the list to follow, for example:

   Option Explicit

   Private allowNumericOnly As Boolean

   Private frm As Form

   Private lblDisplay As Button

   Private WithEvents cmdOK As CommandButton

   Private WithEvents cmdCancel As CommandButton

   Private WithEvents textInput As TextBox

2. Create a procedure for the form that will determine how the form appears to the user and what, if any text and captions will appear. Use the following example of code to set this up for your form:

   Private Sub GenerateRuntimeForm()

   Dim ctrl As Control

   Set frm = New Form 1

   Set cmdOK = Nothing

   Set cmdCancel = Nothing

   Set textInput = Nothing

   Set lblDisplay = Nothing

   For Each ctrl In frm

   ctrl.Visible = False

   Next

3. Set the different commands for the buttons, using the following code as a basis for your project:

   Set cmdOK =

   frm.Controls.Add("VB.CommandButton", "cmdOK")

   Set cmdCancel =

   frm.Controls.Add("VB.CommandButton", "cmdCancel")

   Set txtInput =

   frm.Controls.Add("VB.TextBox", "txtInput")

4. Complete the form code by adding the following display conditions and ending the subroutine with "End Sub" as follows:

   cmdOK.Visible = True

   cmdCancel.Visible = True

   lblDisplay.Visible = True

   txtIput.Visible = True

   form.sow vbModal

   End Sub

References

• Visual Basic 6: Understanding Forms and Form Events
• Visual Basic Explorer: Creating Controls at Runtime