How to: Enhance the Border Style, Color, and Special Effects of a Text Box Control

  • Article

The following example demonstrates the BorderColor and SpecialEffect properties, showing each border available through these properties. The example also demonstrates how to control color settings by using the BackColor, BackStyle, BorderColor, and ForeColor properties.

To use this example, copy this sample code to the Script Editor of a form. To run the code you need to open the form so the Open event will activate. Make sure that the form contains:

  • Six TextBox controls named TextBox1 through TextBox6.

  • Two ToggleButton controls named ToggleButton1 and ToggleButton2.

Dim TextBox1 
Dim TextBox2 
Dim TextBox3 
Dim TextBox4 
Dim TextBox5 
Dim TextBox6 
Dim ToggleButton1 
Dim ToggleButton2 
 
Sub Item_Open() 
Set TextBox1 = Item.GetInspector.ModifiedFormPages("P.2").TextBox1 
Set TextBox2 = Item.GetInspector.ModifiedFormPages("P.2").TextBox2 
Set TextBox3 = Item.GetInspector.ModifiedFormPages("P.2").TextBox3 
Set TextBox4 = Item.GetInspector.ModifiedFormPages("P.2").TextBox4 
Set TextBox5 = Item.GetInspector.ModifiedFormPages("P.2").TextBox5 
Set TextBox6 = Item.GetInspector.ModifiedFormPages("P.2").TextBox6 
Set ToggleButton1 = Item.GetInspector.ModifiedFormPages("P.2").ToggleButton1 
Set ToggleButton2 = Item.GetInspector.ModifiedFormPages("P.2").ToggleButton2 
'Initialize each TextBox with a border style or special effect, 
'and foreground and background colors 
 
'TextBox1 initially uses a borderstyle 
TextBox1.Text = "BorderStyle-Single" 
TextBox1.BorderStyle = 1 
TextBox1.BorderColor = RGB(255, 128, 128) 'Color - Salmon 
TextBox1.ForeColor = RGB(255, 255, 0) 'Color - Yellow 
TextBox1.BackColor = RGB(0, 128, 64) 'Color - Green #2 
 
'TextBoxes 2 through 6 initially use special effects 
TextBox2.Text = "Flat" 
TextBox2.SpecialEffect = 0 
TextBox2.ForeColor = RGB(64, 0, 0) 'Color - Brown 
TextBox2.BackColor = RGB(0, 0, 255) 'Color - Blue 
 
'Ensure the background style for TextBox2 is initially opaque. 
TextBox2.BackStyle = 1 
 
TextBox3.Text = "Etched" 
TextBox3.SpecialEffect = 3 
TextBox3.ForeColor = RGB(128, 0, 255) 'Color - Purple 
TextBox3.BackColor = RGB(0, 255, 255) 'Color - Cyan 
 
'Define BorderColor for later use (when borderstyle=fmBorderStyleSingle) 
TextBox3.BorderColor = RGB(0, 0, 0) 'Color - Black 
 
TextBox4.Text = "Bump" 
TextBox4.SpecialEffect = 6 
TextBox4.ForeColor = RGB(255, 0, 255) 'Color - Magenta 
TextBox4.BackColor = RGB(0, 0, 100) 'Color - Navy blue 
 
TextBox5.Text = "Raised" 
TextBox5.SpecialEffect = 1 
TextBox5.ForeColor = RGB(255, 0, 0) 'Color - Red 
TextBox5.BackColor = RGB(128, 128, 128) 'Color - Gray 
 
TextBox6.Text = "Sunken" 
TextBox6.SpecialEffect = 2 
TextBox6.ForeColor = RGB(0, 64, 0) 'Color - Olive 
TextBox6.BackColor = RGB(0, 255, 0) 'Color - Green #1 
 
ToggleButton1.Caption = "Swap styles" 
ToggleButton2.Caption = "Transparent/Opaque background" 
End Sub 
 
Sub ToggleButton1_Click() 
 
'Swap borders between TextBox1 and TextBox3 
If ToggleButton1.Value = True Then 
 'Change TextBox1 from BorderStyle to Etched 
 TextBox1.Text = "Etched" 
 TextBox1.SpecialEffect = 3 
 
 'Change TextBox3 from Etched to BorderStyle 
 TextBox3.Text = "BorderStyle-Single" 
 TextBox3.BorderStyle = 1 
Else 
 'Change TextBox1 back to BorderStyle 
 TextBox1.Text = "BorderStyle-Single" 
 TextBox1.BorderStyle = 1 
 
 'Change TextBox3 back to Etched 
 TextBox3.Text = "Etched" 
 TextBox3.SpecialEffect = 3 
End If 
End Sub 
 
 
Sub ToggleButton2_Click() 
 
'Set background to Opaque or Transparent 
If ToggleButton2.Value = True Then 
 'Change TextBox2 to a transparent background 
 TextBox2.BackStyle = 0 
Else 
 'Change TextBox2 back to opaque background 
 TextBox2.BackStyle = 1 
End If 
 
End Sub