Microsoft KB Archive/178076

= How To Use a PictureBox to Control Orientation Printing a Form =

Article ID: 178076

Article Last Modified on 7/13/2004

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Visual Basic 5.0 Learning Edition
 * Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 Learning Edition
 * Microsoft Visual Basic 5.0 Professional Edition
 * Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 Professional Edition
 * Microsoft Visual Basic 5.0 Enterprise Edition
 * Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 Enterprise Edition

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This article was previously published under Q178076



SUMMARY
When using the PrintForm method to print a Form, you have no control over the orientation. This article describes a way to use a PictureBox to print the client area of a Form in either orientation.



MORE INFORMATION
The PrintForm method creates its own Device Context and therefore ignores any Printer object settings. It will just use the default orientation of the current default printer. Because you cannot change how PrintForm behaves, you must print another way. You could change printer settings with APIs, print the Form, then change them back, but a simpler approach is to print from a PictureBox. The drawback to this method of using PictureBoxes is that you are printing a Bitmap graphic, so the quality is less than the PrintForm methods. The process described here uses two PictureBoxes, each one covering the Form. The second PictureBox is to avoid a shadowing effect caused by a small offset of the redraw on a single PictureBox. This same technique can be used to print any group of controls or to print the client area of a Form that is larger than the screen. It also allows you to print text or other images onto the same page as the form's (PictureBox's) image.

Example of Using a PictureBox to Print a Form in Any Orientation
 Create a new Standard EXE Project. Form1 is created by default. Add two PictureBoxes to Form1 so that each nearly covers the Form.

NOTE: Avoid drawing the second PictureBox within the first. Doing so makes the second PictureBox a member of the first. A simple way to avoid the problem is to place the origin point of the second PictureBox to the left of the origin point of the first PictureBox. Once the second box is drawn, you can resize it so that it is the same size as the first PictureBox. Right-mouse click on Picture2 and choose "Send to Back." Place Picture1 on top of Picture2, covering Picture2. Add a CommandButton and some other controls to Picture1, leaving Picture2 empty.  Place this code in the Declarations Section of the module of the Form: Private Declare Function SendMessage Lib "user32" Alias _ "SendMessageA" (ByVal hwnd As Long, ByVal wMsg As Long, _        ByVal wParam As Long, ByVal lParam As Long) As Long

Private Const WM_PAINT = &HF Private Const WM_PRINT = &H317 Private Const PRF_CLIENT = &H4&   ' Draw the window's client area Private Const PRF_CHILDREN = &H10& ' Draw all visible child windows Private Const PRF_OWNED = &H20&   ' Draw all owned windows

Private Sub Command1_Click Dim rv As Long Picture1.SetFocus ' So that the button doesn't look pressed Picture2.AutoRedraw = True rv = SendMessage(Picture1.hwnd, WM_PAINT, Picture2.hDC, 0) rv = SendMessage(Picture1.hwnd, WM_PRINT, Picture2.hDC, _         PRF_CHILDREN + PRF_CLIENT + PRF_OWNED) Picture2.Picture = Picture2.Image Picture2.AutoRedraw = False Printer.Orientation = vbPRORLandscape  ' 2 Printer.Print "" Printer.PaintPicture Picture2.Picture, 0, 0 Printer.CurrentY = Picture2.Height + 200  ' get below image Printer.Print "Text on the same page as the image!" Printer.EndDoc

Command1.SetFocus ' Return Focus End Sub

Private Sub Form_Load Me.Show Command1.Caption = "Print Form" End Sub

 Run the Project and click on the "Print Form" button. Note that when you click on Command1, "Print Form", it will print the PictureBox and the controls it contains in Landscape orientation.</li></ol>

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