PowerBASIC Forms

Learn how to create a Password dialog box using PowerBASIC Forms. In this QuickStart Tutorial you will learn how to create a new Dialog, add controls to the Dialog and how to respond to user input of these controls.

Create a Username/Password dialog.

PBFORMS

1. Create a New dialog.

An empty dialog has been created,
ready to be filled in.

The base for a Windows program - an empty design dialog.

2. Bring up the Dialog Properties (double-click on the dialog or press F4).

3. On tab page 1 - change the caption to: PowerEntry

Control Properties

4. Press OK to approve of the new caption and close the Dialog Properties.

Our blank dialog now has a caption. Now we'll add controls to the dialog.

Labels

5. Select the Label control

in the Toolbox dialog. ToolBox

6. Move the mouse to the upper left corner of the dialog, about 5 pixels in.
7. Click and drag the mouse to create a Label - release at size 40x10.
(PBForms statusbar shows the size in Bottom/Right corner).
8. Bring up the Label's Properties (double-click on the Label or press F4).
9. Change the caption to: User name:
9. Press Ok.

10. Press the Down arrow key twice to move the Label down 2 steps, to pos 5, 7.
11. With the Label control selected, press Ctrl+C to copy it.
12. Press Ctrl+V to paste a copy of right under Label1.
13. Press the Down arrow key 5 times to move Label2 down 5 steps, to pos 5, 22.
14. Bring up the Label Properties (double-click on Label or press F4).
15. Change the caption to: Password:

TextBoxes (text fields)

16. Double-click on the TextBox control

in the Toolbox dialog. ToolBox

17. Move the created TextBox1 up to position 45, 5 - right next to Label1.
18. Expand the TextBox1 width to 150.
19. Bring up the TextBox1 Properties (double-click on TextBox1 or press F4).
20. Remove the caption text for TextBox1 and OK the change.

21. With the TextBox control selected, press Ctrl+C to copy it.
22. Press Ctrl+V to paste a copy of it right under TextBox1.
23. Bring up the TextBox2 Properties (double-click on TextBox2 or press F4).
24. Remove the caption text for TextBox2.
25. Add %ES_PASSWORD style to TextBox2 on tab page 2 and OK the changes.

Control Properties - Styles

Buttons

26. Select the Button control

in the Toolbox dialog.

27. Create a button size 50x15 at position 90, 50.
28. Bring up the Button1 Properties (double-click on the Button or press F4).
29. Change the caption text for Button1 to: OK
30. Select a new Button id, %IDOK, from the ID name ComboBox dropdown list.
31. Press Ok.

32. Select the Button control in the Toolbox dialog again.
33. Create a button size 50x15 at position 140, 50.
34. Bring up the Button2 Properties (double-click on Button or press F4).
35. Change the caption text for Button2 to: Cancel
36. Select a new Button id, %IDCANCEL, in the ID name ComboBox.
37. Press Ok.

Final design steps

38. Resize the dialog to size 201, 70.
39. Test the dialog - Exit test mode
(just to show test mode).

40. Activate the menu - &File.
41. Save the project as PwrEntry.bas
42. Activate the menu again - &Tools.

Now let's look at the souce code PB/Forms has generated (PwrEntry.bas)

43. Select Open file in IDE - PBEdit. (in the ToolBar or the Tools menu)

PBForms - activating the code editor

PBEDIT

44. In PBEdit, bring up the Code Finder dialog.

PBEdit's Code Finder

45. Double-click on ShowDIALOG1Proc (or select it and press Ok).
46. Add the following code at top of the ShowDIALOG1Proc:
LOCAL sName, sPassWord AS STRING , so it looks like:

CALLBACK FUNCTION ShowDIALOG1Proc()
    LOCAL sName, sPassWord AS STRING

Scroll down to %WM_COMMAND.
48. Add code under CASE %IDOK , so it looks like:

                 CASE %IDOK
                     IF CBCTLMSG = %BN_CLICKED OR CBCTLMSG = 1 THEN

                         CONTROL GET TEXT CBHNDL, %IDC_TEXTBOX1 TO sName
                        IF LEN(TRIM$(sName)) = 0 THEN
                            MSGBOX "You must submit a name!", _
                                   %MB_OK OR %MB_TASKMODAL, "PowerEntry"
                            CONTROL SET FOCUS CBHNDL, %IDC_TEXTBOX1
                            EXIT FUNCTION
                        END IF

                        CONTROL GET TEXT CBHNDL, %IDC_TEXTBOX2 TO sPassWord
                        IF LEN(TRIM$(sPassWord)) = 0 THEN
                            MSGBOX "You must submit a password!", _
                                   %MB_OK OR %MB_TASKMODAL, "PowerEntry"
                            CONTROL SET FOCUS CBHNDL, %IDC_TEXTBOX2
                            EXIT FUNCTION
                        END IF

                        ' For demonstration purpose, we only grab the text from
                        ' the two input fields/TextBoxes and test their length.
                        ' This would be the place to make sure each entry also
                        ' is valid against the specifications needed for entry.

                        MSGBOX "User name: " + sName + $CRLF + _
                               "PassWord: " + sPassWord, _
                               %MB_OK OR %MB_TASKMODAL, "PowerEntry"

                        DIALOG END CBHNDL, %IDOK
                    END IF

49. Compile and Execute (Run) the code.

And here's the result:

The PowerEntry program

Your PowerEntry program is now ready for a first test round.

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