Click here to Skip to main content
Licence CPOL
First Posted 22 Nov 2006
Views 47,836
Downloads 724
Bookmarked 27 times

Simple Tab Control for Visual C++: Part 2

An easy way to develop interfaces with the tab control.

Sample Image - Simple_Tab_Control.jpg

Introduction

I take this opportunity to thank all my friends who commented and gave ideas about my previous tab control. It made me build this useful and easy tab control for all of you.

About this new tab control

If you are using this particular tab control, you have to do the following steps:

  1. Drag and drop the VC++ tab control on to your dialog.
  2. Add CIbTabCtrl.c and CIbTabCtrl.h to your solution.
  3. Derive the tab control variable from CIbTabCtrl.

You are free to design your tab pages using property pages. Add property pages to your application using the Add Resource option. Then create a property page associated class using CPropertyPage. You can add any number of property pages to your application. To make it visually suitable for a tab control, you can set the following property values:

  • Set Border property to None
  • Set Control property to True (this is very important; if it is false, the tab key function will not have any effect).
  • Set the Disable property to False

Once you create your property pages, you have to link those pages with your tab control.

How to link pages with the tab control

  1. Create property page objects as members of the dialog where your control is (if property page classes are CPPone and CPPTwo):
  2. CPPOne m_oPPOne;
    CPPTwo m_oPPTwo;
  3. On the OnInitDialog member function:
  4. m_oPPOne.Create(IDD_PP_ONE);
    m_oPPTwo.Create(IDD_PP_TWO);
    
    // Using the addNewPage() function, user can set tab caption and the
    // property page user wants to attach with it.
    
    // setDefaultPage() will determine which page should have the very first focus.
    
    m_ctrlTabV.addNewPage("My Page 1",&m_oPPOne);
    m_ctrlTabV.addNewPage("My Page 2",&m_oPPTwo);
    m_ctrlTabV.setDefaultPage(0); 

That's it! This is all you have to do to use this control in your solution.

For those interested in the CIbTabCtrl class

This class is derived from the MFC CTabCtrl class. I have added three functions:

  1. AddNewPage(CString strPage, CWnd * pPage) (public)
  2. This will keep track of all the pages added. Here I am using the CArray member variable to keep those pages.

    InsertItem(this->GetItemCount(),strPage);
    pPage->ShowWindow(SW_HIDE);
    m_oPages.Add(pPage); // store page;
  3. setPage(CWnd* pWnd) (private member function)
  4. This will display and draw a page according to the size of the tab control.

    CIbTabCtrl::setPage(CWnd* pWnd)
    {
        CWnd * pPage;
        pPage = m_oPages.GetAt(m_iPrevPage);
        pPage->ShowWindow(SW_HIDE);
        CRect oRect,oWRect,oPWRect,oIRect;
        GetItemRect(0,oIRect);
        GetClientRect(oRect);
        GetWindowRect(oWRect);
        GetParent()->GetWindowRect(oPWRect);
        pWnd->SetWindowPos(this,oWRect.left-oPWRect.left,oWRect.top-oPWRect.top,
              oRect.Width()- 5,oRect.Height()-oIRect.Height() - void 6, SWP_SHOWWINDOW);
    }
  5. setDefaultPage(int iIndex) (public)
  6. Sets the default page.

  7. removePage(int iIndex) (public)
  8. This will remove the tab page from the tab control.

Hope this description is enough for you to use this control. You are free to ask any question on this article. I am sure you will enjoy this control very much.

License

This article, along with any associated source code and files, is licensed under The Code Project Open License (CPOL)

About the Author

venura c.p.w. goonatillake

Software Developer (Senior)

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka

Member

I am working as a Tech Lead. I love VC++.
I am trying to get into new technologies coming with VC++ and also in other areas too.
 
Currently I am working in C# .Net as well...
 
Now I have sound knowledge in C# as well as in VC++.

Sign Up to vote   Poor Excellent
Add a reason or comment to your vote: x
Votes of 3 or less require a comment

Comments and Discussions

 
You must Sign In to use this message board. (secure sign-in)
 
Search this forum  
 FAQ
    Noise  Layout  Per page   
  Refresh
GeneralSome keyboard (navigation) keys are not working as expected PinmemberC++ Hacker2:18 25 Aug '10  
QuestionWhat is the meaning of the constants (5 and 6) passed to SetWindowPos in fucntion setPage [modified] PinmemberC++ Hacker23:22 18 Aug '10  
AnswerRe: What is the meaning of the constants (5 and 6) passed to SetWindowPos in fucntion setPage Pinmembervenura c.p.w. goonatillake23:36 21 Aug '10  
GeneralRe: What is the meaning of the constants (5 and 6) passed to SetWindowPos in fucntion setPage PinmemberC++ Hacker2:08 25 Aug '10  
GeneralRe: What is the meaning of the constants (5 and 6) passed to SetWindowPos in fucntion setPage Pinmembervenura c.p.w. goonatillake17:34 29 Aug '10  
GeneralRe: What is the meaning of the constants (5 and 6) passed to SetWindowPos in fucntion setPage PinmemberC++ Hacker21:37 29 Aug '10  
GeneralHIde/show tab pages Pinmembermcory200222:56 19 Jul '10  
GeneralRe: HIde/show tab pages Pinmembervenura c.p.w. goonatillake1:11 20 Jul '10  
GeneralOnTcnSelchange PinmemberRangarajan Varadan5:07 23 Feb '09  
GeneralTabs are not visible. PinmemberMember 20586973:15 25 Nov '08  
GeneralTabs within the main Tab aren't visible PinmemberMember 20560033:27 4 Nov '08  
QuestionHow to avoid UpdateData or overcome this problem PinmemberRangarajan Varadan14:35 27 Sep '08  
AnswerRe: How to avoid UpdateData or overcome this problem Pinmembervenura c.p.w. goonatillake6:05 28 Sep '08  
QuestionHow to convert my Dialogue into a Tab PinmemberRangarajan Varadan6:38 27 Aug '08  
AnswerRe: How to convert my Dialogue into a Tab Pinmembervenura c.p.w. goonatillake18:58 27 Aug '08  
GeneralYou got my 5! Pinmemberflippydeflippydebop20:09 1 Jun '07  
GeneralRe: You got my 5! Pinmembervenura c.p.w. goonatillake17:32 3 Jun '07  
GeneralRe: You got my 5! Pinmembersonsam4:08 26 Jul '07  
QuestionNo content in tab panes Pinmemberjalstadt3:48 24 Nov '06  
AnswerRe: No content in tab panes Pinmembervenura c.p.w. goonatillake15:45 26 Nov '06  
QuestionRe: No content in tab panes Pinmemberjalstadt21:03 26 Nov '06  
AnswerRe: No content in tab panes Pinmemberjalstadt4:06 27 Nov '06  
AnswerHere is a fix that works for me ! [modified] PinmemberPatrickL4:05 4 Dec '06  
GeneralRe: Here is a fix that works for me ! Pinmemberjalstadt23:29 4 Dec '06  
GeneralRe: Here is a fix that works for me ! Pinmemberjalstadt0:55 5 Dec '06  

General General    News News    Suggestion Suggestion    Question Question    Bug Bug    Answer Answer    Joke Joke    Rant Rant    Admin Admin   

Use Ctrl+Left/Right to switch messages, Ctrl+Up/Down to switch threads, Ctrl+Shift+Left/Right to switch pages.

Permalink | Advertise | Privacy | Mobile
Web04 | 2.5.120517.1 | Last Updated 5 Jun 2007
Article Copyright 2006 by venura c.p.w. goonatillake
Everything else Copyright © CodeProject, 1999-2012
Terms of Use
Layout: fixed | fluid