Changing multiple command buttons

[Middlemarch]

If changing the same attributes like enabled or caption on many buttons, must it be done individually or is there some way that one command will do all?
For example setting some value in the tag, then using only those with that value. Or is it not worth it ?

[moke123]

Yes you can use the tag property and loop through all the controls and test for the tag property.
I'll often use instr() so I can use more than one entry in the tag.

[Micron]

If it's one form and the same value, you can multi select all required controls and edit the property value for all selected at the same time. Otherwise as stated, you can code to loop over them and weed out the control types you don't want by specifying, for example, to only edit the property for textboxes.

[Middlemarch]

Right thanks. The changes occur at run time so. Is there any advantage to looping Vs a pile of similar lines of code setting say Caption text?

[Bulzie]

Do you need to check conditions on them? Maybe if you name them all similar like:
button1
button2
button3

For i = 1 to 3

if button(i) =enabled

button(i) = disabled
button(i).color= "blue"
etc.

end If

next i

[Micron]

I thought this was about design changes, but it's not. If you want to temporarily change a property of something, then you need a way to distinguish it/those from everything else. Often, the Tag property is used for that. Hopefully you realize that run time changes don't stick when the form is closed. Maybe you should post your question in a less obscure way; as in explain what control type this is about, the when and the what changes... stuff like that.

[Middlemarch]

Ok here's an example of the code. They all all command buttons.

Select Case Me.Grid
        Case "1", "2", "3"
                .mp3ASide.BackColor = RGB(192, 192, 192)
                .mp3BSide.BackColor = RGB(192, 192, 192)
                .flacASide.BackColor = RGB(192, 192, 192)
                .flacBSide.BackColor = RGB(192, 192, 192)
                .mp3Mono.BackColor = RGB(192, 192, 192)
                .mp3Stereo.BackColor = RGB(192, 192, 192)
                 .flacMono.BackColor = RGB(192, 192, 192)
                .flacStereo.BackColor = RGB(192, 192, 192)
                .mp3Mono.Enabled = False
                .mp3Stereo.Enabled = False
                 .flacMono.Enabled = False
                .flacStereo.Enabled = False
                .mp3ASide.Enabled = False
                .mp3BSide.Enabled = False
                .flacASide.Enabled = False
                .flacBSide.Enabled = False
                .mp3Album.Enabled = True
                .flacAlbum.Enabled = True
            .mp3Album.BackColor = RGB(0, 255, 0)
            .flacAlbum.BackColor = RGB(0, 255, 0)


        Case Else
            'default to A-Side
                 .flacBSide.Caption = "B-Side"
                .mp3BSide.Caption = "B-Side"
                .mp3ASide.Enabled = True
                .mp3BSide.Enabled = True
                .flacASide.Enabled = True
                .flacBSide.Enabled = True
                .mp3Mono.Enabled = True
                .mp3Stereo.Enabled = True
                 .flacMono.Enabled = True
                .flacStereo.Enabled = True
                .mp3Album.Enabled = False
                .flacAlbum.Enabled = False
                .mp3Album.BackColor = RGB(192, 192, 192)
                .flacAlbum.BackColor = RGB(192, 192, 192)

I'm just thinking all this repetition is crazy, there must be some way to condense this.
But perhaps not? Or no real advantage ?
Does that help? I didn't mean to be vague.

[Micron]

Well, maybe you select groups (like all the ones related to 192) in design view, then in the property sheet enter anything that tickles your fancy for the Tag property (maybe 192) and save the form. Then in code, do a loop:

Dim ctl As Control

For Each ctl In Me.Controls
   If ctl.Tag = "192" Then ctl.Backcolor = RGB(192, 192, 192)
Next

Or even put RGB(192,192,192) as the Tag value **, then it could be
...ctl.Backcolor = ctl.Tag

It's probably always true that there's a way to cut repetition. Of course, you'd have to apply that approach to groups of controls on your form, wherever they have some sort of commonality.

Note: this ** is a guess since Tag property is a string and that may not play well with RGB function.

[CJ_London]

you can simplify the code to this

'set the basics - colour won't matter if the control is disabled 


.mp3ASide.BackColor = RGB(192, 192, 192)
.mp3BSide.BackColor = .mp3ASide.BackColor
.flacASide.BackColor = .mp3ASide.BackColor
.flacBSide.BackColor =.mp3ASide.BackColor
.mp3Mono.BackColor = .mp3ASide.BackColor
.mp3Stereo.BackColor =.mp3ASide.BackColor
.flacMono.BackColor =.mp3ASide.BackColor
.flacStereo.BackColor = .mp3ASide.BackColor


.mp3Album.BackColor =.RGB(0, 255, 0)
.flacAlbum.BackColor = .mp3Album.BackColor

.mp3Mono.Enabled =instr("123",.grid)>0
.mp3Stereo.Enabled = .mp3Mono.Enabled
.flacMono.Enabled = .mp3Mono.Enabled
.flacStereo.Enabled = .mp3Mono.Enabled
.mp3ASide.Enabled =.mp3Mono.Enabled
.mp3BSide.Enabled =.mp3Mono.Enabled
.flacASide.Enabled =.mp3Mono.Enabled
.flacBSide.Enabled =.mp3Mono.Enabled
.mp3Album.Enabled =not .mp3Mono.Enabled
.flacAlbum.Enabled = .mp3Album.Enabled


'now change if required
if instr("123",.grid)=0 then
     .flacBSide.Caption = "B-Side"
     .mp3BSide.Caption =.flacBSide.Caption
     .mp3Album.BackColor=.mp3ASide.BackColor
     .flacAlbum.BackColor =.mp3ASide.BackColor
end if

[Middlemarch]

Thanks CJ. I'll try that out.
I thought there may have been some way to set a group of controls to accept the one command.
Microns suggestion would work, but it you have to loop through every control doesn't that sort of defeat the purpose.

[Micron]

I thought there may have been some way to set a group of controls to accept the one command.

Well, I think we were all focused on properties. Are you now saying you want to assign the same method/event to a bunch of controls? Big difference. For that you need to use With Events a class module. Not something I've done.
But the code seems to be about changing properties, not the associated event.

[CJ_London]

I thought there may have been some way to set a group of controls to accept the one command.

not clear what you mean - you can have a function in a standard module which can be called from whatever control event you want e.g. in a standard module

function myFunction()

    msgbox "!"

end function

and to call it where you would normally see [Event Procedure]" put

=myFunction()


so in design view you can select the controls you want to use the function, and type it in once.

If you need to assign the function dynamically to only certain controls you can perhaps limit the number of controls to loop through by only looping through a forms section

for each ctl in me.section(1).controls
    ctl.onclick="=myFunction()"
next ctl

section 1 is the header, 2 is footer and 3 the detail section

I use the technique to add a sort functionality to each header label for example

Or as others have suggested, use the tag property to indicate which controls need the functionality - but you still need to loop through the controls

In another case I have a form which can show everything in one view and in another view, only display certain controls - and I use the tag property to indicate which controls should be displayed, all the others are hidden.

[Micron]

Or loop through and set the click event (or whatever) to =myFunc(). Maybe even loop and set to
=myFunc([ActiveControl].[Tag])

[Middlemarch]

I see now how that works. Thanks for replies.