Userform controls and Windows display text size setting

[GJL]

Normally I keep my Windows display text size setting at 125% (in Windows 7, Personalize | Display).

But if I lay out a userform with controls while on that computer, then run it on another computer with the default setting (100%), text seems to become bigger, or maybe the controls holding them become smaller. Anyway, text is cropped in labels, listboxes get vertical scrollbars they don't have on my computer, etc. Controls carefully laid out to work together, such as an edit box right next to a listbox item named "Other:", are positioned all wrong relative to each other.

Why would the text seem to get bigger when going to a smaller text size setting?

And, what's the best practice when developing for use by others on other computers? Default 100%? Smaller than 100% to cover users who may have their Windows text size set smaller?

Aside from leaving gobs of white space, is it possible to make text in dialog controls look the same size regardless of the Windows text size setting?


Thanks,

Greg

 

[Glory]

Yes. I'm wondering exactly the same thing.

 

[NdNoviceHlp]

You need to resize the userform, controls and font size based on a scale measure of the system metric change. Program in 100% as your normal then scale everything based on the amount of change from the normal. Google GetSystemMetrics to start. HTH. Dave

 

[mikerickson]

For cross platform sizing, you can use a control that supports .AutoSize to adjust the size of other controls in the Intialize event.
Something like

Private Sub UserForm_Initialize()
    Dim vSizeFactor As Double, hSizeFactor As Double
    Dim oneControl As Variant
    
    With Label1
        .Caption = "X"
        .AutoSize = True
        vSizeFactor = .Height / 18
        hSizeFactor = .Width / 12
        .Visible = False
    End With
    
    For Each oneControl In Array(CommandButton1, CheckBox1, ListBox1)
        With oneControl
            .Height = .Height * vSizeFactor
            .Width = .Width * hSizeFactor
        End With
    Next oneControl
End Sub

 

[NdNoviceHlp]

That's an interesting approach. Here's some resize stuff. Dave
http://www.vb-helper.com/howto_stretch_controls.html

 

[Glory]

Mike that sounds like a great idea. I'm going to give it a shot.

I'd like to try your method, Dave. There are 77 optional parameters for the GetSystemMetric API function. Which ones would I need to check?

 

[Glory]

Private Sub UserForm_Initialize()
 
'==================================================
'Resizes the userform in case system settings skew original dimensions
 
'Variable       Purpose
 
'a1             Single, dynamic height of autosize-enabled control
'a2             Single, dynamic left of autosize-enabled control
'a3             Single, dynamic top of autosize-enabled control
'a4             Single, dynamic width of autosize-enabled control
'==================================================
 
Dim a1, _
    a2, _
    a3, _
    a4      As Single
 
With Me.HandwrittenOnly
 
    a1 = .Height / 30
    a2 = .Left / 6
    a3 = .Top / 9
    a4 = .Width / 77
 
End With
 
With Me
 
    .Height = a1 * 70
    .Width = a4 * 185
 
    With .BothSheets
 
        .Height = a1 * 30
        .Left = a2 * 96
        .Top = a3 * 9
        .Width = a4 * 77
 
    End With
 
End With
 
End Sub

Mike, .Autosize doesn't change the size of the key button when the "Font Size" option in "Control Panel-> Display-> Appearance" is set to "Extra Large". The buttons remain clipped by the userform because the scale remains set to "1". So that solution doesn't seem to work.

 

[Glory]

Dave, this function returns "0", which MSDN indicates may constitute a system failure. I was thinking I could use the minimum button size in a title bar to check the hegiht of the title bar (eg, whether it has been stretched).

Am I on the right track with this? What parameter should I be using here?

Standard module:

Private c1 As Class1
Public Sub test()
Set c1 = New Class1
c1.test123
End Sub

Class module:

Private Declare Function GetSystemMetrics Lib "user32" (nIndex) As Integer
Public Sub test123()
Debug.Print GetSystemMetrics(31)
End Sub

 

[Glory]

In fact, I don't see any parameter that refers either to "font size" or "title bar" in a way that would be useful with this problem.

Anyone have any ideas on this?

Edit: I'm thinking something like SM_CYSCREEN? The Int nIndex = 1.

Find it on your original system and then apply it? The display pixel dimensions don't haev to change for your userform to be skewed, but maybe it's one element that could cause problems...?

 

[Glory]

Bump.