TabStrip Control

Provides a customizable tab container, supporting multiple placement positions, multi-row tabs, separators, owner-draw, and OLE drag-and-drop.

Enumerations

TbsPlacementConstants

Tab placement position constants.

Constant	Value	Description
TbsPlacementTop	0	Top placement
TbsPlacementBottom	1	Bottom placement
TbsPlacementLeft	2	Left placement
TbsPlacementRight	3	Right placement

TbsStyleConstants

Tab control style constants.

Constant	Value	Description
TbsStyleTab	0	Standard tab style
TbsStyleButton	1	Button style
TbsStyleFlatButton	2	Flat button style

TbsTabStyleConstants

Tab label style constants.

Constant	Value	Description
TbsTabStyleTab	0	Standard label style
TbsTabStyleButton	1	Button label style

TbsTabWidthStyleConstants

Tab width style constants.

Constant	Value	Description
TbsTabWidthStyleJustified	0	Auto size to label width
TbsTabWidthStyleFixed	1	Fixed width
TbsTabWidthStyleVariable	2	Variable width

TbsTabAlignmentConstants

Tab label alignment constants.

Constant	Value	Description
TbsTabAlignmentNear	0	Aligned near the leading edge
TbsTabAlignmentCenter	1	Center aligned
TbsTabAlignmentFar	2	Aligned near the trailing edge

TbsHitResultConstants

Hit test result constants.

Constant	Value	Description
TbsHitNowhere	0	No tab hit
TbsHitTab	1	Tab hit
TbsHitDivider	2	Divider hit
TbsHitDisplay	3	Display area hit

TbsDrawModeConstants

Owner-draw mode constants.

Constant	Value	Description
TbsDrawModeNormal	0	Normal drawing
TbsDrawModeOwnerDraw	1	Owner-draw mode

Properties

Name

Public Property Get Name() As String

Returns the name used to identify the object in code.

Tag

Public Property Get Tag() As String
Public Property Let Tag(ByVal Value As String)

Stores extra data needed by the program.

Parent

Public Property Get Parent() As Object

Returns the object that contains this object.

Container

Public Property Get Container() As Object
Public Property Set Container(ByVal Value As Object)

Returns/sets the object's container.

Left

Public Property Get Left() As Single
Public Property Let Left(ByVal Value As Single)

Returns/sets the distance between the object and the left edge of its container.

Top

Public Property Get Top() As Single
Public Property Let Top(ByVal Value As Single)

Returns/sets the distance between the object and the top edge of its container.

Width

Public Property Get Width() As Single
Public Property Let Width(ByVal Value As Single)

Returns/sets the width of the object.

Height

Public Property Get Height() As Single
Public Property Let Height(ByVal Value As Single)

Returns/sets the height of the object.

Visible

Public Property Get Visible() As Boolean
Public Property Let Visible(ByVal Value As Boolean)

Returns/sets whether the object is visible.

ToolTipText

Public Property Get ToolTipText() As String
Public Property Let ToolTipText(ByVal Value As String)

Returns/sets the tooltip text displayed when the mouse hovers over the control.

WhatsThisHelpID

Public Property Get WhatsThisHelpID() As Long
Public Property Let WhatsThisHelpID(ByVal Value As Long)

Returns/sets the associated context-sensitive help ID.

DragIcon

Public Property Get DragIcon() As IPictureDisp
Public Property Let DragIcon(ByVal Value As IPictureDisp)
Public Property Set DragIcon(ByVal Value As IPictureDisp)

Returns/sets the icon displayed during a drag-and-drop operation.

DragMode

Public Property Get DragMode() As Integer
Public Property Let DragMode(ByVal Value As Integer)

Returns/sets the drag mode (manual or automatic).

hWnd

Public Property Get hWnd() As LongPtr

Returns the control handle.

hWndUserControl

Public Property Get hWndUserControl() As LongPtr

Returns the UserControl handle.

Font

Public Property Get Font() As StdFont
Public Property Let Font(ByVal NewFont As StdFont)
Public Property Set Font(ByVal NewFont As StdFont)

Returns/sets the font.

VisualStyles

Public Property Get VisualStyles() As Boolean
Public Property Let VisualStyles(ByVal Value As Boolean)

Returns/sets whether visual styles are enabled. Requires comctl32.dll 6.0 or later.

Enabled

Public Property Get Enabled() As Boolean
Public Property Let Enabled(ByVal Value As Boolean)

Returns/sets whether the object can respond to user-generated events.

OLEDropMode

Public Property Get OLEDropMode() As OLEDropModeConstants
Public Property Let OLEDropMode(ByVal Value As OLEDropModeConstants)

Returns/sets whether the object can act as an OLE drop target.

MousePointer

Public Property Get MousePointer() As CCMousePointerConstants
Public Property Let MousePointer(ByVal Value As CCMousePointerConstants)

Returns/sets the pointer type displayed when the mouse hovers over the control. See common enumerations.

MouseIcon

Public Property Get MouseIcon() As IPictureDisp
Public Property Let MouseIcon(ByVal Value As IPictureDisp)
Public Property Set MouseIcon(ByVal Value As IPictureDisp)

Returns/sets the custom mouse icon.

MouseTrack

Public Property Get MouseTrack() As Boolean
Public Property Let MouseTrack(ByVal Value As Boolean)

Returns/sets whether events are raised when the mouse enters or leaves the control.

RightToLeft

Public Property Get RightToLeft() As Boolean
Public Property Let RightToLeft(ByVal Value As Boolean)

Returns/sets the right-to-left display direction.

RightToLeftLayout

Public Property Get RightToLeftLayout() As Boolean
Public Property Let RightToLeftLayout(ByVal Value As Boolean)

Returns/sets the right-to-left layout.

RightToLeftMode

Public Property Get RightToLeftMode() As CCRightToLeftModeConstants
Public Property Let RightToLeftMode(ByVal Value As CCRightToLeftModeConstants)

Returns/sets the right-to-left mode. See common enumerations.

BackColor

Public Property Get BackColor() As OLE_COLOR
Public Property Let BackColor(ByVal Value As OLE_COLOR)

Returns/sets the background color.

ImageList

Public Property Get ImageList() As Variant
Public Property Let ImageList(ByVal Value As Variant)
Public Property Set ImageList(ByVal Value As Variant)

Returns/sets the associated ImageList control. Can be an object reference, a string key name, or a LongPtr handle.

Placement

Public Property Get Placement() As TbsPlacementConstants
Public Property Let Placement(ByVal Value As TbsPlacementConstants)

Returns/sets the tab placement position.

MultiRow

Public Property Get MultiRow() As Boolean
Public Property Let MultiRow(ByVal Value As Boolean)

Returns/sets whether multiple rows of tabs are allowed.

MultiSelect

Public Property Get MultiSelect() As Boolean
Public Property Let MultiSelect(ByVal Value As Boolean)

Returns/sets whether multiple tabs can be selected.

HotTracking

Public Property Get HotTracking() As Boolean
Public Property Let HotTracking(ByVal Value As Boolean)

Returns/sets whether hot tracking is enabled.

Style

Public Property Get Style() As TbsStyleConstants
Public Property Let Style(ByVal Value As TbsStyleConstants)

Returns/sets the tab control style.

TabStyle

Public Property Get TabStyle() As TbsTabStyleConstants
Public Property Let TabStyle(ByVal Value As TbsTabStyleConstants)

Returns/sets the tab label style.

TabWidthStyle

Public Property Get TabWidthStyle() As TbsTabWidthStyleConstants
Public Property Let TabWidthStyle(ByVal Value As TbsTabWidthStyleConstants)

Returns/sets the tab width style.

TabFixedWidth

Public Property Get TabFixedWidth() As Single
Public Property Let TabFixedWidth(ByVal Value As Single)

Returns/sets the tab width in fixed width style.

TabFixedHeight

Public Property Get TabFixedHeight() As Single
Public Property Let TabFixedHeight(ByVal Value As Single)

Returns/sets the tab height in fixed height style.

TabMinWidth

Public Property Get TabMinWidth() As Single
Public Property Let TabMinWidth(ByVal Value As Single)

Returns/sets the minimum tab width.

TabAlignment

Public Property Get TabAlignment() As TbsTabAlignmentConstants
Public Property Let TabAlignment(ByVal Value As TbsTabAlignmentConstants)

Returns/sets the tab label alignment.

Separators

Public Property Get Separators() As Boolean
Public Property Let Separators(ByVal Value As Boolean)

Returns/sets whether separators are displayed between tabs.

ShowTips

Public Property Get ShowTips() As Boolean
Public Property Let ShowTips(ByVal Value As Boolean)

Returns/sets whether tooltips are displayed.

DrawMode

Public Property Get DrawMode() As TbsDrawModeConstants
Public Property Let DrawMode(ByVal Value As TbsDrawModeConstants)

Returns/sets the draw mode.

TabScrollWheel

Public Property Get TabScrollWheel() As Boolean
Public Property Let TabScrollWheel(ByVal Value As Boolean)

Returns/sets whether the mouse scroll wheel can be used to switch tabs.

DoubleBuffer

Public Property Get DoubleBuffer() As Boolean
Public Property Let DoubleBuffer(ByVal Value As Boolean)

Returns/sets whether double-buffered drawing is enabled.

Transparent

Public Property Get Transparent() As Boolean
Public Property Let Transparent(ByVal Value As Boolean)

Returns/sets whether the tab control is transparent.

Tabs

Public Property Get Tabs() As TbsTabs

Returns the tabs collection.

ClientLeft

Public Property Get ClientLeft() As Single

Returns the left edge distance of the client area.

ClientTop

Public Property Get ClientTop() As Single

Returns the top edge distance of the client area.

ClientWidth

Public Property Get ClientWidth() As Single

Returns the width of the client area.

ClientHeight

Public Property Get ClientHeight() As Single

Returns the height of the client area.

SelectedItem

Public Property Get SelectedItem() As TbsTab
Public Property Let SelectedItem(ByVal Value As TbsTab)

Returns/sets the currently selected tab.

RowCount

Public Property Get RowCount() As Long

Returns the number of tab rows.

Methods

Refresh

Public Sub Refresh()

Forces a complete redraw of the object.

DeselectAll

Public Sub DeselectAll()

Deselects all tabs.

HitTest

Public Function HitTest(ByVal X As Single, ByVal Y As Single) As TbsHitResultConstants

Performs a hit test at the specified coordinates and returns the hit result.

DrawBackground

Public Sub DrawBackground(ByVal hdc As LongPtr, ByVal Left As Long, ByVal Top As Long, ByVal Right As Long, ByVal Bottom As Long)

Draws the tab control background in the specified device context.

OLEDrag

Public Sub OLEDrag()

Initiates an OLE drag-and-drop operation.

Drag

Public Sub Drag(Optional ByRef Action As Variant)

Starts, ends, or cancels a drag operation.

SetFocus

Public Sub SetFocus()

Sets focus to the control.

ZOrder

Public Sub ZOrder(Optional ByRef Position As Variant)

Sets the Z-order.

Events

TabBeforeClick

Public Event TabBeforeClick(ByVal Tab As TbsTab, ByRef Cancel As Boolean)

Raised before a tab is about to be clicked. Set Cancel to True to prevent the switch.

TabClick

Public Event TabClick(ByVal Tab As TbsTab)

Raised when a tab is clicked.

ItemDraw

Public Event ItemDraw(ByVal Index As Long, ByVal ItemData As Long, ByVal hdc As LongPtr, ByVal Left As Long, ByVal Top As Long, ByVal Right As Long, ByVal Bottom As Long)

Raised when a tab is drawn in owner-draw mode.

PreviewKeyDown

Public Event PreviewKeyDown(KeyCode As Integer, Shift As Integer)

Raised before the KeyDown event, for preprocessing keyboard input.

PreviewKeyUp

Public Event PreviewKeyUp(KeyCode As Integer, Shift As Integer)

Raised before the KeyUp event.

KeyDown

Public Event KeyDown(KeyCode As Integer, Shift As Integer)

Raised when a keyboard key is pressed.

KeyUp

Public Event KeyUp(KeyCode As Integer, Shift As Integer)

Raised when a keyboard key is released.

KeyPress

Public Event KeyPress(KeyAscii As Integer)

Raised when an ANSI key is pressed and released.

MouseDown

Public Event MouseDown(Button As Integer, Shift As Integer, X As Single, Y As Single)

Raised when a mouse button is pressed.

MouseMove

Public Event MouseMove(Button As Integer, Shift As Integer, X As Single, Y As Single)

Raised when the mouse is moved.

MouseUp

Public Event MouseUp(Button As Integer, Shift As Integer, X As Single, Y As Single)

Raised when a mouse button is released.

MouseEnter

Public Event MouseEnter()

Raised when the mouse enters the control area.

MouseLeave

Public Event MouseLeave()

Raised when the mouse leaves the control area.

OLECompleteDrag

Public Event OLECompleteDrag(Effect As Long)

Raised when an OLE drag-and-drop operation is completed.

OLEDragDrop

Public Event OLEDragDrop(Data As DataObject, Effect As Long, Button As Integer, Shift As Integer, X As Single, Y As Single)

Raised when an OLE drag-and-drop operation is dropped.

OLEDragOver

Public Event OLEDragOver(Data As DataObject, Effect As Long, Button As Integer, Shift As Integer, X As Single, Y As Single, State As Integer)

Raised during an OLE drag-and-drop hover.

OLEGiveFeedback

Public Event OLEGiveFeedback(Effect As Long, DefaultCursors As Boolean)

Raised when OLE drag-and-drop gives feedback.

OLESetData

Public Event OLESetData(Data As DataObject, DataFormat As Integer)

Raised when OLE drag-and-drop sets data.

OLEStartDrag

Public Event OLEStartDrag(Data As DataObject, AllowedEffects As Long)

Raised when an OLE drag-and-drop operation starts.

Sub-Objects

TbsTab Class

Tab object.

TbsTab Properties

Index

Public Property Get Index() As Long

The index of the tab in the collection.

Key

Public Property Get Key() As String
Public Property Let Key(ByVal Value As String)

The tab's unique identifier key.

Tag

Public Property Get Tag() As Variant
Public Property Let Tag(ByVal Value As Variant)

Extra data.

Caption

Public Property Get Caption() As String
Public Property Let Caption(ByVal Value As String)

Tab caption.

ToolTipText

Public Property Get ToolTipText() As String
Public Property Let ToolTipText(ByVal Value As String)

ToolTip text.

Image

Public Property Get Image() As Variant
Public Property Let Image(ByVal Value As Variant)

Tab image.

ImageIndex

Public Property Get ImageIndex() As Long

Image index.

Selected

Public Property Get Selected() As Boolean
Public Property Let Selected(ByVal Value As Boolean)

Whether selected.

Pressed

Public Property Get Pressed() As Boolean
Public Property Let Pressed(ByVal Value As Boolean)

Whether pressed.

HighLighted

Public Property Get HighLighted() As Boolean
Public Property Let HighLighted(ByVal Value As Boolean)

Whether highlighted.

Left

Public Property Get Left() As Single

Tab left edge distance.

Top

Public Property Get Top() As Single

Tab top edge distance.

Width

Public Property Get Width() As Single

Tab width.

Height

Public Property Get Height() As Single

Tab height.

TbsTabs Class

Tabs collection.

TbsTabs Members

NewEnum

Public Function NewEnum() As IUnknown

Enumerator (hidden).

Add

Public Function Add(Optional ByVal Index As Variant, Optional ByVal Key As Variant, Optional ByVal Caption As Variant, Optional ByVal Image As Variant) As TbsTab

Adds a tab.

Item

Public Function Item(ByVal Index As Variant) As TbsTab

Gets a tab (default member).

Exists

Public Function Exists(ByVal Index As Variant) As Boolean

Checks if a tab exists.

Count

Public Property Get Count() As Long

Tab count.

Clear

Public Sub Clear()

Clears all tabs.

Remove

Public Sub Remove(ByVal Index As Variant)

Removes a tab.

Code Examples

Basic Usage

' Create tabs
With TabStrip1.Tabs
    .Add , "Tab1", "General"
    .Add , "Tab2", "Advanced"
    .Add , "Tab3", "About"
End With

' Set tab style
TabStrip1.Placement = TbsPlacementTop
TabStrip1.Style = TbsStyleTab
TabStrip1.TabWidthStyle = TbsTabWidthStyleFixed
TabStrip1.TabFixedWidth = 80
TabStrip1.MultiRow = False
TabStrip1.HotTracking = True

' Handle tab switching
Private Sub TabStrip1_TabBeforeClick(ByVal Tab As TbsTab, ByRef Cancel As Boolean)
    If Tab.Key = "Tab3" Then
        Cancel = True
        MsgBox "This tab is disabled"
    End If
End Sub

Private Sub TabStrip1_TabClick(ByVal Tab As TbsTab)
    MsgBox "Selected tab: " & Tab.Caption
End Sub

' Use client area to position child controls
Private Sub TabStrip1_TabClick(ByVal Tab As TbsTab)
    Dim l As Single, t As Single
    l = TabStrip1.ClientLeft
    t = TabStrip1.ClientTop
    Frame1.Move l, t, TabStrip1.ClientWidth, TabStrip1.ClientHeight
End Sub