Color Constants / Color Forms / Controls / Transparency VB6

VB / VBA Color Constants

Table 1

VBA Constant	SystemColors	Hex Value	Long Value	Description
vb3DDKShadow	ControlDarkDark	&H80000015	-2147483627	Darkest shadow color for 3-D display elements
vb3DHighlight	ControlLightLight	&H80000014	-2147483628	Highlight color for 3-D display elements
vb3DLight	ControlLight	&H80000016	-2147483626	Second lightest 3-D color after vb3DHighlight
vb3DShadow	ControlDark	&H80000010	-2147483632	Lightest shadow color for 3-D display elements
vbActiveBorder	ActiveBorder	&H8000000A	-2147483638	Border color of active window
vbActiveTitleBar	ActiveCaption	&H80000002	-2147483646	Color of the title bar for the active window
vbApplicationWorkspace	AppWorkspace	&H8000000C	-2147483636	Background color of multiple document interface (MDI) applications
vbButtonFace (vb3DFace)	Control	&H8000000F	-2147483633	Color of shading on the face of command buttons
vbButtonShadow (vb3DShadow)	ControlDark	&H80000010	-2147483632	Color of shading on the edge of command buttons
vbButtonText	ControlText	&H80000012	-2147483630	Text color on push buttons
vbDesktop	Desktop	&H80000001	-2147483647	Desktop color
vbGrayText	GrayText	&H80000011	-2147483631	Grayed (disabled) text
vbHighlight	Highlight	&H8000000D	-2147483635	Background color of items selected in a control
vbHighlightText	HighlightText	&H8000000E	-2147483634	Text color of items selected in a control
vbInactiveBorder	InactiveBorder	&H8000000B	-2147483637	Border color of inactive window
vbInactiveCaptionText	InactiveCaptionText	&H80000013	-2147483629	Color of text in an inactive caption
vbInactiveTitleBar	InactiveCaption	&H80000003	-2147483645	Color of the title bar for the inactive window
vbInfoBackground(vbMsgBoxText)	Info	&H80000018	-2147483624	Background color of ToolTips
vbInfoText(vbMsgBox)	InfoText	&H80000017	-2147483625	Color of text in ToolTips
vbMenuBar	Menu	&H80000004	-2147483644	Menu background color
vbMenuText	MenuText	&H80000007	-2147483641	Color of text on menus
vbScrollBars	ScrollBar	&H80000000	-2147483648	Scrollbar color
vbTitleBarText	ActiveCaptionText	&H80000009	-2147483639	Color of text in caption, size box, and scroll arrow
vbWindowBackground	Window	&H80000005	-2147483643	Window background color
vbWindowFrame	WindowFrame	&H80000006	-2147483642	Window frame color
vbWindowText	WindowText	&H80000008	-2147483640	Color of text in windows

 

Table 2

System Colour Name	Hex Value	VB Constant
Menu Text	&H80000007&	vbMenuText
Scroll Bars	&H80000000&	vbScrollBars
Window Background	&H80000005&	vbWindowBackground
Window Frame	&H80000006&	vbWindowFrame
Window Text	&H80000008&	vbWindowText
Active Border	&H8000000A&	vbActiveBorder
Active Title Bar	&H80000002&	vbActiveTitleBar
Active Title Bar Text	&H80000009&	vbTitleBarText
Application Workspace	&H8000000C&	vbApplicationWorkspace
Button Face	&H8000000F&	vbButtonFace
Button Highlight	&H80000014&	vb3DHighlight
Button Shadow	&H80000010&	vb3DDKShadow
Button Text	&H80000012&	vbButtonText
Desktop	&H80000001&	vbDesktop
Disabled Text	&H80000011&	vbGrayText
Highlight	&H8000000D&	vbHighlight
Highlighted Text	&H8000000E&	vbHighlightText
Inactive Border	&H8000000B&	vbInactiveBorder
Inactive Title Bar	&H80000003&	vbInactiveTitleBar
Inactive Title Bar Text	&H80000013&	vbInactiveCaptionText
Menu Bar	&H80000004&	vbMenuBar

 

Table 3

The eight members of the VBA Color Constants class:

• vbBlack
• vbWhite
• vbRed
• vbGreen
• vbBlue
• vbYellow
• vbMagenta
• vbCyan

 

Examples

Example 1:

txtCon(cnt).BackColor = vbHighlightText

Example 2: This is the same as "Button Highlight"

txtCon(cnt).BackColor = vbHighlightText

 

 

Setting Form and Control Colors

• Blue : Me.BackColor = RGB(0, 0, 255)

 Me.BackColor = RGB(0, 0, 255)

• Green: Me.BackColor = RGB(0, 255, 0)

 Me.BackColor = RGB(0, 255, 0)

• Red: Me.BackColor = RGB(255, 0, 0)

 Me.BackColor = RGB(255, 0, 0)

All Possible Ways

1. In HEX, BLUE is first, Green, then Red, the reverse of RGB (actually BGR) is the default VB method

 cmd(0).BackColor = &HFF&      ' Red   / &H0000FF&
 cmd(1).BackColor = &HFF00&    ' Green / &H00FF00&
 cmd(2).BackColor = &HFF0000   ' Blue  / &HFF0000&

2. Decimal RGB value

 cmd(0).BackColor = RGB(255, 0, 0)
 cmd(1).BackColor = RGB(0, 255, 0)
 cmd(2).BackColor = RGB(0, 0, 255)

3. Using VB Color Constants

 cmd(0).BackColor = vbRed
 cmd(1).BackColor = vbGreen
 cmd(2).BackColor = vbBlue

Convert RGB Hex (like used in HTML) to VB Hex

Code Sample:

Public Function h2v(wHex As String) As Long
  Dim strTmp As String
  wHex = Trim("" & wHex)
  If Len(wHex) = 7 Then
    If Left(wHex, 1) = "#" Then wHex = Right(wHex, 6)
  End If
  If Len(wHex) = 6 Then
    strTmp = "&H" & Right(wHex, 2) & Mid(wHex, 3, 2) & Left(wHex, 2) & "&"
  Else
    strTmp = "&H000000&"
  End If
  h2v = Val(strTmp)
  Debug.Print h2v
End Function

 

 

Transparency

Entire Form and all controls

 Option Explicit
 
 Private Const GWL_EXSTYLE = (-20)
 Private Const WS_EX_LAYERED = &H80000
 Private Const LWA_ALPHA = &H2
 
 Private Declare Function GetWindowLong Lib "user32" Alias "GetWindowLongA" (ByVal hWnd As Long, ByVal nIndex As Long) As Long
 Private Declare Function SetWindowLong Lib "user32" Alias "SetWindowLongA" (ByVal hWnd As Long, ByVal nIndex As Long, ByVal dwNewLong As Long) As Long
 Private Declare Function SetLayeredWindowAttributes Lib "user32" (ByVal hWnd As Long, ByVal crKey As Long, ByVal bAlpha As Byte, ByVal dwFlags As Long) As Long
 
 Private Sub Form_Load()
   TranslucentForm Me, 255   'Make form 0% translucent
 End Sub
 
 Private Sub Slider1_Scroll()
   TranslucentForm Me, Slider1.Value
 End Sub
 
 Public Function TranslucentForm(frm As Form, TranslucenceLevel As Byte) As Boolean
   SetWindowLong frm.hWnd, GWL_EXSTYLE, WS_EX_LAYERED
   SetLayeredWindowAttributes frm.hWnd, 0, TranslucenceLevel, LWA_ALPHA
   TranslucentForm = Err.LastDllError = 0
 End Function

By Color + Hollow Form

 Option Explicit
 
 Public Const LWA_COLORKEY = 1
 Public Const LWA_ALPHA = 2
 Public Const LWA_BOTH = 3
 Public Const WS_EX_LAYERED = &H80000
 Public Const GWL_EXSTYLE = -20
 Public Declare Function SetLayeredWindowAttributes Lib "user32" (ByVal hwnd As Long, ByVal bXColor As Long, ByVal x As Byte, ByVal a
 lpha As Long) As Boolean
 Public Declare Function SetWindowLong Lib "user32" Alias "SetWindowLongA" (ByVal hwnd As Long, ByVal nIndex As Long, ByVal dwNewLong
  As Long) As Long
 Public Declare Function GetWindowLong Lib "user32" Alias "GetWindowLongA" (ByVal hwnd As Long, ByVal nIndex As Long) As Long

 Public g_nTransparency As Integer
 Public bXColor As Long
 Public flag As Byte
 
 
 
 Option Explicit
 
 Private Sub cmdExit_Click()
   Unload Me
 End Sub
 
 Private Sub Form_Load()
   initFormControls
   initTransParency
 End Sub
 
 Private Sub initFormControls()
   Me.Width = Screen.Width: Me.Height = Screen.Height: Me.Top = 0: Me.Left = 0
   cmdExit.Left = Screen.Width - 800: cmdExit.Top = 200
 End Sub
 
 Private Sub initTransParency()
   bXColor = RGB(1, 2, 3)
   Me.BackColor = bXColor
   g_nTransparency = 150
   flag = 0 Or LWA_COLORKEY
   SetTranslucent Me.hwnd, bXColor, g_nTransparency, flag
 End Sub

 Option Explicit
 
 Sub SetTranslucent(ThehWnd As Long, bXColor As Long, nTrans As Integer, flag As Byte)
     Dim attrib As Long
     On Error GoTo ErrorRtn
     attrib = GetWindowLong(ThehWnd, GWL_EXSTYLE)
     SetWindowLong ThehWnd, GWL_EXSTYLE, attrib Or WS_EX_LAYERED
     SetLayeredWindowAttributes ThehWnd, bXColor, nTrans, flag
     Exit Sub
 ErrorRtn:
     MsgBox Err.Description & " Source : " & Err.Source
 End Sub