I recently updated all modules of code to include a LEGAL DISCLAIMER.   Please take a moment to read it.  It applies to all code downloaded from this site and by using it, you agree to abide by it.

With reverence and respect we remember and honor those who gave their lives in service of their fellow man.  We thank you.

UNITED WE STAND!

I've updated the "modDownload.bas" standard module to allow you to easily cancel a download that has already begun.

I've updated the "modFreeImage.bas" module.  There have been a few new releases of the FreeImage.dll library and this module is now current up to version 2.6.1.  For more information, go to the official FreeImage web site: http://freeimage.sourceforge.net

I wanted to take a second to send out a big THANK YOU to everyone that has contributed to The VB Zone.  I really appreciate the support!  

I've updated the "modCommon.bas" file to make the "FileExists" and "INI_Write" functions work better.

I've added the "cBASE64.cls" class module to the "VB Class Modules" section.  This class module allows you to encode and decode in BASE64 (commonly used to convert binary information to ASCII characters... like Email content).

I've added the "modDownload.bas" module to the "VB Standard Modules" section.  This module wraps the MS INET control to give you an easy to use interface to download files from the internet via a variety of standard internet protocols.

I've added the "modShellCommand.bas" module to the "VB Standard Modules" section.  This module allows you to execute "MS-DOS" style commands that you'd normally execute at a command prompt (i.e. - IISRESET, PING 127.0.0.1, TRACERT 127.0.0.1, etc) and get back the result text that would normally be printed to the command console. This can be helpfull in checking the return status of "MS-DOS" style commands.

I've updated the "modCommon.bas" standard VB module to update the efficiency of the "INI_Read" and "INI_Write" functions.

I really have to go through all the old modules and classes I've posted here and updated them.  As time goes on and you look back on old code, you think "MAN!  What was I thinking."   =)   Funny how that happens.

I've updated the "Advanced Bitmap Processing Module" (modBitmap_Adv.bas) with the following enhancements:
  • Enhanced most of the "BitmapEffects_*" functions so they will now execute 10%
    to 20% faster!  I accomplished this by optimizing how the functions work.
  • Added the "BitmapEffect_Grayscale" function
  • Added the "BitmapEffect_Monochrome" function
  • Added the ability to apply a "Left to Right" as well as a "Up to Down" motion with
    the "BitmapEffect_Motion" function
  • Fixed a bug in "BitmapEffect_Distort" so now it behaves as it is supposed to

If you previously purchased the "Advanced Bitmap Processing Module" from me, simply Email me at vbz@thevbzone.com and request the update.

Also, while creating lesson 4, I noticed that all the graphics for lesson 3 are missing for some reason.   I must have unknowingly deleted them.  I'll fix that soon.

cADO.cls - Modified the "ExecuteStoredProcEx" method so that even if an error occurs, all OUTPUT parameters will be correctly reported back.  That way your stored procedure can have error output that can be correctly reported back, etc.
cCrypt.cls - Mofied the "Decrypt_String" and "Encrypt_String" so the error checking is better and so they return the error number and description (if any) through return parameters.
modFreeImage.bas - Made use of a "work around" to deal with a bug with color depths when loading images.  Also added a function "FreeImage_LoadMultiPageEx" which returns an array of DIB's instead of an array of BITMAPS (as is done in the "FreeImage_LoadMultiPage" function).  Also added better documentation for the custom fucntions at the end of the module.
modHtmlSource.bas - Modified the "HTML_GetSource" function to use Microsoft's XML object to more efficiently get the source of the specified URL, and make use of better error handling.

I've added the following modules:

GetHtmlSource.asp - This is the same as "modHtmlSource.bas" but is in ASP so you can get the source of other web pages from your ASP page.
modErrorHandler.bas - This is a module to make tracking and reporting errors easier.

Thanks Atomz !!   Great product !

I've added an ASP page called "PopulateSelect.asp" which is designed to be "popped up" from another ASP or HTML web page and take in pre-defined parameters to dynamically populate a HTML SELECT ListBox or ComboBox based on the ADODB.Recordset returned from the specified query string and database connection.   This allows you to populate an HTML ListBox or ComboBox "on the fly" on the client side (using JavaScript) based on information returned from a database on the server side.  This ASP page can be found in the "ASP Sample Code" section of this web site.

On Thurs. May 23 at 3:41pm, my wife gave birth to our second son.  He was born weighing 12 pounds 3 ounces and measuring 22 inches in length!  BIG BABY!  My wife and child are both recovering quickly from a very successful C-Section.

I've added the "BitmapEffect_Advanced" function which uses an API only available on NT-Based operating systems (WinNT 3.51, WinNT 4.0, Win2000, WinXP).   This function allows you to adjust the contrast, brightness, colorfulness, red/green/blue color balance, etc. all in an incredibly efficient way.  If you're not on an NT-Based OS (Win95, Win98, WinME) then you'll have to use the other "BitmapEffect_*" functions within the Advanced Bitmap Processing Module.  I didn't add  this function to the initial release of the ABP module because I like writing code that's compatible to all MS Win32 OS's.

I've also added the "BitmapEffect_ResizeEx" function, which acts identical to the original "BitmapEffect_Resize" function, only it uses some calculating to make the result of the resize smoother, cleaner, and more accurate.  This is especially evident when resizing an image to a size LARGER than the original size.

I've also added the "GetBitmapBitsEx" and "GetBitmapColorsEx" function which are just like the "GetBitmapBits" and "GetBitmapColors" functions, except they return a two-dimentional array (X,Y) instead of a one-dimentional array.  This makes picking out the color values returned from the array easier because it's based on the pixel coordinates.

In addition, I've corrected a couple of memory leaks I found, and a few documentation errors within the module.

If you've already purchased the older version of the Advanced Bitmap Processing Module, simply Email me at vbz@thevbzone.com from the same Email address you purchased the ABP module with originally and request the update.

Just a note... the web site was down for this last weekend and part of this week due to my ISP relocating the server that this web site resides on.  Sorry for the downtime.

Both of these class modules do the same thing... allow you to easily send an Email from an IIS 4.0 (or higher) server, or Exchange 5.5 (or higher) server.  These class modules support multiple TO, CC, and BCC addresses, and even support a "Reply To" address.  These classes also support multiple attachment files.

Any feedback on it is appreciated!  Send me an Email at vbz@thevbzone.com.

I added the LIBPNG_VB.DLL (v1.0.12) library to the "DLL Files" section under "DOWNLOADS" along with ZLIB_VB.DLL (v1.1.3).

LIBPNG.DLL is the official library for the Portable Network Graphic (PNG) image file format... which is now supported by all major internet browsers and most standard Windows applications.

I fixed a couple of bugs I found in the modCOMDLG32.bas standard module, and made sure the "multi-select" feature of the Open dialog works correctly.

I completely rewrote the cWinHelp.cls class module because after taking another look at it recently I realized how out of date and incorrect the code in it was.  The new version gives you FULL WinHelp functionality where the old module only gave you a fraction of WinHelp's functionality.

I updated the cADO.cls Visual Basic class module to add functionality to the "ConnectionString" property and add two new functions: "GenerateConnectionString" and "GetConnectionProperty".   The first function takes the specified simple parameters and creates a valid ADO connection string capable of connecting to SQL, Oracle, Access, FoxPro, Excel, dBase III, dBase IV, dBase V, MS Indexing Services, HTML, and TEXT.  The second function allows you to query the ADODB.Connection.Properties collection for specified information about the connection.  I modified the "ConnectionString" read-only property to allow you to retrieve either the exact connection string you gave it, or the actual connection string as is within the ADODB.Connection object.  I also added a parameter called "blnDeleteRsIfBlank" to all the "Execute*" functions.   Setting this to True (default) will return an ADODB.Recordset object that is set to "Nothing" if it contains no valid records.  You can set this to False if you wish to return a recordset resulting from a query even if it contains no valid records (EOF & BOF = True, or State = Closed).

The updated version of cADO.cls is completely backwards compatible to previous versions.  I will update cADO.asp (the ASP version) soon.

I also realized that the "About Me" page was out-dated, so I updated it.   

This module wraps the functionality of an INCREDIBLE image DLL called "FreeImage".  This library gives you the ability to read and write the following image formats:  

Want to know the best part about FreeImage?  IT'S COMPATIBLE WITH VB, AND IT'S FREE!!  I really can't say enough about this DLL, so download it and give it a try!

"But what does ASP have to do with Visual Basic... this is a VB Site, right?"

Yes, this is a VB site, but all of the code is done with VBScript and is written in a very VB way if you take a look at it.  I see ASP as a way to run VB code over the internet from the server side.    =)

So if you've been holding out because you don't have a VISA or MC... but you do have an AmEx or Discover card... NOW'S YOUR CHANCE!   hehehe...

I also corrected some incorrect code documentation. 

Also, I've added two functions.  The first function to allows you to easily change the caption of the window playing any video file that you specify to play.  The second function allows you to easily change the icon of the window playing any video file that you specify to play.  These two functions allow you to make the default window that comes up to play video look like it is part of your application. 

I apologize, I put out this big section about the cResource.cls class module and the modMemoryAVI.bas and modMemoryWAV.bas and then I go and forget to put them in the proper sections on this web site so people can download them!  heh... I am very forgetful some times.  Anyways, they have been added to the class module and standard module sections respectively.

Enjoy.

Also, people have asked how to play WAVE, MIDI, and AVI files from resources.  After searching and searching, I've come to the conclusion that MIDI files just can NOT be played directly from a resource by extracting the resource and playing the MIDI file from memory.  They must be extracted, saved, then played from the hard drive with either the cMCI.cls, cMCI_Adv.cls, cDirectMusic7.cls, or cDirectMusic8.cls class modules.  However, I have figured out how to play both WAVE and AVI files directly from a resource by extracting the resource and playing it from memory.  I've created two standard VB modules to do this... modMemoryAVI.bas, and modMemoryWAV.bas.  These module were intended to be used with the cResource.cls class module, but do not require it.

Example code on how to use all three of these new modules are included within the documentation contained within each respective module.

I YET AGAIN modified the modListView5.bas and modListView6.bas VB Standard Modules to fix a couple more bugs that I found in them.

I've updated the cADO.cls class module under the "VB Class Modules" section to fix a few small bugs I found.

I've updated the cADO.asp ASP class module under the "ASP Class Modules" section.  This is the NEW version of the cADO class and has all the new features and bug-fixes... including support for transactions, and custom Isolation Levels on the connection level.

Also, I've started doing the HOWTO Lesson 3 - OCX's.  I'm not finished, but will be soon.  These HOWTO lessons take a VERY long time, so I apologize if I haven't finished them all and if they are slow coming.  I do however, put them higher on my priority list if people express an interest in them.

I've modified the modListView5.bas and modListView6.bas standard module to fix a couple of bugs that I found in them.

The SampleComCtrl.zip file contains a complete project that demonstrates the correct creation and use of an ActiveX/COM control.  I previously posted this code on PlanetSourceCode.com and you can check out the page I created for it there by clicking HERE.

I'm busy working on yet another update to the modBitmap.bas file!  The changes I'm making are VERY exciting and offer some REALLY neat functionality all done directly through the Win32 API to ensure speed and accuracy.  I'll release this in a few days.

I would strongly recommend upgrading to this version of cADO.cls because it is programmed in a better way. 

I will update the ASP version of this as soon as I get a chance.

God Bless America... and may justice come swiftly and sharply to terrorists around the world.

This class module provides a simple, standard way use ADO (part of the Microsoft Data Access Components (MDAC)) to access any supported database... including MS SQL, MS Access, Oracle, FoxPro, etc.

This module is professional strength and includes full error checking, connection sharing, and object clean up to allow for the most efficient data access from within your project.

Open, play, and manipulate just about any multimedia file type (including MP3, MPEG, MOV, QT, AIF, WMV, AVI, WAV, MIDI, CDA, and much more) WITHOUT DEPENDENCIES!

I also updated the cMCI.cls class module to fix a small memory leak that I didn't catch when I first built it.

I'll soon have a sample project uploaded to demonstrate how to take advantage of the cMCI_Adv.cls module.

This new version of this class module IS NOT compatible with the older version.

Also, if you have Visual Basic 5.0, make sure that you've got Service Pack 3 installed.

Update your bookmarks... but this one should be easy enough to remember without a bookmark (that's knida the point, ya see).   =]

I added the class module cDirectSound8.cls to the SAMPLE CODE - Class Modules section and have added a link to DX8VB.DLL under the DOWNLOAD - DLL File section

Need more control over the volume, frequency, & pan of sound play back than is offered by the cMCI.cls class module?  Need to be able to play multiple sounds AT THE SAME TIME?  Well then this is your solution.  Make sure that you have DirectX 7a or better installed on your computer, download one DLL, and you're ready to use the cDirectSound7.cls class module!  Check out the "Class Modules" page under the "Sample Code" section for more information.   You'll need to download and install DX7VB.DLL as well.

Go check em out if you need a good, reliable, powerful, and flexible search engine for your site:  http://www.atomz.com/

The new version of modBitmap.bas adds A LOT of additional functionality as well as fixes some problems I've found with the previous version.

WARNING : If you have created an application based on the old version of modBitmap.bas and upgrade to this one, you will have problems compiling without modifying your code because the function calls are different and incompatible.  You could always stick with the old version... nothing is THAT wrong with it... this one is just better.

Added GetMenus.zip to the "Sample Projects" section.  This sample demonstrates how to use a recursive function to get the information about all the menus of any application given the application's Window Handle using only a few API calls.

The modWINSOCK.bas file gives you FULL functionality to ALL the documented APIs in the Windows Sockets DLLs (WSOCK32.DLL / WS2_32.DLL).  The modPING.bas module uses the modWINSOCK.bas module to tap into the Winsock's ability to do such things as resolve IP addresses from host names, get the computer name (host name) of the current user, and send a PING to a remote server to test the speed of the connection between the client and the server.

The modWININET.bas file gives you FULL functionality to ALL the documented APIs in the WININET.DLL.  The modFTP.bas module uses the modWININET.bas module to tap into the WININET.DLL's FTP functionality and give you full FTP capabilities... including utilization of passive or active FTP connectivity and ASCII (Type A) and Binary (Type I) transfer methods... plus full data rate tracking via FTP callbacks.

The combination of modBitmap.bas, cSprite_Bitmap.cls, and cSprite_Background.cls are the key elements for creating "sprite" animation easily and efficiently.  A "Sprite" is an image that is drawn repeated in different locations to give the appearance of movement.  This technique sometimes is used to create games.  To see it all in action, download the Sprites.zip sample project or read the documentation in the cSprite_* modules.

With the addition of the Sprites.zip project, the sample projects area is now up and running.  I'm going to be adding several more sample projects very soon.  Stay tuned.

This DLL makes sub-classing windows messages in Visual Basic safer by taking it over and handling it outside of VB.  This makes editing sub-classing code at run time within VB possible because it doesn't lock up the VB IDE.

These modules together give you all the information available via the standard VB object "Screen" so you can use this information in VBA applications like AutoCAD and MS Word 97 where the Screen object is not available.  The information reported by the cScreen.cls class module is actually more accurate than the Screen object when it comes to properties like the TwipsPerPixelX and TwipsPerPixelY.

These modules also give you A LOT more functionality on top of the standard information available to you via the VB Screen object like the ability to dynamically resize the screen size and draw objects and pictures directly to the display area of the screen.

This class module was written to make it easy to compress and decompress files, text, or byte arrays.  The compression method used and the DLL used to do it with are completely FREE (like all the other code and libraries on this site).

This class module was written to make displaying animations and animated cursors easy and efficient.

modFindFile_API.bas - Added this new module
modFindFile_FSO.bas - Added this new module

These two modules are identical as far as the public functions that are exposed and their usage... and because of this, they could be swapped in a project seamlessly.  They differ only in that the modFindFile_FSO.bas file uses the "FileSystemObject" object to do the work (which requires the file "SCRRUN.DLL"), and the modFindFile_API.bas file uses just the Win32 API to do the work.  The FSO version might be faster on a one for one search, but the API version is faster on a wild card search.  The FSO version also has to create and destroy the FileSystemObject many times over during a standard search which takes up memory and speed that the API doesn't.

modCommon.bas - Updated to include ComboBox "AutoComplete" function
modDUN.bas - Added this new module
modGetLastError1.bas - Added this new module
modHiLo.bas - Added this new module
modKeyboard.bas - Fixed a bug in the VirualKey_Send function
modOpenAndClose.bas - Added this new module
modRegistry_Adv.bas - Added this new module
modSysFonts.bas - Added this new module
modTimeZones.bas - Added this new module
modTTF.bas - Added this new module

- Added a bug to the VB Bugs page
- Added a few links to the Links page

Removed the site search ability because it wasn't working.  I can't get it to work for anything!  I've tried it all.  I'm not sure if intra.whatUseek.com is just a piece of crap search service, or if they can't spider my web site, or if I'm not giving it the right info, or what.  One thing's for sure... their tech support on it SUCKS!  I can't find any way to contact anyone about help on correctly setting it up... so I took it down.   Anyone got a REAL search engine that I can stick on my site?