Visual Basic Common Control API Routines
SendMessage: Display ListView Grid Lines
     
Posted:   Saturday March 1, 1997
Updated:   Monday December 26, 2011
     
Applies to:   VB4-32, VB5, VB6
Developed with:   VB4-32, Windows 95
OS restrictions:   None
Author:   VBnet - Randy Birch
     
 Prerequisites
This method is intended for Visual Basic 5 or Visual Basic 6 where the Common Control library used is the MSComCtl 5 version (comctl32.ocx). Because the VB6-specific mscomctl.ocx (Common Controls 6) is a complete implementation of comctl32.dll and not reliant on the version of comctl32.dll installed, this routine may not work when applied to a listview created from the VB6-specific mscomctl.ocx.

Enhanced Comctl32 functionality is only available to users with comctl32.dll version 4.70 or greater installed. This dll is typically installed with IE3.x or greater.


By setting a ListView extended style bit using the API SendMessage with the message LVS_EX_GRIDLINES, the ListView columns and rows will be separated by a grey grid line.

This example does not contain all code required to construct the illustration shown. The routine provided here is designed to be applied to an existing project utilizing a ListView control with SubItems.

 BAS Module Code
Place the following code into the general declarations area of a bas module:

Option Explicit
''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
' Copyright ©1996-2011 VBnet/Randy Birch, All Rights Reserved.
' Some pages may also contain other copyrights by the author.
''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
' Distribution: You can freely use this code in your own
'               applications, but you may not reproduce 
'               or publish this code on any web site,
'               online service, or distribute as source 
'               on any media without express permission.
''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
Public Declare Function SendMessage Lib "user32" _
   Alias "SendMessageA" _ 
  (ByVal hwnd As Long, _
   ByVal Msg As Long, _ 
   ByVal wParam As Long, _
   lParam As Any) As Long

Public Const LVM_FIRST = &H1000
Public Const LVM_SETEXTENDEDLISTVIEWSTYLE = (LVM_FIRST + 54)
Public Const LVM_GETEXTENDEDLISTVIEWSTYLE = (LVM_FIRST + 55)
Public Const LVS_EX_FULLROWSELECT = &H20
Public Const LVS_EX_GRIDLINES = &H1
 Form Code
Add a check button to the project (Check1) with the caption "Grid Lines". Set its initial value to 0. Add the following code to the check button sub:

Option Explicit

Private Sub Check1_Click()

   Dim state As Long
 
  'state will be true when the checkbox
  'style is 1 (checked) or False when
  'unchecked
   state = Check1.Value = 1
 
  'set the new listview style
   Call SendMessage(ListView1.hwnd, _
                    LVM_SETEXTENDEDLISTVIEWSTYLE, _
                    LVS_EX_GRIDLINES, ByVal state)

End Sub
 Comments
Run your project, and populate your ListView as usual. Clicking the Check1 button will toggle the display of gridlines on the ListView.

 
 

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