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AppHelp

Create tooltip help for VB.net controls

Windows Forms supports ToolTip Help, which can be used to provide targeted help for some or all controls within Windows Forms. The ToolTip component can be used to display a short special message.

Tooltip AppHelp

To support ToolTip Help in your application, you must use the ToolTip component, which can be found in the Toolbox under Windows Forms. Drag a ToolTip component from the Toolbox to your form. It is a component instead of a control, so after dragging it onto your form it will sit at the bottom of the component frame. This component gives each control on the form a new property called ToolTip on tipExample1.

Tooltip AppHelp

The Windows Forms ToolTip component has several features that you can set. The ToolTip component can be configured so that there is a delay before the ToolTip text is displayed.

Tooltip AppHelp

You must enter the text to be displayed in the ToolTip property of each individual control (e.g. txtInput) or specify it by coding it directly. The ToolTip text is not displayed when controls are grayed out.

Tooltip AppHelp

The ToolTip can be reduced to a simple QuickInfo if the desired text is only entered in the ToolTip1 attribute for the individual control (e.g., txtInput) by designer (IDE) or code.

' In this example, btnExecute is the control to display the ToolTip (QuickInfo).
toolTip1.SetToolTip(btnExecute, "Click for a message")

Tooltip App-Hilfe

' Option with multi-line tooltip
ToolTip1.SetToolTip(btnExecute, "Foo" & ControlChars.NewLine & "Bar")

Tooltip code example

''' <summary>
''' Set up tooltip information for controls.
''' </summary>
''' <remarks>ToolTipTitle is more a category or text related to the icon and to use only once.</remarks>
Private Sub CreateTooltipText()
    Dim tt As New ToolTip

    With tt
        .AutomaticDelay = 0
        .AutoPopDelay = 10000   ' How long the ToolTip remains visible
        .InitialDelay = 50      ' Time before the initial Tooltip will show
        .ReshowDelay = 250      ' How much time passes before the next ToolTip will show

        .IsBalloon = True
        .ToolTipTitle = "Info"            ' Title next to the icon
        .ToolTipIcon = ToolTipIcon.Info   ' Set an ICON if required

        ' Set up the ToolTip text for the controls.
        .SetToolTip(lblInput, "This is a label for the input field.")
        .SetToolTip(txtInput, "Please enter your first name.")
        .SetToolTip(btnExecute, "Click this button generates a message for you.")
    End With

End Sub