Chapter
2
Resistor Sizing Program
In this chapter, you will learn how to use the following Visual Basic
Application functions for AutoCAD to World Class standards:
Opening the Visual Basic Editor in AutoCAD
Beginning a New Visual Basic Application
Laying Out a User Input Form in Visual Basic
Insert a Label into a Form
Insert a Textbox into a Form
Inserting More Labels and Textboxes into a Form
Insert a Label into a Form to Post an Output
Creating and Inserting an Image into a Form in Visual Basic
Insert Command Buttons into a Form
Adding a Copyright Statement to a Form
Adding Comments in Visual Basic to Communicate the Copyright
Programming the Compute Command Button
Resetting the Data
Exiting the Program
Running the Program
2-1
Open the Visual Basic Editor in AutoCAD
_________________________________________________________
Opening the Visual Basic Editor in AutoCAD is essential to creating a program to automate the
drawing process. In this version of the World Class CAD – Visual Basic Applications for
AutoCAD, we are using AutoCAD 2009, but we just finished using all the programs in this text
with a group of programmers using AutoCAD 2002. Their drawings were automatically made
just as efficiently as if they were using the most recent version of the Autodesk software.
Select Tools on the Menu bar, then Macro and then Visual Basic Editor. For quick launching of
the editor, press Alt – F11.
Figure A.1 – Launching the Visual Basic Editor
The Visual Basic Editor will appear on the computer desktop as a new program application.
Looking down on the computer’s Task bar, we can see the AutoCAD and Microsoft Visual
Basic Editor program tabs. Just single click either program tab to switch between the two
applications. However, if we close the AutoCAD drawing, unlike a stand-alone version of
Visual Basic, the Visual Basic Editor will close also.
For those individuals with
previous Visual Basic experience,
the Visual Basic Editor in
AutoCAD has the same layout.
The menu bar contains tools for
our use as well as the four toolbars
shown in Figure A.3, which are
Standard, Debug, Edit and
Userform. Presently, only the
Standard toolbar is showing. On
the left side of the workspace is
the Project menu, which shows the
files pertaining to this project.
Below the Project menu is the
Properties pane. If we remember
the Properties tool in AutoCAD,
using this device will be simple.
Figure A.2 – The Visual Basic Editor
2-2
Figure A.3 – Toolbars in the Visual Basic Editor
With the Visual Basic Editor open,
select File on the Menu Bar and
select Save Project. We will
create a folder on either the
desktop or the My Documents
folder called “VBA Programs”.
After creating the folder, name the
file “Resistor Sizing”. The file
extension dvb as can be easily seen
means DCL and Visual Basic
programs.
Figure A.4 – Saving the Resistor Sizing Program
Beginning a New Visual Basic Application
_________________________________________________________
Remember, that all programming projects begin with one or more sketches, with one portraying
the part, detail, or assembly and the other being the user input form. In this program, Resistor
Sizing Program, we will just be running a user input form inside the AutoCAD application, so
we only need to sketch the arrangement of this special dialogue box. In this project, we will
name the input form, Resistor Sizing Program. We will place two textboxes on the form to
type the line voltage and the current. We will place two labels for the computed resistance and
power of the resistor. To the left of the textboxes and labels, we will insert the label, Voltage,
Current, Resistance and Power. To the right of the textboxes and labels, we will insert the
label, volts, amperes, ohms and watts. We will include an image of the two formulas. We will
have three command buttons, Compute, Reset and Exit. On the bottom of the form, we will
write the copyright statement using another label. On our sketch, we can help ourselves by
being as accurate as possible, by displaying sizes, fonts, colors and any other specific details
that will enable us to create the form quickly. From the beginning of inserting the form into the
project, we need to refer to our sketch.
2-3
We should train new programmers
initially in the art of form building.
When using the editor, we insert
and size the form, and selecting
the Controls Toolbox, we will
place all the various input tools
and properly label them.
Whenever we place an input tool,
the properties window will display
a list of every attribute associated
with the tool, and we will make
every effort to arrange the tool by
performing such actions as
naming, labeling and sizing the
visual input device.
Figure A.5 – Sketch of the Resistor Sizing Form
Now that we have an idea of what
the dialogue box in our program
will look like, select the Insert
UserForm button on the Standard
toolbar to insert a new form.
Instantaneously, the once grey
work area is changed to contain
the UserForm1. A Form folder
with Userform1 is now in the
Project menu and the Properties
pane contains the attributes
associated with UserForm1.
Figure A.6 – Inserting a User Form
Figure A.7 – Designing the Resistor Sizing Form in Visual Basic
2-4
Laying Out a User Input Form in Visual Basic
_________________________________________________________
We will change the Caption in the
Properties pane to Resistor Sizing
to agree with the sketch in Figure
A.5. Go ahead and change the
form in two other aspects, Height
and Width.
Alphabetic
(Name) frmResistorSizing
BackColor &H80000013&
Caption Resistor Sizing Form
Height 300
Width 400
Figure A.8 – Setting the Caption and other Properties
The form will change in size to the height and width measurement. The background color will
change to a light blue. There are many more attributes in the Properties pane that we will use on
future projects.
Inserting a Label into a Form
_________________________________________________________
A good form is easy to figure out
by the user, so when we are
attempting to provide information
on the window that will run in
AutoCAD; we add labels to
textboxes to explain our intent.
Press the Label (A) button on the
Control Toolbar to add a label. To
size the label area, click on the
upper left area of the form and
hold down on the left mouse
button, draw the dotted label box
as shown in Figure A.9.
Figure A.9 – Placing a Label on the Form
2-5
We will name the Label using a
common Visual Basic naming
convention where the
programming object is a three-
letter prefix followed by the name
or phrase of the tool. For our first
label, the name is lblVoltage.
Alphabetic
(Name) lblVoltage
BackColor &H80000013&
Caption Voltage:
Font Arial
On the sketch, the label’s caption
is “Voltage:” The font will be a
bold, 12 point, Arial. When
highlighting the row for Font, a
small command button with three
small dots appears to the right of
the default font name of Tahoma.
Click on the three-dotted button to
open the Visual Basic Font
window.
Figure A.10 – Changing the Font to Arial
We will select the Arial font, Bold
font style and 12 size for this
project to agree with the initial
sketch if the user input form.
When we adjust the attributes for
the label, these changes do not
alter globally for the other objects
on the form. If we wish to
underline the text or phrase in the
label, add a check to the Underline
checkbox in the Effects section of
the Font window. When we finish
making changes to the font
property, select the OK command
button to return to the work area.
Figure A.11 – The Font Window in Visual Basic
2-6
When the first label is done, the
background color of the label
matches the background color of
the form. In many cases, that
effect is visually pleasing to the
eye, versus introducing another
color. Both color and shape will
direct the user in completing the
form along with the explanation
we place on the window to guide
the designer in using the
automated program. Use colors
and shape strategically to
communicate well.
Figure A.12 – The Finished Label on the Form
Inserting a Textbox into a Form
_________________________________________________________
A textbox is utilized so that a user
of the computer program can input
words, numbers or a mixture of
both types of data strings into the
form. Press the TextBox (ab)
button on the Control Toolbar to
add a textbox. To size the textbox
area, click on the upper left area of
the form and hold down on the left
mouse button, draw the dotted
textbox.
Figure A.13 – Placing a TextBox on the Form
2-7
We will name the TextBox using
the three-letter prefix followed by
the name or phrase of the tool. For
our first textbox, the name is
txtVoltage.
Alphabetic
(Name) txtVoltage
Height 24
Width 72
The font on the sketch is 12 point,
Arial. When highlighting the row
for Font, a small command button
with three small dots appears to
the right of the default font name
of Tahoma. Click on the three-
dotted button to open the Visual
Basic Font window. Make the
changes as we did on the Label
and press OK to save the property.
Figure A.14 – Changing the (Name) to txtVoltage
Inserting More Labels and Textboxes into a Form
_________________________________________________________
We will add one more TextBox
named Current under the first
textbox and seven more labels as
shown in the figure to the right.
The form shows the name of the
labels and textboxes.
Figure A.15 – Additional Textboxes and Labels
2-8
Inserting a Label into a Form to Post the Output
_________________________________________________________
Some labels on a form are in a
position to display an answer after
the user inputs data and they press
the command button to execute the
application. To add this label,
press the Label (A) button on the
Control Toolbar to add a label. To
size the label area, click on the
upper left area of the form and
hold down on the left mouse
button, draw the dotted label box
as shown in Figure A.16.
Figure A.16 – Placing another Label on the Form
We will name the Label using the
name lblResistance2.
Alphabetic
(Name) lblResistance2
BorderStyle 1-frmBorderStyleSingle
Caption
Font Arial
Height 24
Width 72
The font on the sketch is 12 point,
Bold and Arial. When highlighting
the row for Font, a small command
button with three small dots
appears to the right of the default
font name of Tahoma. Click on the
three-dotted button to open the
Visual Basic Font window. Make
the changes as we did before and
press OK to save the property.
Figure A.17 – Changing the (Name) to txtName
2-9
Creating and Inserting an Image into a Form in Visual Basic
_________________________________________________________
Different from the Hello World
program, this form will have a picture
of the formula, so we need to make a
graphic in AutoCAD as shown in
figure A.18. When the graphic is
finished, we need to save the drawing
as an image file. Use the Saveimg
command to save file in the VBA
Programs folder. Create a folder
named Images in the VBA Programs
folder and save the file as Formulas.
We saved the file as a Bitmap with a
width of 100 pixels and a height of
140 pixels.
Figure A.18 – The Resistor Sizing Image File
On the control toolbox, select the
Image tool and then draw a
rectangular box on the form in the
upper right corner as shown in Figure
A.19. After outlining the size of the
image, we will direct the program to
the folder and filename of the digital
image. In the Properties – Image pane,
select the attribute named Picture.
With the mouse, select the three-dot
box in the empty cell to the right of
Picture. The Load Picture window
appears on the screen. Go to the VBA
Programs folder and then the Images
folder. Select the file, Stamping with
four holes and it will appear in the
picture frame.
Figure A.19 – The Control Toolbox
2-10
Figure A.20 – The Control Toolbox
Inserting a Command Buttons into a Form
_________________________________________________________
A command button is used so that
a user will execute the application.
Press the Command button on the
Control Toolbar to add a command
button. To size the label area, click
on the upper left area of the form
and hold down on the left mouse
button, draw the command button
as shown in Figure A.21.
Figure A.21 – Insert a Command Button onto a Form
2-11
We will name the command button
using the name is cmdCompute.
Alphabetic
(Name) cmdCompute
Caption Compute
Font Arial
Height 24
Width 66
The font on the sketch is 12 point,
bold and Arial. When highlighting
the row for Font, a small command
button with three small dots
appears to the right of the default
font name of Tahoma. Click on the
three-dotted button to open the
Visual Basic Font window. Also,
we will center the text on the
command button. Make the
changes as we did before and press
OK to save the property.
Figure A.22 – Changing the (Name) to cmdCompute
Add a second Command button,
named cmdReset is for clearing
the txtVoltage, txtCurrnet,
lblResistance2 and lblPower2
objects. The third command button
is to exit the program. When the
user presses the Exit command
button, the application closes and
full control of the manual
AutoCAD program returns to the
user. Notice the equal spacing
between the command buttons
gives a visually friendly
appearance.
Figure A.23 – Insert Two More Command Buttons
2-12
Adding a Copyright Statement to a Form
_________________________________________________________
At the beginning of a new program, we will expect to see an explanation or any special
instructions in the form of comments such as copyright, permissions or other legal notices to
inform programmers what are the rules dealing with running the code. Comments at the
opening of the code could help an individual determine whether the program is right for their
application or is legal to use. The message box is a great tool when properly utilized to inform
someone if they are breaking a copyright law when running the code.
Finish the form with the following
copyright information.
‘Resistor [Link] copyright (c)
2009 by charles robbins
If there are special rules or
instructions that the user needs to
know, place that information on
the bottom of the form.
Figure A.24 – Adding a Copyright Statement
Adding Comments in Visual Basic to Communicate the Copyright
_________________________________________________________
The comments we placed in the first three lines of the program will inform the individual
opening and reading the code of any special instructions. However, for those user that may run
the application without viewing the internal comments, the label on the bottom of the form with
the copyright information is a great tool to alert the client to the rules of the program
To begin the actual coding of the program, double click on the Compute command button. At
the top of the program and before the line of code with Private Sub cmdCompute_Click (),
place the following comments with the single quote (‘) character. Remember, the single quote
character (‘) will precede a comment and when the code is compiled, comments are ignored.
Type the following line of code:
'Resistor [Link] copyright (c) 2009 by Charles W. Robbins
'This program will open a dialogue box in AutoCAD, allow the user to type the line voltage and
'current. When the user clicks on the Compute button, the Resistance and Wattage is given
2-13
Figure A.25 – Adding a Copyright Statement
Programming the Compute Command Button
_________________________________________________________
We can type these two Visual
Basic expressions to compute the
resistance and power for the
resistor.
Figure A.26 – Declaring Variables with Dim Statements
lblResistance2 = [Link] / [Link]
lblPower2 = [Link] * [Link]
Resetting the Data
_________________________________________________________
To clear the textboxes for the
voltage and current and to reset the
labels containing the resistance
and power, we will set the textbox
for Voltage, [Link]
property to a blank entry by using
the equal sign “=” and the null
string “”. This makes the property
blank. We will set the label for
Resistance, lbl [Link]
property to a black entry by using
the equal sign “=” and the null
string “”, and this will make that
property blank. Do the same for
txtCurent and lblPower2.
Figure A.27 – Computing the Reset Button
2-14
Exiting the Program
_________________________________________________________
Figure A.28 – Exiting the Program
To exit this program, we will unload the application and end the program.
Type the following code:
“Unload and exit the program
Unload Me
End
Running the Program
_________________________________________________________
After noting that the program is
saved, press the F5 to run the
Resistor Sizing application. The
Resistor Sizing Program window
will appear on the graphical
display in AutoCAD. Notice the
professional appearance and
presentation of information in a
clean dialogue box. The color of
the background is neither black
nor white, which would match the
normal graphical display colors
used by designers in AutoCAD.
Figure A.29 – Launching the Program
2-15
We can type 6 in the voltage
textbox and 1 in the current
textbox. If we press the Reset
command button, the textboxes
and labels will clear for new
values. If we push the Exit
command button, the program will
close. In this case, we will press
the Compute command button and
the answers appear as shown in
figure A.30.
Figure A.30 – Running the Program
If our program does not function correctly, go back to the code and check the syntax against the
program shown in Figure A.28. Repeat any processes to check or Beta test the program. When
the program is working perfectly, save and close the project.
We can make many variations of this Visual Basic Application using other formulas. While we
are practicing with forms, we can learn how to use textboxes, labels and comments. These are
skills that we want to commit to memory.
* World Class CAD Challenge 5-11 * - Write a Visual Basic Application that displays a
single input form, allow the user to type in their name, and when executed, the program
will greet the user with information obtained from the computer.
Continue this drill four times using some other form designs, each time completing the
Visual Basic Application in less than 30 minutes to maintain your World Class ranking.
2-16