PRJ AppNote: Constants for Project and Visual Basic (WP1043)

• Microsoft Project for Windows, version 4.0

The "Using Visual Basic and Microsoft Project Constants with Visual Basic Standard or Professional Edition" Application Note is now available from Microsoft Product Support Services. This Application Note includes the files that contain global declarations for the Microsoft Project and Visual Basic, Applications Edition, constants. You can obtain this Application Note from the following sources:

• Microsoft's World Wide Web Site on the Internet
• The Internet (Microsoft anonymous ftp server)
• The Microsoft Network (MSN)
• Microsoft Download Service (MSDL)
• Microsoft Product Support Services

THE TEXT OF WP1043

  Microsoft(R) Product Support Services Application Note (Text File)
  WP1043: USING VISUAL BASIC(R) AND MICROSOFT PROJECT CONSTANTS WITH
             VISUAL BASIC STANDARD OR PROFESSIONAL EDITION

                                                  Revision Date: 12/94
                                                                1 Disk

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| Copyright (C) 1994 Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved.      |
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OVERVIEW

This Application Note includes the following files, which contain global declarations for the Microsoft Project and Visual Basic, Applications Edition, constants:

• PJCONST.BAS--Microsoft Project global constants file
• VBACONST.BAS--Microsoft Visual Basic, Applications Edition, global constants file

You can open and print these files using any text editor and then use the printouts as references when you write code. The files list the names of all the constants along with their numeric values.

WHY USE BUILT-IN CONSTANTS?

When you create Visual Basic procedures in Microsoft Project, you can use constants to represent values that you use frequently. Using constants makes your code easier to read and easier to maintain. For example, if you use the value 8h frequently, you can define a constant called <myvalue>, and then use <myvalue> in your procedure everywhere you would use the value 8h. If you change the value of <myvalue>, you only have to make the change in one location instead of in each place you used the value 8h.

Microsoft Project and Visual Basic, Applications Edition, have built- in constants that are used with functions, methods, objects, and properties. The Microsoft Project built-in constants all begin with the letters "pj," and the Visual Basic, Applications Edition, built-in constants begin with the letters "vb."

When you use built-in constants, your Visual Basic code is easier to read because built-in constants describe the functions they perform. For example, to change the alignment of the text in a column, you could use the following Visual Basic code:

   ColumnAlignment Align:=pjCenter

   ColumnAlignment Align:=1

USING BUILT-IN CONSTANTS WITH VISUAL BASIC PROFESSIONAL OR STANDARD EDITION

To use these constants in the Standard or Professional Editions of Visual Basic, you must declare them. In most cases, you will want to declare them globally by loading them into a code module. If you want to limit the scope of the constants to a form or procedure, change the Global declaration to Const, and paste only the constants you want to use in the Declaration section of the form or procedure.

To load PJCONST.BAS or VBACONST.BAS into a code module:

1. In the Visual Basic Standard or Professional development environment, choose the New Module command from the File menu. This adds an empty code module to your project.

2. Make sure the module is the active window, and then choose Load Text from the File menu.

3. From the List Files Of Type box, select Basic Files (*.BAS).

4. Select one of the global constants files, and choose the Replace button. If you want to add the file to a module in which you already have other declarations, choose the Merge button.

WHERE ARE BUILT-IN CONSTANTS LISTED IN MICROSOFT PROJECT?

If you want to know which built-in constants are available for a particular function, method, object, or property, search in the Visual Basic Reference in Microsoft Project Help for the item you're looking for or use the Object Browser to view a list of built-in constants.

To use Help to see which built-in constants are available for a particular item:

1. In Microsoft Project, choose Contents from the Help menu.

2. In the Microsoft Project Help Contents window, choose Visual Basic Reference.

3. In the Visual Basic Reference window, choose the Search button.

4. In the Search dialog box, type the name of the item (function, method, object, or property) you want to view, and choose the Show Topics button.

5. From the Topics list, select the item you want to view, and choose the Go To button.

To look up constants using the Object Browser:

1. In the Microsoft Project module editor view, choose Object Browser from the View menu. (To get to the module editor, choose Macros from the Tools menu, and then choose the Edit button.)

2. From the Libraries/Projects list, select MSProject or Visual Basic for Applications.

3. From the Classes/Modules list, select Constants.

TO OBTAIN THIS APPLICATION NOTE

You can find WP1043.EXE (size: 21263 bytes) 
                       , a self-extracting file, on the following

• Microsoft's World Wide Web Site on the Internet

        On the www.microsoft.com home page, click the Support icon.
        Click Knowledge Base, and select the product.
        Enter kbfile WP1043.EXE (size: 21263 bytes) 
                               , and click GO!
        Open the article, and click the button to download the file.
  
  

• Internet (anonymous FTP)

        ftp ftp.microsoft.com
        Change to the Softlib/Mslfiles folder.
        Get WP1043.EXE (size: 21263 bytes) 
  

• The Microsoft Network

        On the Edit menu, click Go To, and then click Other Location.
        Type "mssupport" (without the quotation marks).
        Double-click the MS Software Library icon.
        Find the appropriate product area.
        Locate and Download WP1043.EXE.
  

• Microsoft Download Service (MSDL)

        Dial (425) 936-6735 to connect to MSDL
        Download WP1043.EXE (size: 21263 bytes) 
  

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   TITLE     : How to Obtain Microsoft Support Files from Online
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