DOCUMENT:Q154515 11-JAN-2001 [vbwin] TITLE :HOWTO: Print Text Sideways in a Picture Box Using Win32 API PRODUCT :Microsoft Visual Basic for Windows PROD/VER:WINDOWS:4.0,6.0 OPER/SYS: KEYWORDS:kbAPI kbSDKWin32 kbVBp kbVBp400 kbVBp600 kbGrpDSVB kbDSupport ====================================================================== ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The information in this article applies to: - Microsoft Visual Basic Learning Edition for Windows, version 6.0 - Microsoft Visual Basic Professional Edition for Windows, version 6.0 - Microsoft Visual Basic Enterprise Edition for Windows, version 6.0 - Microsoft Visual Basic Standard Edition, 32-bit, for Windows, version 4.0 - Microsoft Visual Basic Professional Edition, 32-bit, for Windows, version 4.0 - Microsoft Visual Basic Enterprise Edition, 32-bit, for Windows, version 4.0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY ======= By using the CreateFont and CreateFontIndirect Win32 API calls, it is possible to rotate text on a Device context such as a picture box, a form, or the Printer Object. This article provides a Win32 Code sample demonstrating how this can be done. MORE INFORMATION ================ 1. Start a new Visual Basic Project. Form1 is created by default. 2. Add a Command button to Form1. 3. Place a PictureBox on Form1. 4. Place the following code in the General Declarations section of Form1: Option Explicit Private Declare Function CreateFontIndirect Lib "gdi32" Alias _ "CreateFontIndirectA" (lpLogFont As LOGFONT) As Long Private Declare Function SelectObject Lib "gdi32" (ByVal hdc _ As Long, ByVal hObject As Long) As Long Private Declare Function DeleteObject Lib "gdi32" (ByVal _ hObject As Long) As Long Private Const LF_FACESIZE = 32 Private Type LOGFONT lfHeight As Long lfWidth As Long lfEscapement As Long lfOrientation As Long lfWeight As Long lfItalic As Byte lfUnderline As Byte lfStrikeOut As Byte lfCharSet As Byte lfOutPrecision As Byte lfClipPrecision As Byte lfQuality As Byte lfPitchAndFamily As Byte lfFaceName as String * LF_FACESIZE End Type Sub Command1_Click() Dim font As LOGFONT Dim prevFont As Long, hFont As Long, ret As Long Const FONTSIZE = 10 ' Desired point size of font font.lfEscapement = 1800 ' 180-degree rotation font.lfFaceName = "Arial" & Chr$(0) 'Null character at end ' Windows expects the font size to be in pixels and to ' be negative if you are specifying the character height ' you want. font.lfHeight = (FONTSIZE * -20) / Screen.TwipsPerPixelY hFont = CreateFontIndirect(font) prevFont = SelectObject(Picture1.hdc, hFont) Picture1.CurrentX = Picture1.ScaleWidth Picture1.CurrentY = Picture1.ScaleHeight / 2 Picture1.Print "Rotated Text" ' Clean up by restoring original font. ret = SelectObject(Picture1.hdc, prevFont) ret = DeleteObject(hFont) Picture1.CurrentY = Picture1.ScaleHeight / 2 Picture1.Print "Normal Text" End Sub 5. Press the F5 key to run the project, and then press the Command Button. You will see two pieces of text appear, one the right way up and one inverted. NOTE: These instructions will not work if you attempt to use Printer.hDC in Visual Basic 5.0, SP2 or SP3, instead of using Picture1.hDC. REFERENCES ========== For additional information about how to properly rotate text using a printer, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: Q175535 PRB: Printing Rotated Text with Visual Basic For additional information about the 16-bit equivalent of this sample, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: Q119673 How to Print with Rotated Text Additional query words: ====================================================================== Keywords : kbAPI kbSDKWin32 kbVBp kbVBp400 kbVBp600 kbGrpDSVB kbDSupport Technology : kbVBSearch kbAudDeveloper kbZNotKeyword6 kbZNotKeyword2 kbVB600Search kbVBA600 kbVB600 kbVB400Search kbVB400 Version : WINDOWS:4.0,6.0 Issue type : kbhowto ============================================================================= THE INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THE MICROSOFT KNOWLEDGE BASE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. MICROSOFT DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT SHALL MICROSOFT CORPORATION OR ITS SUPPLIERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER INCLUDING DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, LOSS OF BUSINESS PROFITS OR SPECIAL DAMAGES, EVEN IF MICROSOFT CORPORATION OR ITS SUPPLIERS HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES SO THE FOREGOING LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY. Copyright Microsoft Corporation 2001.