SAMPLE: A Virtual List Box Implementation

• Microsoft Windows Software Development Kit (SDK) for Windows version 3.1

SUMMARY

A Virtual List Box Implementation with VLIST

Kyle Marsh Microsoft Developer Network Technology Group

Created: September 2, 1992

Revised: January 26, 1993

The standard list box control in Microsoft Windows can contain a limited number of items. Applications may need to implement list boxes that exceed this limitation. This article introduces a custom control called VLIST, which is a virtual list box capable of displaying millions of items. Part 1 of the article provides instructions for using the VLIST virtual list box, and documents the styles and messages that VLIST supports. Part 2 describes how VLIST was implemented, and discusses the problems encountered and decisions made during the implementation; readers who would like to modify VLIST or implement their own virtual list box may find this section interesting. For a working example of VLIST, see the Microsoft Developer Network CD---the topic listing in the Index window was implemented with VLIST.

VLIST implements a single-selection, single-column virtual list box capable of displaying millions of items. The standard list box control in Microsoft Windows can contain a limited number of items. VLIST shows how to implement list boxes that exceed this limitation.

Download VLB.EXE, a self-extracting file, from the Microsoft Software Library (MSL) on the following services:

• Microsoft Download Service (MSDL)

        Dial (206) 936-6735 to connect to MSDL
        Download VLB.EXE (size: 146461 bytes) 
  

• Internet (anonymous FTP)

        ftp ftp.microsoft.com
        Change to the \SOFTLIB\MSLFILES directory
        Get VLB.EXE (size: 146461 bytes)