DOCUMENT:Q199244 11-JAN-2001 [vbwin] TITLE :HOWTO: Retrieve the Regional Settings Currency Symbol PRODUCT :Microsoft Visual Basic for Windows PROD/VER::4.0,5.0,6.0 OPER/SYS: KEYWORDS:kbAPI kbVBp kbGrpDSVBDB ====================================================================== ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The information in this article applies to: - Microsoft Visual Basic Professional Edition for Windows, versions 4.0, 5.0, 6.0 - Microsoft Visual Basic Enterprise Edition for Windows, versions 4.0, 5.0, 6.0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY ======= 32-bit Visual Basic applications that are distributed in more than one country must rely upon the Regional Settings specifications of the Windows Control Panel for retrieving the appropriate currency symbol to display to the user. Retrieving the currency symbol involves calling the GetLocaleInfo function from the 32-bit Windows API function library. MORE INFORMATION ================ The following code can be used to retrieve the currency symbol as specified in the Regional Settings of the Windows Control Panel. The GetUserDefaultLCID() function retrieves the default locale for the current user and the GetLocaleInfo() function retrieves information relating to the specified locale. Keep in mind that Visual Basic 6.0 has built in functions to automatically format numbers with the currency symbol as specified in the Control Panel's Regional Settings. While this code works in Visual Basic 6.0, the primary audience for this article are 32-bit Visual Basic 4.0 and Visual Basic 5.0 developers. Executing this code stores the user default currency symbol in the Symbol string: Option Explicit Private Declare Function GetLocaleInfo Lib "kernel32" _ Alias "GetLocaleInfoA" (ByVal Locale As Long, _ ByVal LCType As Long, ByVal lpLCData As String, _ ByVal cchData As Long) As Long Private Declare Function GetUserDefaultLCID% Lib "kernel32" () Private Const LOCALE_SCURRENCY = &H14 Dim Symbol As String Dim iRet1 As Long Dim iRet2 As Long Dim lpLCDataVar As String Dim Pos As Integer Dim Locale as Long Locale = GetUserDefaultLCID() iRet1 = GetLocaleInfo(Locale, LOCALE_SCURRENCY, lpLCDataVar, 0) Symbol = String$(iRet1, 0) iRet2 = GetLocaleInfo(Locale, LOCALE_SCURRENCY, Symbol, iRet1) Pos = InStr(Symbol, Chr$(0)) If Pos > 0 Then Symbol = Left$(Symbol, Pos - 1) End If REFERENCES ========== For additional information about how to use API functions from within Visual Basic, click the article numbers below to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: Q145679 HOWTO: Use the Registry API to Save and Retrieve Setting For information on how to use the API Viewer add-in that ships with Visual Basic, please see "Accessing The Microsoft Windows API" in the Visual Basic Books Online. For more information about locale identifiers, please see "Visual Basic Programmer's Guide to the Win32 API", by Daniel Appleman, PC Magazine Press Additional query words: currency symbol regional settings locale ====================================================================== Keywords : kbAPI kbVBp kbGrpDSVBDB Technology : kbVBSearch kbAudDeveloper kbZNotKeyword6 kbZNotKeyword2 kbVB500Search kbVB600Search kbVBA500 kbVBA600 kbVB500 kbVB600 kbVB400Search kbVB400 Version : :4.0,5.0,6.0 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.