PowerBASIC Users Meeting Point - Portal

GDI+ Gauges custom control

Thu, 29 Oct 2026 23:59:26 +0000

I have two compiled tests to run, one is SDK style and the other is DDT. This is for the Aqua Gauge C# translation, it's not a direct translation but modeled and written in PBWIN10. I'm hoping a few fellow PB'ers can try it out on your machines and let me know if you have any visual scaling issues, also let me know your Screen settings. Once I have this control finally worked out, I'll spit-shine, polish and post the code. Many thanks!

btw, these are binary files, so you may need to add them to your virus program exclusion list.

GdipGauge.zip (Size: 93.79 KB / Downloads: 6)

gdip.jpg (Size: 139.45 KB / Downloads: 11)

Program that won't close

Sun, 25 Oct 2026 10:37:18 +0000

I have a program that I can't close; I've tried everything. Here is the current situation:

Code:
CALLBACK FUNCTION AggiornaXProc()

    SELECT CASE CB.MSG

        '...........................................chiudi con X

        CASE %WM_SYSCOMMAND

        IF (CB.WPARAM AND &HFFF0) = %SC_CLOSE THEN 

           PID = SHELL("PAY.EXE", 1)

           DIALOG END CB.HNDL, 0  ' Chiude hDlg2

           DIALOG END hDlg, 0     ' Chiude hDlg

           CLOSE                  ' Rilascia gli handle file

           END                    ' Termina definitivamente PAY_START.EXE

        END IF  

    END SELECT

END FUNCTION

Code:
       ' --- RICHIAMA PAY.EXE ---

       PID = SHELL("PAY.EXE", 1)

       ' --- CHIUSURA ORDINATA IN SEQUENZA CORRETTA ---

       DIALOG END hDlg2, 0   ' Chiude prima il dialogo figlio (Aggiornamenti)

       DIALOG END hDlg, 0    ' Poi chiude la finestra principale (AgriPag)

       CLOSE                 ' Chiude tutti i canali file aperti

       END                   ' Forza la terminazione del processo

I also tried using taskkill, but it doesn't work.

If I try from the CMD, on the other hand, I get this—and you can see that the program was open:

C:\PAG>cmd.exe /c taskkill /F /IM PAY_START.EXE
OPERAZIONE RIUSCITA: il processo "PAY_START.EXE" con il PID 8960 è stato terminato.

Do you have a solution for closing this program safely? P.S. This only happens with this one...

EnableVisualStyles.bas

Sat, 24 Oct 2026 15:13:35 +0000

Don't remember if anyone posted this kind of function in any of the old - now gone - forums, so here it is. Works for me in Windows 10 - hopefully also in later versions. To be compiled with PB/Win 10. Some comments explain.

Code:
'======================================================================

' Small example of how to enable visual styles in CommCtrl.dll v.6 via

' code instead of using manifest file in resource. Maybe not so useful,

' since doing it via xptheme.xml manifest in resource is easy, but here

' it is anyway. Public Domain by Borje Hagsten October 24, 2026.

'

' Added: Made a correction to deactivation via SUB DisableVisualStyles,

'        where FreeeLibrary and ReleaseActCtx was added.

'        Thank you Stanley Durham for pointing this out.

'======================================================================

#COMPILE EXE

#DIM ALL

'--------------------------------------------------------------------

%UNICODE = 1

#INCLUDE "WIN32API.INC"

'--------------------------------------------------------------------

%IDC_TEXTBOX1 = 531

GLOBAL ghActCtx, gCookie, ghShell32 AS LONG  ' need to store these as global.

'======================================================================

FUNCTION PBMAIN () AS LONG

  LOCAL hDlg AS LONG

  EnableVisualStyles() 'Activate at entry

  DIALOG NEW 0, "EnableVisualStyles",,, 185, 65, %WS_CAPTION OR %WS_SYSMENU OR _

                                                 %WS_MINIMIZEBOX, 0 TO hDlg

  DIALOG SET COLOR hDlg, -1, RGB(196, 196, 196)

  '------------------------------------------------------------------

  CONTROL ADD TEXTBOX, hDlg, %IDC_TEXTBOX1, "TextBox1", 5, 5, 100, 55

  CONTROL ADD BUTTON, hDlg, %IDCANCEL, "&Ok", 110, 46, 70, 14

  '------------------------------------------------------------------

  DIALOG SHOW MODAL hDlg  ' no callback - just a demo of how to..

  IF gCookie THEN DisableVisualStyles ' Deactivate at exit

END FUNCTION

'=================================================================================

' Enable visual styles in CommCtrl.dll v.6, using manifest resource in shell32.dll

'---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

FUNCTION EnableVisualStyles() AS DWORD

  LOCAL aCtx AS ACTCTX

#IF %DEF(%UNICODE)

  LOCAL szSys AS WSTRINGZ * %MAX_PATH

#ELSE

  LOCAL szSys AS ASCIIZ * %MAX_PATH

#ENDIF

  GetSystemDirectory szSys, SIZEOF(szSys)    ' Need path to shell32.dll

  aCtx.cbSize  = SIZEOF(ACTCTX)

  aCtx.dwFlags = %ACTCTX_FLAG_RESOURCE_NAME_VALID OR _

                 %ACTCTX_FLAG_ASSEMBLY_DIRECTORY_VALID OR _

                 %ACTCTX_FLAG_HMODULE_VALID

  aCtx.hModule = LoadLibrary("shell32.dll")  ' Use the manifest resource in shell32.dll

  aCtx.lpResourceName = 124                  ' Manifest resource name

  aCtx.lpAssemblyDirectory = VARPTR(szSys)

  ghShell32 = aCtx.hModule

  ghActCtx  = CreateActCtx(aCtx)  'push the specified activation context to the top of the activation stack

  IF ghActCtx <> %INVALID_HANDLE_VALUE THEN   'vs.hActCtx = dwRes, &vs.cookie = dwCookie, vs.hShell32 = aCtx.hModule

     ActivateActCtx(ghActCtx, gCookie)

  END IF

  FUNCTION = gCookie

END FUNCTION

'=================================================================================

' Disable visual styles

'---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SUB DisableVisualStyles

  IF gCookie THEN DeactivateActCtx(0, gCookie)

  IF NOT ghActCtx = %INVALID_HANDLE_VALUE THEN ReleaseActCtx(ghActCtx)

  IF ghShell32 THEN FreeLibrary(ghShell32)

END SUB

PHP and PowerBasic

Sat, 24 Oct 2026 11:32:52 +0000

Does anyone have experience with having a webpage—via PHP—call a function (e.g., in a DLL) written in PowerBasic?
/Fim W.

LOOP remains active after closing via Task Bar cure

Sun, 18 Oct 2026 00:58:52 +0000

In a current project I'm using GRAPHIC WINDOW CLICK in a DO/LOOP.
(Is similar to MODELESS pump and CALLBACK but only clicks not Windows messages)

If I closed the window using right click on task bar icon compiling again failed because program is still running.
(needed to close using Task Manager)

The cure is API IsWindow (hWin) in the DO/LOOP.

Code:
  'Mouse click "pump"

  do

    graphic window click to ClickState, PosX, PosY

  ' if ClickState then                    '<== to also check for double click

    ' sleep 550 'default Windows time 500,             '<== for double click

    ' graphic window click to ClickState, dummy, dummy '<== for double click

      ExitRequest = ClickProc( ClickState, PosX, PosY) '<== Exit clicked on window

      if ExitRequest then exit function

      if IsWindow (hGrafWin) = 0 then exit function    '<== the cure!

  ' end if                                             '<== for double click

    sleep 100

  loop

I've found no way to monitor for mouse clicks in TXT.WINDOW. But there could be a DO/LOOP.

Use CON.MOUSE and CON.HANDLE for the above to work in PBCC.

PBWIN has function ISWIN, but GRAPHIC WINDOW and TXT.WINDOW can also be created in PBCC which doesn't.

related: Console programs can have a callback. See PBCC samples\Internet\TCP or \UDP.

trailing semicolon?

Wed, 14 Oct 2026 11:04:22 +0000

I'm sure this has come up before, but probably on the old forum.

In a code module translated from C, I inadvertently left a line-end semicolon behind, resulting in:

Code:
END TYPE;

As far as I'm aware this is not valid, and shouldn't compile - but it did!

What am I getting wrong here? Is is somehow valid PB syntax?

Next Gen Visual Designer front end -testing

Mon, 12 Oct 2026 20:59:25 +0000

I wonder if a few people can test out my latest compiled version work in progress. This isn't going to be a full fledged designer + code generator, just a quick start with a a few of my own new personal features, when I get to that point in life. I will make it available (source code) as custom control and include a small demo how to use it. But for now it's just the binary test file.

Here's the zip file. (See post#9 for updated file, October 24th, 2026)

It will create a temp avi file in the same folder as the exe, it cleans up once you exit. Once I add the properties dialog, you can swap avi files during design time.

Thanks in advance!

PowerBASIC Users...

Sat, 10 Oct 2026 19:44:21 +0000

Is anyone else having issues reaching "PowerBASIC Users"? I get the following, attached, message. Tried three different browser, same message.

Marc

PBUsers.jpg (Size: 34.9 KB / Downloads: 4)

Claude

Mon, 05 Oct 2026 20:29:24 +0000

Has anyone subjected their code to Claude for an analysis? I recently pushed a 100k .bas file thru it and in return receiving a list of ~100 logic errors, some of which were valid, some were not.
I then asked Claude to write an alternative code and what it produced was incredibly close to the original in 25k - but it wasn't 100% compilable by PB. This stuff is going to make us old dinasours all totally redundant.