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A label is a static control that displays fixed text to
the user. The user cannot change the text of a label but can only read it. A
label can be used by itself to display text. In many other cases, a label is
used to display text about another control next to it.
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To add a label to a form or report, display the form
or report in Design View. In the Controls section of the Design tab of the
Ribbon, click Label
and click the form or report. You must also type the title of the label
(if you don't and click somewhere else, the label would disappear. The
label control is an object of type Label.
To programmatically create a label, call the
CreateConotrol() function and pass the ControlType as
acLabel. The first argument is the name of the form or report on which
the label will be positioned. Here is an example:
Private Sub cmdCreateControl_Click()
Dim ctlFirstName As Control
Set ctlFirstName = CreateControl("Exercise", _
AcControlType.acLabel)
Set ctlFirstName = Nothing
End Sub
Of course, the third argument is the section of the
form or report where the label will be positioned. You can pass the fourth
argument as the name of the form or report on which the label will be
positioned. That is, the first and the fourth argument can be the same.
Here is an example:
Private Sub cmdCreateControl_Click()
Dim ctlFirstName As Control
Set ctlFirstName = CreateControl("Exercise", _
AcControlType.acLabel, _
AcSection.acDetail, _
"Exercise")
Set ctlFirstName = Nothing
End Sub
A label cannot be used directly for data entry. That
is, you cannot link a label to a column of a table. A label is only used
to display static text that cannot be changed. As a consequence, if you
are visually creating a label, you cannot specify its Control Source in
the Properties window. If you are programmatically creating the label,
pass the fifth argument as an empty string.
Probably the most important and the most obvious
characteristic of a label is the text it displays. The text is the label's
Caption. If you click the Label on the Ribbon and click on the form
or report, you must first define its caption. If a label already has a
caption, there are various ways you can edit it. For example, can click it
and click again to put it into edit mode, then edit its string. You can
also double-click it to access its Properties window and change its
Caption property.
If you are programmatically creating the label, to
specify its caption, access the control's Caption property and assign the
desired string to it. Here is an example:
Private Sub cmdCreateControl_Click()
Dim ctlFirstName As Control
Set ctlFirstName = CreateControl("Exercise", _
AcControlType.acLabel, _
AcSection.acDetail, _
"Exercise")
ctlFirstName.Caption = "First Name:"
Set ctlFirstName = Nothing
End Sub
The appearance of a label is visibly controlled by its
font characteristics. The Font name, also called its face, is the name of
the font as defined by the operating system. There are various ways you
can define the font characteristics of a control like the label. After
selecting it while the form or report is in Design View, on the Ribbon,
you can click Home or Design, then use the buttons in the Font section to
specify the font characteristics. You can also access the Properties
window of the label and modify the desired font properties.
The position of a label is controlled by its Top
and Left properties. The Top property defines the measure
from the top left corner of the section where the label is positioned, to
the top left corner of the label itself. There are two main ways you can
set the position of a label. On the Properties window, you can change the
values of the Top and Left properties. On the other hand, you can place
your mouse on the top left corner of the label until the mouse pointer
turns into a pointing finger. Then click and drag in the desired
direction.
If you are programmatically creating the label, to
specify its size, pass a sixth argument as its left position and/or a
seventh argument as its top position. Here are examples:
Private Sub cmdCreateControl_Click()
Dim ctlFirstName As Control
Set ctlFirstName = CreateControl("Fundamentals", _
AcControlType.acLabel, _
AcSection.acDetail, _
"Exercise", _
"", _
320, 260)
ctlFirstName.Caption = "First Name:"
Set ctlFirstName = Nothing
End Sub
The size of a label is controlled by its Width
and Height properties. Although the dimensions are closely related
to the font characteristics, they can be independently defined. There are
two main ways you can resize a label, which is equivalent to changing its
dimensions. To set your own dimensions, in the Format tab of the
Properties window of the label, change the values of the Width and Height
properties. Unless you plan to show the background color of a label,
probably the best way to resize a label is to make it adjust to the
dimensions depending on the font size and the total characters width. To
do this, position the mouse on one of the label's handle and double-click.
The label's width and height would be set to accommodate its caption.
If you are programmatically creating the label, to
specify its size, pass an 8th argument as its width and/or a ninth
argument as its height. Here are examples:
Private Sub cmdCreateControl_Click()
Dim ctlFirstName As Control
Set ctlFirstName = CreateControl("Fundamentals", _
AcControlType.acLabel, _
AcSection.acDetail, _
"Exercise", _
"", _
320, 260, 1200, 260)
ctlFirstName.Caption = "First Name:"
Set ctlFirstName = Nothing
End Sub