Hello.  I am reworking a currency translator (small program) whose function
is to convert US dollars to several European currencies.  This was a class
assignment in beginning VB, and was written in v. 4.  I am using v. 5 to
play with it now, and update and add features.  One feature I'm adding is
the ability to update the exchange rate at run time.  

I would like the user to enter digits into a textbox control, up to 4 or 5
or 6 depending on which currency & textbox,  of them, so that there can be
up to 4 significant digits to the right of the decimal.  One should not
have to type a decimal, the program will need to take whatever number is
entered and format it:

case 1 if the first digit is a 1 then the number will read 1.xxx
case other if the first digit is > 1 then the prog will format it
                                                    as .xxxx or xx.xxxx
depending on which text box it is entered into (each currency uses a
separate textbox so how it operates depends on which one is used).  

Taking just case 1:  if I enter 1234, then it should be formatted (upon the
event that does this*) as 1.234.  I have tried using a custom format:
textbox1.text = format(textbox1.format,"0.###") and a lot of other
formatting directions, but the result is invariably something like:
123.4 or 12.34 or 1234.  Other attempts at the format code:

"#.000"
"#.###"
"0.##0"
etc.  I just can't seem to find the one which will guarantee using 3 of the
numbers to the right of the decimal.  (The textbox has a property that
allows limiting the number of places typed in, so that I can limit this to
4.  Error checking routine can ensure that the first digit allowed in the
the case 1 textbox is a '1', etc.  But I can't get the formatting to work.)

* the event is either textbox1.lostfocus or command1.onclick

Anyone?  Thanks,                   /ts

                                                                             /ts

Hello.  I am reworking a currency translator (small program) whose function
is to convert US dollars to several European currencies.  This was a class
assignment in beginning VB, and was written in v. 4.  I am using v. 5 to
play with it now, and update and add features.  One feature I'm adding is
the ability to update the exchange rate at run time.  

I would like the user to enter digits into a textbox control, up to 4 or 5
or 6 depending on which currency & textbox,  of them, so that there can be
up to 4 significant digits to the right of the decimal.  One should not
have to type a decimal, the program will need to take whatever number is
entered and format it:

case 1 if the first digit is a 1 then the number will read 1.xxx
case other if the first digit is > 1 then the prog will format it
                                                    as .xxxx or xx.xxxx
depending on which text box it is entered into (each currency uses a
separate textbox so how it operates depends on which one is used).  

Taking just case 1:  if I enter 1234, then it should be formatted (upon the
event that does this*) as 1.234.  I have tried using a custom format:
textbox1.text = format(textbox1.format,"0.###") and a lot of other
formatting directions, but the result is invariably something like:
123.4 or 12.34 or 1234.  Other attempts at the format code:

"#.000"
"#.###"
"0.##0"
etc.  I just can't seem to find the one which will guarantee using 3 of the
numbers to the right of the decimal.  (The textbox has a property that
allows limiting the number of places typed in, so that I can limit this to
4.  Error checking routine can ensure that the first digit allowed in the
the case 1 textbox is a '1', etc.  But I can't get the formatting to work.)

* the event is either textbox1.lostfocus or command1.onclick

Anyone?  Thanks,                   /ts

                                                                             /ts

I just think that you are going to totally confuse your user . . . and why
not, Bill Gate$ has totally confused most of us - and people still keep on
giving him money ;-)  Formatting is for . . . well . . . formatting! What
you want to do is to insert a decimal point into a number which did not
previously contain one. You could do a lot worse (and probably a lot better)
than:

Text1 = Format(Left(Text1, 1) & "." + Mid(Text1, 2), "0.000")

Mike

/ts

It was: Mon, 12 Jul 1999 02:06:09 +0100 and with STARTLING insight,  ""Mike

in a Textbox/Richtextbox" to "comp.lang.basic.visual.misc" :

-->I just think that you are going to totally confuse your user . . . and why
-->not, Bill Gate$ has totally confused most of us - and people still keep on
-->giving him money ;-)  Formatting is for . . . well . . . formatting! What
-->you want to do is to insert a decimal point into a number which did not
-->previously contain one. You could do a lot worse (and probably a lot better)
-->than:
-->
-->Text1 = Format(Left(Text1, 1) & "." + Mid(Text1, 2), "0.000")
-->
-->Mike

The final code, with error check:

If Mid(RichTextBox1(0).Text, 2, 1) <> "." Then
  RichTextBox1(0).Text = Format(Left(RichTextBox1(0).Text, 1) & "." +
Mid(RichTextBox1(0).Text, 2), "0.000")
End If
rateP = Val(RichTextBox1(0).Text)

And that worked 100%!  Thanks a lot.  I had no experience working with left
and mid functions.  Largely this is a self derived learning excercise.  I
think I've learned a lot!  Guess it might confuse a user, or not:  depends
on the clarity of the interface's presentation.  I was trying to do a bunch
of things automatically.  Whenever you have to enter a number into a
program, where possible the program ought to verify that the number is
useful for the calculation.  Sort of like making an icon and having to  put
in a valid path to a working directory or the process stops till you do.  

The code above will now allow input of up to 4 digits (limit placed by
textbox property) and verify that the decimal is in position two; if not,
it puts one there then calculates.  Voila.  

"Come to think of it, there are already a million monkeys on a million
 typewriters, and Usenet is NOTHING like Shakespeare." Blair Houghton
***********entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitate***********