ActiveX Control Pad Fun... I've been pulling my hair out over this for the
last 2 days:

I need a control, preferably (but not definitely) a text box control, to be
invisible at run time, until an event is triggered that makes it visible.  
Sounds simple enough.  

When I am setting the controls properties, I set visible to false.  I plug
the control into my HTML and everything is fine except that <PARAM
NAME="Visible" VALUE="0"> or <PARAM NAME="Visible" VALUE="False"> isn't
there.  The control is visible at run time.

So I add <PARAM NAME="Visible" VALUE="0"> or <PARAM NAME="Visible"
VALUE="False"> or any one of several variations on that theme.  It's
ignored.  The control is still visible at run time.  

So I add an OnLoad sub that says that on load, the control is not visible.
Something like this:

<SCRIPT LANGUAGE="VBScript">
Sub OnLoad()
TextBox1.Visible=False
End Sub
</SCRIPT>

So I get an error saying that the property or method is not supported.
Visible is NOT supported ? Help says it IS supported.  The properties sheet
has it listed as a property.  The control is still visible at run time.  

So, I use the Script Wizard to script the onload, just in case I'm making a
lameass mistake.  The Visible property is not available for scripting.  The
control is still visible at run time.

So, I tried the IE PopUp Window control.  Its property sheet and property
tab dialog look incomplete.  There's no place to put a URL or text.  The
"general" tab is blank.  The help button on the property tab says the
occache.hlp file is missing.   So I search all three VStudio CD's for the
file.  It doesn't exist.  Friends check their systems for the help file.
It doesn't exist.  So I reinstall IE 3.01.  It still does not exist, and
the controls property sheet and property tab dialog still look incomplete.
Nothing changes.

AAARRRGGGHHH !!! WTF is goin on here ???

---> If there's a way to make a text box invisible and then visible ?  
---> Or is there a way to get the IE PopUp Window control to work ?
---> Or if there's an alternative control that I should be using ?

SOMEONE PLEEEEEEEASE let me know !

Thanks, Tony

"I used to have hair - but I pulled it all out"

Tony,
Have you tried embedding the text control in an alx file?  I found
that at least in ie3 the visible property doesn't work if the activex
control is not in an alx file.

I hope this gives your hair a break...
-Heidi

I didn't even know there was such a thing as a "Visible" option...

Maybe it's not as elegant, but I set a flag, (I'm clever, I call it "FLAG")
and use the timeless and beloved if-then:

<%If Flag =1 then%>
text box control and associated text, etc.
<%end if%>
when FLAG=0 then no text box, when FLAG=1...you get it.

As I said, it's not elegant, but it works just fine, first time, every time.
I have entire tables, population of drop down boxes, all sorts of stuff
shoved between there.

Hope this helps.

Robin.

"Still have all my hair"

THANKS, Tony  

THANKS Robin !

Sincerely, Tony

"The hairless one"

--------------

Tony,

-Heidi

Heidi & Tony,
I saw this thread and am interested in the same problem. We would like to
hide or display a Prototype DataTable OCX under program control and there
doesn't seem to be any obvious way to do this.
Robert Robinson

You need embed it in an alx (html layout control) file to be able to
control it's visibility in IE3. In IE4 it is possible to hide it using
dhtml.

-Heidi

Set the height and width to 0 and then give them new values when you want
to see it