Screensaver Tutorial

In this tutorial you will learn how to create a
screensaver with visual basic.  It is
fairly easy once you study it so now lets get into the project.

We will create a screensaver today

To start off, start a new project in visual basic.

Name the project “Blanker”.

Add four forms and name one ‘frmMain', one
‘frmSettings', one ‘frmPassSetup' and one ‘frmPassword'. Also add a new module.

Click the menu project|Blanker Properties.

In the ‘General' tab, change the ‘Startup Object'
to Sub Main.

Choose the ‘Make' tab and in the title
text box, type “SCRNSAVER Blanker”

Now
click ok and you're ready to start coding!

In
the module you created, copy these API's into it:

Option
Explicit 'All variables must be declared

'Constants

Public
Const SW_SHOWNORMAL = 1

Private
Const APP_NAME = "Blanker"

‘API's

‘This
Function Shows and hides the cursor.

Declare
Function ShowCursor Lib "user32" (ByVal bShowstyle="mso-spacerun: yes">  As Long) As Long

‘This
function finds if another instance of the saver is running.

Declare
Function FindWindow Lib "user32" Alias
"FindWindowA"(ByVallpClassName As String, ByVal lpWindowName As
String) As Long

Now copy the main sub:

Sub
Main ()

‘This
sub is called when windows wants the screensaver to run a certain event.

‘This
locates what windows wants and activates it.

Select
Case Mid(UCase$(Trim$(Command$)), 1, 2)

Case
"/C" 'Configurations mode called

frmSettings.Show
1

Case
"", "/S" 'Screensaver mode

runScreensaver

Case
"/A" 'Password protect dialog

frmPassSetup.Show
1

Case
"/P" 'Preview mode

‘The
preview mode is very advanced. It is when you see a clip of it on the little
‘monitor. Just leave the monitor screen blank.

End

End
Select

End
Sub

Now copy the other
functions that go into the module:

Private
Sub runScreensaver() 'Run the screen saver

checkInstance
'Make sure no other instances are running

ShowCursor
False 'Disable cursor

'load
Screen Saver's main form

Load
frmMain

frmMain.Show

End
Sub

Private
Sub checkInstance()

'If
no previous instance is running, exit sub

If
Not App.PrevInstance Then Exit Sub

'check
for another instance of screen saver

If
FindWindow(vbNullString, APP_NAME) Then Exit Sub

'Set
our caption so other instances can find

'us
in the previous line.

frmMain.Caption
= APP_NAME

End
Sub

Sub
exitScreensaver() 'Exit the screensaver

ShowCursor
True ‘Show the cursor

End

End
Sub

Now for the Settings
form.

Set the form's
properties as follows:

Now just add a label and
set it's caption to “Created By: “ and your name or something.

That form had no code.

Now let's move on to the
password setup form.

Set the caption to
“Password” and the border style to 4.

Now add a label that
says “Password:” and add a text box beside it named txtPassword. Now add two
command buttons with one named “cmdOK” and one named “cmdCancel”. Set the
captions to ‘OK' and ‘Cancel'.

Now copy this code:

Private
Sub cmdCancel_Click()

Unload
Me

End
Sub

Private
Sub cmdOK_Click()

SaveSetting
"Blanker", "Settings", "Password",
txtPassword.Text

Unload
Me

End
Sub

Now let's get into the
other password form.

Set the form's settings
as the same as the other password's form's settings.

Now add the same
controls as the password setup form with the same properties.

Now just enter this
code:

Private
Sub cmdOK_Click()

If
txtPassword.Text = GetSetting("Blanker", "Settings",
"Password", "") Then

exitScreensaver

Unload
Me

Else

txtPassword.Text
= ""

Me.Hide

MsgBox
"Wrong password! Try again!", vbOKOnly + vbCritical,
"Password"

Unload
Me

End
If

End
Sub

Private
Sub cmdCancel_Click()

Unload
Me

End
Sub

Now for the main form:

Set the form's
properties as so:

Now add a line control
anywhere on the form and set it's BorderColor to &H00FFFFFF&. Now just
copy this code and your screensaver will be finished.

Public
bWhite As Boolean

Private
Sub Form_Activate()

Line1.X1
= frmMain.Width 2

Line1.Y1
= frmMain.Height 2

Line1.X2
= frmMain.Width 2

Line1.Y2
= frmMain.Height 2

Timer1.Enabled
= True

End
Sub

Private
Sub Form_Click()

If
GetSetting("Blanker", "Settings", "Password",
"") <> "" Then

frmPassword.Show
'If a password is set then show the password box

Else

exitScreensaver
'exit the screensaver

End
If

End
Sub

Private
Sub Form_DblClick()

If
GetSetting("Blanker", "Settings", "Password",
"") <> "" Then

frmPassword.Show
'If a password is set then show the password box

Else

exitScreensaver
'exit the screensaver

End
If

End
Sub

Private
Sub Form_KeyDown(KeyCode As Integer, Shift As Integer)

If
GetSetting("Blanker", "Settings", "Password",
"") <> "" Then

frmPassword.Show
'If a password is set then show the password box

Else

exitScreensaver
'exit the screensaver

End
If

End
Sub

Private
Sub Form_KeyPress(KeyAscii As Integer)

If
GetSetting("Blanker", "Settings", "Password",
"") <> "" Then

frmPassword.Show
'If a password is set then show the password box

Else

exitScreensaver
'exit the screensaver

End
If

End
Sub

Private
Sub Form_KeyUp(KeyCode As Integer, Shift As Integer)

If
GetSetting("Blanker", "Settings", "Password",
"") <> "" Then

frmPassword.Show
'If a password is set then show the password box

Else

exitScreensaver
'exit the screensaver

End
If

End
Sub

Private
Sub Form_Load()

ShowCursor
False 'Hide the cursor

bWhite
= True

End
Sub

Private
Sub Form_MouseDown(Button As Integer, Shift As Integer, X As Single, Y As
Single)

If
GetSetting("Blanker", "Settings", "Password",
"") <> "" Then

frmPassword.Show
'If a password is set then show the password box

Else

exitScreensaver
'exit the screensaver

End
If

End
Sub

Private
Sub Form_MouseMove(Button As Integer, Shift As Integer, X As Single, Y As
Single)

Static
x0 As Integer

Static
y0 As Integer

style="mso-spacerun: yes">    ' Do nothing except in screen saver mode.

style="mso-spacerun: yes">    If RunMode <> rmScreenSaver Then
Exit Sub

style="mso-spacerun: yes">    '
Unload on large mouse movements.

style="mso-spacerun: yes">    If ((x0 = 0) And (y0 = 0)) Or _

style="mso-spacerun: yes">        ((Abs(x0 - X) < 5) And (Abs(y0 - Y)
< 5)) _

style="mso-spacerun: yes">        Then

style="mso-spacerun: yes">            ' It's a small movement.

style="mso-spacerun: yes">            x0 = X

style="mso-spacerun: yes">            y0 = Y

style="mso-spacerun: yes">            Exit Sub

style="mso-spacerun: yes">    End If

exitScreensaver

End
Sub

Private
Sub Form_MouseUp(Button As Integer, Shift As Integer, X As Single, Y As Single)

If
GetSetting("Blanker", "Settings", "Password",
"") <> "" Then

frmPassword.Show
'If a password is set then show the password box

Else

exitScreensaver
'exit the screensaver

End
If

End
Sub

Private
Sub Timer1_Timer()

Line1.BorderWidth
= Line1.BorderWidth + 3 'Increase the border width by 3

If
Line1.BorderWidth >= 1000 Then

Line1.BorderWidth
= 1 'If the line's border width gets bigger than the screen then set it back to
one.

If
bWhite = True Then

Line1.BorderColor
= vbGreen

bWhite
= False

GoTo
This

End
If

If
bWhite = False Then

Line1.BorderColor
= vbWhite

bWhite
= True

End
If

End
If

This:

End
Sub

style='font-weight:normal'>Don't forget: Compile and then change extention
to.scr.

style='font-weight:normal'>Now my tutorial ends on making screen savers. If you
need further instructions because you did not understand, then check the source
code that came with this tutorial.

style='font-size:11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt'>Edited By: Aaron Lindsay Now
The Age Of Eleven

style='font-size:11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt'>Created By: Aaron Lindsay Of
The Age Of Ten

style='font-size:11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt'>Friday, March 30, 2002

style='font-size:11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt'>Please Vote

style='font-size:11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt'> 

Note:  When
testing the screensaver from visual basic, don't use the shortcut of F5 to
start it because it will instantly disappear. Click on the ‘>' part.

Note #2: This was created in VB6. There is no guarantee
that it will work on other versions (It won't work on VB4 16 bit version &
lower).

Note #3: If you're making your own screensaver based on
this tutorial, change all the ‘Blanker's to the name of your choice.