I want all command buttons to change color from a VBA code

is there anything i can do to draw attention to this? I've been struggling with it for a long time, and my code is repeated so many times. The biggest problem is that any time I make a change, I have to add/remove those lines in many different subs, and i am prone to missing things.

Thank you in advance. I'm sorry if this question is stupid, but I don't know where else to look.

Hi Jennifer,

I understand your frustration. Though your question is tagged with "PI ProcessBook", there is nothing about PI at play here. Your entire question boils down to VBA, and there are better forums to answer VBA questions than here at PI Square. I suggest you search on "vba loop over command buttons". You may get a lot of Excel hits, but that's perfectly okay. VBA is VBA be it in Excel, Word, ProcessBook, etc.

Not to be cynical but "elegant" and "VBA" usually do not mix. VBA has a certain clunkiness to it, such as you needing to DIM any Object variable. And you may need to OleObject versus Object versus Control versus CommandButton etc.

I do not know if this would work on a UserForm, but you could play around with:

Public Sub ChangeButtonColors(color1 As OLE_COLOR, color2 As OLE_COLOR)

    Dim ctrl As Control
    Dim btn As CommandButton

    For Each ctrl In Me.Controls
        If Left(ctrl.Name, 6) = "Button" Then
            Set btn = ctrl 'Or is it ctrl.Object ?
            btn.ForeColor = color1
            btn.BackColor = color2
        End If
    Next

End Sub

Your struggle is understood; hopefully, Rick's reply will get you pointed in the right direction. Since you are using ProcessBook, please understand it's days are numbered and consider moving to PI Vision.

thank you so much for your reply! I haven't been able to get this code to work because the method controls doesn't exist, but I'll take my question to another forum, as you recommend.

I really honestly do not know how to do this. I make new screens all the time, and this is still the only way i know how to do it. I can easily do it in excel. I just don't know how to do it in PI. I beg you, please, it doesn't seem to be a member of "thisdisplay" i don't know how to do it. I've tried for 2 years, and i have hundreds of very ugly processbooks. what am i doing wrong?!

I've written this a hundred times, i just need to be able to cycle through the command buttons on a display, and it doesn't work the same way as excel. I can do it in excel, and i cannot do it in processbooks. I don't know if it's supposed to be a symbol, or what. please, someone please help. It grows exponentially worse.

still working on this.

i can find the symbol, but i don't know why i can't change the color after that.

my original method of buttonSR1.backcolor = color1 doesn't seem to work. backcolor doesn't exist as an option, instead there is backgroundcolor and fillcolor, and neither has any effect on the commandbutton. I can selected the button, but I can't change the color.

this is the original code:

Public Sub ShowPlantButton(inputplant)
'Sets currently selected plant button to a different color.

    Dim plantName
    Dim color1, color2, color3, color4 As Single
    
    unit = Right(inputplant, 1)
    plantName = inputplant
    color1 = &HC0C0C0    ' inactive
    color2 = 0           ' inactive
    color3 = vbCyan    'text color active
    color4 = 0           'button color active
    
'Switch all plant buttons back to normal.
On Error Resume Next
    ButtonSR1.BackColor = color1
    ButtonSR2.BackColor = color1
    ButtonWR1.BackColor = color1
    ButtonWR2.BackColor = color1
    ButtonWR3.BackColor = color1
    ButtonSH.BackColor = color1
    ButtonSD.BackColor = color1
    ButtonGP.BackColor = color1
    ButtonEH1.BackColor = color1
    ButtonEHD.BackColor = color1
    ButtonEH2.BackColor = color1
    ButtonEH3.BackColor = color1
    ButtonEH4.BackColor = color1
    
    ButtonEFB1.BackColor = color1
    ButtonEFB2.BackColor = color1
    ButtonEFB3.BackColor = color1
    ButtonEFB4.BackColor = color1
    ButtonEFB5.BackColor = color1
    ButtonEFB6.BackColor = color1
    ButtonEFB7.BackColor = color1
    ButtonEFB8.BackColor = color1
    ButtonEFB9.BackColor = color1
    ButtonEFB10.BackColor = color1
    ButtonEFB11.BackColor = color1
    ButtonEFB12.BackColor = color1
    
    ButtonGW1.BackColor = color1
    ButtonGW2.BackColor = color1
    ButtonGW3.BackColor = color1
    ButtonGW4.BackColor = color1
    ButtonGW5.BackColor = color1
    ButtonGW45.BackColor = color1
    ButtonNPT1.BackColor = color1
    
    ButtonHV1.BackColor = color1
    ButtonHV2.BackColor = color1
    ButtonHV3.BackColor = color1
    ButtonHV4.BackColor = color1
    ButtonHV5.BackColor = color1
    ButtonHV6.BackColor = color1
    ButtonHV7.BackColor = color1
    ButtonHV8.BackColor = color1
    ButtonHV9.BackColor = color1
    ButtonHV10.BackColor = color1
    
    ButtonPJ1.BackColor = color1
    ButtonPJ2.BackColor = color1
    ButtonPJ3.BackColor = color1
    
    ButtonGW.BackColor = color1
    ButtonSteam.BackColor = color1
    ButtonNPT_ST.BackColor = color1
    ButtonBarrett_ST.BackColor = color1
    ButtonPJ_ST.BackColor = color1
    ButtonEast.BackColor = color1
    
    ButtonMonthView.BackColor = color1
    ButtonBeginningofMonth.BackColor = color1
    ButtonMidnighttoMidnight.BackColor = color1
    ButtonRealTime.BackColor = color1
    ButtonWB.BackColor = color1
    
'Set currently selected plant's button to different color
    Select Case plantName
        Case "EFB1"
            ButtonEFB1.BackColor = color3
        Case "EFB2"
            ButtonEFB2.BackColor = color3
        Case "EFB3"
            ButtonEFB3.BackColor = color3
        Case "EFB4"
            ButtonEFB4.BackColor = color3
        Case "EFB5"
            ButtonEFB5.BackColor = color3
        Case "EFB6"
            ButtonEFB6.BackColor = color3
        Case "EFB7"
            ButtonEFB7.BackColor = color3
        Case "EFB8"
            ButtonEFB8.BackColor = color3
        Case "EFB9"
            ButtonEFB9.BackColor = color3
            status = Trend.SetTraceScale(ScaleLow, ScaleHigh)
        Case "EFB10"
            ButtonEFB10.BackColor = color3
            status = Trend.SetTraceScale(ScaleLow, ScaleHigh)
        Case "EFB11"
            ButtonEFB11.BackColor = color3
            status = Trend.SetTraceScale(ScaleLow, ScaleHigh)
        Case "EFB12"
            ButtonEFB12.BackColor = color3
            status = Trend.SetTraceScale(ScaleLow, ScaleHigh)
        Case "WB"
            ButtonWB.BackColor = color3
            status = Trend.SetTraceScale(ScaleLow, ScaleHigh)
            'ButtonBarrettGT.BackColor = color1
        Case "SRM1"
            ButtonSR1.BackColor = color3
            ButtonSR1.ForeColor = color4
        Case "SRM2"
            ButtonSR2.BackColor = color3
            ButtonSR2.ForeColor = color4
        Case "WR1"
            ButtonWR1.BackColor = color3
            ButtonWR1.ForeColor = color4
        Case "WR2"
            ButtonWR2.BackColor = color3
            ButtonWR2.ForeColor = color4
        Case "WR3"
            ButtonWR3.BackColor = color3
            ButtonWR3.ForeColor = color4
        Case "SH"
            ButtonSH.BackColor = color3
            ButtonSH.ForeColor = color4
        Case "SD"
            ButtonSD.BackColor = color3
            ButtonSD.ForeColor = color4
        Case "GP"
            ButtonGP.BackColor = color3
            ButtonGP.ForeColor = color4
        Case "EH1"
            ButtonEH1.BackColor = color3
            ButtonEH1.ForeColor = color4
        Case "EHD"
            ButtonEHD.BackColor = color3
            ButtonEHD.ForeColor = color4
        Case "PJ1"
            ButtonPJ1.BackColor = color3
            ButtonPJ1.ForeColor = color4
        Case "PJ2"
            ButtonPJ2.BackColor = color3
            ButtonPJ2.ForeColor = color4
        'Case "PJ3"
            'ButtonPJ3.BackColor = color3
            'ButtonPJ3.ForeColor = color4
        Case "EH2"
            ButtonEH2.BackColor = color3
            ButtonEH2.ForeColor = color4
        Case "EH3"
            ButtonEH3.BackColor = color3
            ButtonEH3.ForeColor = color4
        Case "EH4"
            ButtonEH4.BackColor = color3
            ButtonEH4.ForeColor = color4
        
        Case "GW1"
            ButtonGW1.BackColor = color3
                ScaleLow = -10
                ScaleHigh = 30
        Case "GW2"
            ButtonGW2.BackColor = color3
        Case "GW3"
            ButtonGW3.BackColor = color3
        Case "GW45"
            ButtonGW45.BackColor = color3
        Case "GW4"
            ButtonGW4.BackColor = color3
        Case "GW5"
            ButtonGW5.BackColor = color3
        'Case "NPT1"
            'ButtonNPT1.BackColor = color3
        Case "HV1"
            ButtonHV1.BackColor = color3
        Case "HV2"
            ButtonHV2.BackColor = color3
        Case "HV3"
            ButtonHV3.BackColor = color3
        Case "HV4"
            ButtonHV4.BackColor = color3
        Case "HV5"
            ButtonHV5.BackColor = color3
        Case "HV6"
            ButtonHV6.BackColor = color3
        Case "HV7"
            ButtonHV7.BackColor = color3
        Case "HV8"
            ButtonHV8.BackColor = color3
        Case "HV9"
            ButtonHV9.BackColor = color3
        Case "HV10"
            ButtonHV10.BackColor = color3
            

            
        Case "NPT" & unit
            ButtonNPT_ST.BackColor = vbCyan
        Case "Bar" & unit
            ButtonBarrett_ST.BackColor = vbCyan
        Case "PJ" & unit
            ButtonPJ_ST.BackColor = vbCyan
        Case Else
        
        
    End Select
'    Select Case unit
'    Case "1"
'        Button1.BackColor = vbCyan
'    Case "2"
'        Button2BackColor = vbCyan
'    Case "3"
'        Button3.BackColor = vbCyan
'    Case "4"
'        Button4.BackColor = vbCyan
'    End Select
    
End Sub

 and this is the way i would like it to work.

Sub TESTFINDBUTTONS()
    Dim mySymbol As Symbol
    Dim i As Integer
    'Dim button As TBSymbol 'also tried oleobject, object, control, controls, PBobject, commandbutton, and many more.
    On Error GoTo errorhandler
    
    
    For Each mySymbol In ThisDisplay.Symbols
        
        X = mySymbol.Type
        Y = mySymbol.Name
        z = Left(mySymbol.Name, 6)
        
     If mySymbol.Type = 14 And z = "Button" Then
            Dim button As p: button = mySymbol
            button.BackColor = vbBlue
            'Set button = ThisDisplay.Controls(mySymbol.Name)
            'ThisDisplay.CommandButton(Y).BackColor = vbBlue
            ThisDisplay.Symbols(Y).BackgroundColor = vbBlue
            ThisDisplay.Symbols(Y).FillColor = vbBlue
            ThisDisplay.Symbols(Y).Selected = True
            'mySymbol.BackColor = vbBlue
            'ButtonSR1.BackColor = color1
            mySymbol.FillColor = vbBlue
            mySymbol.Selected = False
            Selected.BackColor = vbBlue
' .BackColor = vbBlue
     
     
     End If
     
Next

errorhandler:
Resume Next
End Sub