Set Visual Basic Environment Options
You can set the behavior and look of the Visual Basic development environment through the Options dialog box. Use the:
- Editor tab to specify Code window and Project window settings.
- Editor Format tab to specify the appearance of your code.
- General tab to specify form, error handling, and compile settings for your project.
- Docking tab to specify whether a window is attached or "anchored" to one edge of other dockable or application windows.
To set Environment options
- On the Tools menu of the Visual Basic editor, click Options. Each option is described in the following tables.
Editor
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| Auto Syntax Check | Visual Basic automatically verifies correct syntax after you enter a line of code. |
| Require Variable Declaration | Explicit variable declarations are required in modules. |
| Auto Indent | After tabbing the first line of code, all subsequent lines start at that tab location. |
| Tab Width | The tab width, which can range from 1 - 32 spaces. (Default is 4 spaces.) |
| Default to Full Module View | Procedures for new modules are displayed in the Code window as a single, scrollable list or one procedure at a time. |
| Procedure Separator | Display separator bars at the end of each procedure in the Code window. |
| Auto List Members | At the insertion point, Visual Basic displays information that logically completes a statement. |
| Auto Quick Info | Information about functions and their arguments is displayed as you type. |
| Auto Data Tips | Automatically display the value of any variable on which you place the mouse pointer. Available only in break mode. |
| Drag-Drop in Text Editing | Code elements can be dragged from the Code window into the Immediate or Watch windows. |
Editor Format
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| Foreground, Background, and Indicator | The color of different categories of text listed in the Code Colors list. |
| Font | The font used for displaying code. |
| Size | The size of the font used for code. |
| Margin Indicator Bar | Display the Margin Indicator Bar. |
General
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| Show Grid | Display a grid on a form. |
| Grid Units | Lists the unit of measurement for units in the grid. |
| Width | The width of the grid cells on a form. |
| Height | The height of the grid cells on a form. |
| Align Controls to Grid | Automatically position the outer edge of controls on the closest grid lines. |
| Show ToolTips | Display ToolTips for toolbar buttons. |
| Collapse Proj. Hides Windows | Automatically close the project, UserForm, object, or module windows when a project is collapsed in the Project Explorer. |
| Notify Before State Loss | Display a message that a requested action will cause all module-level variables to be reset for a running project. |
| Break on All Errors | Any error causes the project to enter break mode, whether or not an error handler is active, and whether or not the code is in a class module. |
| Break in Class Module | Any unhandled error produced in a class module causes the project to enter break mode at the line of code which produced the error. |
| Break on Unhandled Errors | Any other unhandled error causes the project to enter break mode. |
| Compile On Demand | A project is fully compiled before it starts, or code is compiled as needed. |
| Background Compile | Use idle time during run time to finish compiling the project in the background. (Available only if Compile On Demand is set.) |
Docking
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| The check box for the appropriate window | A window can be anchored to an adjacent dockable window or the Visual Basic Editor window. |