To open the Toolbox, choose Toolbox from the Window menu.See Also
The Toolbox displays all the standard Visual Basic controls plus any custom controls you have added to your project. You choose a tool by clicking it.
To open the Toolbox, choose Toolbox from the Window menu.
To close the Toolbox, double-click the Toolbox's Control menu.
There are 21 basic tools in the Toolbox:
Pointer. This is the only item in the Toolbox that doesn't draw a control. Use it to resize or move a control after it's been drawn on a form.
Picture Box Use to display graphical images (either decorative or active), as a container that receives output from graphics methods, or as a container for other controls.
Label Use for text that you don't want the user to change, such as a caption under a graphic.
Text Box Use to hold text that the user can either enter or change.
Frame Use to create a graphical or functional grouping for controls. To group controls, draw the frame first, then draw controls inside the frame.
Command Button Use to create a button the user can choose to carry out a command.
Check Box Use to create a box that the user can easily choose to indicate if something is true or false, or to display multiple choices when the user can choose more than one.
Option Button Use in a group of option buttons to display multiple choices from which the user can choose only one.
Combo Box Use to draw a combination list box and text box. The user can either choose an item from the list or enter a value in the text box.
List Box Use to display a list of items from which the user can choose one. The list can be scrolled if it has more items than can be displayed at one time.
Horizontal Scroll Bar Use to provide a graphical tool for quickly navigating through a long list of items or a large amount of information, for indicating the current position on a scale, or as an input device or indicator of speed or quantity.
Vertical Scroll Bar Use to provide a graphical tool for quickly navigating through a long list of items or a large amount of information, for indicating the current position on a scale, or as an input device or indicator of speed or quantity.
Timer Use to trap timer events at set intervals. This control is invisible at run time.
Drive List Box Use to display the valid drives in a selected drive.
Directory List Box Use to display a hierarchical list of directories in the user's system.
File List Box Use to display a list of files that the user can open, save, or otherwise manipulate.
Shape Use to draw a variety of shapes on your form at design time. You can choose a rectangle, rounded rectrangle, square, rounded square, oval, or circle.
Line Use to draw a variety of line styles on your form at design time.
Image Use to display a graphical image from a bitmap, icon, or metafile on your form. Images displayed in an image control can only be decorative and use fewer resources than a picture box.
Grid Use to create a spreadsheet-like grid consisting of columns and rows of data.
OLE Control Use to provide object linking and embedding (OLE) from an OLE server into your Visual Basic application.
Data Control Use to provide access to data in databases through bound controls on your form.
Common Dialog Use to create common types of dialog boxes for opening or saving files, setting fonts or colors.
When you select the pointer, you will be able only to resize or move a control.
When you select any other tool, you can use it only to draw new controls.
Once you draw a control, the pointer is automatically reselected.
Help:
Attaching an Event Procedure to a Form or Control
Controls
Drawing a Control
Setting Form and Control Properties
Learning Visual Basic:
How Visual Basic Works
Programmer's Guide:
Chapter 3, "Creating and Using Controls"