Part one:What it will do
    ANy app should have a well designed specific purpose , the purpose of this one is to let a user make 300 x 200 bit maps using anycolor and one of three paint brushes.

No Win32 API functions are used here for the purpose of simplicity.The purpose of this project is to familiarize one with , passing values , randomize , common dialog ,pset and the use of public modular functions.
Follow the steps here and you'll have a paint program.
I didnt explain everything cause I figure some things can only be learned , not taught , however if there is anything you caint figure out gimme a hollar
I am one of those guys that will actually help
 My Email Adress
PART ONE : CREATING THE CONTROLS
STEP ONE

Open the existing project and look it over , use it and see what it does. Read each line of code and try to see where it fits in.
Now close the existing project.

STEP TWO

Open a new standard .exe project

Set the forms properties to the following
 

The width and height is in twips (1440 twips per inch)
The Caption will be what is displayed at the top of the form , OR you apps title
Min and max button prevents a user from maximizing the form (minbutton = false is optional) because the size of the controls will not change when the form is resized.Thus you'll have a bbig form with little on it.
Icon is the icon that will be displayed for your compiled executable and in the forms upper left corner.
Border style Again prevents resizing.
The next project , an expansion on this one will use relative sizes , so this won't need to be done.

STEP THREE

Add a picturebox (NOT AN IMAGE) with the following properties
 
 

Autoredraw determines whether or not the control has persistent graphics.If this is not set the drawing will be saved and any work done to it will be lost every time the control is refreshed or accessed by VB.
Scale mode sets the scale to standard pixels.If this is not set drawing will be done in twips , and the drawing lines will be too small to see.
Borderstyle prevents resizing
Apearance makes it look flat , like paper.
Left and top insures that the controls corner is nested in the forms corner.
Width and height are in twips ( But the actual mode is pixels).It just has to be as such, for now.It's a VB thing.
Mousepointer 99-custom tells VB to use a specified graphic for the mouse pointer when it is over the picturebox.

STEP FOUR

Right click on the toolbar
click components
Scroll down to microsoft common dialog controls 6.0 and check the box to its right
Click the 'APPLY' button
A new control is on the tool bar
One that is our best friend
Now click that control and add it to the form with these properties
 

STEP FOUR

Add another picture box (NOT IMAGE CONTROL) below the existing one with these properties
 
 

STEP FIVE

Add a frame to the form , just below Picture1.Use these properties
 
 

Now click in a blank space on the form.

STEP SIX

Add three images (Not picture boxes) inside the frame.

The first one should have these properties
 

This will become the button for the airbrush tool
Stretch insures that the control will maintain its current size and smash whatever image we use into itself so that it fits.

The second one should be as follows
 

You should now have a littel toolbar lookin' thingy :-)

STEP SEVEN
 now we can add a set of controls for qadjusting the size of the pencil
First you need to know that the thickness of lines or points drawn on a control is determined by its drawwidth property. Thats what these will do for us.Let us make the pencils lead fat or small.

        (1)Create a label like this
 

        Caption will become picture1s' drawwidth value when the pencil is selected (I'll explain later) Must be a number > 1
         Enabled = false means that a user cannot interact with it until the pencil option is select (again it'll make sense shortly)
        Visible = false Why let them seeit when they can't use it , sides it looks better

        (2)Create a command button like such
 

command1 & command2 are reserrved for the next project(The extension mentioned earlier)
        (3)And another command button having these properties
 

STEP EIGHT

Add an image to the form , next to frame1. This will show a big pic of the tool being used
 
 

STEP NINE

Two more command buttons
                            (1)
 

                            (2)
 

PART TWO : MAKING IT DO SOMETHING

STEP ONE

Right click in the project browser (The box over on the side that shows all your forms)
add>
Module
hit enter when the dialog pops up

STEP TWO

A function is like a sub only that it is supposed to return values or manipulate data.But it si only supposed to do 1 specific thing.
That thing is generally to return a value based on data that is passed to it.Subs do stuff or return many values.
I use them both the same many times though , and it is not the best practice.

Now we will add the pencil brush function

Pset works like this
it turns on a pixel using the objects(picture1.forecolor) forecolor as default at a given co-ordinate. Ina few we'll set the objects color to somethign other than black.
Because this function will be modular public we must specify the objects loacation.Pset works as such.
form1.picture1.pset(x,y)
form1 is the objects location
picture1 is the object
Pset tells it to turn on the pixel
x and y are the  co-ords wher eit will be turned on

Do these steps

Tools
add procedure
 

it should add some lines that look like this

Public Function Pbrush1( )

End Function

now put its variables inside the parenthiesieszsz
should look like this now

Public Function Pbrush1(x As Single, y As Single)

End Function

This is important as the data passed to this function will be converted to that data type
When data is passed it means that something (usually a number) is sent to a function when it is called.In this case the mouses co-ords

Now add this code into the function

Public Function Pbrush1(x As Single, y As Single)
Form1.Picture1.PSet (x, y)   <<<<This turns on the pixel at the mouses location , but size isnt yet set
With Form1.Picture1 <<<<This defines certain properties of th object were drawing on for this operation
.DrawWidth = Form1.Labelsize.Caption   <<<<This is the draw width of picture1 as mentioned earlier
End With <<<<This ends the with
Form1.Picture1.PSet (x, y) <<<<This turns on the pixel at the mouses location SAfety
End Function

now we must do this two more times
 

follow the same steps as before but add this code instead , And use the names gieven for each function down here
In the pset methods below the (x+4,y-6) turns on a pixel for right of x and six below y etc...

Public Function Pbrush2(x As Single, y As Single)
With Form1.Picture1
.DrawWidth = 1
End With
Form1.Picture1.PSet (x + 2, y + 1)
Form1.Picture1.PSet (x + 2, y + 3)
Form1.Picture1.PSet (x - 1, y + 2)
Form1.Picture1.PSet (x - 3, y + 2)
Form1.Picture1.PSet (x - 2, y - 1)
Form1.Picture1.PSet (x - 2, y - 3)
Form1.Picture1.PSet (x + 1, y - 2)
Form1.Picture1.PSet (x + 3, y - 2)
Form1.Picture1.PSet (x, y)
End Function
 

Public Function Pbrush3(x As Single, y As Single)
With Form1.Picture1
.DrawWidth = 1
End With
Randomize Timer <<<sets the seed for randomization
ctx = x + (1 + (Rnd * 16))<<<<the 1+ is important or itll give numbers from 0 to 15 etc..
cty = y + (1 + (Rnd * 10))
ctx1 = x + (1 + (Rnd * 6))
cty1 = y + (1 + (Rnd * 7))
ctx2 = x + (1 + (Rnd * 5))
cty2 = y + (1 + (Rnd * 4))

Form1.Picture1.PSet (ctx, cty)
Form1.Picture1.PSet (ctx1, cty1)
Form1.Picture1.PSet (ctx2, cty2)
End Function
 
 

Now the function is set up , lets do something with it

STEP THREE

Back at form1

Double click picture1

it'll open up the code window for
Private Sub Picture1_MouseMove(Button As Integer, Shift As Integer, x As Single, y As Single)

Leave the variable in parenthesis alone

Add this code in between those lines and END SUB so that it looks like this

Private Sub Picture1_MouseDown(Button As Integer, Shift As Integer, x As Single, y As Single)
paintff = True
brushnum = 1
Select Case brushnum
 Case Is = 0
    Call Pbrush2(x, y)
 Case Is = 1
    Call Pbrush1(x, y)
 Case Is = 2
    Call Pbrush3(x, y)
 Case Else
    ky = MsgBox("Invalid Brush type selected OR feature not yet implemented", vbOKOnly, "Error")
End Select

End Sub

obviously we havent added the other brushes yet so kepe the error msg there
go to general decalrations of form1 and add
dim paintff as boolean

Notice how in the control structure we pass x and y when we Call Pbrush1(x,y)
now if you run the project and click the picture box itll make a small dot

Now change your sub to Picture1_mousemove by selecting the upper right combo box (it says mousedown)
and dragging down to where it says Mousemove

Add this code

If paintff = False Then GoTo out

Select Case brushnum
 Case Is = 0
    Call Pbrush2(x, y)
 Case Is = 1
    Call Pbrush1(x, y)
 Case Is = 2
    Call Pbrush3(x, y)
 Case Else
    ky = MsgBox("Invalid Brush type selected OR feature not yet implemented", vbOKOnly, "Error")
End Select

out:

end sub

This will make it draw lines on the picturebox when the mouse is dragged untill the button is raised
notice how we check to see if the button is down by checking IF paintff = true
BUT WHAT ABOUT SIZE AND COLOR..In a minute
we still havent checked to see when the mouse button goes up , so once you click it draws even after the button goes up

Now change your sub to picture1_mouseup

add this code

Private Sub Picture1_MouseUp(Button As Integer, Shift As Integer, x As Single, y As Single)
paintff = False
End Sub

Now we know IF Painff = true then
ahh we are done with that.NOW size and color
 

STEP FOUR

COLOR

Right click on form1 and select view object
Double click on the tiny picturebox (Picforecolor)

the code window will pop up again

select Picforecolor_Dblclick

add this code

Private Sub Picforecolor_DblClick()
Colordialog1.ShowColor
Picforecolor.BackColor = Colordialog1.Color
Picture1.ForeColor = Picforecolor.BackColor
End Sub

its that simple , sheesh we could have done that before OR was he just saving that till after such a long assed step?

STEP FIVE

SIZE DOES MATTER

But first we have to set up our brush types
double click Impencil

add this code

Private Sub Impencil_Click()
Imairbrush2.Appearance = 1
Imairbrush.Appearance = 1
Impencil.Appearance = 0
brushnum = 1
Command3.Enabled = True
Command4.Enabled = True
Command3.Visible = True
Command4.Visible = True

Labelsize.Enabled = True
Labelsize.Visible = True

pictool.Picture = Impencil.Picture
end sub

Now doubleclick IMairbrush
 add this code

Private Sub Imairbrush_Click()
Imairbrush.Appearance = 0
Imairbrush2.Appearance = 1
Impencil.Appearance = 1
brushnum = 0

Command3.Enabled = False
Command4.Enabled = False
Command3.Visible = False
Command4.Visible = False

Labelsize.Enabled = False
Labelsize.Visible = False

pictool.Picture = Imairbrush.Picture
End Sub

then doubleclick IMAirbrush2

ADD THIS code

Private Sub Imairbrush2_Click()
Imairbrush2.Appearance = 0
Imairbrush.Appearance = 1
Impencil.Appearance = 1
brushnum = 2
Command3.Enabled = False
Command4.Enabled = False
Command3.Visible = False
Command4.Visible = False

Labelsize.Enabled = False
Labelsize.Visible = False

pictool.Picture = Imairbrush2.Picture
End Sub

now with that done we must set up the code that changes the value of labelsize

its easy watch

STEP SIX

double click command4

add this code

Private Sub Command4_Click()
If Labelsize.Caption < 20 Then Labelsize.Caption = Labelsize.Caption + 1
 

End Sub

the above statements If labelsize.caption < 20 checks to see if teh value of labelsize is too big

go back to the form and double click command3

add this code

Private Sub Command3_Click()
If Labelsize.Caption > 1 Then Labelsize.Caption = Labelsize.Caption - 1

checks to see if the sizze is to small
0 generates an error cause ya caint draw a line 0 pixels wide

End Sub
checks to see if the sizze is to small
0 generates an error cause ya caint draw a line 0 pixels wide

Now size , shape and color are set up WHATS LEFT?!?

STEP SEVEN

SAVING THE FILE

go back to the module and add these functions
tools add procedure etc...

Public Function saveit(thepath As String)
SavePicture Form1.Picture1.Image, thepath
End Function

Public Function loadit(thepath As String)
Form1.Picture1.Picture = LoadPicture(thepath)
End Function
 
 

On the form double clcik command5

add this code

Private Sub Command5_Click()
Colordialog1.InitDir = App.Path
Colordialog1.DefaultExt = ".bmp"
Colordialog1.Filter = "bitmaps|*.bmp"
Colordialog1.ShowSave
FileName = Colordialog1.FileName
saveit (Colordialog1.FileName)
end sub

notice that we dont actually call set thepath = colordialog1.filename . It is important to remeber this
When passing values the first bracketed variable , regardless of name , is always assigned to the first value in the function
Thus we could call thepath (in function saveit) foobar for or anything and then when we call it pass the value and it still gives foobar the same value as if wed named it the path.

Also notice that the same dialog box lets us invoke a save as dialog , cool huh

Now add this code to command6

Private Sub Command6_Click()
Colordialog1.InitDir = App.Path
Colordialog1.DefaultExt = ".bmp"
Colordialog1.Filter = "bitmaps|*.bmp"
Colordialog1.ShowOpen
FileName = Colordialog1.FileName
loadit (Colordialog1.FileName)

End Sub

There is still a couple more things to do

STEP EIGHT : THE LAST ONE

setting up the intial color and picture

add this to form_load (double click form1 any blank area)

Private Sub Form_Load()
Picforecolor.BackColor = Picture1.ForeColor
Picture1.Picture = LoadPicture()

End Sub