Often, to create status-bar help, you place code in the mouse-moveevent procedures of controls to place text describing the controlon the status bar. Every time you update the text property, thecontrol repaints.

Because the mouse-move event will fire many times over one control,the repainting causes flashing. To avoid the strobe light effect,check the text property of the status bar to determine if theappropriate text is already shown. Then the repainting is doneonly once for every control.

This subroutine is handy for use with all controls:

 Public Sub StatusText(NewText As String)'If status text is already correct, 'don't change itIf FrmMain.StatusBar.Panels(1).Text <> _        NewText ThenFrmMain.StatusBar.Panels(1).Text = _        NewTextEnd IfEnd Sub

To use the subroutine, add this code to the mouse-move event procedureof the controls you wish to have status-bar help:

 Private Sub _        CmdEnterValue_MouseMove(Button As _                Integer, Shift As Integer, X As _                Single, Y As Single)        Call StatusText("Press here to _                change the current steps value.")End Sub