Programming Windows®, Fifth Edition

Scroll Bars

Scroll bars are one of the best features of a graphical user interface. They are easy to use and provide excellent visual feedback. You can use scroll bars whenever you need to display anything—text, graphics, a spreadsheet, database records, pictures, Web pages—that requires more space than is available in the window’s client area.

Scroll bars are positioned either vertically (for up and down movement) or horizontally (for left and right movement). You can click with the mouse the arrows at each end of a scroll bar or the area between the arrows. A “scroll box” (or “thumb”) travels the length of the scroll bar to indicate the approximate location of the material shown on the display in relation to the entire document. You can also ...