VB.NET Language in a Nutshell, Second Edition

Name

RGB Function

Class

Microsoft.VisualBasic.Information

Syntax

RGB(red, green, blue)

red (required; Integer)

A number between 0 and 255, inclusive

green (required; Integer)

A number between 0 and 255, inclusive

blue (required)

Data type: Integer

A number between 0 and 255, inclusive

Return Value

An Integer representing the RGB color value

Description

Returns a system color code that can be assigned to object color properties

Rules at a Glance

• The RGB color value represents the relative intensity of the red, green, and blue components of a pixel that produces a specific color on the display.

• The RGB function assumes any argument greater than 255 to be 255.

• The following table demonstrates how the individual color values combine to create certain colors:

Color	Red	Green	Blue
Black	0	0	0
Blue	0	0	255
Green	0	255	0
Red	255	0	0
White	255	255	255

Programming Tips and Gotchas

• The RGB value is actually derived using the following formula:

  RGB = red + (green * 256) + (blue * 65536)

  In other words, the individual color components are stored in the opposite order than you would expect. VB stores the red color component in the low- order byte of the integer’s low-order word, the green color in the high-order byte of the low-order word, and the blue color in the low-order byte of the high-order word.

• Visual Basic now contains a wide range of intrinsic color constants that can be used to assign color values directly to color properties of objects.

See Also

QBColor Function