Guys... I'm beside myself trying to figure out why this variable (clickcounter) will not increment. As an overview, this program reads from the serial port based on an OnComm comEvReceive event. The serial port is receiving wireless transmission from a small switch. When it does so, I want to display it into three text boxes. One is for the data as received, one is for an ASCII conversion, and the last is for a HEX conversion. I can do that no problem. However, I would like to keep track of how many times this switch is pressed. You would think it would be an easy chore...just incrementing a variable within the comEvReceive event everytime the event is called. I can't get it to increment. It increments the first time (from 0 to 1) and then refuses to after that. Please offer any help you can. Code is attached below. Private Sub Command2_Click() End Sub Private Sub Command1_Click() End Sub Private Sub Form_Load() With MSComm1 .CommPort = 1 .Handshaking = 2 - comRTS .RThreshold = 1 .RTSEnable = True .Settings = "9600,n,8,1" .SThreshold = 1 .PortOpen = True .InputLen = 1 End With Text1.Text = "" Text2.Text = "" Text3.Text = "" End Sub Private Sub Form_Unload(Cancel As Integer) MSComm1.PortOpen = False End Sub Private Sub MSComm1_OnComm() Dim InBuffer As String Dim AscData As String Dim HexData As String Dim ClickCounter As Integer Select Case MSComm1.CommEvent Case comEvReceive InBuffer = MSComm1.Input Text1.SelStart = Len(Text1.Text) Text1.SelText = InBuffer AscData = Asc(InBuffer) Text2.SelStart = Len(Text2.Text) Text2.SelText = AscData HexData = Hex(AscData) Text3.SelStart = Len(Text3.Text) Text3.SelText = HexData ClickCounter = ClickCounter + 1 Label1.Caption = ClickCounter End Select End Sub

The problem is that you defining the variable inside the OnComm function function it is being used. When the function exits, the variable, as are all function wide variables, reset to zero. Two ways round the problem. Define the variable outside the function in the General Declarations section of the form. This will make the variable available to all functions in that form and it will retain its value when as long as the form is loaded. Seeing how the variable is only ever used inside that one function then define it as Static Static ClickCounter As Integer That way the variable will retain its value when the function exits. There are numerous ways of defining a variable: Global, Static, Public and Private. Without any instructions to the contrary, Dim on it own makes a variable Private and Dynamic within the context in which it is declared. Stuart

Thanks Stuart. It's been forever since I've done any VB'ing....using VB 6.0 now. Most of my programming experience (3 semesters in college before switching majors) was in C++. When I bring up the project code window, click the left menu bar to change it to (General) and the right bar to change to (Declarations), I get an error when I use the Static ClickCounter as Integer line. It gives an error at compile time saying "Compile error: Invalid outside procedure." When I change the very same line to "Dim ClickCounter as Integer", it compiles, but I still get the same problem as described in the first post.

Alright...correction....The Dim ClickCounter as Integer line works. It does increment the variable. I still had it defined locally....hehehe....whoops... Thanks again.

You have to define a Static variable inside a function. Just change Dim to Static in your original code. Dim ClickCounter as Integer in the General Declarations section should work unless you are using the same variable name somewhere else in the module. Stuart

I am interested on how you are converting a switch closure wirelessly to the serial port. A parallel port or game port would be a more logical connection.

Label1.Caption = Val(Label1.Caption) +1 that should help