Implementing a text box using GDI+

Question

Hi, I am trying to implement a text box in GDI+ so that I can achieve similar behaviour to what tools like Visio and PowerPoint provide. I want my user to be able to draw a shape on the screen and then add text to that shape. I need to have functionality that basically provides them with an interactive text box on the drawing page. This supports key presses, deletion of text, selection of text and placement of the text cursor. Does anyone have any ideas about how I can achieve this? Cheers, bmac.

ryantobbell · Answer

I'm not pretty sure of what are you trying to achieve. If you just need to have a fancy painted TextBox control, why don't you derive from it from TextBox, add state to it, and proper paint it to reflect the state? Have fun!

jimteeuwen · Answer

Here's an example of the previously mentioned method: It's very basic and not very clean, but it shows the principal. http://www23.brinkster.com/mooseofdoom/codebase/Inputbox.txt [ps: posted in the textfile, cos this forum has no proper [code][/code] tags.. or atleast none that im aware of]

Administrator · Answer

Thanks for your response. I was actually examining a solution along these lines as well. However, could you clarify what you mean by "first of all, you create a rectangle" and then create a text box? Thanks, bmac

Administrator · Answer

It includes few things. First of all, you create a rectangle and create a TextBox at runtime (or use hide/show of an existing TextBox) when user is in edit mode, show the TextBox. When user is done editing (typing), read the text of text box, hide the text box and show the text in the rectangle using DrawString method. Will do the trick.

Implementing a text box using GDI+

Answers (4)