Set font color of inactive textbox

Question

I've embedded an Easter egg in an app but to make it work, I store some text in an inactive text box. I can change the font color of active an active text box so it is the same color as the background. However when I disable the text box (to activate the Easter egg), the text becomes visible no matter what the font color is set. Is there a specific property I can set to control the inactive font color?

Vulpes · Answer

Rather than disable the TextBox I'd make it read-only and then explicitly set the ForeColor and BackColor properties to each other so that the text becomes invisible: textBox1.ReadOnly = true; textBox1.ForeColor = textBox1.BackColor; textBox1.BackColor = textBox1.ForeColor;

Sam Hobbs · Answer

When you say active do you mean that it is the control with the focus? There are many things you can do but it is not clear to me what it is that you are doing so I cannot be as clear as possible about what to do. To the extent that I understand there is not a property of a TextBox for setting a foreground color different depending on whether the control has the focus or not. Other window elements such as borders and the caption work like that but I sure am not aware of congtrols working like that. You can do the same thing essentially by handling the event of losing and gaining focus. I however would not do it the way you are doing; I would do one of two otehr possibilitis. Of course as I said I am not sure I understand what you are doing. You could use the focus to put the text into and clear the text from the control depending on whether the control has the focus. You could simply show/hide the control.

Thomas · Answer

True but the difference is that I need a disabled textbox to still display so I can't JUST hide the original. I had to create a dummy to display when the original was hidden so that no one could tell it was being hidden. It was your post that gave me the idea though so you get half credit

Sam Hobbs · Answer

T oggled the visibility? I thought that is what I said.

Thomas · Answer

ok just a quick update... After trying this the readonly altered the way it appeared so the real disabled textbox above it was clearly different. The goal was to make the textbox look empty and disabled. So instead I created an empty disabled 'dummytextbox' that was in the same location and just toggled the visibility of the original and the dummy. That gave MUCH better results.

Thomas · Answer

Thanks Vulpes! I hadn't thought of that but it will work perfectly

Vulpes · Answer

Sam It was Thomas who said :  when I disable the text box ... . Hence my answer.

Sam Hobbs · Answer

I did not say disable; that would not make a relevant difference. I said show/hide which is highly relevant. Making it read-only should be done but that also would not make a relevant difference. If it were me I would enable it when I showed it and disable it when I hid it but it is the show / hide part that is important.