Ctrl + A to select all text in textbox

[trixxy]

how do i make ctrl+A to work?

i have a textbox with text and i want to ctrl A it to select all of the text. instead of highlighting the whole textbox with my mouse.

TIA

[joedeene]

Isn't selecting all of the text with the mouse select all? Select all doesn't copy it to your clipboard if that's what you're asking, you'd have to use the Clipboard Class for that...

joedeene

[trixxy]

i wanna select all by Ctrl + A. but it isn't possible.

[tlhintoq]

i wanna select all by Ctrl + A. but it isn't possible.

yeah, actually it is possible. Don't be so quick to give up.

You want to make use of the 'KeyPress' event for the TextBox, then check to see if it is Ctrl+A. If it is, then use the SelectAll method built into the TextBox and mark the event as handled. If its not the Ctrl+A you wanted, then do nothing and the message will be passed along.

        private void textBox1_KeyPress(object sender, KeyPressEventArgs e)
        {
            string bob = e.KeyChar.ToString();// Put a breakpoint here to see what each KeyChar is.
            if (e.KeyChar == 1)
            {
                ((TextBox)sender).SelectAll();
                e.Handled = true;
            }
        }
 

Line 3 allows you to see what keypress is taking place. Just put a breakpoint here and every time you type a key while focus is on this control, you can look at the value of KeyPressEventArgs e. This is how I determined a value of '1' is Ctrl+A. A value of 106 would be a lower case j, for example.

Line 6 allows this to work for any textbox you direct to this function by way of its "KeyPress" event. Basically you are taking the object that triggered this event, casting it to a TextBox, then telling that object to .SelectAll();

Line 7 stops this KeyPress event from going any further. The Windows message is Handled.

Using the SelectAll() method doesn't have to be limited to the user actually pressing a key. You could call it when the text box receives focus if you like, so any time a user clicks on it or tabs to it, it automagically selects all the text.

[trixxy]

still doesn't work for me :/

[r035198x]

still doesn't work for me :/

Post what you have tried and explain where it doesn't work.

[trixxy]

private void textBox1_KeyPress(object sender, KeyPressEventArgs e)
{
       string bob = e.KeyChar.ToString();// Put a breakpoint here to see what each KeyChar is.
        if (e.KeyChar == 1)
        {
              ((TextBox)sender).SelectAll();
                e.Handled = true;
         }
 }
 

this doesn't work. do i need to change textBox1 to my textbox's name? i did that as well and it still doesn't work. Ctrl A does nothing to the textbox.

[joedeene]

Well do you also have the form's KeyPreview property set to true? Like set it in the form_load handler. This let's you, basically what it says, preview the key before handling it kind of. But if it's not set to true, you won't be able to view the keys pressed...

joedeene

[tlhintoq]

1. private void textBox1_KeyPress(object sender, KeyPressEventArgs e)
2. {
3. string bob = e.KeyChar.ToString();// Put a breakpoint here to see what each KeyChar is.
4. if (e.KeyChar == 1)
5. {
6. ((TextBox)sender).SelectAll();
7. e.Handled = true;
8. }
9. }

this doesn't work. do i need to change textBox1 to my textbox's name? i did that as well and it still doesn't work. Ctrl A does nothing to the textbox.

Let me go out on a limb and take a guess....
You copy/pasted the code I gave you into your program, and it didn't work.
But at no point do you assign this method to the TextBox event of KeyPress.

Single click the TextBox.
Go to the Properties pallet.
Click the Event's button (lightning bolt)
Find the "KeyPress" event.
Click the box to its right.
Choose the function you copied into your program to handle the KeyPress.

To make sure the function is even firing, place a breakpoint on the line where indicated by the text saying "Place breakpoint here"

Run your program.
If the event is firing then your program should halt at the breakpoint and you can check the value of 'e'.

(Roll over or click the thumb for full image)

[trixxy]

ah thanks. i didn't know i had to set the keypress for the event.

thanks tlhintoq!