[2005] MaskEditBox Problem

[Jigabyte]

Hi Peeps,

I have wrote a function which validates a masked exit box date format. I have entered into the Mask property 00/00/0000 which on screen translates to __/__/____, great. If I get an invalid date I want to clear the content and reset the focus back giving a message box warning. Here is my code :-

        If mskControl.Text.ToString = "" Or mskControl.Text.ToString = sFormat.ToString Then
            sCheckDate = sFormat
            Exit Function
        End If

        If Not IsDate(mskControl.Text.ToString) Then
            Beep()
            MessageBox.Show("Invalid date format.", "Validate Date Format", MessageBoxButtons.OK, MessageBoxIcon.Error, MessageBoxDefaultButton.Button1)
            sCheckDate = sFormat.ToString            
            mskControl.Focus()
        Else
            sCheckDate = sFormatDate(mskControl.Text.ToString, "dd/MM/yyyy")
        End If

I should explain that I assign the returned value of this function to the control, i.e. maskedit.text = scheckdate(mskcontrol," / /")

It all seems to work until I then try to enter a new date. The first number a press seems to push the mask characters to the right and then the rest works. So if I entered 01/01/2009 I end up with _1/01/2009.

Any ideas please as I thought this would be no time at all to do.

Thanks,

Jiggy!

[jmcilhinney]

Why use a MaskedTextBox at all? Why not use a DateTimePicker, which is made for dates. It handles all the validation for you and is far more user-friendly.

[Jigabyte]

I don't want the user to click to select the date. It is far quicker to type in for how they use the system.

[HairyMike]

Maybe this?

        If mskControl.Text <> "  /  /" Then
            If Not IsDate(mskControl.Text.ToString) Then
                MessageBox.Show("Invalid date format.", "Validate Date Format", MessageBoxButtons.OK, MessageBoxIcon.Error, MessageBoxDefaultButton.Button1)
                mskControl.Text = ""
                e.Cancel = True
            End If
        End If

ps: msgbox already causes a beep

[Jigabyte]

It would seem it is because of the code below which allows the user to use the enter key to move to the next control.

    'Protected Overrides Sub OnKeyPress(ByVal e As KeyPressEventArgs)

    '    If e.KeyChar = ControlChars.Cr Then
    '        e.Handled = True
    '        SendKeys.Send(ControlChars.Tab)
    '    Else
    '        MyBase.OnKeyPress(e)
    '    End If

    'End Sub

I don't know why, any ideas please?

Jiggy!

[NickThissen]

I don't know if this can cause your problem, but as I've said in another thread (yours? I don't know), you should not use SendKeys to send a Tab to select the next control. There are methods in the .NET framework that can do that for you, use them.
Using SendKeys for this is just like intercepting every keypress, and then using SendKeys to send the key anyway :S

[HairyMike]

My code above is for the validating event of the masked edit box

[Jigabyte]

Hi All,

Thanks for all your advice, it would seem that I am trying to use old school coding. Can someone give me a pointer into what to use so I can use the enter key to go to the next control.

Thank you all for your help,

Jiggy!

[Jigabyte]

I have read somewhere about using the selectnextcontrol but you have to pass the next control as a parameter and I just wanted to create a user defined control for the textbox and masktextbox so it would go to the next control using the tab index by pressing enter.

Regards,

Jiggy!

[Jigabyte]

I give up! This has taken me all morning and all I want to do is use the enter key to navigate.

[HairyMike]

Heres a pointer:

    Private Sub Control_KeyPress(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As System.Windows.Forms.KeyPressEventArgs) Handles mskControl.KeyPress, TextBox1.KeyPress, TextBox2.KeyPress
        If Asc(e.KeyChar) = System.Windows.Forms.Keys.Enter Then
            e.Handled = True
            FocusNextControl(sender)
        End If
    End Sub

    Private Sub FocusNextControl(ByRef CurrentControl As Control)
        Dim iTargetTabIndex As Integer = CurrentControl.TabIndex + 1
        Dim found As Boolean = False
        Do Until found
            For Each ctl As Control In Me.Controls
                If ctl.TabIndex = iTargetTabIndex Then
                    found = True
                    ctl.Select()
                End If
            Next
            iTargetTabIndex = 0
        Loop
    End Sub

ps: I can't get selectnextcontrol to work either - it always seems to return false

[Jigabyte]

Hi Mate,

I don't mean to sound ungreatful but that seems more over head than using the sendkeys.send(controlchars.tab).

Regards,

Jiggy!

PS. Thanks for the help mate, much appreciated.

[NickThissen]

    Private Sub TextBox1_KeyPress(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.Windows.Forms.KeyPressEventArgs) Handles TextBox1.KeyPress
        If e.KeyChar = Chr(Keys.Enter) Then
            Me.SelectNextControl(TextBox1, True, True, True, True)
        End If
    End Sub

[Jigabyte]

That works perfect; thanks mate. Can you tell me why to use this method rather than the old sendkeys method?

Thanks again to you all,

Jiggy!

[NickThissen]

Because I have found SendKeys to be a little unreliable, and because it is old. There is a new method available, which was not created for the fun of it...
As far as I know SendKeys sends the keypress to the control that has focus. What if the focus switches just before you use SendKeys? You can't control that...

Using SendKeys to send a tab to set the focus to the next control is just like doing something like this:

    Private Sub TextBox1_KeyPress(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.Windows.Forms.KeyPressEventArgs) Handles TextBox1.KeyPress

        e.Handled = True

        Select Case e.KeyChar
              Case Chr(Keys.Enter)
                    SendKeys.Send(Keys.Enter)
              Case Chr(Keys.Control)
                    SendKeys.Send(Keys.Control)
              Case Chr(Keys.A)
                    SendKeys.Send("A")
              Case Chr(Keys.B)
                    SendKeys.Send("B")
              etc...
        End Select
    End Sub

There is no reason to use SendKeys here. The only time I can think of when you need to use SendKeys is to send a keypress to a different program outside of your control. If the program you want the keypress to receive is under your control, there is always a better way.

[Jigabyte]

Hi Mate,

Just one slight problem I have and that is I wanted to put that routine into a user control which inherits the maskedtextbox control so I don't have to put the code on every control on all my applications and I don't know the control name.

Cheers for the explanation, I totally agree.

Regards,

Jiggy!

[Jigabyte]

wups, I think I can use ME is that correct?

[Jigabyte]

Nop that does not work if I put it in a user control which inherits a textbox.

[NickThissen]

If you use Me.SelectNextControl(...) in your usercontrol, it will look for the next control in your usercontrol, not the next control on the form/panel/tabpage/etc your control is on.

Instead of using Me.SelectNextControl, you can probably use Me.Parent.SelectNextControl(), but be sure to check if the parent is not nothing first.

If Me.Parent IsNot Nothing Then
   Me.Parent.SelectNextControl(...)
End If

(I haven't tested this but I assume it works... SelectNextControl might be a method of the form only, in which case you need to find the ParentForm instead of just the Parent.)

[Jigabyte]

Thanks mate but that does not seem to do anything either.

[Jigabyte]

Sweet, soz mate I forgot to put the me.parent in. Cheers again for all your help! Jiggy!

[Jigabyte]

God no; Hair is being pulled out. On my masktextbox if I clear it because an invalid date has been entered and set the focus back I get the same problem when I try to enter a correct date. It shifts the mask right by one and on the second entry it moves it back and I end up with _2/22/2222 instead of 22/22/2222. The weird thing is if I put the same code from the user control Keypress in to the actual project control / keypress it works fine. I don't think this is going to work for masktextboxes.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh,

Jiggy!

[Jigabyte]

I think this must be a bug in the masktextbox. I will have to put the same code in my user control in the keypress of each of my masktextboxes. Shame tho!!!

[Always_Confused]

I am also having the same problem. I use this in the validation to check if the social security number length is correct then either give an error message or move on. If they get the message box then it gives focus back to the masked text box and when you type in it it moves the format to the right.

Private Sub mtbSSN_Validated(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles mtbSSN.Validated
        
        If mtbSSN.Text.Length = 11 Then
            Add_Validated()
        Else
            MsgBox("The SSN number must be 9 digits", MsgBoxStyle.Exclamation)
            If vbOK Then mtbSSN.Text = Nothing
            mtbSSN.Focus()
        End If
        Exit Sub

    End Sub

Private Sub mtbSSN_KeyDown(ByVal sender As System.Object, _
                               ByVal e As System.Windows.Forms.KeyEventArgs) Handles mtbSSN.KeyDown

        If e.KeyCode = Keys.Enter Then
            Me.SelectNextControl(Me.ActiveControl, Not e.Shift, True, True, True)
        End If
'i had to force the focus to the next control because a 'usercontrol on the form was causing me grief.        
mtbDOB.Focus()
    End Sub

[jmcilhinney]

I am also having the same problem. I use this in the validation to check if the social security number length is correct then either give an error message or move on. If they get the message box then it gives focus back to the masked text box and when you type in it it moves the format to the right.

Private Sub mtbSSN_Validated(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles mtbSSN.Validated
        
        If mtbSSN.Text.Length = 11 Then
            Add_Validated()
        Else
            MsgBox("The SSN number must be 9 digits", MsgBoxStyle.Exclamation)
            If vbOK Then mtbSSN.Text = Nothing
            mtbSSN.Focus()
        End If
        Exit Sub

    End Sub

Private Sub mtbSSN_KeyDown(ByVal sender As System.Object, _
                               ByVal e As System.Windows.Forms.KeyEventArgs) Handles mtbSSN.KeyDown

        If e.KeyCode = Keys.Enter Then
            Me.SelectNextControl(Me.ActiveControl, Not e.Shift, True, True, True)
        End If
'i had to force the focus to the next control because a 'usercontrol on the form was causing me grief.        
mtbDOB.Focus()
    End Sub

You don't use the Validated event for validating. The Validated event is for processing validated input. The Validating event is for actual validating that input. Whether or not that relates to your issue I don't know but it's best to start from the right place.

[Always_Confused]

Could you show me a good example? If I enter data into a text box and click or tab to another, Validated I thought was where you would want to check format, length etc. and it goes there automatically. I would appreciate better ideas if this is not proper.

[Jigabyte]

I would say though this will not fix your problem. If I put the same code on my form in my project it works fine. If I use the same code in a user control and start to type I get the format string move to the right and it seems to miss off the key I press.

[Always_Confused]

Well, I have been determined to use the Masked Textbox for my SSN and overcome whatever the world is the problem with the cursor shifting when re-focusing on the box.

What I found is the problem seems to be in .clear , .text=nothing, and anything else to clear the masked text box. Backspace seems to be the only way to solve it programmatic.

This is my solution. It may not be pretty but it works.

            If Not mtbSSN.Text = "" Then

            Dim charcount As Integer = CInt(mtbSSN.Text.Length)
            If mtbSSN.Text.Length < 9 Then
                MsgBox("The SSN number must be 9 digits", MsgBoxStyle.Exclamation)
                If CBool(vbOK) Then
                    
                    Dim counter As Integer = 0
' The options on the loop count is because of the hyhpen in the mask format "###-##-####" so it take and extra back space to get back to position 0
                    If charcount <= 3 Then
                        Do Until counter = charcount + 1
                            SendKeys.Send(vbBack)
                            counter += 1
                        Loop
                    ElseIf charcount >= 4 Then
                        Do Until counter = charcount + 2
                            SendKeys.Send(vbBack)
                            counter += 1
                        Loop
                        'MsgBox("The loop ran " & charcount & " times.")

                    End If

                    mtbSSN.Focus()

                End If
            End If
        End If

[Jigabyte]

Yes your 100% correct with that. I think it loses the position or something when you do it in a user control.

Thank you for sharing your solution, I will implement that same process for a date format.

Cheers,

Jiggy!

[Always_Confused]

Actually my masked textbox is not in a usercontrol, but it is on a tabcontrol. Probably a similar situation.