[RESOLVED] Highlighting Text in a Web Browser Control

[yadavrahul143]

I have a VB 6.0 windows app that includes a web browser control in which I display a variety of HTML pages that are a part of my project. I would like to include a Find and Find Next feature whereby the user can search the page being displayed for a string. If I find the search string then I would like to highlight it for the user (similar to the IE Find feature) ... my problem is that I don't know how to select (i.e. highlight) the found text in the browser control. Can someone enlighten me?

[iPrank]

Welcome to VBForums !
try this:

' Add a reference to Microsoft HTML Object Library
Option Explicit
Dim strOriginalHTML As String
 
Private Sub FindAndHighlight(strText As String)
    Dim doc As HTMLDocument
    Dim tr As IHTMLTxtRange
    Set doc = WebBrowser1.document
    Set tr = doc.body.createTextRange
    strOriginalHTML = doc.body.innerHTML 'backup for undo
 
    Do While tr.findText(strText, 1, 0) 'while we have result
        'Set the highlight, now background color will be Lime -->
        tr.pasteHTML "<span style=" & """" & "background-color: Lime; font-weight: bolder;" & """" & ">'" & _
           tr.htmlText & "'</span>'"
        '
        'When we find a match, we ask to scroll the window -->
        tr.scrollIntoView True
    Loop
 
End Sub
 
Private Sub RemoveHighlight()
    Dim doc As HTMLDocument
    Set doc = WebBrowser1.document
    doc.body.innerHTML = strOriginalHTML
End Sub
 
Private Sub Command1_Click()
    FindAndHighlight "Visual Basic"
End Sub
 
Private Sub Command2_Click()
    RemoveHighlight
End Sub
 
Private Sub Form_Load()
    WebBrowser1.navigate "http://www.vbforums.com/"
End Sub

Converted from a Delphi code.

[yadavrahul143]

Thanxxx iPrank....


It is working great........

[yadavrahul143]

One more Issue iPrank.. how to clear the Highlighting of selection....

[iPrank]

I've edited above post, removed some unwanted codes and added a RemoveHighlight procedure. See if that helps.

[yadavrahul143]

Thaxxx iPrank,,

i was strugling to get this for many days....

[iPrank]

You are welcome.

[yadavrahul143]

Hi iPrank,

The above code worked but it is giving error for following URL

http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/...ap3446861.html

while clearing the highlighting..

"Run-time error '601':

Application-defined or object-defined error"


" doc.body.innerHTML = Original_Document"
On this line

will u please help me??

[tommygrayson]

Hi iPrank,

The above code worked but it is giving error for following URL

http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/...ap3446861.html

while clearing the highlighting..

"Run-time error '601':

Application-defined or object-defined error"


" doc.body.innerHTML = Original_Document"
On this line

will u please help me??

Try this:

Original_Document = doc.body.innerHTML

I think doc.body.innerHTML is read only.

[yadavrahul143]

Hi tommygrayson,

i am using code posted in 2nd post by iPrank... and this error is with the
Private Sub RemoveHighlight() Subroutine....

please look into the code posted above....

Thanx

[tommygrayson]

Hi tommygrayson,

i am using code posted in 2nd post by iPrank... and this error is with the
Private Sub RemoveHighlight() Subroutine....

please look into the code posted above....

Thanx

I don't see any error on IPrank's code.

Could you post your code?

[yadavrahul143]

The Code posed by IPrank helped me very much but it is giving error for only one URL given below

http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007.../ap3446861.html

please try using this url for 2 to 3 searches and clear them simultaneously....

[iPrank]

Here is another way. See if this helps.
BTW, my IE is saying, that page has script error. Maybe that is causing the problem.

' Add a reference to Microsoft HTML Object Library
Option Explicit
Dim strOriginalHTML As String
 
Private Sub FindAndHighlight(strText As String)
    Dim doc As HTMLDocument
    Dim tr As IHTMLTxtRange
    Set doc = WebBrowser1.document
    Set tr = doc.body.createTextRange
    [b]strOriginalHTML = tr.htmlText 'backup for undo[/b]
 
    Do While tr.findText(strText, 1, 0) 'while we have result
        'Set the highlight, now background color will be Lime -->
        tr.pasteHTML "<span style=" & """" & "background-color: Lime; font-weight: bolder;" & """" & ">'" & _
           tr.htmlText & "'</span>'"
        '
        'When we find a match, we ask to scroll the window -->
        tr.scrollIntoView True
    Loop
 
End Sub
 
[b]Private Sub RemoveHighlight2()
    Dim doc As HTMLDocument
    Dim tr As IHTMLTxtRange
    Set doc = WebBrowser1.document
    Set tr = doc.body.createTextRange
    'tr.Select '--> If this doesn't work, try uncommenting this line
    tr.pasteHTML strOriginalHTML
End Sub[/b]
 
Private Sub Command1_Click()
    FindAndHighlight "his"
End Sub
 
Private Sub Command2_Click()
    RemoveHighlight2
End Sub
 
Private Sub Form_Load()
    WebBrowser1.navigate "http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/02/20/ap3446861.html"
End Sub

[tommygrayson]

The Code posed by IPrank helped me very much but it is giving error for only one URL given below

http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007.../ap3446861.html

please try using this url for 2 to 3 searches and clear them simultaneously....

I clicked on the link and it temporarily redirected me to their welcome page.

Have you highlighted any text on this page?

[yadavrahul143]

No... when u go to the main page of the news use the highlight button for that page

[tommygrayson]

The page I clicked generated errors.

[yadavrahul143]

Hi IPrank,

By this change the code is working perfectly.... in case of anyother issues i will contact u....

[ma12]

Hi iPrank,

I like your solution to highlighting text in a WB!

1. This is my first post on this forum. Possible I should start new thread, but I not sure.

2. I have question to you. ***Is it possible to copy the content of one Web Browser control to another one in VB6?***

Assume that WebBrowser1 is currently loaded (like WebBrowser1.Navigate "www.yahoo.com").

Following to your example I tried

Private Sub cmdClone_Click()
Dim doc As HTMLDocument
Dim tr As IHTMLTxtRange
Dim doc1 As HTMLDocument
Dim tr1 As IHTMLTxtRange
Dim sSourceHtml As String


WebBrowser2.Silent = True
WebBrowser2.Navigate ("about:blank")
Set doc = WebBrowser1.Document
Set tr = doc.body.createTextRange
DoEvents
sSourceHtml = tr.htmlText
DoEvents

Set doc1 = WebBrowser2.Document
Set tr1 = doc1.body.createTextRange
DoEvents
tr1.pasteHTML sSourceHtml
DoEvents
End Sub

This procedure refreshes the second browser but instead or pictures it shows icons, it damages the page layout etc. What I am doing wrong? Can this cloning be done? Of course I can get the URL of first WB and use it to load second WB, but it works too slow. Or there is no way to clone the browser content without connedction to web server?

Please advice.

Thanks!

[iPrank]

Hi ma12 ! Welcome to the forums !

Unfortunately, I've moved to DotNet a long time ago. I don't have VB6 installed on my computer, so can't be sure.

But, my guess is webbrowser.document.execcommand should work.
Please do a forum search or google search on those keywords.

here are links to a few good WB tutorials. Those articles helped me a lot on different scenarios. I hope they will help you too.

PS: You can always create new thread.

[jmsrickland]

So should I assume this works only for text that is visible and not inner text of the HTML

BTW how do you remove the single quotes around the highlighted text

[jmsrickland]

Is it possible to copy the content of one Web Browser control to another one in VB6?

Can you not just get the text from WB1 using

InnerHTML = ...Document.InnerHTML or something like that and then insert that into WB2 using

WB2.write InnerHTML or something like that

[ma12]

Thank you for your suggestion, jmsrickland.

I tried your idea to clone WB as
Set doc = WebBrowser1.Document
sSourceHtml = doc.body.innerHTML
WebBrowser2.Document.write sSourceHtml
but unfortunately second WB losts the layout, formattings and picture sizes.

I also tried iPrank suggestion to use execCommand. I cloned WB as
Set doc = WebBrowser1.Document
Set tr = doc.body.createTextRange
DoEvents
l = tr.execCommand("COPY", False, Null) ' copy to clipboard '

Set doc2 = WebBrowser2.Document
Set tr2 = doc2.body.createTextRange
l = tr2.execCommand("PASTE", False, Null) 'paste from clipboard

but second WB also losts the layout, formattings and picture sizes.

I post the both codes below.


Private Sub cmdClone1_Click()
Dim doc As HTMLDocument
Dim tr As IHTMLTxtRange
Dim doc2 As HTMLDocument
Dim tr2 As IHTMLTxtRange
Dim sSourceHtml As String
Dim l As Long

'WebBrowser1.Navigate ("www.Microsoft.com") 'was already completed on previous step

WebBrowser2.Silent = True
WebBrowser2.Navigate ("about:blank")
Set doc = WebBrowser1.Document
DoEvents
sSourceHtml = doc.body.innerHTML
WebBrowser2.Document.write sSourceHtml
DoEvents
End Sub

Private Sub cmdClone2_Click()
Dim doc As HTMLDocument
Dim tr As IHTMLTxtRange
Dim doc2 As HTMLDocument
Dim tr2 As IHTMLTxtRange
Dim sSourceHtml As String
Dim l As Long

'WebBrowser1.Navigate ("www.Microsoft.com") 'was already completed on previous step

WebBrowser2.Silent = True
WebBrowser2.Navigate ("about:blank")

Set doc = WebBrowser1.Document
Set tr = doc.body.createTextRange
DoEvents
l = tr.execCommand("COPY", False, Null) ' copy to clipboard '

Set doc2 = WebBrowser2.Document
Set tr2 = doc2.body.createTextRange
l = tr2.execCommand("PASTE", False, Null) 'paste from clipboard
End Sub

****ANY SUGGESTIONS?****

[jmsrickland]

Thank you for your suggestion, jmsrickland.

I tried your idea to clone WB as

Set doc = WebBrowser1.Document
sSourceHtml = doc.body.innerHTML
WebBrowser2.Document.write sSourceHtml

but unfortunately second WB losts the layout, formattings and picture sizes.

That's what I was in fear of. Here's why. When you navigate to a website IE resolves all URLs (on Load as a result of Navigate) so it knows where to get things but when you copy the HTML from WebBrowser1 over to WebBrowser2 IE does not Load that page; it doesn't go through the Loading process which results with no links resolved, so IE simply displays the page as is (I think it actually executes the HTML). I didn't think of that when I made my suggestion.

I have used the .write in some of my projects but only to execute certain things like Java scripts, etc, but never to load an image, for example, from a remote web site unless I supplied the full URL

Anyway since you asked if it's possible to copy the content of one Web Browser control to another one then why wouldn't you just navigate to the same web site with WebBrowser2. I don't understand why the copy since navigating there you wind up with the same HTML but it will have the URLs resolved.