[RESOLVED] [2005] Append a char to a textbox that was selected

[Lasering]

Hi!!

In a form how to get the control that currently has focus, knowing that it can be inside a groupbox?

[Atheist]

Me.ActiveControl will return the control that currently has focus.

[Lasering]

I thought that would help but it didnt!
Here my problem: I have 3 multiline textbox. And a lot of buttons: Alpha, Beta, Gamma, etc. The idea is when u click on a button for example Alpha he appends the character alpha to the previously selected textbox text. For example u had selected the first textbox and then hit alpha, he would append and a alpha to the first textbox text, but if u had the second textbox selected and then hit alpha he would add to the second textbox.
How can i do this?

[Atheist]

I would do something like this:

Public Class Form1
    Private focusedTextBox As TextBox
 
    Private Sub TextBox1_GotFocus(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles TextBox1.GotFocus
        focusedTextBox = TextBox1
    End Sub
 
    Private Sub TextBox2_GotFocus(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles TextBox2.GotFocus
        focusedTextBox = TextBox2
    End Sub
 
    Private Sub TextBox3_GotFocus(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles TextBox3.GotFocus
        focusedTextBox = TextBox3
    End Sub
 
    Private Sub Button1_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles Button1.Click
        focusedTextBox.AppendText("something")
    End Sub
End Class

[jmcilhinney]

Don't use the GotFocus event. As specified in the documentation you should use the Enter event. You could also use one method to handle the event for all TextBoxes and assign the sender to the member variable.

Also, you may be interested in using a Button that doesn't take focus when you click it. If so then follow the Onscreen Keyboard link in my signature.

[Lasering]

I end up for not using the GotFocus neither the Enter event because i needed the position of the caret when the user unselects the textbox. So later i could insert the char i want (the one respectively to the button), into the "actual caret position"

[jmcilhinney]

That's of no consequence. The SelectionStart and SelectionLength properties of a TextBox don't change when it loses focus. If you want to insert text into a TextBox at the caret position you just set its SelectedText property, whether it has focus or not.

[Lasering]

Thks a lot that detail "The SelectionStart and SelectionLength properties of a TextBox don't change when it loses focus" really maded a difference.