Class # TextArea (deprecated) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Warning

This item was deprecated in version 2021r3. Please use `DesktopTextArea` as a replacement.

## Description A TextArea control can contain multiple lines of text and can display mixed fonts, font sizes, and styles. For single-line text fields, use the `TextField` control. ## Properties

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| Name | Type | Read-Only | Shared | |---------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------|-----------|--------| | `Active` | `Boolean` | ✓ | | | `AllowAutoDeactivate` | `Boolean` | | | | `AllowFocusRing` | `Boolean` | | | | `AllowSpellChecking` | `Boolean` | | | | `AllowStyledText` | `Boolean` | | | | `AllowTabs` | `Boolean` | | | | `AllowTabStop` | `Boolean` | | | | `BackgroundColor` | `Color` | | | | `Bold` | `Boolean` | ✓ | | | `Enabled` | `Boolean` | | | | `FontName` | `String` | | | | `FontSize` | `Single` | | | | `FontUnit` | `FontUnits` | | | | `Format` | `String` | | | | `Handle` | `Integer` | ✓ | | | `HasBorder` | `Boolean` | | | | `HasHorizontalScrollbar` | `Boolean` | | | | `HasVerticalScrollbar` | `Boolean` | | | | `Height` | `Integer` | | | | `HideSelection` | `Boolean` | | | | `HorizontalScrollPosition` | `Integer` | | | | `Index` | `Integer` | ✓ | | | `Italic` | `Boolean` | ✓ | | | `Left` | `Integer` | | | | `LineHeight` | `Double` | | | | `LineSpacing` | `Double` | | | | `LiveUpdate` | `Boolean` | | | | `LockBottom` | `Boolean` | | | | `LockLeft` | `Boolean` | | | | `LockRight` | `Boolean` | | | | `LockTop` | `Boolean` | | | | `MaximumCharactersAllowed` | `Integer` | | | | `MouseCursor` | `MouseCursor` | | | | `MouseX` | `Integer` | ✓ | | | `MouseY` | `Integer` | ✓ | | | `MultiLine` | `Boolean` | | | | `Name` | `String` | ✓ | | | `PanelIndex` | `Integer` | | | | `Parent` | `Control` | | | | `ReadOnly` | `Boolean` | | | | `Scope` | `Integer` | ✓ | | | `SelectedText` | `String` | | | | `SelectionAlignment` | `Integer` | | | | `SelectionBold` | `Boolean` | | | | `SelectionFontName` | `String` | | | | `SelectionFontSize` | `Single` | | | | `SelectionItalic` | `Boolean` | | | | `SelectionLength` | `Integer` | | | | `SelectionPlain` | `Boolean` | | | | `SelectionStart` | `Integer` | | | | `SelectionTextColor` | `Color` | | | | `SelectionUnderline` | `Boolean` | | | | `StyledText` | `StyledText` | | | | `TabIndex` | `Integer` | | | | `Text` | `String` | | | | `TextAlignment` | `Integer` | | | | `TextColor` | `Color` | | | | `Tooltip` | `String` | | | | `Top` | `Integer` | | | | `Transparent` | `Boolean` | | | | `TrueWindow` | `Window` | ✓ | | | `Underline` | `Boolean` | ✓ | | | `UnicodeMode` | `UnicodeModes` | | | | `ValidationMask` | `String` | | | | `VerticalScrollPosition` | `Integer` | | | | `Visible` | `Boolean` | | | | `Width` | `Integer` | | | | `Window` | `Window` | ✓ | | ## Methods

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| Name | Parameters | Returns | Shared | |---------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------|--------| | `AcceptFileDrop` | FileType As `String` | | | | `AcceptPictureDrop` | | | | | `AcceptRawDataDrop` | Type As `String` | | | | `AcceptTextDrop` | | | | | `AddText` | text As `String` | | | | `CharacterPosition` | LineNumber As `Integer` | `Integer` | | | `Close` | | | | | `Copy` | | | | | `DrawInto` | g As `Graphics`, x As `Integer`, y As `Integer` | | | | `InsertionPosition` | X As `Integer`, Y As `Integer` | `Integer` | | | `Invalidate` | \[EraseBackground As `Boolean`\] | | | | `LineNumber` | CharPosition As `Integer` | `Integer` | | | `Paste` | | | | | `Refresh` | eraseBackground As `Boolean` | | | | `SelectAll` | | | | | `SetFocus` | | | | | `StyledTextPrinter` | g As `Graphics`, Width As `Integer` | `StyledTextPrinter` | | | `ToggleSelectionBold` | | | | | `ToggleSelectionItalic` | | | | | `ToggleSelectionUnderline` | | | | ## Events

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| Name | Parameters | Returns | |-------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------| | `Close` | | | | `ConstructContextualMenu` | Base As `MenuItem`, x As `Integer`, y As `Integer` | `Boolean` | | `ContextualMenuAction` | HitItem As `MenuItem` | `Boolean` | | `DragEnter` | obj As `DragItem`, Action As `Integer` | `Boolean` | | `DragExit` | obj As `DragItem`, Action As `Integer` | | | `DragOver` | x As `Integer`, y As `Integer`, obj As `DragItem`, Action As `Integer` | `Boolean` | | `DropObject` | Obj As `DragItem` Action As `Integer` | | | `EnableMenuItems` | | | | `GotFocus` | | | | `KeyDown` | Key As `String` | `Boolean` | | `KeyUp` | Key As `String` | | | `LostFocus` | | | | `MouseDown` | x As `Integer`, y As `Integer` | `Boolean` | | `MouseEnter` | | | | `MouseExit` | | | | `MouseMove` | X As `Integer`, Y As `Integer` | | | `MouseUp` | x As `Integer`, y As `Integer` | | | `MouseWheel` | X As `Integer`, Y As `Integer`, DeltaX As `Integer`, DeltaY As `Integer` | `Boolean` | | `Open` | | | | `SelChange` | | | | `TextChange` | | | | `ValidationError` | InvalidText As `String`, StartPosition As `Integer` | | ## Enumerations

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TextArea.UnicodeModes ### UnicodeModes The method by which characters will be counted for the purposes of selection or range. | Enum | Description | |------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Native | The native mode for the platform. Codepoints is the native mode for macOS and Windows. Characters is the native mode for Linux. | | Characters | Each logical character is counted as a single character regardless of how many bytes are actually required. | | Codepoints | Each logical character is counted as the number of Unicode Codepoints (bytes) it requires. An emoji, for example, requires two bytes. | ## Property descriptions

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TextArea.Active **Active** As `Boolean` Indicates whether the `RectControl` is active. This property is read-only. Active is `False` when the `RectControl`'s window is not in the foreground. When a `Window` is deactivated, its controls are automatically deactivated unless `RectControl.AllowAutoDeactivate` is set to `False`.

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TextArea.AllowAutoDeactivate **AllowAutoDeactivate** As `Boolean` Determines whether the control should be deactivated (on macOS) when the parent window is deactivated. The default is `True`.

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TextArea.AllowFocusRing **AllowFocusRing** As `Boolean` If `True`, the control indicates that it has the focus with a ring around its border; if `False`, the appearance of the control does not change when it has the focus. This example is in the Initialized event of the control: ``` xojo Me.AllowFocusRing = False ```

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TextArea.AllowSpellChecking **AllowSpellChecking** As `Boolean` If `True`, words that are believed to be misspelled are underlined. This example is in the Initialized event of a \`TextArea\`: ``` xojo Me.AllowSpellChecking = True ```

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TextArea.AllowStyledText **AllowStyledText** As `Boolean` If `True`, styled text is allowed. The MultiLine property must also be set to `True` to permit styled text. If AllowStyledText is `False`, then the TextArea cannot have a `StyledText` object.

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TextArea.AllowTabs **AllowTabs** As `Boolean` If `True`, pressing the Tab key will enter a tab into the control instead of moving the focus to the next item in the tab order.

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TextArea.AllowTabStop **AllowTabStop** As `Boolean` If `True`, the **RectControl** is in the Tab Order and accepts the focus when the user tabs into it. The default is `True`. If `False`, the user cannot tab into it to give it the focus. However, the **RectControl** can gain the focus by other means, such as the user's clicking on it or by setting the focus in code. This example removes the control from the Tab Order: ``` xojo Me.AllowTabStop = False ```

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TextArea.BackgroundColor **BackgroundColor** As `Color` The background color for the control. This code sets the value of the BackgroundColor property: ``` xojo Me.BackgroundColor = &c110034 ```

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TextArea.Bold **Bold** As `Boolean` If `True`, applies the bold style to the control's caption and/or its text content if any. This property is read-only. Mac apps can only display font styles that are available. You cannot force a font to display in bold or italic if it does not have bold or italic variations available. In this situation, the Bold property will not affect the font.

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TextArea.Enabled **Enabled** As `Boolean` Determines if the control should be enabled when the owning window is opened. A disabled control cannot be clicked and cannot receive the focus. This example disables the control. Its caption is grayed out. ``` xojo Me.Enabled = False ```

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TextArea.FontName **FontName** As `String` Name of the font used to display the text content. You can enter any font that is installed on the computer or the names of the two metafonts, "System" and "SmallSystem". The System font is the font used by the system software as its default font. Different operating systems use different default fonts. If the system software supports both a large and small System font, you can also specify the "SmallSystem" font as your TextFont. On macOS, "SmallSystem" specifies the OS's smaller system font and may make the control smaller in size as well. On Windows and Linux, "SmallSystem" is the same as "System". This code sets the FontName property. ``` xojo Me.FontName = "Helvetica" ```

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TextArea.FontSize **FontSize** As `Single` Point size of the font used to display text content of a `Control`. If you enter zero as the FontSize, your app will use the font size that works best for the platform on which it is running. This code sets the font size to 16 points. ``` xojo Me.FontSize = 16 ```

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TextArea.FontUnit **FontUnit** As `FontUnits` The units in which FontSize is measured. See the `FontUnits` enumeration for valid values. This example is in the Initialized event of the control. It sets the font unit to Pixel. ``` xojo Me.FontUnit = FontUnits.Pixel ```

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TextArea.Format **Format** As `String` Formats the contents of the control when it loses the focus. It uses the same formatting conventions as the `Format` function. To turn off formatting, set the Format property to the empty string, "". If you need to enforce an entry format rather than permitting any entry, use the Format property in conjunction with the Mask property. See the description of the `ValidationMask` property and the section "Masks" in the Notes section. This line applies a dollar format when the user tabs out of the field. ``` xojo Me.Format = "\$###,###.##" ```

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TextArea.Handle **Handle** As `Integer` Returns a handle to the control. This property is read-only. For interfacing with Mac APIs using `` Declare`s, RectControl.Handle returns NSViews (except for :doc:`Toolbar ``). On Windows returns the HWND of the control. On Linux it returns a GtkWidget. The following gets a handle to the control. ``` xojo Var i As Integer = Me.Handle ```

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TextArea.HasBorder **HasBorder** As `Boolean` Indicates whether or not the border is visible.

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TextArea.HasHorizontalScrollbar **HasHorizontalScrollbar** As `Boolean` If `True`, the TextArea has a horizontal scrollbar and text does not wrap at the right edge of the TextArea.

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TextArea.HasVerticalScrollbar **HasVerticalScrollbar** As `Boolean` If `True`, the TextArea includes a vertical scrollbar.

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TextArea.Height **Height** As `Integer` The height (in points) of the control. This example sets the height of the control to 100: ``` xojo Me.Height = 100 ```

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TextArea.HideSelection **HideSelection** As `Boolean` HideSelection hides the selection highlight when the TextArea loses the focus. The default is `True`. If HideSelection is `False`, then the TextArea retains its selection when another field gains the focus. HideSelection is currently a Windows only property.

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TextArea.HorizontalScrollPosition **HorizontalScrollPosition** As `Integer` Scrolls the text control horizontally to the position (in points) from the left edge of the control. This code scrolls the control horizontally by 200 points. ``` xojo TextArea1.HorizontalScrollPosition = 200 ```

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TextArea.Index **Index** As `Integer` If the control is used in a control set, this specifies the control's index in the set. This property is read-only. The *control set* is often used to manage a group of RadioButtons since a single RadioButton in a window doesn't make much sense. Most typically, you create an instance of the RadioButton, assign 0 to its Index property, and then duplicate it. This increments the value of Index for each new instance but retain the original control's name. To determine which RadioButton the user clicked, use the Action event handler of the control set. The parameter *Index* contains the value of Index for the RadioButton that was clicked. The event handler is this: ``` xojo Sub Action(Index As Integer) Label1.Text = "You chose radio button " + index.ToString + "." End Sub ``` To set a RadioButton in a control set, you use its *Index* property to refer to the RadioButton whose value you want to set. For example, the following line selects the second RadioButton from code: ``` xojo RadioButton1(1).Value = True ' 0-based ```

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TextArea.Italic **Italic** As `Boolean` If `True`, applies the italic style to the control's caption and/or its text content if any. This property is read-only. Mac apps can only display font styles that are available. You cannot force a font to display in bold or italic if it does not have bold or italic variations available. In this situation, the Italic property will not affect the font.

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TextArea.Left **Left** As `Integer` The left side of the control in local coordinates (relative to the window). The following example moves the control 100 points from the left side of the window: ``` xojo Me.Left = 150 ```

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TextArea.LineHeight **LineHeight** As `Double` Controls the height of each line in the TextArea control (it is global so the effect spans all paragraphs). A value of 0 maintains the default line height of the control, while any other value changes the height of each line. The value is tied to the TextUnit property, so if the TextUnit is in Inches then the LineHeight value specifies a height in Inches.

Note

Due to lack of support in GTK, LineHeight does not have any effect on Linux.

Be aware that LineHeight is the exact and literal height that the line will be treated as -- text can overlap if the value is too low.

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TextArea.LineSpacing **LineSpacing** As `Double` This controls the spacing between lines. So if you wanted your lines to be double spaced, you would enter a value of 2. The default value is 1, or single spaced. On Linux, LineSpacing is not accurate if the TextArea has variable text sizes.

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TextArea.LiveUpdate **LiveUpdate** As `Boolean` If `True`, then the control will dynamically update the bound data value. Relevant when the control is bound to another control. ``` xojo Me.LiveUpdate = True ```

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TextArea.LockBottom **LockBottom** As `Boolean` Determines whether the bottom edge of the control should stay at a set distance from the bottom edge of the parent control, if there is one, or the owning window. This property can be set in the control's Inspector. The following example sets it in code. ``` xojo Me.LockBottom = True ```

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TextArea.LockLeft **LockLeft** As `Boolean` Determines whether the left edge of the control should stay at a set distance from the left edge of the parent control, if there is one, or the owning window. Beginning with version 2009r5, LockLeft and Locktop default to `True` when you add a new control to a window. Existing controls will be altered only if LockRight and/or LockBottom are not set. *LockLeft* has no effect unless *LockRight* is `True`. This property can be set in the control's Inspector. The following example sets it in code. ``` xojo Me.LockLeft = True ```

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TextArea.LockRight **LockRight** As `Boolean` Determines whether the right edge of the control should stay at a set distance from the right edge of the parent control, if there is one, or the owning window. This property can be set in the control's Inspector. The following example sets it in code. ``` xojo Me.LockRight = True ```

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TextArea.LockTop **LockTop** As `Boolean` Determines whether the top edge of the control should stay at a set distance from the top edge of the parent control, if there is one, or the owning window. Beginning with version 2009r5, LockTop and LockLeft default to `True` when you add a control to a window. Existing controls will be altered only if LockRight and/or LockBottom are not set. *LockTop* has no effect unless *LockBottom* is `True`. This property can be set in the control's Inspector. The following example sets it in code. ``` xojo Me.LockTop = True ```

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TextArea.MaximumCharactersAllowed **MaximumCharactersAllowed** As `Integer` The maximum number of characters allowed in the TextArea. The value of zero does not limit text. MaximumCharactersAllowed works for normal text entry, copy and paste, and drag and drop. There may be maximum limits imposed by the operating system.

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TextArea.MouseCursor **MouseCursor** As `MouseCursor` The cursor to be displayed while the mouse is within the control and both the `DesktopApplication` and `Window` class's MouseCursor properties are `Nil`. If the `DesktopApplication` class's MouseCursor property is not `Nil` or the `Window`'s MouseCursor property is not `Nil`, then any control's MouseCursor property is ignored. You can use a cursor stored in the `Cursors` module. On Macintosh, you can also obtain a `MouseCursor` from a resource file. This line in the Open event of the control sets the default cursor to the finger pointer. ``` xojo Me.MouseCursor = System.Cursors.FingerPointer ```

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TextArea.MouseX **MouseX** As `Integer` The X coordinate of the mouse (points). Measured from the top-left corner of the control. This property is read-only. This code is in the MouseDown event of a `TextField` and displays the X-coordinate at the point of the MouseDown event. ``` xojo Me.Value = Str(Me.MouseX) ```

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TextArea.MouseY **MouseY** As `Integer` The Y coordinate of the mouse (points). Measured from the top-left corner of the control. This property is read-only. This code is in the MouseDown event of a `TextField` and displays the Y-coordinate at the point of the MouseDown event. ``` xojo Me.Value = Str(Me.MouseY) ```

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TextArea.MultiLine **MultiLine** As `Boolean` If `True`, wrap text to multiple lines and allow more than 32K of text. Changing this property at runtime has no effect. Page Up, Page Down, Home and End keys are supported for multiline TextAreas. A vertical scroll bar is added automatically when MultiLine is `True`. MultiLine TextAreas support any standard terminator (Return, Linefeed, or Return + Linefeed) to indicate the end of a paragraph.

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TextArea.Name **Name** As `String` The name of the control. Set the name of the control in the Inspector. This property is read-only.

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TextArea.PanelIndex **PanelIndex** As `Integer` If the control has been placed on a `TabPanel` or `PagePanel` control, this is the panel (page/tab) that the control is on. If the control is not on a panel, it returns -1. The first panel is numbered zero. If the control has been placed on a panel of a `TabPanel` or `PagePanel` control, it returns the panel number. If the control is not on a `PagePanel` or `TabPanel`, it returns -1. If you change the PanelIndex to a nonexistent panel, the control will disappear until you give it a PanelIndex value that corresponds to a panel that exists. If you are looking to change the currently selected panel (page/tab), use `PagePanel.SelectedPanelIndex`. This code displays the panel index of the control that is on the page. ``` xojo Label3.Value = Str(Me.PanelIndex) ```

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TextArea.Parent **Parent** As `Control` Used to get and set the control's parent control or window. Returns `Nil` if the parent is the window. Assign `Nil` to make the control's parent the window, even if it is enclosed by another control. The child control's behavior in the IDE will reflect the parent's state. If the parent control is somehow in another window, an `InvalidParentException` will occur. The following example sets the parent of the control to the window. ``` xojo Me.Parent = Nil ```

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TextArea.ReadOnly **ReadOnly** As `Boolean` If `True`, the text of the control cannot be modified. This example is in the Open event of the control. ``` xojo Me.ReadOnly = True ```

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TextArea.Scope **Scope** As `Integer` Used to determine whether access to the control is Public (0) or Private (2). The default is Public. This property is read-only. If the Scope of a control is set to Private, it cannot be accessed from outside its parent window.

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TextArea.SelectedText **SelectedText** As `String` The currently selected text. This example places the selected text from a TextArea into a `TextField`. ``` xojo TextArea1.SelectionStart = 0 TextArea1.SelectonLength = 10 TextField1.Text = TextArea1.SelectedText ```

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TextArea.SelectionAlignment **SelectionAlignment** As `Integer` Controls paragraph alignment of the selected text. Use `TextAlignments` with this property. This example sets the alignment of the selected paragraph in TextArea1 to centered: ``` xojo TextArea1.SelectionAlignment = TextAlignments.Center ``` This example displays a dialog box if the selected paragraph is centered. ``` xojo If TextArea1.SelectionAlignment = TextAlignments.Center then MessageBox("The text is centered.") End If ```

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TextArea.SelectionBold **SelectionBold** As `Boolean` Used to get and set the bold style of the selected text.

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TextArea.SelectionFontName **SelectionFontName** As `String` Used to get and set the text font of the selected text. When used in an unstyled TextArea, it changes the font of all the text in the TextArea.

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TextArea.SelectionFontSize **SelectionFontSize** As `Single` Used to get and set the font size of the selected text. When used in an unstyled TextArea it changes the font size of all the text in the TextArea.

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TextArea.SelectionItalic **SelectionItalic** As `Boolean` Used to get and set the italic style of the selected text.

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TextArea.SelectionLength **SelectionLength** As `Integer` The number of selected characters. A SelectionLength of 0 means an insertion point rather than a selection. A value greater than the number of characters in the control means that the selection is from `SelectionStart` to the end of the control. On Windows, selecting text via code does not display the text as selected unless the control has the focus. If you want this behavior, call `SetFocus` before setting the selection. This example selects the first 10 characters of TextArea1. ``` xojo TextArea1.SelectionStart = 0 TextArea1.SelectionLength = 10 ```

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TextArea.SelectionPlain **SelectionPlain** As `Boolean` If `True`, the selected text is plain. If the selected text is styled (e.g., Bold), setting SelectionPlain to True changes it to Plain.

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TextArea.SelectionStart **SelectionStart** As `Integer` The position of the insertion point. A value of zero means that the insertion point is before the first character. Use SelectionStart to set the position of the insertion point in the text. Use SelectionStart in conjunction with `SelectionLength` to select a portion of the text in the control, beginning with SelectionStart and extending for `SelectionLength` characters. On Windows, selecting text via code does not display the text as selected unless the control has the focus. If you want this behavior, call `SetFocus` before setting the selection. This example selects the first 10 characters of TextArea1. ``` xojo TextArea1.SelectionStart = 0 TextArea1.SelectionLength = 10 ```

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TextArea.SelectionTextColor **SelectionTextColor** As `Color` Used to get and set the text color of the selected text. When used in an unstyled TextArea, it changes the color of all the text in the TextArea.

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TextArea.SelectionUnderline **SelectionUnderline** As `Boolean` Used to get and set the underline style of the selected text.

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TextArea.StyledText **StyledText** As `StyledText` Enables you to access the properties and methods of the `StyledText` class for the text in the TextArea. If the Styled property is Off then this property returns Nil. The TextArea must have its MultiLine and Styled properties set to `True`. The object returned by StyledText is not a copy, so subsequent changes to it will affect the contents of the TextArea. See the example in the section "Using the StyledText Class" in the Notes for the TextArea class.

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TextArea.TabIndex **TabIndex** As `Integer` The **RectControl's** position in the Tab Order. It is 0-based. A TabIndex of 0 is the first **RectControl** to get the focus. On the Mac you need Full Keyboard Access turned on in System Preferences (Keyboard-\>Shortcuts) in order to manually set focus to non-text controls. This example sets the control's TabIndex. ``` xojo Me.TabIndex = 2 ```

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TextArea.Text **Text** As `String` The text displayed. Assigning a `string` to the Text property replaces the entire contents of the control. The font, size, and color are uniform and match the values last set with the FontName, FontSize, and TextColor properties, or if these haven't been used, the settings in the IDE. Please note that the implementation of the `TextField` and TextArea controls is platform dependent. Do not expect that the text you assign is the same as the text you receive from this property. For example on Mac your text is converted to UTF-8 internally. On Windows all text after a null character (which means chr(0) and not "0") is ignored. End of line characters can change to their platform specific counterpart. Special characters with `Asc` values below 32 may be ignored or removed. Clear (remove) any text that is displayed in the \`TextArea\`: ``` xojo TextArea1.Text = "" ``` This example places the selected text from a TextArea into a `TextField`. ``` xojo TextArea1.SelStart = 0 TextArea1.SelLength = 10 TextField1.Text = TextArea1.SelText ```

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TextArea.TextAlignment **TextAlignment** As `Integer` Sets the paragraph alignment for entire contents of the control. Use the `TextAlignments` enumeration to get/set the value of this property. For the TextArea control, use the `SelectionAlignment` property to set paragraph alignments for individual paragraphs. Currently the Default alignment is the same as Left aligned. Setting the alignment on Linux requires GTK+ 2.4 or greater. This example is in the Initialized event of the control. ``` xojo Me.TextAlignment = TextAlignments.Center ```

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TextArea.TextColor **TextColor** As `Color` Gets or sets the color of the caption or the text content. The default value is black.

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TextArea.Tooltip **Tooltip** As `String` Text of help message displayed as a Windows or Linux "tooltip" or macOS help tag. The tip/tag is displayed when the user hovers the mouse cursor over the control. This example adds a tooltip to a `BevelButton` that has an icon. ``` xojo Me.CaptionAlignment = 0 ' left Me.CaptionDelta = 10 Me.Tooltip = "Click to bark." Me.Icon = Woof ' added to the project Me.CaptionPosition = 2 ```

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TextArea.Top **Top** As `Integer` The top of the control in local coordinates (relative to the window). This example sets the top of the control to 140 points from the top of the window: ``` xojo Me.Top = 140 ```

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TextArea.Transparent **Transparent** As `Boolean` Determines whether the control is transparent on Windows. The default is `False`. Has no effect on macOS or Linux. Transparent controls draw more slowly and use more memory in order to cache the background. Unless you absolutely require transparency, leave this set to False. For projects that were created prior to 2018r1, this property defaults to True to emulate previous behavior. Consider changing it to False to improve performance if you do not require transparency.

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TextArea.TrueWindow **TrueWindow** As `Window` Returns a reference to the actual enclosing `Window`. This property is read-only. TrueWindow walks up the window hierarchy and finds the actual enclosing window regardless of how deeply nested the `RectControl` or `DesktopContainer` hierarchy is. `Window` also has a TrueWindow property. This example accesses the TrueWindow and displays its Title property in a `TextField`. ``` xojo TextField1.Text = Me.TrueWindow.Title ```

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TextArea.Underline **Underline** As `Boolean` If `True`, applies the underline style to the control's caption and/or its text content if any. This property is read-only.

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TextArea.UnicodeMode **UnicodeMode** As `UnicodeModes` The method by which the method `SelectionLength` will count the selection. Choosing Characters will result in a count of the number of logical characters in the selection. For example, a emoji would be counted as a single character. Choosing CodePoints will result in a count of the number of Unicode CodePoints (basically bytes) that the characters in the selection consume. An emoji, for example, requires two bytes. The default setting is Characters on all platforms. However, for backwards compatibility, TextArea controls on layouts created in projects prior to 2020r1 will be set to Native which means CodePoints on macOS and Windows and Characters on Linux.

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TextArea.ValidationMask **ValidationMask** As `String` Use the ValidationMask property to filter user input on a character-by-character basis and add formatting characters. For example, a mask for a Telephone number field can add parentheses, spaces, and dashes as literals, that are used for formatting, and the digit mask symbol '#' to restrict entry to numbers only. It uses the same mask characters as Visual Basic. If the user enters a character that is prohibited by the mask, it causes the ValidationFailed event to occur. You can use the ValidationMask property in conjunction with the Format property. The ValidationMask filters the entry, while the Format property applies a format to the entry. The formats are the same as for the `Format` function. The `TextField` will autocomplete any literal mask characters for the user. If the user uses the Backspace key he/she can backup the autocompletion but only 1 character at a time. To turn off the ValidationMask, set it to the empty string, "". You can set the ValidationMask property in the Properties pane. If you use the "#" character as the first character of the mask, there is the remote possibility that it may be confused with the name of a constant. When you use a constant in the Properties pane, you precede its name with the "#" sign. If you want both a constant and a mask to be named "Example", then you should create a new constant named "poundExample" with its value set to "#Example" and assign that in the Properties pane. The following table shows the characters that you can use to define a mask. | Mask Character | Description | |----------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | \# | The single digit placeholder. The user can type only a digit (numeric) character in this position. For example, the mask "(###) \###-####" accepts the entry 5551212121" and returns "(555) 121-2121". | | . | Decimal placeholder. | | , | Thousands separator. | | : | Time separator. | | / | Date separator. | | | Mask escape character. | | & | Character or space placeholder. It accepts one character. | | C | Character or space placeholder, where entry is optional. It operates like the '&' placeholder. For example, the mask "CCCC-CC" formats "1233ed" as "1233-ed". | | \> | Convert all the characters that follow to uppercase. | | \< | Convert all the characters that follow to lowercase. | | A | Alphanumeric character placeholder, where entry is mandatory. | | a | Alphanumeric character placeholder, where entry is optional. | | 0 | The literal "0" (zero). For example, the mask "99.00" formats the entry "22" as "22.00". The mask "CC0-9999" accepts the entry "1234" and returns it as "CC0-1234". The mask "##,###.00" accepts the entry "12345" and returns "12,345.00". The mask "99.00" accepts "21" and returns "21.00". | | 9 | A Single (numeric) digit, where entry is optional. | | ? | Alphabetic placeholder. Entry is optional. For example, the mask "???" accepts three alphabetic characters. It rejects numeric characters. | | Any literal | All other symbols are displayed as literals for formatting purposes. For example, the mask "99\[9\]" accepts the entry "333" and returns "33\[3\]". | | ~ | Reserved for future use. If you use "~" it will trigger an exception error. Use ~ instead. | | Mask | Description | |--------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------| | 999,999.99 | Formats 11122233 as "111,222.33" (Using the US thousands separator.) | | 99.00 | Formats "22" as "22.00." | | \###-##-#### | US Social Security number. Fomats "123456789" as 123-45-6789. | : ``` xojo TextField1.ValidationMask = "###-##-####" TextField1.ValidationMask = "(###) ###-####" ' US Phone number, with area code ``` If the user tries to enter a character that is prohibited by the mask, a ValidationFailed event occurs. The character that the user attempted to enter and the character position is passed to the ValidationFailed event, where you can handle the keystroke as you like. To cancel the ValidationMask, set it to the empty string: ``` xojo TextField1.ValidationMask = "" ```

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TextArea.VerticalScrollPosition **VerticalScrollPosition** As `Integer` Use to get or set the topmost visible line (zero-based). Use this property to determine the first visible line; set this property to scroll the control. Setting it to the last line or beyond the last line will move the vertical scrollbar's thumb to the bottom, not necessarily displaying the last line at the top of the control.

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TextArea.Visible **Visible** As `Boolean` Determines whether the control is visible when its owning window is opened. The default is `True`: the control is visible. The following code in the DisclosureTriangle Action event handler displays or hides a ListBox on the window: ``` xojo ListBox1.Value = Me.Visible ```

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TextArea.Width **Width** As `Integer` The width (in points) of the control. The following example resizes the control: ``` xojo Me.Width = 200 ```

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TextArea.Window **Window** As `Window` The control's parent window. This property is read-only. This code gets the parent window's Title property. ``` xojo TextField1.Text = Me.Window.Title ``` ## Method descriptions

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TextArea.AcceptFileDrop **AcceptFileDrop**(FileType As `String`) Permits documents of type *FileType* to be dropped on the control. *FileType* must be a file type that you defined in via the `FileType` class or the File Type Sets Editor. This code in the Open event of an `ImageWell` makes it possible for the user to drop either a picture or a file that is a jpeg image. The File Type Sets editor was used to define the “image/jpeg” file type. It is one of the “Common File Types” that is available in the editor. ``` xojo Me.AcceptPictureDrop Me.AcceptFileDrop("image/jpeg") ``` To restrict file drops to just folders (and not files), you can put this code in the `DragEnter` event: ``` xojo If Not obj.FolderItem.IsFolder Then Return True ```

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TextArea.AcceptPictureDrop **AcceptPictureDrop** Permits pictures to be dropped on the control. If a control should accept pictures in a drag and drop, then AcceptPictureDrop needs to be called prior to the drop. Typically, it is in the Open event of the control itself. For example, the line: ``` xojo Me.AcceptPictureDrop ``` in the Open event of the control that will receive the dragged pictures is needed. When the picture is dropped, the `DropObject` event is called and this is where you will put your code to handle the drop. Canvas.Open: ``` xojo Me.AcceptPictureDrop ``` Canvas.DropObject: ``` xojo If obj.PictureAvailable Then Me.Backdrop = obj.Picture End If ```

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TextArea.AcceptRawDataDrop **AcceptRawDataDrop**(Type As `String`) Permits data (of the Type specified) to be dropped on the control. The following specfies a generic file type defined in the File Type Sets editor. ``` xojo Me.AcceptRawDataDrop("????") ```

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TextArea.AcceptTextDrop **AcceptTextDrop** Permits text to be dropped on the control. This line in the Open event of a control that can accept dragged text. ``` xojo Me.AcceptTextDrop ```

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TextArea.AddText **AddText**(text As `String`) Adds the passed *text* to the current Text. Call AddText rather than using the `+` operator to add text to existing text. This example reads a text field in blocks of 1000 characters using Read. ``` xojo Var f As FolderItem Var dlg As OpenDialog Var t As TextInputStream ' create a new openDialog dlg = New OpenFileDialog ' set what type of file it looks for dlg.Filter = "text/plain" ' run the dialog f = dlg.ShowModal ' check to make sure the user didn't click cancel If f <> Nil Then Try t = TextInputStream.Open(f) ' Read all of the text, 1000 characters at a time ' into the TextField While Not t.EndOfFile myTextArea.AddText(t.Read(1000, Encodings.UTF8)) Wend t.Close Catch error As IOException ' the file could not be a read as a text file MessageBox("The selected file is not a text file. Error: " + error.Message) End If Else ' the user clicked cancel... just ignore it End If ```

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TextArea.CharacterPosition **CharacterPosition**(LineNumber As `Integer`) As `Integer` Returns as an `Integer` the character position for pixel coordinates *X*, *Y* relative to the control. Characters are numbered consecutively from the start until the end of the control. The first character is numbered 1. The first line is numbered zero. This example gets the character position of the first character of the second line. ``` xojo Var i As Integer i = TextArea1.CharacterPosition(1) ``` This example is in the MouseDown event of the control. The event passes in the X,Y coordinates of the MouseDown event. The example gets the position of the character at the passed coordinates. ``` xojo Var i As Integer i = Me.CharacterPosition(x, y) MessageBox(i.ToString) Return True ```

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TextArea.Close **Close** Closes a control. Closing a control permanently removes the control from memory, making it impossible to access. You can close both non-indexed controls and indexed controls. When you close an indexed control, the indexes for the remaining controls will shift downward so that the indexes start with zero and are consecutive. The following code closes the control. When this is executed from a visible control, the control disappears from the window. ``` xojo Me.Close ```

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TextArea.Copy **Copy** Copies the selected text in the TextArea to the Clipboard, including the styled text information. This example copies the selected text and places it on the Clipboard. ``` xojo TextArea1.SelStart = 0 TextArea1.SelLength = 10 TextArea1.Copy ```

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TextArea.DrawInto **DrawInto**(g As `Graphics`, x As `Integer`, y As `Integer`) Draws the contents of the RectControl into the specified `Graphics` context. The parameters *x* and *y* are the coordinates of the top, left corner. This method does not work with `HTMLViewer` and `OpenGLSurface`. This example draws the current control into the Graphics of a Picture and then displays it as the Backdrop of a Canvas: ``` xojo Var p As New Picture(Me.Width, Me.Height) Me.DrawInto(p.Graphics, 0, 0) Canvas1.Backdrop = p ```

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TextArea.InsertionPosition **InsertionPosition**(X As `Integer`, Y As `Integer`) As `Integer` Returns (as an `Integer`) returns the position of the insertion point closest to pixel coordinates X,Y relative to the control. The returned value is zero-based. This example is in the MouseDown event of a TextArea. This event passes in the X,Y coordinates of the MouseDown event and the method returns the corresponding character position. ``` xojo Var i As Integer i = TextArea1.InsertionPosition(x, y) MessageBox(i.ToString) Return True ```

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TextArea.Invalidate **Invalidate**(\[EraseBackground As `Boolean`\]) Similar to RefreshRect, but causes the specified region of the RectControl to be marked dirty and to be redrawn when the window contents need to be redrawn. The region to be redrawn is specified by the *X*, *Y*, *Width*, and *Height* parameters. This form of Invalidate was formerly called InvalidateRect. The following code refreshes the control. EraseBackground defaults to `True`. ``` xojo Me.Invalidate(False) ```

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TextArea.LineNumber **LineNumber**(CharPosition As `Integer`) As `Integer` Returns (as an `Integer`) the line number in which the *CharacterPosition* character appears. Characters are numbered consecutively with the first character numbered 1. The first line is numbered zero. Used with ScrollPosition, this lets you scroll the control to a particular place in the text. The line number reflects line breaks from both hard line breaks in the text and soft line breaks caused by word-wrapping within the control. Gets the line number for the character at position 100: ``` xojo Var lineNum As Integer = TextArea1.LineNumber(100) ``` This example searches a TextArea using text provided in a TextField and then scrolls to the text in the \`TextArea\`: ``` xojo Var searchText As String = TextField1.Text Var position As Integer = InStr(TextArea1.Text, searchText) If position > 0 Then TextArea1.VerticalScrollPosition = TextArea1.LineNumber(position) Else ' InStr returns 0 if no match was found. End If ```

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TextArea.Paste **Paste** Pastes the styled or unstyled text on the Clipboard into the editing area at the insertion point, adding the text to the existing text. When pasting into a TextArea, if the text is styled, the style information is preserved. This example pastes the contents of the Clipboard into TextArea2 at the insertion point. ``` xojo TextArea2.Paste ```

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TextArea.Refresh **Refresh**(eraseBackground As `Boolean`) Repaints the portion specified of the contents of the control immediately. Calling this frequently can cause the code executing to slow down. It is often preferable to call `RectControl.Invalidate` instead. Refresh the entire area: ``` xojo Me.Refresh(False) ``` Refresh a portion of the area: ``` xojo Me.Refresh(100, 150, 200, 300) ```

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TextArea.SelectAll **SelectAll** Selects all of the text in the control. If there is no text in the control, SelectAll does nothing. This example selects all the text in the control. ``` xojo TextArea1.SelectAll ```

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TextArea.SetFocus **SetFocus** Gives the TextArea the focus, sending all keydown events to the TextArea and moving the cursor there.

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TextArea.StyledTextPrinter **StyledTextPrinter**(g As `Graphics`, Width As `Integer`) As `StyledTextPrinter` Used to create a `StyledTextPrinter` object for printing the TextArea's text property as styled text. The TextArea's MultiLine property must be `True` to support styled text printing. Returns a `StyledTextPrinter` object. *Width* (pixels) is width of printable area.

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TextArea.ToggleSelectionBold **ToggleSelectionBold** Reverses the bold style of the highlighted text.

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TextArea.ToggleSelectionItalic **ToggleSelectionItalic** Reverses the italic style of the highlighted text.

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TextArea.ToggleSelectionUnderline **ToggleSelectionUnderline** Reverses the underline style of the highlighted text. ## Event descriptions

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TextArea.Close **Close** The control is about to close.

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TextArea.ConstructContextualMenu **ConstructContextualMenu**(Base As `MenuItem`, x As `Integer`, y As `Integer`) As `Boolean` This event is called when it is appropriate to display a contextual menu for the control. This event handler is the recommended way to handle contextual menus because this event figures out whether the user has requested the contextual menu, regardless of how they did it. Depending on platform, it might be in the MouseUp or MouseDown event and it might be a right+click or by pressing the contextual menu key on the keyboard, for example. *Base* is analogous to the menu bar for the contextual menu. Any items you add to *Base* will be shown as menu items. If you return `False`, the event is passed up the parent hierarchy. If you return `True`, the contextual menu is displayed. The parameters *x* and *y* are the mouse locations. If the event was fired because of a non-mouse event, then *x* and *y* are both set to -1. See the example of a contextual menu in the following section. The following ConstructContextualMenu event handler builds a menu with three menu items plus a submenu with three additional menu items. ``` xojo ' Add some items base.AddMenu(New MenuItem("Test 1")) base.AddMenu(New MenuItem("Test 2")) base.AddMenu(New MenuItem("Test 3")) ' Add a Separator base.AddMenu(New MenuItem(MenuItem.TextSeparator)) ' Add a sub menu Var submenu As New MenuItem("SubMenu") submenu.AddMenu(New MenuItem("SubMenu Test 1")) submenu.AddMenu(New MenuItem("SubMenu Test 2")) submenu.AddMenu(New MenuItem("SubMenu Test 3")) base.AddMenu(submenu) ' Add a Separator base.AddMenu(New MenuItem(MenuItem.TextSeparator)) Return True ```

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TextArea.ContextualMenuAction **ContextualMenuAction**(HitItem As `MenuItem`) As `Boolean` Fires when a contextual menuitem *hitItem* was selected but the Action event and the MenuHandler for the menuitem did not handle the menu selection. This event gives you a chance to handle the menu selection by inspecting the menuitem's Text or Tag properties to see which item was selected. Use this in conjunction with ConstructContextualMenu if you have not specified the Action event or the Menu Handler for the items on the contextual menu. See the example of a contextual menu in the examples for the **RectControl** class. `Return` `True` if this event has handled the item the user chose from the contextual menu. Returning `False` will cause the control's parent to execute its ContextualMenuAction event. This can be handy if you have the same contextual menu for several controls who share the same `Parent` (several on the same window for example). By returning `False` you can handle them all in a single event. This simple event handler displays the value of the selected menu item. ``` xojo If hitItem <> Nil Then MessageBox(hitItem.Value) Return True ```

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TextArea.DragEnter **DragEnter**(obj As `DragItem`, Action As `Integer`) As `Boolean` Fires when the passed `DragItem` enters the RectControl. Returns a `Boolean`. Return `True` from this event to prevent the drop from occurring. The Action parameter specifies the drag action. It can take the following class constants of the `DragItem` class: | Value | Class Constant | |-------|--------------------------------------------------------------------| | 0 | `DragItem`.DragActionDefault | | 1 | `DragItem`.DragActionCopy | | 2 | `DragItem`.DragActionMove | | 3 | `DragItem`.DragActionLink | To restrict file drops to just folders (and not files), you can put this code in the DragEnter event: ``` xojo If Not obj.FolderItem.IsFolder Then Return True ```

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TextArea.DragExit **DragExit**(obj As `DragItem`, Action As `Integer`) Fires when the passed `DragItem` exits the RectControl. The *Obj* parameter is the item being dragged. The *Action* parameter specifies the drag action. It can take the following class constants of the `DragItem` class: | Value | Constant | |-------|--------------------------------------------------------------------| | 0 | `DragItem`.DragActionDefault | | 1 | `DragItem`.DragActionCopy | | 2 | `DragItem`.DragActionMove | | 3 | `DragItem`.DragActionLink |

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TextArea.DragOver **DragOver**(x As `Integer`, y As `Integer`, obj As `DragItem`, Action As `Integer`) As `Boolean` Fires when the `DragItem` is over the RectControl. The *Obj* parameter is the object being dragged. The coordinates x and y are relative to the **RectControl**. Returns a `Boolean`. Return `True` from this event to prevent the drop from occurring. The *Action* parameter specifies the drag action, which is typically done by holding down a modifier key (Shift, Alt, Option, Command, etc.) while doing the drag. It can take the following class constants of the `DragItem` class: | Value | Constant | |-------|--------------------------------------------------------------------| | 0 | `DragItem`.DragActionDefault | | 1 | `DragItem`.DragActionCopy | | 2 | `DragItem`.DragActionMove | | 3 | `DragItem`.DragActionLink |

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TextArea.DropObject **DropObject**(Obj As `DragItem` Action As `Integer`) The item represented by *Obj* has been dropped on the control. The *Obj* parameter is the object being dragged. The *Action* parameter specifies the drag action. It can take the following class constants of the `DragItem` class: {\| class="genericTable" ! width=10% Class Constant 0 \| `DragItem`.DragActionDefault 1 \| `DragItem`.DragActionCopy 2 \| `DragItem`.DragActionMove 3 \| `DragItem`.DragActionLink } The following DropObject event handler can handle either a dropped picture or a dropped file. The type of file that it can handle needs to have been specified in a call to AcceptFileDrop prior to the drop, for example, in the Open event. ``` xojo If Obj.PictureAvailable Then Me.Image = obj.Picture ElseIf Obj.FolderItemAvailable Then Me.Image = Picture.Open(obj.FolderItem) End If ```

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TextArea.EnableMenuItems **EnableMenuItems** Indicates that the control has the focus and a menu is about to be displayed.

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TextArea.GotFocus **GotFocus** The TextArea has received the focus and has a selection rectangle around it.

Note

On Macintosh, controls other than text fields and lists will accept focus only if the full keyboard access option is enabled in System Preferences/Keyboard.

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TextArea.KeyDown **KeyDown**(Key As `String`) As `Boolean` The user has pressed the *Key* passed while the `control` has the focus. How KeyDown works depends on the type of control. **TextField and TextArea** Returning `True` means the key is intercepted, preventing the key from actually reaching the control at all. This would be useful if you want to override the behavior of the tab key for example. Returning `False` means the key reaches the control. **All Other Controls** Returning `True` prevents the KeyDown event on the parent control (usually the window) from executing. Returning `False` results in the execution of the KeyDown event of the parent control.

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TextArea.KeyUp **KeyUp**(Key As `String`) Fires when the passed *Key* is released in the RectControl that has the focus. It is not guaranteed to be the same key that received the KeyDown event.

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TextArea.LostFocus **LostFocus** The TextArea has lost the focus.

Note

On Macintosh, controls other than text fields and lists will accept and lose focus only if the full keyboard access option is enabled in System Preferences/Keyboard.

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TextArea.MouseDown **MouseDown**(x As `Integer`, y As `Integer`) As `Boolean` The mouse button was pressed inside the control's region at the location passed in to *x*, *y*. The coordinates *x* and *y* are local to the control, i.e. they represent the position of the mouse click relative to the upper-left corner or the TextArea. `Return` `True` if you are going to handle the MouseDown. In such a case: - The Action event, if any, will not execute and the state of the object will not change. - You will receive the `MouseUp` event. If you return False, the system handles the MouseDown so the `MouseUp` event handler does not get called. The MouseDown event uses the `DragItem` constructor when the user drags the contents of the control. It is: ``` xojo Var d As DragItem d = New DragItem(Self, Me.Left, Me.Top, Me.Width, Me.Height) d.Picture = Me.Image d.Drag ' Allow the drag ```

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TextArea.MouseEnter **MouseEnter** The mouse has entered the area of the control.

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TextArea.MouseExit **MouseExit** The mouse has left the area of the control.

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TextArea.MouseMove **MouseMove**(X As `Integer`, Y As `Integer`) The mouse has moved within the control to the coordinates passed. The coordinates are local to the control, not to the window.

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TextArea.MouseUp **MouseUp**(x As `Integer`, y As `Integer`) The mouse button was released. Use the *x* and *y* parameters to determine if the mouse button was released within the control's boundaries.

Note

This event will not occur unless you return `True` in the MouseDown event. The return value is ignored.

The parameters *x* and *y* are local coordinates, i.e. they represent the position of the mouse click relative to the upper-left corner or the TextArea. Mouse clicks that are released to the left or above a control are negative.

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TextArea.MouseWheel **MouseWheel**(X As `Integer`, Y As `Integer`, DeltaX As `Integer`, DeltaY As `Integer`) As `Boolean` The mouse wheel has been moved. The parameters *X* and *Y* are the mouse coordinates relative to the control that has received the event. The parameters *DeltaX* and *DeltaY* hold the number of scroll lines the wheel has been moved horizontally and vertically, as defined by the operating system. *DeltaX* is positive when the user scrolls right and negative when scrolling to the left. *DeltaY* is positive when the user scrolls down and negative when scrolling up. Returns a `Boolean`. Return `True` to prevent the event from propagating further.

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TextArea.Open **Open** The control is about to be displayed. Use this event to initialize a control. The Open event is called after the Constructor. Be warned that initializing control property values using the Constructor instead of the Open event may result in those property values being overwritten by what is set in the Inspector. For best results, use the Open event for control initialization rather than the control Constructor. If the control is supposed to handle drag and drop, you need to tell it which type of item it needs to be able to handle. The following example informs the control that pictures and files can be dropped on it. The type of the file it needs to support is specified via the File Types Editor. ``` xojo Sub Open() Me.AcceptPictureDrop Me.AcceptFileDrop("JPEG") End Sub ```

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TextArea.SelChange **SelChange** The range of characters highlighted has changed.

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TextArea.TextChange **TextChange** The Text property of the TextArea has been changed.

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TextArea.ValidationError **ValidationError**(InvalidText As `String`, StartPosition As `Integer`) The user has tried to enter a character that is prohibited by the TextArea's Mask property. *InvalidText* is the entire character string up to and including the invalid text. *StartPosition* is the starting character position in which the actual invalid text was entered. The first character is numbered 1. If no code is provided in this event and a validation error occurs, you will hear the default system beep. ## Notes Styled text can be printed using the `StyledTextPrinter` class. Styled text can also be managed independently of a TextArea using the `StyledText` class (see below for more information). TextArea inherits from `TextEdit`, the base class for both TextArea and `TextField`. `TextField` is the single-line text control. `TextEdit` is an abstract class and it is not intended to be instantiated. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ### Working with styled text in textareas In order to display styled text in a TextArea, the TextArea's AllowStyledText property must be True. The `SelectionBold`, `SelectionTextColor`, `SelectionItalic`, and `SelectionUnderline` properties can be used to both set the style of the selected text and get the style of the selected text. These properties are set automatically at runtime when text is selected in a TextArea. To set the style, assign `True` to the property. For example, if you want to add the bold style to the selected text in TextArea1, use this syntax: ``` xojo TextArea1.SelectionBold = True ``` You can determine if the selected text is in a particular style using the same property. The following code plays a beep sound if the selected text is bold: ``` xojo If TextArea1.SelectionBold Then System.Beep End If ``` The `SelectionBold`, `SelectionItalic`, and `SelectionUnderline` properties will be `True` if all of the selected characters are in the style being checked. Otherwise, these properties will be `False`. Getting and setting the selected text font and font size work the same way using the `SelectionFontName` and `SelectionFontSize` properties. To set the font of the selected text, set the `SelectionFontName` property to the name of the font. If the selected text uses more than one font, SelTextFont will be an empty string. If the selected text has more than one font size, the `SelectionFontSize` property will be zero. If the selected text has more than one style, font, or size, you can select individual characters using the SelStart and SelLength properties to determine which styles, fonts, and sizes are in use. Please note that if a TextArea contains more than one style, font, or font size and you reassign the value of the Text property, you will lose the styled formatting of the text substrings. All the text will then be styled uniformly. To update the text in a styled TextArea, it is safest to use the `SelectionStart`, `SelectionLength`, and `SelectedText` properties to update text selections. You can also get and set the color of the selected text using the `SelectionTextColor` property. for example, the following code checks to see if the selected text is white and if it is, sets it to black: ``` xojo Var white, black As Color white =Color.RGB(255, 255, 255) black =Color.RGB(0, 0, 0) If TextArea1.SelectionTextColor = White Then TextArea1.SelectionTextColor = Black End If ``` To print styled text in a TextArea, use the StyledTextPrinter method to create a `StyledTextPrinter` object and then use the StyledTextPrinter's DrawBlock method. See the description of `StyledTextPrinter` for an example. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ### Execution order of menuhandlers The intrinsic control menu handlers (such as TextArea.SelectAll) are handled after any user-defined menu handlers on the TextArea subclass (if it was subclassed). This means that if you have a SelectAll handler on the Window of the TextArea, it will no longer be called when the TextArea has focus, because the TextArea will now handle it first. In this situation, create a TextArea subclass that defines its own SelectAll handler, and handle the desired behavior there. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ### Text selection and copying The TextArea gets text selection and copy features by default without you having to do anything. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ### Using the styledtext class With the `StyledText` class, you can manage styled text independently of a TextArea. The styled text is contained in the Text property of the `StyledText` object and its style attributes can be set via its Bold, Italic, Underline, Font, Size, and TextColor methods. When you create a `StyledText` object from the contents of a TextArea, the object that is returned is an alias, not a copy of the text. Therefore, subsequent changes to the `StyledText` object affect the contents of the TextArea. Consider the following example: ``` xojo Var t As StyledText t = TextArea1.StyledText t.Text = "This is the new TextArea text." t.Bold(0, 4) = True ``` The assignment statement changes the contents of the TextArea and the last line sets the first word in the new text to Bold. To display the styled text, you can assign the styled text object to the TextArea's StyledText property. Any programmatic changes to style attributes that you make while the styled text is displayed will update immediately. Since the TextArea has its own properties for getting and setting style attributes for selected text, those attributes are respected by the `StyledText` object while it is displayed in the TextArea. For more information, see the `StyledText` class. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ### Masks Use the Mask property to filter user input on a character-by-character basis and add formatting characters. For example, a mask for a Telephone number field can add parentheses, spaces, and dashes as literals, that are used for formatting, and the digit mask symbol '#' to restrict entry to numbers only. The following table shows the characters that you can use to define a mask. | Mask Character | Description | |----------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | \# | The single digit placeholder. Entry optional. If this position is left blank in the mask, it will be rendered as a space. Plus and minus signs are allowed. | | . | Decimal placeholder. | | , | Thousands separator. | | : | Time separator. | | / | Date separator. | | | Mask escape character. | | & | Character or space placeholder. | | C | Character or space placeholder, where entry is optional. It operates like the '&' placeholder. | | \> | Convert all the characters that follow to uppercase. | | \< | Convert all the characters that follow to lowercase. | | A | Alphanumeric character placeholder, where entry is mandatory. | | a | Alphanumeric character placeholder, where entry is optional. | | 0 | Any single digit between 0 and 9. Entry is required. | | 9 | Digit or space where entry is optional. | | ? | Alphabetic placeholder. Entry is optional. | | L | Alphabetic placeholder. Entry is required. | | Any literal | All other symbols are displayed as literals for formatting purposes. | | ~ | Reserved for future use. If you use "~" it will trigger an exception error. Use ~ instead. | Here are some examples: ``` xojo TextArea1.ValidationMask = "###-##-####" //US Social Security number TextArea1.ValidationMask = "(###) ###-####" //US Phone number, with area code ``` If the user tries to enter a character that is prohibited by the mask, a `ValidationError` event occurs. The character that the user attempted to enter and the character position is passed to the `ValidationError` event, where you can handle the keystroke as you like. To cancel the Mask, set it to the empty string: ``` xojo TextArea1.ValidationMask = "" ``` --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ### Adding text to a textarea When adding text to a TextArea, you may notice some flicker as the TextArea is redrawn to show the new text. This will happen if you appended the Value property of the TextArea like this: ``` xojo TextArea1.Text = TextArea1.Text + "my new text" ``` This occurs because the entire contents of the TextArea has to be redrawn. To avoid this flicker, call the `AddText` method instead. Pass it the text to be appended. For example, this code reads an external text file into a TextArea using the `Read` method of the `Readable` class interface. The text is read in groups of 1000 characters until the end-of-file is reached. ``` xojo Var f As FolderItem Var i As Integer Var stream As BinaryStream f = FolderItem.ShowOpenFileDialog(FileTypes1.Text) ' file type defined in File type set If f <> Nil Then stream = BinaryStream.Open(f, False) Do TextArea1.AddText(stream.Read(1000, Encodings.UTF8)) Loop Until stream.EndOfFile stream.Close End If ``` --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ### Text encoding TextAreas store all text internally in Unicode, which is able to represent a mixture of characters from different writing systems. When you extract the text via the `Text` or `SelectedText` properties, this text is returned in UTF-8. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ### Using class constants The following class constants are available to set paragraph alignments. Set the alignment of the entire contents of the TextArea by assigning a constant to the Alignment property. | Value | Class Constant | |-------|----------------| | 0 | AlignDefault | | 1 | AlignLeft | | 2 | AlignCenter | | 3 | AlignRight | For example, the following code in the Pressed event of a control array sets the alignment of the text in a TextArea. The Pressed event is passed an index parameter that indicates which control was clicked. ``` xojo Sub Pressed (Index As Integer) Select Case Index Case 0 TextArea1.TextAlignment = TextAlignments.Default Case 1 TextArea1.TextAlignment = TextAlignments.Left Case 2 TextArea1.TextAlignment = TextAlignments.Center Case 3 TextArea1.TextAlignment = TextAlignments.Right End Select ``` --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ### Drag and drop Dragging text between different TextAreas on a Window is supported automatically. Use the DragEnter, DragExit, DragOver and DropObject for more sophisticated handling of drag and drop. ## Compatibility All project types on all supported operating systems. ## See also `TextEdit` parent class; `Font`, `System.FontCount` functions; `Paragraph`, `Range`, `StyleRun`, `StyledText`, `StyledTextPrinter`, `TextEdit`, `TextField` classes.