How to Create a Multiline Edit Control

This topic demonstrates how to implement a simple word processor by adding a multiline edit control to the client area of a window. By using the multiline edit control, the user can select edit commands from a menu. These commands enable the user to perform simple editing operations such as undo a previous action, cut or copy selections to the clipboard, paste text from the clipboard, and delete the current selection.

What you need to know

Technologies

• Windows Controls

Prerequisites

• C/C++
• Windows User Interface Programming

Instructions

Your application must include code to create an instance of and initialize a multiline edit control and then process user edit commands.

The following C++ code example implements much of the functionality of a simple word processor by adding a multiline edit control to the client area of a window. The system automatically performs wordwrap operations for the edit control and also handles the processing for the vertical scroll bar (created by specifying ES_AUTOVSCROLL in the call to the CreateWindow function).

User edit commands are sent to the window process via WM_COMMAND notification messages.

#define ID_EDITCHILD 100
 
LRESULT CALLBACK MainWndProc(HWND hwnd,      // window handle 
                             UINT message,   // type of message 
                             WPARAM wParam,  // additional information 
                             LPARAM lParam)  // additional information 
{ 
    static HWND hwndEdit; 
 
    TCHAR lpszLatin[] =  L"Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur "
                         L"adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor " 
                         L"incididunt ut labore et dolore magna " 
                         L"aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis " 
                         L"nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi " 
                         L"ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis " 
                         L"aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in " 
                         L"voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu " 
                         L"fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint " 
                         L"occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt " 
                         L"in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit " 
                         L"anim id est laborum."; 
 
    switch (message) 
    { 
        case WM_CREATE: 
            hwndEdit = CreateWindowEx(
                                0, L"EDIT",   // predefined class 
                                NULL,         // no window title 
                                WS_CHILD | WS_VISIBLE | WS_VSCROLL | 
                                ES_LEFT | ES_MULTILINE | ES_AUTOVSCROLL, 
                                0, 0, 0, 0,   // set size in WM_SIZE message 
                                hwnd,         // parent window 
                                (HMENU) ID_EDITCHILD,   // edit control ID 
                                (HINSTANCE) GetWindowLongPtr(hwnd, GWLP_HINSTANCE), 
                                NULL);        // pointer not needed 
 
            // Add text to the window. 
            SendMessage(hwndEdit, WM_SETTEXT, 0, (LPARAM) lpszLatin); 
 
            return 0; 
 
        case WM_COMMAND: 
            switch (wParam) 
            { 
                case IDM_EDUNDO: 
                    // Send WM_UNDO only if there is something to be undone. 
 
                    if (SendMessage(hwndEdit, EM_CANUNDO, 0, 0)) 
                        SendMessage(hwndEdit, WM_UNDO, 0, 0); 
                    else 
                    {
                        MessageBox(hwndEdit, 
                                   L"Nothing to undo.", 
                                   L"Undo notification", 
                                   MB_OK); 
                    }
                    break; 
 
                case IDM_EDCUT: 
                    SendMessage(hwndEdit, WM_CUT, 0, 0); 
                    break; 
 
                case IDM_EDCOPY: 
                    SendMessage(hwndEdit, WM_COPY, 0, 0); 
                    break; 
 
                case IDM_EDPASTE: 
                    SendMessage(hwndEdit, WM_PASTE, 0, 0); 
                    break; 
 
                case IDM_EDDEL: 
                    SendMessage(hwndEdit, WM_CLEAR, 0, 0); 
                    break; 

                case IDM_ABOUT: 
                    DialogBox(hInst,                // current instance 
                              L"AboutBox",           // resource to use 
                              hwnd,                 // parent handle 
                              (DLGPROC) About); 
                    break; 

                default: 
                    return DefWindowProc(hwnd, message, wParam, lParam); 
            } 
            break; 

        case WM_SETFOCUS: 
            SetFocus(hwndEdit); 
            return 0; 

        case WM_SIZE: 
            // Make the edit control the size of the window's client area. 

            MoveWindow(hwndEdit, 
                       0, 0,                  // starting x- and y-coordinates 
                       LOWORD(lParam),        // width of client area 
                       HIWORD(lParam),        // height of client area 
                       TRUE);                 // repaint window 
            return 0; 

        case WM_DESTROY: 
            PostQuitMessage(0); 
            return 0; 

        default: 
            return DefWindowProc(hwnd, message, wParam, lParam); 
    } 
    return NULL; 
}

Related topics

About Edit Controls

Edit Control Reference

Using Edit Controls

Edit Control