1. Introduction
2. Loading and saving files
3. Formatting text
4. Advanced Formatting
5. Tab Stops
6. Printing
7. Finding and Replacing
8. Inserting files and images
9. Advanced Features
10. Adding View Modes
11. Multiple undo/redo
12. Automatic URL detection

Comments

1. Mark Azzi
   01 May 2009 at 21:20
   how to i get RichTx32.ocx - 200KB RichEd32.dll - 171KB if anyone knows were to download them it will be a big help
2. krolikor
   24 Apr 2008 at 15:39

   This is long past the topic post date but...

    I used the selection method (where you select text and then update it), for formatting the output of an application's process in a RTF.  This worked great until I needed to buffer the contents of the RTF.  Once I started removing content from the RTF, the formatting I had applied through the selection method caused other text to be come improperly formatted.

   I am now proceeding with the inserting text as RTF method.
    

3. van Gaalen
   06 Jan 2007 at 19:18

   I am had the same proplems;

   RichTextBox1.SelectionFont.Bold
   RichTextBox1.SelectionFont.Underline etc are readonly
   

   Solved them the following way

   Me.RichTextBox1.SelectionColor = Color.Blue

   Me.RichTextBox1.SelectionFont = New System.Drawing.Font("Tahoma", 8.25!, System.Drawing.FontStyle.Bold)

   Me.RichTextBox1.SelectedText = BlueBoldText

   Me.RichTextBox1.SelectionColor = Color.Black

   Me.RichTextBox1.SelectionFont = New System.Drawing.Font("Tahoma", 8.25!, System.Drawing.FontStyle.Regular)

   Me.RichTextBox1.SelectedText = BlackRegularText

4. Martin Verdi
   21 Sep 2006 at 17:48

   Kylua, your efforts were not wasted...

   You have probably saved me a week's worth of head-pounding. Why it is so difficult to programmatically modify RTF using this control is beyond me. All of the examples I have seen rely on the .Find method to select the text you want to modify.

   I am still going to learn the intricacies of RTF and what the difference is between a replace and simply assigning a string. Maybe there's some hidden header we can't see in the RTF property that an assignment overwrites but a replace does not.

   Anyway, thanks for sharing this!

5. Colin Robinson
   31 Jul 2006 at 20:13

   I spent AGES working thru this one and couldn't find it anywhere!

   The basic problem is that you have to update the richtextbox.rtf, not .text.

   And it is very fussy about goes in there!!

   A quick and dirty method is to set the richtextbox.text to a value such as "WHATEVER" and then replace that in the richtextbox.rtf with your rtf enabled code.  As for what .rtf recognises in formatting, I resorted to copying and pasting rtf into the richtextbox and then looking at the .rtf value.

   I only wanted a bit of bold!!  By the time I had sorted it out I had decided on a different display method anyway so I hope someone uses this so I haven't wasted my time!!

   The working code from my project, before I dump it:

   richtextbox.Text =

   "REPLACETHIS"
   
   Do While Not EOF(1)
   Input(1, aLine)
   info = Split(Replace(aLine,
   
   "\", "\\"), ",")
   TempInfo = TempInfo &
   "\b Result Displayed: \b0" & info(1) & " \par " & "\b URL: \b0 " & info(0) & " \par " & "\b Interval: \b0 " & info(2) & " \par " & "\b Log Path: \b0 " & info(3) & " \par " & " \par "
   
   Loop
   
   richtextbox.Rtf = Replace(richtextbox.Rtf, "REPLACETHIS", TempInfo)

   I've just done bolds and replaced the slashes as I was showing URLs and file paths.

6. vb_lover
   06 Dec 2005 at 16:50
   James Crowley:
   
   I am using vb6sp6(EM_SETTEXTMODE didn't work with vb6sp4 either) RTB control, I have already implemented URL detection similar to yours.  However now i am trying to get MULTI-LEVEL UNDO to work, which you stated can be revealed with EM_SETTEXTMODE.  My attempts at setting a value(42 or any value for that matter) using EM_SETTEXTMODE(WM_USER+89) have been unsuccessful, by using EM_GETTEXTMODE(WM_USER+90) to read the value(EM_GETTEXTMODE always returns a 38).  I have previously cleared the RTB with WM_SETTEXT.  I tried SendMessageLong and SendMessage.  EM_SETTEXTMODE always returns a zero(non-error).  Can you shed some light on why this may not be working?  Can you pop an RTB control(VB6) on a form and test this again?
   
   Thank you
7. komarko
   08 Nov 2005 at 09:51
   Hi
   
   These days I am trying to figure out why I get another new line in a RTB when I save the contents to a file. This line is placed at the position around 68000. There are about 72000 characters in the RTB.
   I tried with FileSave method and with Open command. In both cases result was the same.
   
   Oh, one thing to add. The change is not visible immediately. The new line is there when the file is reopened.
   If the file is opened with WordPad the new line is there.
   
   
   Marko
   
8. ecel
   15 Jul 2005 at 08:30
   I think its to late to answer but, maybe someone uses it , huh?
   
   
   You can use UpTo method.
   
   
   Richtextbox1.UpTo strSTRING
   
   it search text and goes there if there is strSTRING in richtextbox1 text. if there is no text it goes to the end.
   
   You must enable Vertical Scroll Bar , and then samply use
   
   Richtextbox1.UpTo "§"
   
   
   Note: "§"=CHR(245), i use it because , i know there is no "§" in my richtextbox control, you can use something like that who wouldnt write it to the richtextbox.
   
   
   Sorry for my english
   
   Keep in Peace...
   
   
   EceL sTyLe
   
9. Sonic D Hedgehog
   20 Dec 2004 at 14:52

   How can I format text that I'm adding to the box? IE, the program prints a string into the box, and I want to change the colour of some of the text in the string. Also how can I find the cursor's position and the character it's in front of?

10. Ebi George
    25 Sep 2004 at 01:45

    i am very like this code. it prints all the text.  but how can extract some line from rtf.
    for e.g.  print 26 lines each from the rtf text.

11. Ebi George
    23 Sep 2004 at 06:03

    hi
    

    
    how can i call another form from the current MDI child form
    

    
    ebi

12. Ebi George
    23 Sep 2004 at 05:34

    hi
    we used pre printed paper for printing.  so i want spilt the contents of RTF text and print it on multiple page on particular start line and end line
    

    
    pls help me
    

    
    ebi

13. meenakshi
    18 Jul 2004 at 22:03

    hi
    i also want the same thong for my application
    

    
    if u find any answer how to do this plz let me know
    

    
    thanks in anticapation
    

    
    mtikoo

14. Brad Sumner
    01 Jul 2004 at 09:35

    I am writing code for a connection routine and am using a rich text box to display the responses from the server.  However as the text is added the user is constantly haveing to manually scroll the window to see the new text.  I would like the program to automaically scroll the window for the user.  Any help on this would be appreciated.  thanks

15. Eric Johnson
    14 Jun 2004 at 14:52
    I'm using VB6 - sp5 - -
    This code absolutely does not work with my system..... I've been told that it's because the RichTextBox that comes with VB is an older version of the dll -----
    
    Can I get it to work by replacing the RichEd dll?
    If so, where can I get it?
16. satheesh kumar
    24 Jan 2004 at 12:54

    
    how can  inert image into richtextbox ?
    

17. JHuber
    30 Jul 2003 at 15:30

    I believe the problem for VB'ers is that the RichText control is from richtx32.ocx, which is based on riched32.dll.  As per Microsoft ( http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/en-us/shellcc/platform/commctls/richedit/richeditcontrols/aboutricheditcontrols.asp ) this library only supports one level of undo.  Later versions of riched (riched20.dll, etc.) allow for multiple levels, but I have found no Microsoft ocx that uses this library.
    

    
    Bottom line, not going to happen using ONLY Richtext control, even with the correct messages sent to it.
    

    
    As a side note, I found a few logic errors in above code...
    

    
    1)
      Public Property Get CanCopy() As Boolean
          If rtb1.SelLength < 0 Then
             CanCopy = True
          End If
      End Property
    

    
    Should read as
    

    
      Public Property Get CanCopy() As Boolean
         If rtb1.SelLength > 0 Then
            CanCopy = True
         End If
      End Property
    

    
    2)  
    With richtx32.ocx, the above code will display the undo all the time.  This is confusing during runtime.  Really we only want it to show if there is no redo.  This requires one of any number of possible revisions.  Generate your favorite.
    

    
    

    
    

18. JHuber
    30 Jul 2003 at 15:28

    I believe the problem for VB'ers is that the RichText control is from richtx32.ocx, which is based on riched32.dll.  As per Microsoft ( http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/en-us/shellcc/platform/commctls/richedit/richeditcontrols/aboutricheditcontrols.asp ) this library only supports one level of undo.  Later versions of riched (riched20.dll, etc.) allow for multiple levels, but I have found no Microsoft ocx that uses this library.
    

    
    Bottom line, not going to happen using ONLY Richtext control, even with the correct messages sent to it.
    

    
    As a side note, I found a few logic errors in above code...
    

    
    1)
      Public Property Get CanCopy() As Boolean
          If rtb1.SelLength < 0 Then
             CanCopy = True
          End If
      End Property
    

    
    Should read as
    

    
      Public Property Get CanCopy() As Boolean
         If rtb1.SelLength > 0 Then
            CanCopy = True
         End If
      End Property
    

    
    2)  
    With richtx32.ocx, the above code will display the undo all the time.  This is confusing during runtime.  Really we only want it to show if there is no redo.  This requires one of any number of possible revisions.  Generate your favorite.
    

    
    

    
    

19. Christopher Jameson-Groves
    21 Mar 2003 at 07:51

    Is it possible to highlight a word in a "rich text box" and add a link to that word?
    

    
    For example in Microsoft Word you can highlight a word, click "insert" on the tool bar, select Hyperlink and add an url address to that word. This word can then be clicked on to go to that web page.
    

    
    Is this possible in RTB?
    

    
    Thanks
    Chris
    cgroves@lycos.co.uk

20. OrsusRadix
    28 Nov 2002 at 13:26

    
    How do you autodetect URL's in VB? Not .net!

21. pateketu
    03 Nov 2002 at 15:12

    RichTextBOx1.SelectionFont.Bold
    RichTextBOx1.SelectionFont.Underline etc are readonly
    

    
    How to set the formating for the selected text???
    

22. M. Ashok Kumar
    08 Oct 2002 at 10:40

    Hi,
    

    
    Can u please tell me, how to do this in VB.NET or C#. I need it urgently.
    

    
    Thanx
    Ashok

23. James Crowley
    12 May 2002 at 15:22

    VB.net has introduced a number of changes to the way you access the RichTextBox's properties. SelUnderline, SelBold, SelStrikethrough etc are now available in the
    

    
    richTextBox1.SelectionFont
    

    
    property. For example, in VB.net, use
    

    
    richTextBox1.SelectionFont.Underline
    

    
    instead of
    

    
    richTextBox1.SelUnderline
    

    
    I will try to update the tutorial to be .net compliant in the next month or so.

24. xue ran
    07 Mar 2002 at 08:53

    but still  can only undo level 1,why?can u tell me?thank you very much.

25. James Crowley
    12 Feb 2002 at 09:35

    What o/s are you running? on Windows 2000/XP, the richtext box has been "upgraded" to include multiple undo/redo.. otherwise, you'll probably be left with the old single undo/redo..
    

    
    

26. dave_c
    03 Feb 2002 at 15:28

    i expirienced the same thing... does anyone have a working example on this?

27. E`Tan
    11 Jan 2002 at 04:57

    After using this code the undo level is still 1.
    

    
    Can someone help me out ?
    

    
    Thank you !

28. Developer Fusion Bot
    01 Jan 1999 at 00:00

    This thread is for discussions of RichTextBox Control.