Change Input Mode with CF.Net

[Guest pagem2uk]

I can change the input mode through DllImport of GetFocus.

Is there a way to achieve this with managed code?

[Guest Peter Foot]

No, you have to P/Invoke to the API functions to send the EM_SETINPUTMODE message to the control. There is no method to set this directly with the control properties.

Peter

[Guest hanaka]

Try this

The input mode can be set using GetFocus and SendMessage APIs according to the code below:

'VB

Imports System.Runtime.InteropServices

Public Const EM_SETINPUTMODE As Integer = &HDE

Public Const EIM_SPELL As Integer = 0

Public Const EIM_AMBIG As Integer = 1

Public Const EIM_NUMBERS As Integer = 2

<DllImport("coredll.dll")> _

Public Shared Function GetFocus() As IntPtr

End Function

<DllImport("coredll.dll")> _

Public Shared Function SendMessage(ByVal hWnd As IntPtr, _

ByVal Message As Integer, ByVal wParam As Integer, _

ByVal lParam As Integer) As Integer

End Function

'Sample use setting TextBox to number input

Private Sub txtAmount_GotFocus(ByVal sender As Object, _

ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles txtAmount.GotFocus

Dim hWnd As IntPtr

hWnd = Me.GetFocus()

SendMessage(hWnd, EM_SETINPUTMODE, 0, EIM_NUMBERS)

txtAmount.SelectionStart = txtAmount.Text.Length

End Sub

//C#

using System.Runtime.InteropServices;

public const uint EM_SETINPUTMODE = 0xDE;

public const uint EIM_SPELL = 0;

public const uint EIM_AMBIG = 1;

public const uint EIM_NUMBERS = 2;

[DllImport("coredll.dll")]

public static extern IntPtr GetFocus();

[DllImport("coredll.dll")]

public static extern int SendMessage(IntPtr hWnd,

uint Message, uint wParam, uint lParam);

// Sample use setting TextBox to number input

private void Form1_Load(object sender, System.EventArgs e)

{

txtAmount.GotFocus +=

new System.EventHandler(txtAmount_GotFocus);

}

private void txtAmount_GotFocus(object sender, System.EventArgs e)

{

IntPtr hWnd;

hWnd = GetFocus();

SendMessage(hWnd, EM_SETINPUTMODE, 0, EIM_NUMBERS);

txtAmount.SelectionStart = txtAmount.Text.Length;

}

[Guest Brody]

Very useful hanaks thanks!

[Guest Brody]

This seems to change the default input when a control receives focus but if the control has focus when the form is loaded it does not obtain the default input, it is only when it loses and then re-gains focus that this is solved.

[Guest Mike Wagstaff]

Hanaka: Thanks for the code - works great!

This seems to change the default input when a control receives focus but if the control has focus when the form is loaded it does not obtain the default input, it is only when it loses and then re-gains focus that this is solved.

Maybe you could use a GotFocus event handler for your input boxes that sets the input mode appropriately? That's what I do, and it works fine every time for me.

[Guest Peter Foot]

This seems to change the default input when a control receives focus but if the control has focus when the form is loaded it does not obtain the default input, it is only when it loses and then re-gains focus that this is solved.

You could add a similar block of code to your form_load method so the defaults are set when the form initially loads. Also using Capture GetCapture is usually more reliable (less side effects) than using Focus/GetFocus to get a control's handle)

TextBox1.Capture = true

hWnd = GetCapture()

TextBox1.Capture = false;

SendMessage(hWnd, EM_SETINPUTMODE, 0, EIM_NUMBERS);

The P/Invoke declaration for GetCapture is very similar:-

[DllImport("coredll.dll")]

public static extern IntPtr GetCapture();

Also the control should persist this setting so you only need to set it the once, not each time the control receives focus.

Peter