CODEWITHSUNDEEP
c#.netwinformscopypaste
oh_cripes
oh_cripes

Reputation: 107

Copy/Paste in Windows Forms with custom controls

I am writing a small application in C# using Windows Forms. I want to let my users copy and paste data around the application and there are some custom controls, for example one is a colour picker.

Some of the default controls (well at least the TextBox) have a copy and paste functionality already. I want to have the same thing with my colour picker, and also want an 'Edit' menu at the top to copy and paste.

At the moment, I can't see how to do this in a nice way, my current tack is to catch the Ctrl + C and Ctrl + V commands and the menu clicks and go through a function which uses some Win32 calls to find the focused control and then copy or paste data from or to the control (with a massive if statement depending on the type of the focused control).

The alternative seems to be to write key handling into every custom control, but with this method I'm not sure how to incorporate the Edit menu functions.

How do I do this in an elegant or more 'standard' way?

Upvotes: 1

Views: 18493

Answers (4)

Saurabh
Saurabh

Reputation: 1

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;
using System.Windows;
using System.Windows.Controls;
using System.Windows.Data;
using System.Windows.Documents;
using System.Windows.Input;
using System.Windows.Media;
using System.Windows.Media.Imaging;
using System.Windows.Navigation;
using System.Windows.Shapes;

namespace notep
{
    /// <summary>
    /// Interaction logic for MainWindow.xaml
    /// </summary>
    public partial class MainWindow : Window
    {
        public MainWindow()
        {
            InitializeComponent();
        }

        private void Window_Loaded(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
        {

        }

        private void b1_Click(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)//copy
        {
            Clipboard.SetText(richTextBox1.Selection.Text);
            richTextBox1.Selection.Text = string.Empty;

        }

        private void b2_Click(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)//cut
        {
            Clipboard.SetText(richTextBox1.Selection.Text);
        }

        private void b3_Click(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
        {

         richTextBox1.Selection.Text =richTextBox1.Selection.Text + Clipboard.GetText();//paste
        }
    }
}

Upvotes: 0

user799821
user799821

Reputation: 228

The KeyUp event solved my problem! Events KeyDown and KeyPress didn't catch Ctrl + C for copy!

From Stack Overflow question Catching Ctrl + C in a textbox:

private void txtConsole_KeyUp(object sender, KeyEventArgs e)
{
    if (e.KeyData == (Keys.C | Keys.Control))
    {
        _consolePort.Write(new byte[] { 3 }, 0, 1);
        e.Handled = true;
    }
}

Upvotes: 0

RvdK
RvdK

Reputation: 19800

To find the focussed control: ContainerControl.ActiveControl. Then depending on the type of control, you can set a value (with the clipboard value).

Upvotes: 0

serhio
serhio

Reputation: 28586

The simplest way is to activate KeyPreview in the form and then follow the logic in KeyDown event.

But an other approach can be useful:
If you have in your win application a menu (by e.g. &Edit => Copy (Paste)).

Enable for that menus the keyboard shortcuts

// 
// editToolStripMenuItem
// 
this.editToolStripMenuItem.DropDownItems.AddRange(new 
System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripItem[] {
this.copyToolStripMenuItem,
this.pasteToolStripMenuItem});
this.editToolStripMenuItem.Text = "Edit";
// 
// copyToolStripMenuItem
// 
**this.copyToolStripMenuItem.ShortcutKeys = ((System.Windows.Forms.Keys)
((System.Windows.Forms.Keys.Control | System.Windows.Forms.Keys.C)));**
this.copyToolStripMenuItem.Text = "&Copy";
// 
// pasteToolStripMenuItem
// 
**this.pasteToolStripMenuItem.ShortcutKeys = ((System.Windows.Forms.Keys)
((System.Windows.Forms.Keys.Control | System.Windows.Forms.Keys.V)));**
this.pasteToolStripMenuItem.Text = "&Paste";

So you have your shortcuts to Copy paste. Now manage just your menu clicks

private void copyToolStripMenuItem_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
    Image myData = this.ActiveControl.BackgroundImage;
    Clipboard.SetImage(myData);
}

private void pasteToolStripMenuItem_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
    Image myData = Clipboard.GetImage();
    this.ActiveControl.BackgroundImage = myData;
}

Surely, you can make invisible your menu, if you want do not show it to the user.

=============================================================================== UPDATE

code for multiple controls:

    private void copyToolStripMenuItem_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
    {
        ICopyPasteable control = sender as ICopyPasteable;
        if (control != null)
        {
            control.CopyToClipboard();
        }
    }

    private void pasteToolStripMenuItem_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
    {
        ICopyPasteable control = sender as ICopyPasteable;
        if (control != null)
        {
            control.PasteFromClipboard();
        }
    }
}


public interface ICopyPasteable
{
    void CopyToClipboard();
    void PasteFromClipboard();
}

public class MyTextBox : TextBox, ICopyPasteable
{

    #region ICopyPasteable Membres

    public void CopyToClipboard()
    {
        Clipboard.SetText(this.Text);
    }

    public void PasteFromClipboard()
    {
        if (Clipboard.ContainsText())
        {
            this.Text = Clipboard.GetText();
        }
    }

    #endregion
}

Upvotes: 3

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