Reports the position of the insertion point in an editable control.
To report |
Use |
|---|---|
The position of the insertion point in any editable control (except RichTextEdit) |
|
The position of the insertion point or the start and end of selected text in a RichTextEdit control or a DataWindow whose object has the RichTextEdit presentation style |
Determines the position of the insertion point in an edit control.
DataWindow, EditMask, InkEdit, MultiLineEdit, SingleLineEdit, or DropDownListBox, DropDownPictureListBox controls
editname.Position ( )
Argument |
Description |
|---|---|
editname |
The name of the DataWindow control, EditMask, InkEdit, MultiLineEdit, SingleLineEdit, or DropDownListBox, or DropDownPictureListBox control in which you want to find the location of the insertion point |
Integer for DataWindow, InkEdit, and list boxes, Long for other controls.
Returns the location of the insertion point in editname if it succeeds and -1 if an error occurs. If editname is null, Position returns null.
Position reports the position number of the character immediately following the insertion point. For example, Position returns 1 if the cursor is at the beginning of editname. If text is selected in editname, Position reports the number of the first character of the selected text.
In a DataWindow control, Position reports the insertion point’s position in the edit control over the current row and column.
If mle_EmpAddress contains Boston Street, the cursor is immediately after the n in Boston, and no text is selected, this statement returns 7:
mle_EmpAddress.Position()
If mle_EmpAddress contains Boston Street and Street is selected, this statement returns 8 (the position of the S in Street):
mle_EmpAddress.Position()
Determines the line and column position of the insertion point or the start and end of selected text in an RichTextEdit control.
RichTextEdit and DataWindow controls
rtename.Position ( fromline, fromchar {, toline, tochar } )
Argument |
Description |
|---|---|
rtename |
The name of the RichTextEdit or DataWindow control in which you want to find the location of the insertion point or selected text. The DataWindow object in the DataWindow control must be a RichTextEdit DataWindow. |
fromline |
A long variable in which you want to save the number of the line where the insertion point or the start of the selection is. |
fromchar |
A long variable in which you want to save the number in the line of the first character in the selection or after the insertion point. |
toline (optional) |
A long variable in which you want to save the number of the line where the selection ends. |
tochar (optional) |
A long variable in which you want to save the number in the line of the character before which the selection ends. |
Band enumerated datatype. Returns the band (Detail!, Header!, or Footer!) containing the selection or insertion point.
Position reports the position of the insertion point if you omit the toline and tochar arguments. If text is selected, the insertion point can be at the beginning or the end of the selection. For example, if the user dragged down to select text, the insertion point is at the end.
If there is a selection, a character argument can be set to 0 to indicate that the selection begins or ends at the start of a line, with nothing else selected on that line. When the user drags up, the selection can begin at the start of a line and fromchar is set to 0. When the user drags down, the selection can end at the beginning of a line and tochar is set to 0.
To find out whether there is a selection or just an insertion point, specify all four arguments. If toline and tochar are set to 0, then there is no selection, only an insertion point. If there is a selection and you want the position of the insertion point, you will have to call Position again with only two arguments. This difference is described next.
When reporting the position of selected text, the positions are inclusive—Position reports the first line and character and the last line and character that are selected. When reporting the position of the insertion point, Position identifies the character just after the insertion point. Therefore, if text is selected and the insertion point is at the end, the values for the insertion point and the end of the selection differ.
To illustrate, suppose the first four characters in line 1 are selected and the insertion point is at the end. If you request the position of the insertion point:
rte_1.Position(ll_line, ll_char)
Then:
ll_line is set to 1
ll_char is set to 5, the character following the insertion point
If you request the position of the selection:
rte_1.Position(ll_startline, ll_startchar, &
ll_endline, ll_endchar)
ll_startline and ll_startchar are both set to 1
ll_endline is 1 and ll_endchar is set to 4, the last character in the selection
Because values obtained with Position provide more information that simply a selection range, you cannot pass the values directly to SelectText. In particular, 0 is not a valid character position when selecting text, although it is meaningful in describing the selection.
This example calls Position to get the band and the line and column values for the beginning and end of the selection. The values are converted to strings and displayed in the StaticText st_status:
integer li_rtn
long ll_startline, ll_startchar
long ll_endline, ll_endchar
string ls_s, ls_band
band l_band
// Get the band and start and end of the selection
l_band = rte_1.Position(ll_startline, ll_startchar,&
ll_endline, ll_endchar)
// Convert position values to strings
ls_s = "Start line/char: " + String(ll_startline) &
+ ", " + String(ll_startchar)
ls_s = ls_s + " End line/char: " &
+ String(ll_endline) + ", " + String(ll_endchar)
// Convert Band datatype to string
CHOOSE CASE l_band
CASE Detail!
ls_band = " Detail"
CASE Header!
ls_band = " Header"
CASE Footer!
ls_band = " Footer"
CASE ELSE
ls_band = " No band"
END CHOOSE
ls_s = ls_s + ls_band
// Display the information
st_status.Text = ls_s
This example extends the current selection down 1 line. It takes into account whether there is an insertion point or a selection, whether the insertion point is at the beginning or end of the selection, and whether the selection ends at the beginning of a line:
integer rtn
long l1, c1, l2, c2, linsert, cinsert
long l1select, c1select, l2select, c2select
// Get selectio start and end
rte_1.Position(l1, c1, l2, c2)
// Get insertion point
rte_1.Position(linsert, cinsert)
IF l2 = 0 and c2 = 0 THEN //insertion point
l1select = linsert
c1select = cinsert
l2select = l1select + 1 // Add 1 to end line
c2select = c1select
ELSEIF l2 > l1 THEN // Selection, ins pt at end
IF c2 = 0 THEN // End of selection (ins pt)
// at beginning of a line (char 0)
c2 = 999 // Change to end of prev line
l2 = l2 - 1
END IF
l1select = l1
c1select = c1
l2select = l2 + 1 // Add 1 to end line
c2select = c2
ELSEIF l2 < l1 THEN // selection, ins pt at start
IF c1 = 0 THEN // End of selection (not ins pt)
// at beginning of a line
c1 = 999 // Change to end of prev line
l1 = l1 - 1
END IF
l1select = l2
c1select = c2
l2select = l1 + 1 // Add 1 to end line
// (start of selection)
c2select = c1
ELSE // l1 = l2, selection on one line
l1select = l1
l2select = l2 + 1 // Add 1 to line
IF c1 < c2 THEN // ins pt at end
c1select = c1
c2select = c2
ELSE // c1 > c2, ins pt at start
c1select = c2
c2select = c1
END IF
END IF
// Select the extended selection
rtn = rte_1.SelectText( l1select, c1select, &
l2select, c2select )
For an example of selecting each word in a RichTextEdit control, see SelectTextWord.
