Programming .NET Windows Applications

RichTextBox

The RichTextBox is similar to the TextBox, but it has additional formatting capabilities. Whereas the TextBox control allows the Font property to be set for the entire control, the RichTextBox allows you to set the Font, as well as other formatting properties, for selections within the text displayed in the control.

When considering the difference between the TextBox and RichTextBox controls, compare Notepad and WordPad, the two text editors that are included with Windows. Notepad, based on the TextBox control, has no formatting applicable to selections within the text. WordPad, on the other hand, is practically a full-fledged word processor, with such features as bullets, hanging indents, fonts, and character styles applicable to selections within the text.

The default file format for the RichTextBox is the Rich Text Format (RTF), a file format that can carry formatting information.

The RichTextBox control inherits all the properties, methods, and events from the TextBoxBase class, so it behaves much like the TextBox control. In addition, it has many properties, methods, and events specific to itself. Many of the most commonly used RichTextBox-specific properties are listed in Table 12-7.

Rich Text Format (RTF)

This format was developed by Microsoft in the mid-1980s to permit easy interchange of formatted text between various applications. RTF Version 1.7, released in August 2001, adds support for features found in Word 2002. The specification can be downloaded as ...