How to change the text color of a checkbox using Common Controls 6.0

Question

Prior to using Common Controls 6.0 in our Visual Studio 2003 build environment we were able to set the text color of a checkbox by using SetTextColor.  With Common Controls 6.0 we cannot.  This is documented in Article ID 944311.  In this article a workaround is given where the controls text is removed and a static control is used and the text color changed via the WM_CTLCOLORSTATIC handling.  Does anybody have a C/C++ example of how this is implemented?

Answer 1

Use the following to remove the visual styles and try WM_CTLCOLORSTATIC. You can also try below links

SetWindowTheme(hCheckButtonHandle, L"", L"");

http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/vcgeneral/thread/92941fec-ce5b-4061-ac5b-8fc48c60bc07/

http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/vcgeneral/thread/cd6e7637-3550-4d1c-9b11-4f0f0965675f/

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Thanks, Renjith V R

Answer 2

That certainly works.  However without a theme the nice checkbox highlighting (orange) is also disabled.  We need the highlighting.

Thanks.

Answer 3

1) You first put a CComboBox  and make the caption blank.

2) Then put a static control right to Combobox with the caption you want.

Implement following handler

HBRUSH CComboTextDlg::OnCtlColor(CDC* pDC, CWnd* pWnd, UINT nCtlColor) 
{
	HBRUSH hbr = CDialog::OnCtlColor(pDC, pWnd, nCtlColor);
	
	if( CTLCOLOR_STATIC == nCtlColor  && pWnd->GetDlgCtrlID() == IDC_COMBOSTATIC )
    {			
        pDC->SetTextColor( RGB(255,0,0) );
    }

	return hbr;
}

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Thanks, Renjith V R

Answer 4

Try this:

BEGIN_MESSAGE_MAP(MyDialog, CDialog)
	ON_NOTIFY(NM_CUSTOMDRAW, IDC_CHECK1, &MyDialog::OnNMCustomdraw)
END_MESSAGE_MAP()
void MyDialog::OnNMCustomdraw(NMHDR *pNMHDR, LRESULT *pResult)
{
	LPNMCUSTOMDRAW custDraw  = reinterpret_cast<LPNMCUSTOMDRAW>(pNMHDR);
	
	if (custDraw->dwDrawStage == CDDS_PREPAINT)
	{
		const int textLength = ::GetWindowTextLength(custDraw->hdr.hwndFrom);
		if (textLength > 0)
		{
			TCHAR* buttonText = new TCHAR[textLength+1];
			SIZE   dimensions = {0};
			::GetWindowText(custDraw->hdr.hwndFrom, buttonText, textLength+1);
			::GetTextExtentPoint32(custDraw->hdc, buttonText, textLength, &dimensions);
			const int xPos = (custDraw->rc.right - dimensions.cx) / 2;
			const int yPos = (custDraw->rc.bottom - dimensions.cy) / 2;
			::SetBkMode(custDraw->hdc, TRANSPARENT);
			::SetTextColor(custDraw->hdc, RGB(24, 27, 255));
			::TextOut(custDraw->hdc, xPos, yPos, buttonText, textLength);
			delete [] buttonText;
			*pResult = CDRF_SKIPDEFAULT;
			return;
		}
	}
	*pResult = CDRF_DODEFAULT;
}

-Seetharam

Answer 5

Try this:

BEGIN_MESSAGE_MAP(MyDialog, CDialog)
	ON_NOTIFY(NM_CUSTOMDRAW, IDC_CHECK1, &MyDialog::OnNMCustomdraw)
END_MESSAGE_MAP()
void MyDialog::OnNMCustomdraw(NMHDR *pNMHDR, LRESULT *pResult)
{
	LPNMCUSTOMDRAW custDraw  = reinterpret_cast<LPNMCUSTOMDRAW>(pNMHDR);
	
	if (custDraw->dwDrawStage == CDDS_PREPAINT)
	{
		const int textLength = ::GetWindowTextLength(custDraw->hdr.hwndFrom);
		if (textLength > 0)
		{
			TCHAR* buttonText = new TCHAR[textLength+1];
			SIZE   dimensions = {0};
			::GetWindowText(custDraw->hdr.hwndFrom, buttonText, textLength+1);
			::GetTextExtentPoint32(custDraw->hdc, buttonText, textLength, &dimensions);
			const int xPos = (custDraw->rc.right - dimensions.cx) / 2;
			const int yPos = (custDraw->rc.bottom - dimensions.cy) / 2;
			::SetBkMode(custDraw->hdc, TRANSPARENT);
			::SetTextColor(custDraw->hdc, RGB(24, 27, 255));
			::TextOut(custDraw->hdc, xPos, yPos, buttonText, textLength);
			delete [] buttonText;
			*pResult = CDRF_SKIPDEFAULT;
			return;
		}
	}
	*pResult = CDRF_DODEFAULT;
}

-Seetharam

That does it! Thanks - Don

Answer 6

Hi Don,

This is just a confirmation for my knowledge.

With Common Controls 6.0 we cannot. This is documented in Article ID 944311. In this article a workaround is given where the controls text is removed and a static control is used and the text color changed via the WM_CTLCOLORSTATIC handling

1) You first put a CComboBox and make the caption blank.

2) Then put a static control right to Combobox with the caption you want.

Implement following handler

HBRUSH CComboTextDlg::OnCtlColor(CDC* pDC, CWnd* pWnd, UINT nCtlColor) 
{
	HBRUSH hbr = CDialog::OnCtlColor(pDC, pWnd, nCtlColor);
	
	if( CTLCOLOR_STATIC == nCtlColor  && pWnd->GetDlgCtrlID() == IDC_COMBOSTATIC )
    {			
        pDC->SetTextColor( RGB(255,0,0) );
    }

	return hbr;
}

You asked about WM_CTLCOLORSTATIC handling. I want to know whether above solution working or not in Common Controls 6.0?

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Thanks, Renjith V R

Answer 7

Just one more question. The statement is:

const int xPos = (custDraw->rc.right - dimensions.cx) / 2;

Why do we divide by 2?

Thanks,

Don

Answer 8

I think it used to center align.

Best regards,
Jesse

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Jesse Jiang [MSFT]
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