DrawText

The DrawText function draws formatted text in the specified rectangle. It formats the text according to the specified method (expanding tabs, justifying characters, breaking lines, and so forth).

int DrawText(
  HDC hDC,          // handle to device context
  LPCTSTR lpString, // pointer to string to draw
  int nCount,       // string length, in characters
  LPRECT lpRect,    // pointer to struct with formatting dimensions
  UINT uFormat      // text-drawing flags
);

Parameters

hDC

Handle to the device context.

lpString

Pointer to the string to be drawn. If the nCount parameter is –1, the string must be null-terminated.

If uFormat includes DT_MODIFYSTRING, the function could add up to four additional characters to this string. The buffer containing the string should be large enough to accommodate these extra characters.

nCount

Specifies the number of characters in the string. If nCount is –1, then the lpString parameter is assumed to be a pointer to a null-terminated string and DrawText computes the character count automatically.

lpRect

Pointer to a RECT structure that contains the rectangle (in logical coordinates) in which the text is to be formatted.

uFormat

Specifies the method of formatting the text. It can be any combination of the following values:

Value	Description
DT_BOTTOM	Justifies the text to the bottom of the rectangle. This value must be combined with DT_SINGLELINE.
DT_CALCRECT	Determines the width and height of the rectangle. If there are multiple lines of text, DrawText uses the width of the rectangle pointed to by the lpRect parameter and extends the base of the rectangle to bound the last line of text. If there is only one line of text, DrawText modifies the right side of the rectangle so that it bounds the last character in the line. In either case, DrawText returns the height of the formatted text but does not draw the text.
DT_CENTER	Centers text horizontally in the rectangle.
DT_EDITCONTROL	Duplicates the text-displaying characteristics of a multiline edit control. Specifically, the average character width is calculated in the same manner as for an edit control, and the function does not display a partially visible last line.
DT_END_ELLIPSIS or DT_PATH_ELLIPSIS	Replaces part of the given string with ellipses, if necessary, so that the result fits in the specified rectangle. The given string is not modified unless the DT_MODIFYSTRING flag is specified. You can specify DT_END_ELLIPSIS to replace characters at the end of the string, or DT_PATH_ELLIPSIS to replace characters in the middle of the string. If the string contains backslash (\) characters, DT_PATH_ELLIPSIS preserves as much as possible of the text after the last backslash.
DT_EXPANDTABS	Expands tab characters. The default number of characters per tab is eight.
DT_EXTERNALLEADING	Includes the font external leading in line height. Normally, external leading is not included in the height of a line of text.
DT_INTERNAL	Uses the system font to calculate text metrics.
DT_LEFT	Aligns text to the left.
DT_MODIFYSTRING	Modifies the given string to match the displayed text. This flag has no effect unless the DT_END_ELLIPSIS or DT_PATH_ELLIPSIS flag is specified.
DT_NOCLIP	Draws without clipping. DrawText is somewhat faster when DT_NOCLIP is used.
DT_NOPREFIX	Turns off processing of prefix characters. Normally, DrawText interprets the mnemonic-prefix character & as a directive to underscore the character that follows, and the mnemonic-prefix characters && as a directive to print a single &. By specifying DT_NOPREFIX, this processing is turned off.
DT_RIGHT	Aligns text to the right.
DT_RTLREADING	Layout in right to left reading order for bi-directional text when the font selected into the hdc is a Hebrew or Arabic font. The default reading order for all text is left to right.
DT_SINGLELINE	Displays text on a single line only. Carriage returns and linefeeds do not break the line.
DT_TABSTOP	Sets tab stops. Bits 15–8 (high-order byte of the low-order word) of the uFormat parameter specify the number of characters for each tab. The default number of characters per tab is eight.
DT_TOP	Top-justifies text (single line only).
DT_VCENTER	Centers text vertically (single line only).
DT_WORDBREAK	Breaks words. Lines are automatically broken between words if a word would extend past the edge of the rectangle specified by the lpRect parameter. A carriage return-linefeed sequence also breaks the line.
DT_WORD_ELLIPSIS	Truncates text that does not fit in the rectangle and adds ellipses.

Note The DT_CALCRECT, DT_EXTERNALLEADING, DT_INTERNAL, DT_NOCLIP, and DT_NOPREFIX values cannot be used with the DT_TABSTOP value.

Return Values

If the function succeeds, the return value is the height of the text.

If the function fails, the return value is zero.

Windows NT: To get extended error information, call GetLastError.

Remarks

The DrawText function uses the device context's selected font, text color, and background color to draw the text. Unless the DT_NOCLIP format is used, DrawText clips the text so that it does not appear outside the specified rectangle. All formatting is assumed to have multiple lines unless the DT_SINGLELINE format is specified.

If the selected font is too large for the specified rectangle, the DrawText function does not attempt to substitute a smaller font.

Windows CE: If DT_CALCRECT is specified for the uFormat parameter, you must set the right and bottom members of the RECT structure pointed to by lpRect.

Windows CE does not support the DT_EXTERNALLEADING flag for the uFormat parameter.

QuickInfo

  Windows NT: Requires version 3.1 or later.
  Windows: Requires Windows 95 or later.
  Windows CE: Requires version 1.0 or later.
  Header: Declared in winuser.h.
  Import Library: Use user32.lib.
  Unicode: Implemented as Unicode and ANSI versions on Windows NT.

DrawText

Parameters

Return Values

Remarks

QuickInfo

See Also