FIX: Pointer in Drop-Down Combo Box Not at the Beginning

The information in this article applies to:

• Microsoft Visual FoxPro for Windows, versions 3.0, 3.0b

SYMPTOMS

When you use the keyboard to move to a drop-down combo box for the first time, the mouse pointer does not go to the beginning of the text in the editing area as it should. It shows up at the end of the text in the editing area of the combo box.

WORKAROUND

In the Init method of the combo box, place the following line of code:

   THIS.SelStart=0

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article. This problem has been fixed in Visual FoxPro 5.0 for Windows.

MORE INFORMATION

This problem applies only to drop-down combo boxes (property Style=0), not to drop-down list boxes. This is because items in the drop-down list cannot be edited or added in the list box, hence no pointer.

The problem occurs only when you move to the combo box for the first time by using the keyboard. When you use the mouse, the pointer is placed in the position that the mouse is clicked. Also, even when moving to the combo box by using the keyboard, if the pointer is placed in a location other than the end with an arrow key, it will be located in that position when the combo box is reentered with the keyboard.

Text boxes and edit boxes by default position the pointer at the beginning of the displayed text.

The SelStart property of the combo box is read-only at design time and appears as zero(0) in the properties window. This property controls the position of the pointer in the editing field for combo boxes, text boxes and edit boxes. It can be accessed at run time though.

Steps to Reproduce Problem

1. Create a new form.

2. Add a combo box to the form.

3. Set the Style property to 0 - dropdown combo

4. Place the following code in the Init Method of the combo box:

   THIS.AddItem("This is a test") THIS.AddItem("This is another test") THIS.ListIndex=1

      *THIS.SelStart=0    && leave this as a comment for the first run
   
   

5. Save and run the form. Note that the pointer is at the end of the text in the combo box.

6. Modify the form and remove the asterisk from the last line (the THIS.SelStart=0 line) that is in the Init Method of the combo box. Save and rerun the form. The pointer should now be at the beginning of the text now.