TCustomRichEdit.FindText Method

Searches a given range in the text for a target string.

Pascal

function FindText(const SearchStr: string; StartPos: Integer; Length: Integer; Options: TSearchTypes): Integer;

C++

__fastcall int FindText(const AnsiString SearchStr, int StartPos, int Length, TSearchTypes Options);

Description

Use FindText to search a range of text in a rich edit control for the string specified by the SearchStr parameter. Only the text in the range starting at the position StartPos and continuing through the next Length positions will be searched. Use Options to specify whether the search should match whole words only and whether the search should be case sensitive. FindText returns the position of the search string, where 0 is the position of the first character in the rich edit control (as opposed to the first position in the search range). If the search string does not appear in the indicated range, FindText returns -1.

Use FindText rather than programmatically searching through the text of the control, to keep from being thrown off by the encoding of rich text characteristics.

C++ Examples:

Copy Code

/*
This example requires a TRichEdit, a TButton, and a 
TFindDialog.  Clicking the button click will display a Find 
Dialog to the right of the edit control.  Filling in the 
"Find what" text and pressing the Find Next button will
select the first matching string in the Rich Edit control 
that follows the previous selection.
*/
void __fastcall TForm1::Button1Click(TObject *Sender)
{
  FindDialog1->Position = Point(RichEdit1->Left + RichEdit1->Width, RichEdit1->Top);
  FindDialog1->Execute();
}

void __fastcall TForm1::FindDialog1Find(TObject *Sender)
{
  int FoundAt, StartPos, ToEnd;
  TSearchTypes mySearchTypes;
  // begin the search after the current selection
  // if there is one
  // otherwise, begin at the start of the text
  if (FindDialog1->Options.Contains(frMatchCase))
    mySearchTypes << stMatchCase;
  if (FindDialog1->Options.Contains(frWholeWord))
    mySearchTypes << stWholeWord;
  if (RichEdit1->SelLength)
    StartPos = RichEdit1->SelStart + RichEdit1->SelLength;
  else
    StartPos = 0;
  // ToEnd is the length from StartPos
  // to the end of the text in the rich edit control
  ToEnd = RichEdit1->Text.Length() - StartPos;
  FoundAt = RichEdit1->FindText(FindDialog1->FindText, StartPos, ToEnd, mySearchTypes);
  if (FoundAt != -1)
  {
    RichEdit1->SetFocus();
    RichEdit1->SelStart = FoundAt;
    RichEdit1->SelLength = FindDialog1->FindText.Length();
  }
  else Beep();
}

void __fastcall TForm1::FormCreate(TObject *Sender)
{
  RichEdit1->PlainText = False;
  RichEdit1->Lines->LoadFromFile("../Overview.RTF");  // starts in Debug
  RichEdit1->ScrollBars = ssVertical;
}

Delphi Examples:

Copy Code

{
This example requires a TRichEdit, a TButton, and a 
TFindDialog.  Clicking the button click will display a Find 
Dialog to the right of the edit control.  Filling in the 
"Find what" text and pressing the Find Next button will 
select the first matching string in the Rich Edit control 
that follows the previous selection.
}
procedure TForm1.Button1Click(Sender: TObject);
begin
  FindDialog1.Position := 
    Point(RichEdit1.Left + RichEdit1.Width, RichEdit1.Top);
  FindDialog1.Execute;
end;

procedure TForm1.FindDialog1Find(Sender: TObject);
var
  FoundAt: LongInt;
  StartPos, ToEnd: Integer;
  mySearchTypes : TSearchTypes;
  myFindOptions : TFindOptions;
begin
  with RichEdit1 do
  begin
    if frMatchCase in FindDialog1.Options then
       mySearchTypes := mySearchTypes + [stMatchCase];
    if frWholeWord in FindDialog1.Options then
       mySearchTypes := mySearchTypes + [stWholeWord];
    { begin the search after the current selection if there is one }
    { otherwise, begin at the start of the text }
    if SelLength <> 0 then
      StartPos := SelStart + SelLength
    else
      StartPos := 0;
    { ToEnd is the length from StartPos to the end of the 
      text in the rich edit control }
    ToEnd := Length(Text) - StartPos;
    FoundAt := 
      FindText(FindDialog1.FindText, StartPos, ToEnd, mySearchTypes);
    if FoundAt <> -1 then
    begin
      SetFocus;
      SelStart := FoundAt;
      SelLength := Length(FindDialog1.FindText);
    end
    else Beep;
  end;
end;

procedure TForm1.FormCreate(Sender: TObject);
const Path = 'OverView.RTF';
begin
  RichEdit1.PlainText := False;
  RichEdit1.Lines.LoadFromFile(Path);
  RichEdit1.ScrollBars := ssVertical;
end;