ListBox auto keyboard select

[robertzp]

Hello,

I have a strange problem with auto-select using the keyboard in a multiple selection ListBox.

Normally, when entering a letter on the keyboard will select the first occurrence of the string containing the letter.

However, when I enter another letter, it selects the new letter but DOES NOT deselect the previous selection!

In the attached pictures, the first selection is found by entering "T" on the keyboard.
The second selection is found by entering the letter "j" but does not deselect the previous one.

See attached pictures.

However, selection using the mouse deselects previous selection.

Any advice?

[VictorN]

Hello,

I have a strange problem with auto-select using the keyboard in a multiple selection ListBox.
...

1. What do you mean by "auto-select"?
2. What styles does your listbox have?
3. What version of VS do you use?

[robertzp]

VictorN,

See my response interspered in your questions.

What do you mean by "auto-select"?

By auto-select, I mean entering a letter key on the keyboard automatically selects the first occurrence of the string contained in the list box. I think the attachments illustrated this quite clearly.

If I press the letter “T” on the keyboard , the entry for “Twelve balls entry.pdf” is highlighted.

If I entered the letter lowercase “j”, the first entry containing that letter “jim mosely solution edited.jpg” is highlighted.

What styles does your listbox have?

WS_CHILD | WS_VISIBLE | WS_HSCROLL | WS_VSCROLL | LBS_NOTIFY | LBS_SORT | LBS_NOINTEGRALHEIGHT | LBS_HASSTRINGS | LBS_EXTENDEDSEL | LBS_DISABLENOSCROLL | LBS_WANTKEYBOARDINPUT

What version of VS do you use?
Visual Studio 2015

Basically, I would like to duplicate the behavior of Windows Explorer in selecting the first occurence of a file in a folder which matches a keyboard character but deselects the previous one.

I am not talking about multiple selection using the ctrl or shift keys.

[VictorN]

Well, I tested it with VS2015 and confirm that sometimes it looks like undefined behaviour...
However, with these styles:

LBS_HASSTRINGS | LBS_NOINTEGRALHEIGHT | LBS_WANTKEYBOARDINPUT | LBS_EXTENDEDSEL | LBS_DISABLENOSCROLL | WS_VSCROLL | WS_TABSTOP

it works a little better.

Also, please read this MSDN article: CListBox::CharToItem
if you'd like to extend the listbox behaviour using keyboard.

[robertzp]

Well, I tested it with VS2015 and confirm that sometimes it looks like undefined behaviour...
However, with these styles:

LBS_HASSTRINGS | LBS_NOINTEGRALHEIGHT | LBS_WANTKEYBOARDINPUT | LBS_EXTENDEDSEL | LBS_DISABLENOSCROLL | WS_VSCROLL | WS_TABSTOP

it works a little better.

Also, please read this MSDN article: CListBox::CharToItem
if you'd like to extend the listbox behaviour using keyboard.

VictorN,

I'll read up on CharToItem.

FYI, previous keyboard selection is deselected if LBS_EXTENDEDSEL is removed. But this style is so essential for my needs I can't remove it.

I also tried unsuccessfully to deselect the previous keyboard selection using
SetSel(prev_index, FALSE);

[VictorN]

Did you try with LBS_EXTENDEDSEL but without LBS_SORT?

[robertzp]

Did you try with LBS_EXTENDEDSEL but without LBS_SORT?

VictorN,

Disabling LBS_SORT works!

The only restriction is that you populate the listbox in sorted order!

My app now works like Windows Explorer!

Thanks very for the tip!

[VictorN]

You are welcome!