Symbol

Meaning

%ES_AUTOHSCROLL

Automatically scroll text to the right by 10 characters when the user types a character at the end of the line. When the user presses the ENTER key, scroll all text back to position zero. Also see %WS_AUTOHSCROLL.

%ES_AUTOVSCROLL

Automatically scroll text up one page when the user presses the ENTER key on the last line. This must be combined with the %ES_WANTRETURN and %ES_MULTILINE styles. Also see %WS_VSCROLL.

%ES_CENTER

Center text in a multi-line edit control.

%ES_LEFT

Left-aligns text. (default)

%ES_LOWERCASE

Convert all characters to lowercase as they are typed into the edit control.

%ES_MULTILINE

Allow the control to accept multiple lines of input. By default, the ENTER key activates the default button on the dialog. To use the ENTER key as a carriage return in the text box control, include the %ES_WANTRETURN style.

If the %ES_AUTOHSCROLL style is included, the control automatically scrolls horizontally when the caret goes past the right edge of the control. Otherwise, the control automatically wraps words to the beginning of the next line when necessary. The control size determines the position of the word wrap.

%ES_NOHIDESEL

Negate the default behavior for a text box. The default behavior hides the selection when the control loses the input focus, and inverts the selection when the control receives the input focus. If you specify %ES_NOHIDESEL, the selected text is inverted, even if the control does not have the focus.

%ES_NUMBER

Allow only digits instead of characters. Although Windows does not consider the negation symbol (-) or period symbol (.) to be digits, subclassing a TextBox that does not use %ES_NUMBER and rejecting "unwanted" keystrokes is common practice among advanced programmers).

%ES_OEMCONVERT

Text is converted from the windows character set to OEM, then back to Windows, as it is entered.

%ES_PASSWORD

Display an asterisk (*) for each character typed into the control in order to obscure the password.

%ES_READONLY

Prevent the user from typing or editing text in the control. Text can still be selected and copied from the control to the clipboard with the mouse.

%ES_RIGHT

Right-align text in a multi-line text box.

%ES_UPPERCASE

Convert all characters to uppercase as they are typed into the control.

%ES_WANTRETURN

Allow the ENTER key to insert a carriage return in a multi-line text box. Otherwise, the ENTER key works as the dialog box's default push button. This style has no effect on a single-line text box.

%WS_BORDER

Add a thin line border around the text box control.

%WS_HSCROLL

Add a horizontal scroll bar to the edit control, when used in conjunction to the %ES_AUTOHSCROLL style.

%WS_GROUP

Define the start of a group of controls. The first control in each group should also use %WS_TABSTOP style. The next %WS_GROUP control in the tab order defines the end of this group and the start of a new group.

%WS_TABSTOP

Allow the textbox control to receive keyboard focus when the user presses the TAB and SHIFT+TAB keys. The TAB key shifts keyboard focus to the next control with the %WS_TABSTOP style, and SHIFT+TAB shifts focus to the previous control with %WS_TABSTOP. (default)

%WS_VSCROLL

Add a vertical scroll bar to the edit control. This style should be used in conjunction to the %ES_MULTILINE and %ES_AUTOVSCROLL styles.