Disable the Context Menu for a RadTextBox

[Renato Lopes]

How can I disable the default Context Menu for a RadTextBox?

I want to use my custom Context Menu, but it always shows the "copy, paste cute..." menu...

[Angel]

Hi Renato Lopes,

The context menu is a feature of the hosted MS TextBox and it can be stopped from showing only with a workaround.

For example, this can be done by ignoring the WM_RBUTTONDOWN message:

   1. Inherit the base text box control that is used for hosting and ignore the right button down:

public class TextBoxNoMenu : HostedTextBoxBase
{
    private const int WM_RBUTTONDOWN = 0x204;

    protected override void WndProc(ref Message m)
    {
        if (m.Msg == WM_RBUTTONDOWN)
            return;

        base.WndProc(ref m);
    }
}

   2. Use the above control as a hosted one:

private void DisableContextMenu(RadTextBox textBox)
{
    textBox.TextBoxElement.Children.Remove(textBox.TextBoxElement.TextBoxItem);
    RadTextBoxItem textBoxItem = new RadTextBoxItem(new TextBoxNoMenu());
    textBoxItem.Text = textBox.Text;
    textBox.TextBoxElement.Children.Add(textBoxItem);
}

You can call anywhere DisableContextMenu(): in the constructor of the form, in button click event, etc.
You can even save the old host item and reuse it if you wish to re-enable the context menu.

Note that the code that is given here will work only with the upcoming Q2 2008 release (due this week).
In the previous releases HostedTextBoxBase class was not public.

All the best,
Angel
the Telerik team

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[Angel]

Hello Renato Lopes,

This is just a follow up to the previous post.

There is a synchronization line for the Text property in DisableContextMenu(). In order to preserve the connection between the used two Text properties, binding should be used.

The corrected code is given below:

private void DisableContextMenu(RadTextBox textBox)
{
    textBox.TextBoxElement.Children.Remove(textBox.TextBoxElement.TextBoxItem);
    RadTextBoxItem textBoxItem = new RadTextBoxItem(new TextBoxNoMenu());
    textBoxItem.BindProperty(RadItem.TextProperty, textBox.TextBoxElement,
        RadItem.TextProperty, PropertyBindingOptions.TwoWay);
    textBox.TextBoxElement.Children.Add(textBoxItem);
}

Regards,
Angel
the Telerik team

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[Ofer]

Hi,

What about your WinForms 2009 SP1 with VS 2008 SP1?

Your solution disables the context-menu but creates a problem - 

Now the textbox doesn't show line-breaks!

I use it to show the content of email messages.

So how to diable the context menu?

I tried txtbXX.ContextMenu = null or txtbXX.ContextMenu = new ContextMEnu() but I still get the default context menu!

[Martin Vasilev]

Hi Ofer,

Thank you for writing. Actually you cannot remove the ContextMenu by using the ContextMenu property, because it comes from hosted MS TextBox element inside in the RadTextBox control. You can stop it only by using the work-around provided in this topic. If you want to show break-lines, you can set AcceptsReturn property to true. Stopping context menu, does not influence this feature. Do not hesitate to contact me again if you have other questions.

Kind regards,
Martin Vasilev
the Telerik team

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[Howard Hill]

Good morning,

I was using this method to disable the context menu and it works great. However I noticed that none of the properties set on the original text box transfer over. (Or at least MaxLength does not.)

Also I noticed that the TextChanging event does fire BUT setting e.Cancel to true is ignored letting in characters I want to skip.

Is there an easy way to get all the properties and events wired up correctly? Some forms have several RadTextBoxes that I need to override.

Thanks!

Howard

[Richard Slade]

Hello Howard,

This may be an easier way to get rid of the context menu on a RadTextBox (just give it a dummy context menu)

Me.RadTextBox1.TextBoxElement.TextBoxItem.HostedControl.ContextMenu = New ContextMenu()

Hope that hels
Richard