C#Net2008 Within FORM navigate from TEXTBOX to TEXTBOX using TAB and ENTER key

Lennie Kuah

Hi CSharp Good Guys,
Need your help. Please help me. I am using C#Net2008 for Window application.
On the FORM there are 14 TextBox Controls. The Users are requesting that after data input in a textbox, they press ENTER key they expect the cursor to move to the next TextBox whose TabIndex is just 1 greater than the current one. So far, the TAB key does work but ENTER key is not.
Please share your suggestion with me and if possible share with me a sample coding. I rather learn and understand coding logic.
Thank You.

4 Replies

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Sam Hobbs16y ago
Also note that you can create a Cancel button and in the clicke event for the button, just do a Close(). Then in the form, set the form's CancelButton property to the Cancel button and then the excape key will automatically close the form.
Sam Hobbs16y ago
You can use ProcessTabKey(true) instead of SendKeys.Send("{TAB}"). ProcessTabKey is the type of thing that experienced developers would use and SendKeys.Send is what beginners are more likely to use. I understand that ProcessCmdKey is not easy to understand, but I hope ProcessTabKey is easy enough to understand.
Sam Hobbs16y ago
Add the following code to the code for your form. You don't need to add a handler for the event; this overrides a function in the form, so you only need to add the function below to the code for the form.
protected override bool ProcessCmdKey(ref Message msg, Keys keyData)
{
if ((keyData & Keys.Modifiers) == 0 && (keyData & Keys.KeyCode) == Keys.Enter)
{
ProcessTabKey(true);
return true; // indicate key has been handled
}
return base.ProcessCmdKey(ref msg, keyData);
}
If you need to not advance for some controls, then we need to add logic to that function for that. For example, if the current control (the control with focus) is a button, and if you want the enter key to click the button as normally happens, then we need to add logic for that.

Also, if the form has an Okay button then the ProcessCmdKey can prevent the enter key from doing the equivalent of clicking the Okay button. This might be an advantage or a disadvantage, but I assume that if it is intended that the enter key be equivalent to clicking the Okay button, then that can be done too.
Jaish Mathews16y ago
Hi,
Do below things
1. Make KeyPreview property of the Form on which TextBoxes residing to "True". This will make sure that any control keypress can handle in side Form_Keydown event handler.
2. Add an EventHandler for Form_KeyDown and add below code
if (e.KeyCode.Equals(Keys.Enter))
            {
                SendKeys.Send("{TAB}");
            }
Just programmatically firing a TAB key, once enter press. If your TAB correct, this will work.