WPF RichTextBox

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WPF RichTextBox how to get it to accept clickable urls

Raghunath Bhukan · Answer

If you want a WPF RichTextBox where URLs in the text are automatically clickable links . By default, RichTextBox just treats text as plain content or FlowDocument content — it won’t automatically make URLs clickable. You have to either detect URLs and convert them to Hyperlink elements , or handle mouse clicks manually . Here’s how to do it step by step. Step 1: Use a RichTextBox with a FlowDocument Important: IsDocumentEnabled="True" allows Hyperlink elements inside the RichTextBox to be clickable. Step 2: Add text with URLs and convert them to Hyperlink programmatically using System.Text.RegularExpressions; using System.Windows; using System.Windows.Documents; using System.Windows.Input; namespace ClickableUrlExample { public partial class MainWindow : Window { public MainWindow() { InitializeComponent(); AddTextWithClickableUrls("Visit https://www.example.com or http://google.com for more info."); } private void AddTextWithClickableUrls(string text) { var doc = new FlowDocument(); var paragraph = new Paragraph(); // Regex to find URLs var urlPattern = @"(http[s]?://[^\s]+)"; var parts = Regex.Split(text, urlPattern); foreach (var part in parts) { if (Regex.IsMatch(part, urlPattern)) { // Create a clickable hyperlink var hyperlink = new Hyperlink(new Run(part)) { NavigateUri = new System.Uri(part) }; hyperlink.RequestNavigate += Hyperlink_RequestNavigate; paragraph.Inlines.Add(hyperlink); } else { paragraph.Inlines.Add(new Run(part)); } } doc.Blocks.Add(paragraph); richTextBox.Document = doc; } private void Hyperlink_RequestNavigate(object sender, System.Windows.Navigation.RequestNavigateEventArgs e) { // Open the link in default browser System.Diagnostics.Process.Start(new System.Diagnostics.ProcessStartInfo(e.Uri.AbsoluteUri) { UseShellExecute = true }); e.Handled = true; } } } Step 3: Explanation IsDocumentEnabled = true is crucial for hyperlinks to work. The Regex detects URLs in the text. Each URL is replaced with a Hyperlink element. RequestNavigate event handles the click and opens the URL in the default browser. Non-URL text is added as a normal Run element. Optional Enhancements Automatically detect URLs while typing : Attach a TextChanged handler and re-parse the text to add hyperlinks. Styling hyperlinks : You can set Foreground color, underline style, etc. hyperlink.Foreground = Brushes.Blue; hyperlink.TextDecorations = TextDecorations.Underline; Support email links : Extend the regex to include mailto: .

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