xcall XTEXT, opcode, flags, src, dst, srow, scol, erow, ecol, exitcode, txtctl {, auxdata {, fmtdef}}

Following this introduction are the additional sections Text Editing Overview, Parameters and Other XTEXT Topics. For the latest changes, see XTEXT Updates.

XTEXT provides access to a general purpose Windows text editing control in the A-Shell GUI environment. It is similar in concept to the INFLD multi-line feature, but goes well beyond INFLD to offer such features as:

• Ability to perform I/O to / from either text buffers or files.

• Essentially no limit on the size of the text, particularly in file mode.

• Optional RTF (Rich Text Format) support, including character attributes (bold, italic, etc.), fonts, paragraph styles, justification, etc.

• Search and replace.

• Optional / configurable interface components, such as ruler, toolbar, status bar.

• May be contained within another window or float independently (in which case it can have its own title bar and menu).

• Ability to protect existing text when adding new text.

Programmers familiar with XTREE may find that XTEXT is to a simple multi-line edit control as XTREE is to a simple list box, and in fact, the parameter structure and general design of XTEXT have a number of similarities to XTREE.

XTEXT requires the presence of an external module, TER13.DLL, which must be in the Windows system directory or the directory from which ashw32.exe was loaded.

See the updated ashell.def (edit 135+) for definitions of all symbols used in XTEXT (they all start with TX) and XTEXT.MAP for the layout of the txtctl parameter.

See the XTX1.BP in [908,40] of the SOSLIB for a working example and utility for testing the usage of various flags and parameter options.

XTEXT was introduced in A-Shell build 951 of February 2006.