If focus is at a list box, and the user presses a character key, the first line with a value starting with that character is selected. Can this feature be disabled?

I assume the feature is most often useful - at least with sorted list boxes. But I have this list box where I'd like to catch the keystrokes and interpret them as commands or data.

My current workaround is to prefix the text of each list box item with a space. But it's not an ideal solution. It wastes horizontal space, which is at a premium in my list box control. The list box is hierarchical with bitmaps, and several levels of indents, and with the way I align my bitmaps and texts the extra space adds up for each level, soon forcing the text beyond the right border.

Here's a fictious and simplified example of my list box's content:

. Event: Manufacture

. . Date: 1911

. . Place: Askøy

. . Persons: 2

. . . Andersen, Arne (1888-1977)

. . . Pedersen, Per (1877-1955)

. Event: Use

. . Date: 1911-1933

. . Place: Askøy

. . Persons: 2

. . . Olsen, Ole (1878-1933)

. . . Andersen, Arne (1888-1977)

. Event: Restoration

. . Date: 05.05.1955

. . Place: Bergen

. . . Torsen, Tor (1934-)

My list box is data aware (with the help of some programming). One example of how I'd like character keystrokes to be interpreted is that pressing an "E" inserts a new, empty "Event:" line in the list. Another example is that while on the "Event" line I'd like the user to be able to key in the name of the event (e.g "Manufacture").

- Oystein -

Øystein Reigem,

Humanities Information Technologies,

Allégt 27,

N-5007 Bergen,

Norway.

Tel: +47 55 58 32 42.

Fax: +47 55 58 94 70.

oystein.reigem@hit.uib.no

Home tel/fax: +47 56 14 06 11.

Oystein,

Haven't done too much with OpenInsight in a while, but I can throw out some ideas. If the property on the control cannot be disabled, perhaps you can spoof around it. Do OI forms have a "Key Preview" event wherein all keystrokes can be trapped before they go to the control? If so, in the Key Preview event, you can check and see if the listbox has the focus. If it does, substitute your code for different keystrokes, and then set the keystroke value to null. This way the keystroke never reaches the control.

I guess this would be similar to a scribe replacement in ARev.

Matt Sorrell

msorrel@greyhound.com

Matt,

I don't think what you suggest is possible, but thanks anyway!

- Oystein -

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