win32 select all on edit ctrl (textbox)

I am creating my textbox with these options. I can copy/cut/paste/undo, but when i hit select A it doesnt select all. I can right click and click select all but ctrl a doesnt do anything, why?

  wnd = CreateWindow("EDIT", 0,
   WS_CHILD | WS_VISIBLE | ES_MULTILINE | WS_HSCROLL | WS_VSCROLL | ES_AUTOHSCROLL | ES_AUTOVSCROLL,
   x, y, w, h,
   parentWnd,
   NULL, NULL, NULL);

From stackoverflow

• You need to capture that keystroke and do the select all yourself.

  Here is some C# code for use with a RichTextBox:

      protected override void OnKeyDown(KeyEventArgs e)
      {
          // Ctrl-A does a Select All in the editor window
          if (e.Control && (e.KeyCode == Keys.A))
          {
              this.SelectAll();
              e.Handled = true;
          }
      }
  

  Sorry, I don't have Win32 code for you.

  Sheldon : mine says "does not contain a defintion for "selectALL" and no extension method accepting an argument of a type could be found"

• Could it be that something else is stealing Ctrl-A? Use Spy++ to verify that it reaches your edit control.

• I tend to use MFC (forgive me) instead of win32 so I cannot answer this definitively, but I noticed this comment added to a page on an MS site concerning talking with an Edit control (a simple editor within the Edit control):

  The edit control uses WM_CHAR for accepting characters, not WM_KEYDOWN etc. You must Translate() your messages or you ironically won't be able to edit the text in the edit control.

  I don't know if this applies to BoltBait's response, but I suspect it does.

  (I found this at http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb775462(VS.85).aspx)

  acidzombie24 : wow thanks, i wanted to select all so i can copy text faster. That link showed me WM_COPY which copys the text needed. thanks!

• Why not add an accelerator for Ctrl+a to SelectAll?

  acidzombie24 : i guess i could but thats more code for me to write and learn how to do. BTW i used WM_COPY instead which is what i wanted. To copy the text into the clipboard :)

• Ctrl-A is not a built-in accelerator like Ctrl-C and Ctrl-V. This is why you see WM_CUT, WM_PASTE and WM_COPY messages defined, but there is no WM_SELECTALL.

  You have to implement this functionality yourself. I did in my MFC app like this:

  static BOOL IsEdit( CWnd *pWnd ) 
  {
      if ( ! pWnd ) return FALSE ;
      HWND hWnd = pWnd->GetSafeHwnd();
      if (hWnd == NULL)
       return FALSE;
  
      TCHAR szClassName[6];
      return ::GetClassName(hWnd, szClassName, 6) &&
           _tcsicmp(szClassName, _T("Edit")) == 0;
  }
  
  BOOL LogWindowDlg::PreTranslateMessage(MSG* pMsg) 
  {
      if(pMsg->message==WM_KEYDOWN)
      {
          if ( pMsg->wParam=='A' && GetKeyState(VK_CONTROL)<0 )
          {
              // User pressed Ctrl-A.  Let's select-all
              CWnd * wnd = GetFocus() ;
              if ( wnd && IsEdit(wnd) )
                  ((CEdit *)wnd)->SetSel(0,-1) ;
          }
      }   
      return CDialog::PreTranslateMessage(pMsg);
  }
  

  Note, I stole IsEdit from this page: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/145616

  I point that out partly because I want to give credit, and partly because I think the IsEdit function (comparing classname strings) is dorky and I want to give blame.