RTF-Based Tooltip for C#

[tom3.14]

Hello,

I'm in need of color highlighting individual words with in a tooltip.

I'm thinking that the standard tooltip in c# can't do that since it looks like it just takes a unicode string. (Is that correct or is there some gucci way of getting around that?)

I did some googling and found what appears to be a C++ solution(which functionally is what I was looking but is in C++)
http://www.codeguru.com/cpp/controls/richedit/article.php/c2405

I haven't found anything for C# yet? Any suggestions??

[Teme64]

I'm thinking that the standard tooltip in c# can't do that since it looks like it just takes a unicode string. (Is that correct or is there some gucci way of getting around that?)

Yes, just a plain text without formatting.

AFAIK there's only two solutions. Get some third-party tooltip-control or write one of your own. Here's a one example: Balloon ToolTip Control. With some googling you should find more sample code.

HTH

[tom3.14]

Yes, just a plain text without formatting.

AFAIK there's only two solutions. Get some third-party tooltip-control or write one of your own. Here's a one example: Balloon ToolTip Control. With some googling you should find more sample code.

HTH

Thanks for the quick response but Uggh... I was looking at that Ballon ToolTip Control link you sent.. It look like a ton of coding to get what I want.

I was thinking perhaps I could create a object that would inherit the tooltip object along with a richtextbox. I wonder if could use tooltip to get all the positional information and than just overlay the richtextbox on top? (I'm still sort of new on the C# sharp stuff,(I'm a vb6'er) so I'm not sure if I would regret this approach in the long run. Btw.. Thanks for your search terms. It's providing much better search terms than what I was getting.

[Teme64]

I was thinking perhaps I could create a object that would inherit the tooltip object along with a richtextbox

Yes you can do that. In fact you'll end up with coding your own control :)

I'm not sure how to render RTF-formatted text, but if you inherit your control from the ToolTip object, you'll have to write your own Draw method.

Here's a simple example with fixed formatting (no RTF, sorry ;) ). Create a new WinForms project, drop a listview control (listView1) to the form and copy/paste the following code:

using System;
using System.ComponentModel;
using System.Drawing;
using System.Windows.Forms;

namespace BlogTest
{
    // Quick&Dirty user control inherited from ToolTip object
    public class QDToolTip : ToolTip
    {
        // Constructor
        public QDToolTip()
        {
            // Attach own Draw method
            this.Draw += new DrawToolTipEventHandler(QDToolTip_Draw);
        }

        void QDToolTip_Draw(object sender, DrawToolTipEventArgs e)
        {
            // Font properties
            Font ttFont = new Font("Garamond", 10.5F, FontStyle.Regular, GraphicsUnit.Point);
            // Font color
            Brush ttBrush = Brushes.Violet;

            // Set (tooltip) BG color to dark violet
            ((ToolTip)sender).BackColor = Color.DarkViolet;
            // Draw dark violet background
            e.DrawBackground();
            // Draw tooltip text with 10.5pt violet Garamond
            e.Graphics.DrawString(e.ToolTipText, ttFont, ttBrush, e.Bounds);
            // Dispose resources
            ttBrush = null;
            ttFont = null;
        }
    }

    public partial class Form1 : Form
    {
        public Form1()
        {
            InitializeComponent();
            // 
            QDToolTip MyTip = new QDToolTip();

            // Tell the object that you'll handle the drawing
            MyTip.OwnerDraw = true;
            // Put some text to the tooltip and attach the tooltip to listview control
            MyTip.SetToolTip(listView1, "Formatted Text");
        }
    }
}

[tom3.14]

Thanks...
I've been playing with the code a little bit... but so far with out success.
within the QDtooltip class I added:
public RichTextBox myRichTextBox = new RichTextBox();

I guess what I'm after to overlay myRichTextBox over the existing Tooltip.
I thinking I need to research docking or something and probably have that overlay within the custom draw method. I'm not sure how to do that yet. If I can get over that hump, I think the Richtext part will be easy.

[tom3.14]

I'm attempting to overlay a richtextbox over the tool tip.
What I have here seems to compile, seems to make sense in my vb6 brain, but doesn't work.

Is this a dumb approach fundamentally, or am I just missing something really obvious?

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.ComponentModel;
using System.Data;
using System.Drawing;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;
using System.Windows.Forms;


//namespace BlogTest
//{
    // Quick&Dirty user control inherited from ToolTip object
    public class QDToolTip : ToolTip
    {
        public RichTextBox myRichTextBox = new RichTextBox();
        // Constructor
        public QDToolTip()
        {
            // Attach own Draw method
            this.Draw += new DrawToolTipEventHandler(QDToolTip_Draw);
            //myRichTextBox.Dock = DockStyle.Fill;
            
        }

        void QDToolTip_Draw(object sender, DrawToolTipEventArgs e)
        {
            // Font properties
            Font ttFont = new Font("Garamond", 10.5F, FontStyle.Regular, GraphicsUnit.Point);
            // Font color
            Brush ttBrush = Brushes.Violet;

            // Set (tooltip) BG color to dark violet
            ((ToolTip)sender).BackColor = Color.DarkViolet;
            // Draw dark violet background
            e.DrawBackground();
            // Draw tooltip text with 10.5pt violet Garamond
            e.Graphics.DrawString(e.ToolTipText, ttFont, ttBrush, e.Bounds);
                myRichTextBox.Visible = true;
            myRichTextBox.BringToFront();        
            // Dispose resources
            ttBrush = null;
            ttFont = null;
            myRichTextBox.Bounds= e.Bounds;
            myRichTextBox.Top = 0;
            myRichTextBox.Left = 0;
        }
    }
//}


namespace WindowsFormsApplication1
{
    public partial class Form1 : Form
    {
        QDToolTip MyTip = new QDToolTip();
        public Form1()
        {
            InitializeComponent();
            // 
            

            // Tell the object that you'll handle the drawing
            MyTip.OwnerDraw = true;
            // Put some text to the tooltip and attach the tooltip to listview control
            MyTip.SetToolTip(listView1, "Formatted Text");
            MyTip.myRichTextBox.Text = "Test";
            
        
        }

        private void listView1_SelectedIndexChanged(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {

        }
    }
}

[nick.crane]

What actually happens? (or doesn't happen?)

[tom3.14]

What actually happens? (or doesn't happen?)

The tooltip text shows up "Formatted text" and nothing is to be seen of "test"

The tooltip seems to behaving a bit weird,(pops up some of the time, but not all the time, when listview1 gets focus.)

[Teme64]

Is this a dumb approach fundamentally, or am I just missing something really obvious?

No, it's not. I tried the same thing (if that proofs anything ;) )

But something (maybe obvious) is missing because the RTB does not show up :'(

I changed your code a bit. The RTB is built outside the QDToolTip and passed as a property. The only information needed from the base tooltip is the location where the RTB should be shown.

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.ComponentModel;
using System.Drawing;
using System.Text;
using System.Windows.Forms;

namespace BlogTest
{
 // Quick&Dirty user control inherited from ToolTip object
    public class QDToolTip : ToolTip
    {
        // Property
        public RichTextBox myRichTextBox { get; set; }

        // Constructor
        public QDToolTip()
        {
            // Attach own Draw method
            this.Draw += new DrawToolTipEventHandler(QDToolTip_Draw);
        }

        // Popup RichTextBox
        void QDToolTip_Draw(object sender, DrawToolTipEventArgs e)
        {
            myRichTextBox.Location = e.Bounds.Location; // Set Location only
            // Show our RichTextBox, what's missing in here???
            myRichTextBox.Visible = true;
            myRichTextBox.BringToFront();
            myRichTextBox.Show();
        }
    }

    public partial class Form1 : Form
    {
        QDToolTip MyTip = new QDToolTip();

        public Form1()
        {
            InitializeComponent();
            // 
            RichTextBox oRtb = new RichTextBox();
            // Set rtb props, did we miss some property???
            oRtb.Width = 150;
            oRtb.Height = 14;
            oRtb.BackColor = Color.DarkViolet;
            oRtb.ForeColor = Color.Violet;
            oRtb.Font = new Font("Garamond", 10);
            oRtb.Text = "Formatted Text";

            // Tell the object that you'll handle the drawing
            MyTip.OwnerDraw = true;
            // Put some (empty) text to the tooltip and attach the tooltip to listview control
            MyTip.SetToolTip(listView1, " ");
            // Set RichTextBox which should be displayed (instead of ToolTip's text)
            MyTip.myRichTextBox = oRtb;
        }
    }
}

Now the base tooltip is actually a string with a space because we need the functionality and the location from the ToolTip control.

This code doesn't work "as is", but I hope it's a step further. You can put a breakpoint (press F9) at code line 30 to see what is in the myRichTextBox variable.