Method and system for editing and formatting data in a dialog window

摘要

A method and system for editing and formatting data in a dialog window is provided. In a preferred embodiment, a rich text edit control is provided to support a rich text edit field in a user dialog. Different behaviors can be specified for the rich text edit control such that a dialog author can enable or disable the formatting capability of the rich text edit field. A user can type directly into the rich text edit field and select and modify the formatting characteristics of entered data using the same techniques and mechanisms provided to enter data and to modify the formatting characteristics of the data in the underlying user document. Pop-up menus and shortcut keys are also available for modifying the formatting characteristics of data selected in the rich text edit field. The rich text edit control can accept data from another window and can inherit its formatting characteristics in order to display the data the way the data will appear in the underlying document. In one embodiment, the rich text edit control is provided by the underlying word processing application program so as to utilize the same routines for editing and formatting data in a rich text edit field as within an underlying document.