# Button detached dialog select edit box text

**URL:** <https://resource.dopus.com/t/button-detached-dialog-select-edit-box-text/41952>\
**Category:** Help & Support\
**Created:** [August 14, 2022, 7:16am UTC](https://resource.dopus.com/t/button-detached-dialog-select-edit-box-text/41952 "2022-08-14T07:16:51Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 8\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![galaxyhub](https://resource.dopus.com/user_avatar/resource.dopus.com/galaxyhub/32/42793_2.png) [@galaxyhub](https://resource.dopus.com/u/galaxyhub)\
**Post date:** [August 14, 2022, 7:16am UTC](https://resource.dopus.com/t/button-detached-dialog-select-edit-box-text/41952/1 "2022-08-14T07:16:51Z")

</div>

Initialising edit box text with selected file, like so

```auto
    var srcTab = clickData.func.sourcetab;
    if (srcTab.stats.selitems > 0) {
        dialog.Control("edit1").value = srcTab.selected(0).name_stem;
    }

```

Is there a way of automatically selecting edit box text when it is first displayed, if not is there a way of placing the cursor at the end of the edit box text.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Leo](https://resource.dopus.com/user_avatar/resource.dopus.com/leo/32/69732_2.png) [@Leo](https://resource.dopus.com/u/Leo)\
**Post date:** [August 14, 2022, 12:25pm UTC](https://resource.dopus.com/t/button-detached-dialog-select-edit-box-text/41952/2 "2022-08-14T12:25:21Z")

</div>

I haven't checked with script dialogs, but giving the edit control focus (control.focus method) should normally also select its text.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![galaxyhub](https://resource.dopus.com/user_avatar/resource.dopus.com/galaxyhub/32/42793_2.png) [@galaxyhub](https://resource.dopus.com/u/galaxyhub)\
**Post date:** [August 14, 2022, 2:35pm UTC](https://resource.dopus.com/t/button-detached-dialog-select-edit-box-text/41952/3 "2022-08-14T14:35:29Z")

</div>

```auto
        dialog.Control("edit1").value = source.selected(0).name_stem;
        dialog.Control("edit1").focus = true;

```

doesn't select the text;

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Leo](https://resource.dopus.com/user_avatar/resource.dopus.com/leo/32/69732_2.png) [@Leo](https://resource.dopus.com/u/Leo)\
**Post date:** [August 14, 2022, 2:45pm UTC](https://resource.dopus.com/t/button-detached-dialog-select-edit-box-text/41952/4 "2022-08-14T14:45:42Z")

</div>

Does the edit control already have focus when you change the text? That might stop it being selected (and would mean setting focus to the edit control was a no-op).

(This kinda of thing would be much easier if you post a small, self-contained example that we could try and modify ourselves.)

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![galaxyhub](https://resource.dopus.com/user_avatar/resource.dopus.com/galaxyhub/32/42793_2.png) [@galaxyhub](https://resource.dopus.com/u/galaxyhub)\
**Post date:** [August 14, 2022, 5:34pm UTC](https://resource.dopus.com/t/button-detached-dialog-select-edit-box-text/41952/5 "2022-08-14T17:34:46Z")

</div>

Here is the button (work in progress)  
[Iconset maker v2.dcf](https://resource.dopus.com/uploads/short-url/dZ2cN6d14PH9AUPMfMsLONInhL8.dcf) (7.7 KB)

the `if` statement at line 45 is where the edit text if present wants to be selected.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Leo](https://resource.dopus.com/user_avatar/resource.dopus.com/leo/32/69732_2.png) [@Leo](https://resource.dopus.com/u/Leo)\
**Post date:** [August 15, 2022, 9:57am UTC](https://resource.dopus.com/t/button-detached-dialog-select-edit-box-text/41952/6 "2022-08-15T09:57:55Z")

</div>

Thanks!

Here's a method that works, using `SelectRange`:

```javascript
	if (source.stats.selitems > 0) {
		dialog.Control("edit1").value = source.selected(0).name_stem;
		dialog.Control("edit1").SelectRange(0,-1);
	}

```

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![galaxyhub](https://resource.dopus.com/user_avatar/resource.dopus.com/galaxyhub/32/42793_2.png) [@galaxyhub](https://resource.dopus.com/u/galaxyhub)\
**Post date:** [August 15, 2022, 4:56pm UTC](https://resource.dopus.com/t/button-detached-dialog-select-edit-box-text/41952/7 "2022-08-15T16:56:19Z")

</div>

Works perfectly. Was only looking at properties in the documentation, should have looked further. Many thanks again.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Leo](https://resource.dopus.com/user_avatar/resource.dopus.com/leo/32/69732_2.png) [@Leo](https://resource.dopus.com/u/Leo)\
**Post date:** [August 15, 2022, 6:03pm UTC](https://resource.dopus.com/t/button-detached-dialog-select-edit-box-text/41952/8 "2022-08-15T18:03:58Z")

</div>

I missed it myself when I first looked.