IdeaJam(tm) : Option for a Field to have its content selected when getting focus

Domino Designer / : Option for a Field to have its content selected when getting focus

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 15:23:38 +0000

Author: Theo Heselmans
Tags: Fields property selection
Idea:

When a user is using a web app (or any app for that matter), and he/she moves from one field to another (e.g. by using the tab-key) the content of the field that gets the focus, is usually selected. The moment the users starts typing, that content is overwritten.

In Notes this has never happened, because the cursor is placed before the first character of the field-content.

I would like an property (checkbox, off by default) to have the field-content selected upon focus.

Many of my users would appreciate this (standard) behaviour.

You can do this programmatically, but this is a lot of work.

re: Option for a Field to have its content selected when getting focus

Fri, 08 Aug 2008 14:59:07 +0000

Author: Kevin Pettitt
Comment: Wow this is freaky. Just yesterday this exact same idea occurred to me as well. Must be some undocumented telepathy feature of Sametime :-).

re: Option for a Field to have its content selected when getting focus

Fri, 08 Aug 2008 11:54:18 +0000

Author: Steve McDonagh
Comment: Oh yes PLEASE! This would be a very good thing to have!

re: Option for a Field to have its content selected when getting focus

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 12:27:30 +0000

Author: Joseph Hoetzl
Comment: onClick event of the field:

this.focus();
this.select();

A lot of work?

re: Option for a Field to have its content selected when getting focus

Sat, 16 Aug 2008 05:12:45 +0000

Author: Theo Heselmans
Comment: @Joseph:
your solution does not work in Notes, and it only works on clicking. I need a Notes solution, that also works when e.g. tabbing.
There is a 2 line solution, but I don't want to add it to each field.
BTW this works:

Sub Entering(Source As Field)
Dim ws As New NotesUIWorkspace
Call ws.CurrentDocument.SelectAll
End Sub

re: Option for a Field to have its content selected when getting focus

Wed, 10 Sep 2008 01:03:13 +0000

Author: Willy L
Comment: The last thing we need is more one-trick-pony options. What if you only want the text selected the first time? What if you only want it selected if the user hasn't changed it? There are too many variables for a checkbox-option to be useful. Consider...

Sub Entering(Source As Field)
Select Case ThisDoc.Description(0)
Case "" , "Enter Description"
Call ThisUIDoc.FieldSetText( "Description" , "Enter Description" )
ThisUIDoc.SelectAll
Case "None"
Call ThisUIDoc.FieldSetText( "Description" , "Description Required" )
ThisUIDoc.SelectAll
End Select

I've yet to come across a requirement to select-all every time a field is entered. I'm not saying it doesn't exist...just not worth complicating the properties dialog with another checkbox. Just code it.

re: Option for a Field to have its content selected when getting focus

Fri, 09 Jan 2009 19:19:06 +0000

Author: Christopher Baier
Comment: This would be great. Perhaps only when tabbing from field to field (text, numeric).

re: Option for a Field to have its content selected when getting focus

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 09:05:17 +0000

Author: Christopher Boote
Comment: I have written code to do this so many times that I can do it in my sleep
YES PLEASE let's have it as a default option - for web, client or both