Custom CEdit Text Control

Ok I spent over 24 hours on groups just trying to sub class an MFC
CEdit control. All the information I found was correct but I still
had to work out a good 30% of the solution myself. Bits of vital -
assumed - information was missing.

I am posting this in an attempt to stop anyone else having to spend so
much time to perform such a simple task.

First forget SubClassDlgItem(). This can be used if required, but
just obfuscate the code.

Ill highlight points of interest and gotchas I found!!!!!

Here is the source:

This is the custom class .h file which inherits from CEdit.
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

#pragma once

// _CustomEditCTRL

class _CustomEditCTRL : public CEdit
{
    DECLARE_DYNAMIC(_CustomEditCTRL) // Changed to match class

public:
    _CustomEditCTRL();
    virtual ~_CustomEditCTRL();

               // Added manually.
    COLORREF m_crText;
    COLORREF m_crBackGnd;
    CBrush m_brBackGnd;

               // Add as mere access
functions. // Added manually.
    void _CustomEditCTRL::SetBackColor(COLORREF); // Must be public to
call.
    void _CustomEditCTRL::SetTextColor(COLORREF);

protected:

    afx_msg HBRUSH CtlColor(CDC* pDC, UINT nCtlColor); // Added
manually.
    DECLARE_MESSAGE_MAP()
};

This is the custom class cpp file which inherits from CEdit.
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

// _CustomEditCTRL

IMPLEMENT_DYNAMIC(_CustomEditCTRL, CEdit)

_CustomEditCTRL::_CustomEditCTRL()
{
                // Added manually.
    // Set the custom control member variables.
    MessageBoxA(NULL,"_CustomEditCTRL","",MB_OK);
    m_crText=RGB(100,0,0);
}

_CustomEditCTRL::~_CustomEditCTRL()
{
}

// Added manually.
HBRUSH _CustomEditCTRL::CtlColor(CDC* pDC, UINT nCtlColor)
{
    MessageBoxA(NULL,"CtlColor","",MB_OK); // Checks that this is
called indirectly
                                                                                   //
never called directly.
    //set text color
    pDC->SetTextColor(m_crText);

    //set the text's background color
    pDC->SetBkColor(m_crBackGnd);

    //return the brush used for background this sets control background
    return (HBRUSH) m_brBackGnd.GetSafeHandle();
}

// Added manually.
void _CustomEditCTRL::SetBackColor(COLORREF rgb)
{

    MessageBoxA(NULL,"SetBackColor","",MB_OK); // Checks
that this is called
    //set background color ref (used for text's background)
    m_crBackGnd = rgb;

    //free brush
    if (m_brBackGnd.GetSafeHandle())
       m_brBackGnd.DeleteObject();
    //set brush to new color
    m_brBackGnd.CreateSolidBrush(rgb);

    //redraw
    Invalidate(TRUE);
}

// Added manually.
void _CustomEditCTRL::SetTextColor(COLORREF rgb){

  //set text color ref
  m_crText = rgb;
                                                                         //
GOTCHA - added to create background also...can remove.
  SetBackColor(COLORREF(RGB(255,255,255))); // <- You MUST specify a
brush fo 4 the control to work!
                                                                        //
If not - no change seems to happen.
  //redraw
  Invalidate(TRUE);
}

BEGIN_MESSAGE_MAP(_CustomEditCTRL, CEdit) // Messages passed
around...
    ON_WM_CTLCOLOR_REFLECT() // GOTCHA - ON_WM_CTLCOLOR will not
work use this
END_MESSAGE_MAP() //
instead. // Added manually.

OK we now have a custom class which inherits from a CEdit control...
How do we call it?

firstly you need to create a member variable for an existing CEdit
control which will utilise this custom class.

// So in the parent class i.e. the class which hosts the control add
this.

_CustomEditCTRL m_statusCtrl;

// to call this - do this:
m_statusCtrl.SetTextColor(COLORREF(RGB(200,0,0)));

NOTE: Remember this also calls the background colour function (Cos I
told it to as i dont want to change this all the time I want to change
the text)...just comment out the
SetBackColor(COLORREF(RGB(255,255,255))); BUT specify a default brush
after.

OK - Rember to add the header file for the _CustomEditCTRL i.e.
#include"_CustomEditCTRL .h" where ever you use m_statusCtrl and on
the parent of the control.

Additional notes:

This was tested on vista OK
Visual Studios 2005 is pants - No Class Wizards used.

PLEASE: This is not a "How great am I" post - This is to try and stop
the time wasted I spend trying to get it going....PLEASE comment!!!!

This was developed for CPropertyPage with the parent a CPropertySheet
(NO Dialog) so maybe the ON_WM_CTLCOLOR windows message would have
worked for CDialog parents. I have found some strange posts on Dialog
requiring the InitDialog function to be overridden before they recieve
and process messages...lol

Anyway...If I can help more...pls ask!!!!
If I should remove my code as a disgrace to the dark art of MFC then
also comment.