MFC - change text color of a cstatic text control

Question

How do you change the text color of a CStatic text control? Is there a simple way other that using the CDC::SetTextColor?

thanks...

Answer 1

You can implement ON_WM_CTLCOLOR in your dialog class, without having to create a new CStatic-derived class:

BEGIN_MESSAGE_MAP(CMyDialog, CDialog)
    //{{AFX_MSG_MAP(CMyDialog)
    ON_WM_CTLCOLOR()
    //}}AFX_MSG_MAP
END_MESSAGE_MAP()

HBRUSH CMyDialog::OnCtlColor(CDC* pDC, CWnd *pWnd, UINT nCtlColor)
{
    switch (nCtlColor)
    {
    case CTLCOLOR_STATIC:
        pDC->SetTextColor(RGB(255, 0, 0));
        return (HBRUSH)GetStockObject(NULL_BRUSH);
    default:
        return CDialog::OnCtlColor(pDC, pWnd, nCtlColor);
    }
}

Notice that the code above sets the text of all static controls in the dialog. But you can use the pWnd variable to filter the controls you want.

Answer 2

unfortunately you won't find a SetTextColor method in the CStatic class. If you want to change the text color of a CStatic you will have to code a bit more.

In my opinion the best way is creating your own CStatic-derived class (CMyStatic) and there cacth the ON_WM_CTLCOLOR_REFLECT notification message.

BEGIN_MESSAGE_MAP(CMyStatic, CStatic)
    //{{AFX_MSG_MAP(CMyStatic)
    ON_WM_CTLCOLOR_REFLECT()
    //}}AFX_MSG_MAP
END_MESSAGE_MAP()

HBRUSH CColorStatic::CtlColor(CDC* pDC, UINT nCtlColor) 
{
    pDC->SetTextColor(RGB(255,0,0)); 

    return (HBRUSH)GetStockObject(NULL_BRUSH);  
}

Obviously you can use a member variable and a setter method to replace the red color (RGB(255,0,0)).

Regards.

Answer 3

Just a follow up to the painting issue (a transparent background), which caused by *return (HBRUSH)GetStockObject(NULL_BRUSH);*

Easy change as below:

HBRUSH hBrush = CDialog::OnCtlColor(pDC, pWnd, nCtlColor);

if (nCtlColor == CTLCOLOR_STATIC &&
    pWnd->GetSafeHwnd() == GetDlgItem(XXX)->GetSafeHwnd()
) pDC->SetTextColor(RGB(255, 0, 0));    

return hBrush;

Hope this helps.

Answer 4

From the Answers given here and other places, it was not obvious how to create a derived class to be used instead of CStatic that handles coloring itself.

So following is what works for me, using MSVS 2013 Version 12.0.40629.00 Update 5. I can place a "Static Text"-control in the resource editor, then replace the type of the member variable with TColorText.

In the .h-file:

class TColorText : public CStatic
{
protected:
  DECLARE_MESSAGE_MAP( )

public:
  // make the background transparent (or if ATransparent == true, restore the previous background color)
  void setTransparent( bool ATransparent = true );
  // set background color and make the background opaque
  void SetBackgroundColor( COLORREF );
  void SetTextColor( COLORREF );

protected:
  HBRUSH CtlColor( CDC* pDC, UINT nCtlColor );

private:
  bool MTransparent = true;
  COLORREF MBackgroundColor = RGB( 255, 255, 255 );  // default is white (in case someone sets opaque without setting a color)
  COLORREF MTextColor = RGB( 0, 0, 0 );  // default is black. it would be more clean 
                                         // to not use the color before set with SetTextColor(..), but whatever...
};

in the .cpp-file:

void TColorText::setTransparent( bool ATransparent )
{
  MTransparent = ATransparent;
  Invalidate( );
}

void TColorText::SetBackgroundColor( COLORREF AColor )
{
  MBackgroundColor = AColor;
  MTransparent = false;
  Invalidate( );
}

void TColorText::SetTextColor( COLORREF AColor )
{
  MTextColor = AColor;
  Invalidate( );
}

BEGIN_MESSAGE_MAP( TColorText, CStatic )
  ON_WM_CTLCOLOR_REFLECT( )
END_MESSAGE_MAP( )

HBRUSH TColorText::CtlColor( CDC* pDC, UINT nCtlColor )
{
  pDC->SetTextColor( MTextColor );
  pDC->SetBkMode( TRANSPARENT );  // we do not want to draw background when drawing text. 
                                  // background color comes from drawing the control background.
  if( MTransparent )
    return nullptr;  // return nullptr to indicate that the parent object 
                     // should supply the brush. it has the appropriate background color.
  else
    return (HBRUSH) CreateSolidBrush( MBackgroundColor );  // color for the empty area of the control
}

Answer 5

Very helpful.

https://msdn.microsoft.com/de-de/library/0wwk06hc.aspx

Alike to

HBRUSH hBrush = CDialog::OnCtlColor(pDC, pWnd, nCtlColor);
if (nCtlColor == CTLCOLOR_STATIC &&
    pWnd->GetSafeHwnd() == GetDlgItem(XXX)->GetSafeHwnd()
) pDC->SetTextColor(RGB(255, 0, 0));    
return hBrush;