TRichEdit / TScintilla

Rich text editing with RTF formatting, and source code editing with syntax highlighting

graph TD TControl --> TRichEdit TControl --> TScintilla TRichEdit --> RTF["RTF Formatting
Bold, Italic, Colors"] TRichEdit --> OLE["OLE Objects
Embedded Pictures"] TRichEdit --> FIND["Find / Replace"] TRichEdit --> PRINT["Print / Preview / PDF"] TScintilla --> SYNTAX["Syntax Highlighting
Harbour, C, PRG"] TScintilla --> FOLD["Code Folding"] TScintilla --> MARGIN["Margins
Line Numbers, Bookmarks"] TScintilla --> AUTO["Autocomplete
Call Tips"] style TRichEdit fill:#1c2129,stroke:#58a6ff,stroke-width:2px,color:#e6edf3 style TScintilla fill:#1c2129,stroke:#58a6ff,stroke-width:2px,color:#e6edf3

TRichEdit

Source: source/classes/trichedi.prg | Parent: TControl

TRichEdit wraps the Windows RichEdit20A control, providing a full-featured RTF editor. It supports bold/italic/underline formatting, font and color changes, paragraph alignment, bullet lists, embedded images via OLE, find/replace, zoom, undo/redo, and print/preview/PDF export.

Properties

Property	Type	Description
`cFileName`	String	Current RTF file path
`nRTFSize`	Numeric	Maximum text size limit
`lURL`	Logical	Enable automatic URL detection and clickable links
`lRE30`	Logical	Using RichEdit 3.0+ (supports zoom, redo, advanced typography)
`lReadOnly`	Logical	Read-only mode -- editing disabled
`lHighlight`	Logical	Enable syntax highlighting (for code editing)
`aKeywords1`	Array	Primary highlighted keywords
`aKeywords2`	Array	Secondary highlighted keywords
`cSeparators`	String	Token separator characters for highlighting
`nClrNumber`	Numeric	Color for numeric literals
`nClrString`	Numeric	Color for string literals
`nClrComment`	Numeric	Color for comments

Key Methods

Method	Description
`New( nTop, nLeft, bSetGet, oWnd, nWidth, nHeight, oFont, lPixel, cMsg, lHScroll, lReadOnly, bWhen, bValid, bChanged, lDesign, lHighlight, cFileName, nRTFSize, lNoURL, lNoScroll, lNoBorder )`	Constructor
`ReDefine( nId, bSetGet, oWnd, ... )`	Redefine from resource
Text Formatting
`SetBold( lOnOff )`	Toggle bold on selected text
`SetItalic( lOnOff )`	Toggle italic
`SetUnderline( lOnOff )`	Toggle underline
`SetStrikeOut( lOnOff )`	Toggle strikethrough
`SetFontName( cName )`	Set font face for selection
`SetFontSize( nSize )`	Set font size for selection
`SetTextColor( nRGB )`	Set text color for selection
`SetHighLight( nColor )`	Set background highlight color for selection
`SetBkGndColor( nRGB )`	Set the entire control's background color
`SetAlign( nAlign )`	Paragraph alignment: `PFA_LEFT` (1), `PFA_RIGHT` (2), `PFA_CENTER` (3), `PFA_JUSTIFY` (4)
`SetBullet( lOnOff )`	Toggle bullet list
`SetNumbering( lOnOff )`	Toggle numbered list
`SetIndent( nLeft, nRight, nFirst )`	Set paragraph indentation
Clipboard & Editing
`Copy()`	Copy selection to clipboard
`Cut()`	Cut selection to clipboard
`Paste()`	Paste from clipboard
`Del()`	Delete selection
`SelectAll()`	Select all text
`UnDo()`	Undo last action
`ReDo()`	Redo last undone action
`CanUndo() / CanRedo()`	Check if undo/redo is available
`CanCopy() / CanCut() / CanPaste()`	Check clipboard operation availability
Find & Navigation
`Find( cFind, lDown, lCase, lWord )`	Search for text. Returns position or -1.
`ReplaceSel( lUnDo, cText )`	Replace the current selection with new text
`GoToLine( nLine )`	Scroll to and position cursor at a specific line
`GetRow() / GetCol()`	Get current cursor row and column
`GetLineCount()`	Total number of lines
`GetLine( nLine )`	Get text of a specific line
`Len()`	Total character count
File I/O
`LoadFromRTFFile( cFileName )`	Load an RTF file into the control
`SaveToRTFFile( cFileName )`	Save content as RTF file
`LoadRTF( cRTF )`	Load RTF from a string
`SaveAsRTF()`	Return content as an RTF string
`cText( cText )`	Get or set plain text content
OLE & Pictures
`InsertPicture( cFile, nSizeX, nSizeY )`	Embed an image from a file
`InsertBitmap( hBitmap, nSizeX, nSizeY )`	Embed a bitmap by handle
Print & Export
`Print( cName )`	Print the content
`Preview( cName )`	Show print preview
`SaveToPDF( cName, cFile, lView )`	Export to PDF
Zoom
`SetZoom( nNumerator, nDenominator )`	Set zoom level (e.g. `SetZoom(2, 1)` = 200%)
`GetZoom()`	Get current zoom as `{nNumerator, nDenominator}`

Command Syntax

@ nTop, nLeft RICHEDIT [ oRTF VAR ] uVar ;
   [ OF oWnd ] ;
   [ SIZE nWidth, nHeight ] ;
   [ FONT oFont ] ;
   [ PIXEL ] ;
   [ MESSAGE cMsg ] ;
   [ HSCROLL ] ;
   [ READONLY | NO MODIFY ] ;
   [ WHEN bWhen ] ;
   [ VALID bValid ] ;
   [ ON CHANGE bChange ] ;
   [ HIGHLIGHT ] ;
   [ FILE cFileName ] ;
   [ RTFSIZE nRTFSize ] ;
   [ NO URL ] ;
   [ NO SCROLL ] ;
   [ NOBORDER ]

REDEFINE RICHEDIT [ oRTF VAR ] uVar ;
   ID nId ;
   [ OF oWnd ] ;
   [ FONT oFont ] ;
   [ READONLY ] ;
   [ HIGHLIGHT ] ;
   [ FILE cFileName ] ;
   [ WHEN bWhen ] ;
   [ VALID bValid ] ;
   [ ON CHANGE bChange ]

Example: RTF Editor

#include "FiveWin.ch"
#include "RichEdit.ch"

FUNCTION RichEditDemo()
   LOCAL oDlg, oRTF, cText := ""

   DEFINE DIALOG oDlg TITLE "Rich Text Editor" SIZE 600, 450

   @ 0.5, 0.5 RICHEDIT oRTF VAR cText OF oDlg ;
      SIZE 280, 180 PIXEL

   // Toolbar buttons for formatting
   @ 8, 0.5 BUTTON "Bold"      OF oDlg SIZE 50, 14 ;
      ACTION oRTF:SetBold( .T. )
   @ 8, 5   BUTTON "Italic"    OF oDlg SIZE 50, 14 ;
      ACTION oRTF:SetItalic( .T. )
   @ 8, 9.5 BUTTON "Underline" OF oDlg SIZE 60, 14 ;
      ACTION oRTF:SetUnderline( .T. )

   // Load and save
   @ 10, 0.5 BUTTON "Open RTF" OF oDlg SIZE 60, 14 ;
      ACTION ( cFile := cGetFile( "*.rtf", "Open RTF" ), ;
               If( !Empty(cFile), oRTF:LoadFromRTFFile( cFile ), ) )

   @ 10, 6  BUTTON "Save RTF" OF oDlg SIZE 60, 14 ;
      ACTION oRTF:SaveToRTFFile( cGetNewFile( "*.rtf", "Save RTF" ) )

   @ 10, 12 BUTTON "Print" OF oDlg SIZE 50, 14 ;
      ACTION oRTF:Print( "RichEdit Document" )

   ACTIVATE DIALOG oDlg CENTERED
RETURN NIL

TScintilla

Source: source/classes/scintila.prg | Parent: TControl

TScintilla wraps the Scintilla editor component, providing a professional source code editor with syntax highlighting, code folding, line numbers, bookmarks, brace matching, autocomplete, and multi-document support. It is the editor engine used in the FiveWin IDE.

Properties

Property	Type	Description
`cFileName`	String	Current file path being edited
`cLexer`	String	Syntax lexer (e.g. `"harbour"`, `"cpp"`)
`cLang`	String	Language identifier
`lMargLin`	Logical	Show line number margin
`lFolding`	Logical	Enable code folding
`lMarking`	Logical	Enable bookmark margin
`lMessage`	Logical	Show message/build margin
`nMargLines`	Numeric	Width of line number margin
`nMargSymbol`	Numeric	Width of symbol/bookmark margin
`nMargFold`	Numeric	Width of folding margin
`nWidthTab`	Numeric	Tab width in characters
`nSpacLin`	Numeric	Extra line spacing
`lVirtSpace`	Logical	Allow cursor in virtual space beyond line end
`cFontS`	String	Editor font face name
`nHFont`	Numeric	Editor font height
`lModified`	Logical	Document has unsaved changes
`bModified`	Block	Callback when modification state changes
`lUtf8`	Logical	Document is UTF-8 encoded
`lSaveBak`	Logical	Create .bak backup on save
`aKey`	Array	Custom key bindings: `{ { nKey, bAction }, ... }`
`lAutoWords`	Logical	Enable autocomplete word suggestions
`lHistClip`	Logical	Clipboard history support

Syntax Highlighting Colors

Property	Description
`cCComment`	Block comment color `{ nFore, nBack, nCase }`
`cCCommentLin`	Line comment color
`cCString`	String literal color
`cCNumber`	Numeric literal color
`cCOperator`	Operator color
`cCKeyw1 .. cCKeyw5`	Keyword group colors (1-5)
`cCBraces`	Matched brace color
`cCBraceBad`	Unmatched brace color
`cCIdentif`	Identifier color
`nColorSelection`	Text selection foreground color
`nColorSelectionB`	Text selection background color

Key Methods

Method	Description
`New( nRow, nCol, nWidth, nHeight, oWnd, nClrT, nClrP, cLex, cDll, bSetup, lLoad, cPathApli )`	Constructor. Creates the Scintilla editor.
Text Operations
`GetText()`	Get the entire document text
`AddText( cText )`	Append text at the current position
`GetLine( nLine )`	Get text of a specific line
`GetLineCount()`	Total number of lines
`GetSelText()`	Get the selected text
`GetCurrentPos()`	Get cursor position (character offset)
`GetCurrentLineNumber()`	Get current line number
`GetModify()`	Check if document has unsaved changes
Clipboard
`Copy() / Cut() / Paste()`	Standard clipboard operations
`CopyLine()`	Copy the entire current line
`CopyRange( nStart, nEnd )`	Copy a character range
`CanUndo() / CanRedo()`	Check undo/redo availability
Navigation
`GoLine( nLine )`	Go to a specific line (1-based)
`GoHome() / GoEol()`	Go to start/end of line
`GoUp() / GoDown()`	Move cursor up/down one line
`GoLeft() / GoRight()`	Move cursor left/right one character
`GoAtEnd()`	Go to end of document
Find & Replace
`FindText( cText, lForward )`	Search for text forward or backward
`FindNext() / FindPrev()`	Find next/previous occurrence of last search
`DlgFindText()`	Show find dialog
`DlgReplace()`	Show find/replace dialog
`DlgGoToLine()`	Show go-to-line dialog
Code Folding
`FoldAllContract()`	Collapse all foldable regions
`FoldAllExpand()`	Expand all foldable regions
`FoldAllToggle()`	Toggle all folding
File I/O
`AddFile( lFin, lHome )`	Load a file into the editor
`CloseF( lEnd )`	Close the current file
Brace Matching
`BraceHighlight( nPos1, nPos2 )`	Highlight matching braces
`BraceBadlight( nPos1, nPos2 )`	Highlight unmatched braces
`BraceMatch( nPos )`	Find the matching brace position
Call Tips & Autocomplete
`CallTipShow( nPosStart, cText )`	Show a calltip popup
`CallTipCancel()`	Hide the calltip
`CallTipActive()`	Check if a calltip is visible
Custom Keys
`AddKey( nKey, bAction )`	Add a custom key binding

Example: Source Code Editor

#include "FiveWin.ch"

FUNCTION CodeEditor()
   LOCAL oWnd, oSci

   DEFINE WINDOW oWnd TITLE "Code Editor"

   // Create Scintilla editor filling the window
   oSci := TScintilla():New( 0, 0, 800, 600, oWnd, ;
      CLR_BLACK, CLR_WHITE, "harbour" )

   // Load a source file
   oSci:cFileName := "myapp.prg"
   oSci:AddFile()

   // Custom key bindings
   oSci:AddKey( VK_F5, { || CompileAndRun() } )
   oSci:AddKey( VK_F3, { || oSci:FindNext() } )

   ACTIVATE WINDOW oWnd ;
      ON RESIZE ( oSci:Move( 0, 0, nWidth, nHeight, .T. ) )
RETURN NIL

Example: TScintilla with Custom Colors

oSci := TScintilla():New( 0, 0, 800, 600, oWnd, ;
   CLR_BLACK, RGB( 30, 30, 30 ), "harbour" )

// Dark theme colors
oSci:cCComment    := { CLR_GRAY,    RGB(30,30,30), SC_CASE_MIXED }
oSci:cCString     := { CLR_HRED,    RGB(30,30,30), SC_CASE_MIXED }
oSci:cCNumber     := { CLR_RED,     RGB(30,30,30), SC_CASE_MIXED }
oSci:cCKeyw1      := { CLR_CYAN,    RGB(30,30,30), SC_CASE_MIXED }
oSci:cCKeyw2      := { CLR_YELLOW,  RGB(30,30,30), SC_CASE_MIXED }
oSci:nColorSelection  := RGB( 255, 255, 255 )
oSci:nColorSelectionB := RGB( 60, 100, 160 )

TRichEdit vs TScintilla

Feature	TRichEdit	TScintilla
Primary use	Rich text / document editing	Source code editing
RTF formatting	Full support	No
Syntax highlighting	Basic (keywords only)	Full lexer-based
Code folding	No	Yes
Line numbers	Manual	Built-in margin
Brace matching	No	Yes
Autocomplete	No	Yes
Embedded images	OLE objects	No
Print / PDF	Built-in	Via report class
Windows dependency	Built-in RichEdit DLL	Requires SciLexer.dll

Tips

Use TRichEdit for document editing, letter/memo writing, and any scenario requiring formatted text.
Use TScintilla for source code editors, script editors, and configuration file editors.
TRichEdit supports HIGHLIGHT mode for basic syntax highlighting of Harbour code, but TScintilla is far more capable.
TScintilla requires SciLexer.dll (or Scintilla.dll) to be available at runtime.
For TRichEdit, call SetZoom(2, 1) for 200% zoom -- useful for high-DPI displays.
Both controls support ON CHANGE to detect modifications in real time.

TRichEdit / TScintilla

TRichEdit

Properties

Key Methods

Command Syntax

Example: RTF Editor

TScintilla

Properties

Syntax Highlighting Colors

Key Methods

Example: Source Code Editor

Example: TScintilla with Custom Colors

TRichEdit vs TScintilla

Tips

See Also