Question

I am writing a windows forms application in C# and I create a RichTextBox (via code, not the designer). I am setting the AutoWordSelection property to false, but when I highlight stuff in the box, it still jumps to the boundaries of words, plus a space. Is this a flaw in .NET or am I doing it wrong?

Answer 1

Using .NET 3.5 i still have this issue. This was reported to Microsoft and flagged as a “Wont Fix” in 2005. This is the latest news i can find on the issue.

Here is the MS Connect bug report:
http://connect.microsoft.com/VisualStudio/feedback/details/115441/richtextboxs-autowordselection-property-does-not-work-correctly#details

Here is a more recent 2010 post about another person who noticed the problem:
http://sonicflare.net/2010/01/10/shipped-bug-feature/#more-192

———-UPDATE————-

I’ve made it work by placing an extra AutoWordSelection = False in the Form’s Load event.

   public Form1()
    {
        InitializeComponent();
        rich = new RichTextBox();
        rich.Size = new Size(150, 50);
        rich.Text = "Ignoring a bug for five years does not make it a undocumented feature.";
        rich.Location = new Point(20, 20);
        rich.AutoWordSelection = false;
        this.Controls.Add(rich);
    }

private void Form1_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
    this.BeginInvoke(new EventHandler(delegate
    {
        rich.AutoWordSelection = false;
    }));
}