Read text from edit control in MFC and VS2010

Question

I'm writing a simple MFC application with a Dialog window and some buttons. I added also a edit control in order to let user insert a text string.

I'd like to read the value which is present in the edit control and to store it in a string but i do not know how to do this.

I have no compilation error, but I always read only a "." mark.

I added a variable name to the text edit control which is filepath1 and this is the code:

    // CMFC_1Dlg dialog
    class CMFC_1Dlg : public CDialogEx
    {
    // Construction
    public:
        CMFC_1Dlg(CWnd* pParent = NULL);    // standard constructor

    // Dialog Data
        enum { IDD = IDD_MFC_1_DIALOG };

        protected:
        virtual void DoDataExchange(CDataExchange* pDX);    // DDX/DDV support


    // Implementation
    protected:
        HICON m_hIcon;

        // Generated message map functions
        virtual BOOL OnInitDialog();
        afx_msg void OnSysCommand(UINT nID, LPARAM lParam);
        afx_msg void OnPaint();
        afx_msg HCURSOR OnQueryDragIcon();
        DECLARE_MESSAGE_MAP()
    public:
        afx_msg void OnBnClickedButton1();
        afx_msg void OnBnClickedButton2();
        afx_msg void OnEnChangeEdit1();
        CString filePath1;
    }

    //...
void CMFC_1Dlg::OnSysCommand(UINT nID, LPARAM lParam)
{
    if ((nID & 0xFFF0) == IDM_ABOUTBOX)
    {
        CAboutDlg dlgAbout;
        dlgAbout.DoModal();
    }
    else
    {
        CDialogEx::OnSysCommand(nID, lParam);
    }
}

    CMFC_1Dlg::CMFC_1Dlg(CWnd* pParent /*=NULL*/)
        : CDialogEx(CMFC_1Dlg::IDD, pParent)
        ,filePath1(("..\\Experiments\\Dirs\\"))
    {
        m_hIcon = AfxGetApp()->LoadIcon(IDR_MAINFRAME);
    }

    void CMFC_1Dlg::DoDataExchange(CDataExchange* pDX)
    {
        CDialogEx::DoDataExchange(pDX);
        DDX_Text(pDX, IDC_EDIT1, filePath1);

    }

    // then i try to get the string value with
    CString txtname=filePath1;
    _cprintf("Value %s\n", txtname); // but i always read just a "."

Answer 1

_cprintf("Value %S\n", txtname.GetString());

Note the capital 'S'

or you can cast:

_cprintf("Value %S\n", (LPCTSTR)txtname);

You would be better off using an edit control. To create a CEdit variable, right click on the edit box in VS and select "Add Member Variable", give the variable a name and click OK.

You can then retrieve the text in the edit box like this:

CEdit m_EditCtrl;
// ....
CString filePath1 = m_EditCtrl.GetWindowText()