How to use CDialog::SetDefId with a non button control? - c++

Question

I've come across CDialog::SetDefId and while it is pretty easy and clear that it is for "pushbuttons" I wanted to use this functionality with a non button control.I understand that you have to press Enter or Return to make the dialog use that ID
If I set nID to 0 in the CDialog::OnInitDialog and have no default button setted the dialog will default to CDialog::OnOk, If I do have a default button setted, the dialog will push that button as expected.The thing is that I want to make this work for a non button control, so if I set nID to a control that is not a pushbutton, the dialog will do nothing even If I set the message handler for the keydown event or NM_RETURN, it doesn't matter if the control has focus or not, the dialog will still do nothing if I press Enter or Return.How can I make the control be the default control without using stuff like PreTranslateMessage? and which message is sent to the control?thanks in advance

Answer 1

Yes, it only works with buttons but you can use SetFocus to change focus to any other control:
BOOL CMyDlg::OnInitDialog()
{
CDialog::OnInitDialog();
GetDlgItem(IDC_CHECK1)->SetFocus();
return 0; // return TRUE unless you set the focus to a control
}
In this example the OK button may still be the default button. Enter key will go to default button, probably IDOK. But space key it will change the check box IDC_CHECK1.
There has to be a default button. If you don't want one, then add a fake button, lets say IDC_BUTTON1, and make it the default button and not visible, then you don't see a default button (you can still add IDC_BUTTON1 to message map and decide what to do with Enter key)