How to: Load Text into a RichTextBox Control

This example loads a text file that a user selects in the OpenFileDialog. The code then populates a RichTextBox control with the file's contents.

Example

// Create an OpenFileDialog object.
OpenFileDialog openFile1 = new OpenFileDialog();

// Initialize the filter to look for text files.
openFile1.Filter = "Text Files|*.txt";

// If the user selected a file, load its contents into the RichTextBox. 
if (openFile1.ShowDialog() == System.Windows.Forms.DialogResult.OK)
    richTextBox1.LoadFile(openFile1.FileName,
    RichTextBoxStreamType.PlainText);

Compiling the Code

This example requires:

  • A RichTextBox control named richTextBox1. Insert the code segment into the Form1_Load method. When you run the program, you will be prompted to select a text file.

See Also

Concepts

Designing a User Interface in Visual C#

Other Resources

Text Controls

Visual C# Guided Tour

RichTextBox Control (Windows Forms)