docs-desktop/dotnet-desktop-guide/framework/winforms/controls/how-to-display-web-style-links-with-the-windows-forms-richtextbox-control.md

title, ms.date, dev_langs, helpviewer_keywords, ms.assetid

title	ms.date	dev_langs	helpviewer_keywords	ms.assetid
Display Web-Style Links with RichTextBox Control	03/30/2017	csharp vb cpp	text boxes [Windows Forms], displaying Web links examples [Windows Forms], text boxes RichTextBox control [Windows Forms], linking to Web pages	95089a37-a202-4f7a-94ee-6ee312908851

How to: Display Web-Style Links with the Windows Forms RichTextBox Control

The Windows Forms xref:System.Windows.Forms.RichTextBox control can display Web links as colored and underlined. You can write code that opens a browser window showing the Web site specified in the link text when the link is clicked.

To link to a Web page with the RichTextBox control

1. Set the xref:System.Windows.Forms.RichTextBox.Text%2A property to a string that includes a valid URL (for example, "https://www.microsoft.com/").

2. Make sure the xref:System.Windows.Forms.RichTextBox.DetectUrls%2A property is set to true (the default).

3. Create a new global instance of the xref:System.Diagnostics.Process object.

4. Write an event handler for the xref:System.Windows.Forms.RichTextBox.LinkClicked event that sends the browser the desired text.

   In the example below, the xref:System.Windows.Forms.RichTextBox.LinkClicked event opens an instance of Internet Explorer to the URL specified in the xref:System.Windows.Forms.RichTextBox.Text%2A property of the xref:System.Windows.Forms.RichTextBox control. This example assumes a form with a xref:System.Windows.Forms.RichTextBox control.

   Important

   In calling the xref:System.Diagnostics.Process.Start%2A?displayProperty=nameWithType method, you will encounter a xref:System.Security.SecurityException exception if you are running the code in a partial-trust context because of insufficient privileges. For more information, see Code Access Security Basics.

   Public p As New System.Diagnostics.Process
   Private Sub RichTextBox1_LinkClicked _
      (ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As _
      System.Windows.Forms.LinkClickedEventArgs) _
      Handles RichTextBox1.LinkClicked
         ' Call Process.Start method to open a browser
         ' with link text as URL.
         p = System.Diagnostics.Process.Start("IExplore.exe", e.LinkText)
   End Sub
   

   public System.Diagnostics.Process p = new System.Diagnostics.Process();
   
   private void richTextBox1_LinkClicked(object sender,
   System.Windows.Forms.LinkClickedEventArgs e)
   {
      // Call Process.Start method to open a browser
      // with link text as URL.
      p = System.Diagnostics.Process.Start("IExplore.exe", e.LinkText);
   }
   

   public:
      System::Diagnostics::Process ^ p;
   
   private:
      void richTextBox1_LinkClicked(System::Object ^  sender,
         System::Windows::Forms::LinkClickedEventArgs ^  e)
      {
         // Call Process.Start method to open a browser
         // with link text as URL.
         p = System::Diagnostics::Process::Start("IExplore.exe",
            e->LinkText);
      }
   

   (Visual C++) You must initialize process p, which you can do by including the following statement in the constructor of your form:

   p = gcnew System::Diagnostics::Process();
   

   (Visual C#, Visual C++) Place the following code in the form's constructor to register the event handler.

   this.richTextBox1.LinkClicked += new
      System.Windows.Forms.LinkClickedEventHandler
      (this.richTextBox1_LinkClicked);
   

   this->richTextBox1->LinkClicked += gcnew
      System::Windows::Forms::LinkClickedEventHandler
      (this, &Form1::richTextBox1_LinkClicked);
   

   It is important to immediately stop the process you have created once you have finished working with it. Referring to the code presented above, your code to stop the process might look like this:

   Public Sub StopWebProcess()
      p.Kill()
   End Sub
   

   public void StopWebProcess()
   {
      p.Kill();
   }
   

   public: void StopWebProcess()
   {
      p->Kill();
   }
   

See also

• xref:System.Windows.Forms.RichTextBox.DetectUrls%2A
• xref:System.Windows.Forms.RichTextBox.LinkClicked
• xref:System.Windows.Forms.RichTextBox
• RichTextBox Control
• Controls to Use on Windows Forms