add QLabel into QLineEdit

marlenet15

I would like to have an unedited timestamp into the QLineEdit. So it would look something like this:
Jan 20 2016:
When the user clicks on the QLineEdit, they can not edit or even place the cursor where the timestamp is located, only after the colon. Therefore, I decided to add a QLabel into the QlineEdit. I found this forum:

http://stackoverflow.com/questions/27311577/how-to-put-a-static-text-postfix-prefix-in-qlineedit

The user states that in order to add a QLabel into QlineEdit you do the following:

NOTE: you won't be able to put QLabel on QLineEdit in QtDesigner if the QLineEdit is inside of a layout. In this case you can add QWidget instead of QLineEdit in the layout and put QLineEdit and QLabel within this widget which doesn't have a layout.

So what I did in Qt Designer was to add The Qlabel 'Comments' and QWidget in a formLayout. and in that Qwidget I created a layout inside it.
My code for creating the QlineEdit and Qlabel is the following (I know the code below places the text to the left instead of the right but that is the code that the forum showed and I just want to test if it works):

QLabel _dateLabel =  new QLabel(this);
QlineEdit _commentsLineEdit = new QLineEdit(this);

_dateLabel->setText("testing");
_dateLabel->move(_commentsLineEdit->rect().right() - _dateLabel->width()-3,
            _commentsLineEdit->rect().center().y() - _dateLabel->height()/2);

ui->commentsWidget->layout()->addWidget(_commentsLineEdit);

However, when I ran the code the text "testing" locates itself in another area of the Screen. Is there anything that I am doing wrong? Or is it preferable that I go in another route?

mrjj

Hi
Why can you just add both the label and the edit in Designer?

When you new _commentsLineEdit you give "this" as parent.
Unless "this" is the Qwidget you talk about, LineEdit will be placed in top of main window.

marlenet15

@mrjj I tried that right now but what it does is that the cursor overlaps the Qlabel. So when I type into the QLineEdit the text is right under the text of the QLabel. I want the text that I will be typing in to start where QLabel ends.

mrjj

@marlenet15
and the label should be sort of inside the lineEdit ?
something like
Jan 20 2016:____________
where ________ is the linedit is not ok?

marlenet15

@mrjj Yes. I would like for the QLabel to be inside the QLineEdit. So I would like it to look like this

Comments(QLabel) (Jan 19 2016: ____________________________ ) <- inside paranthesis is the QLineEdit and the __ is the part where the user can type

mrjj

Well , it will be messy as the cursor might go into/under label
so not so easy to match up.
The same you linked to is postfix so if we limit the length
then it wont go into. but in ur case it will.

marlenet15

@mrjj is it even plausible to make the timestamp uneditable text and the rest can be editable. That way I don't add a QLabel inside the QLineEdit?

mrjj

@marlenet15
well maybe u can make inputmask do something like that.

Best solution would be custom widget but that is far more work.
Not even sure how to make it overlap.

marlenet15

@mrjj Do you have an idea how to make it work with an input mask?

mrjj

@marlenet15
yes using escape
\D\A\T\E:AAAAA-AAAAA-AAAAA-AAAAA-AAAAA
it shows as "Date:" and u cant change it.
so should be able to show an actual date.

marlenet15

@mrjj So the actual text "Date:" can be changed to "Jan 19 2016" or any format of date?

mrjj

@marlenet15
yes
its not pretty but
\J\a\n\ \1\9\ \2\0\1\6:AAAAAA

does look correct.

raven-worx

i also think the input mask is actually the best way, or maybe even better a custom QValidator.
But to just add something to the (rather ugly) QLabel idea: You could use QLineEdit::setTextMargins() to move the left-most position of the cursor.

marlenet15

@mrjj So right now in my code the date that is going into the QLineedit is the current date. So I would need to separate the string and make sure to add \ ? Also what do the A's mean? the ones you put in your example?

marlenet15

@raven-worx yes I agree the input mask Is the best way to go. However, it's a new concept for me since I never heard of it. That is why I am very confused to how it works.

mrjj

@raven-worx said:
setTextMargins
+1 That would work for custom control.

yes, you would need to put \ into your date.
the AAAA is input specifier .
Go to a LineEdit and find inputmask property and press F1 to read about them.

marlenet15

@mrjj So if the user is allowed 100 characters for the QLineEdit do I have to put 100 A's?

mrjj

@marlenet15 erhm, yes I think. maybe there is way
but inputmasks are normally used for short input like date
or iP etc

raven-worx

@marlenet15
if you are familiar with regular expressions you might want to use QRegExpValidator which will result in the same behavior
And set it on the line edit.

mrjj

@raven-worx
oh. So QRegExpValidator can have static text?