Inserting HTML at current Caret position

Use caret insertion when you keep a library of reusable HTML fragments - boilerplate clauses, signature blocks, merge sections - that the user inserts into an existing document with one click, without disturbing the surrounding content or replacing the whole document. Swapping in a whole new document blows away formatting the user already typed, and splicing text in by hand with string search-and-replace breaks the moment the surrounding markup shifts. This page shows how to insert HTML precisely at the caret using the Content service the editor exposes directly:

// SpiceLogic.HtmlEditor.Abstractions.Services.IContentService  void InsertHtml(string htmlText, bool keepSelected);

Wiring a snippet button

Wire each snippet to a toolbar button. The click handler retrieves the snippet's HTML and passes it to InsertHtml:

<DockPanel xmlns:editor="clr-namespace:SpiceLogic.HtmlEditor.WPF;assembly=SpiceLogic.HtmlEditor.WPF">     <StackPanel DockPanel.Dock="Top" Orientation="Horizontal">         <Button Content="Standard Benefits"      Click="InsertBenefits_Click" />         <Button Content="California Addendum"    Click="InsertCalifornia_Click" />         <Button Content="Remote Work Provision"  Click="InsertRemoteWork_Click" />     </StackPanel>     <editor:WpfHtmlEditor x:Name="LetterEditor" /> </DockPanel>

private void InsertBenefits_Click(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e) {     var html = _snippetRepo.Get("Standard-Benefits-2026");     LetterEditor.Focus();     LetterEditor.Content.InsertHtml(html, keepSelected: false); }

Private Sub InsertBenefits_Click(sender As Object, e As RoutedEventArgs)     Dim html = _snippetRepo.[Get]("Standard-Benefits-2026")     LetterEditor.Focus()     LetterEditor.Content.InsertHtml(html, keepSelected:=False) End Sub

Call Focus() before InsertHtml. Clicking the toolbar button moves WPF keyboard focus to the button, so without restoring focus to the editor first, the caret position is undefined and the markup can land in the wrong place. With focus restored, the snippet is inserted exactly at the caret, and the caret ends up at the end of the inserted block, ready for the next keystroke.

The keepSelected switch

The keepSelected parameter controls what is selected after the insert. Pass false to drop the fragment in and place the caret at the end, ready for the user to keep typing. Pass true when the inserted fragment is a placeholder the user is expected to type over immediately, for example an Insert Signing Bonus Placeholder button: the placeholder text is selected as soon as it appears, so the first keystroke overwrites it:

private void InsertBonusPlaceholder_Click(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e) {     LetterEditor.Focus();     LetterEditor.Content.InsertHtml("<span class=\"placeholder\">[BONUS AMOUNT]</span>", keepSelected: true); }

Private Sub InsertBonusPlaceholder_Click(sender As Object, e As RoutedEventArgs)     LetterEditor.Focus()     LetterEditor.Content.InsertHtml("<span class=""placeholder"">[BONUS AMOUNT]</span>", keepSelected:=True) End Sub

One method, two distinct user experiences, decided by a single boolean.

What it will not do

InsertHtml strips inline <script> blocks by design, since caret insertion from an untrusted snippet source could otherwise run arbitrary JavaScript. Use InsertScript(string scriptMarkUp) when a script legitimately belongs in the document. Head-only content (styles, links) inserted at the caret lands in the body and has no effect; use InsertHtmlBetweenHead(string) instead.

Typical usage

This pattern fits any snippet-library workflow: HTML fragments wired to toolbar buttons so the user assembles a document from reusable pieces at the caret, typing only the variable parts by hand, for example an email-signature button in a CRM, a merge-field picker in a contract tool, or a clause library in an offer-letter editor.