An application can retrieve selected text from an entry field by calling WinQueryWindowText and then sending an EM_QUERYSEL message to retrieve the offsets to the first and last characters of the text selection. These offsets are used to retrieve selected text.

An application can retrieve numeric values by calling WinQueryDlgItemShort, passing the entry-field identifier and the handle of the owner window. WinQueryDlgItemShort converts the entry-field text to a signed or unsigned integer and returns the value in a specified variable. The application can use the WinWindowFromID function to retrieve the handle of the control window. The entry-field identifier is specified in the dialog template in the application's resource-definition file.