title: Set text in MFC combo box without adding it to the list
body: <p>I have an MFC combo box, specifically a type derived from <code>CComboBox</code>, created as a dropdown list box <em>without</em> the possibility to edit the selected entry, i.e. a simple list of selectable items.</p>
  
  <p>I <em>do</em> support the possibility of <em>none</em> of the items being selected. I know I can just call <code>SetCurSel(-1)</code> and the edit field of the combo box will be empty until the user selects a "proper" item from the dropdown list. But I would actually prefer to show some kind of default text instead of just an empty field. So what I need to do is <strong>set the edit field's text <em>without</em> adding that text to the item list or making the item user-editable</strong>.</p>
  
  <p>I tried <code>SetWindowText</code> on the combo box, without success. Based on a comment suggestion  I also tried to use <code>GetComboBoxInfo</code> to get a handle to the edit box (in the <code>COMBOBOXINFO::hwndItem</code>) member and calling <code>SetWindowText</code> on that, but this didn't work either (<code>GetComboBoxInfo</code> was successful, though). But I can't imagine this to be a particularly odd use case, so maybe it is possible by other means? If it helps, the combo box is actually ownerdrawn (<code>CBS_OWNERDRAWFIXED</code>).</p>