Lighting, Light Fixtures, Ceiling and Exhaust Fans - ceiling lights-switch problem

I have 2 ceiling (can) fixtures connected togather in the ceiling with a black (hot) white (netural) and red (switch lag) leading to a switch box in the wall.

This box is also designed for a single receptacle along with the switch housed
in the same box.

I ran the black (hot) and White (netural) wires from a source into this box
via conduit which provides the hot electrical current.

I connected all of the black wires togather including a pigtail to the switch and the recepacle. I connected the white wires togather a ran a pigtail into the receptacle. The receptacle is working fine. However, when I connected the red wire from the fixtures to the switch along with the pigtail from the
black group of wires the switch does not work on or off but the 2 ceiling fixtures go on and I have no way to turn them off.

Its like the switch does not exist. I tested each terminal of the switch with
a tester touching each terminal and the metal box and the tester light goes
on...so current is entering each terminal. When I test the terminals by touching the tester probes to each terminal nothing happens.

Does the switch need a white (netural) connected instead of the red lag from the fixtures and the black pigtail from the group of 4 black wires? Or, do i need to make a different type of connection so the ceiling lights are switched? I want the receptacle and the switch in the same wall box which
I now have and the receptacle is working. The ceiling lights are both working
(that is they go on but I have no way to control turning them off (switched).

Please advise. Thank you. rei016

Hi, First Of All Test For Power At The Fans Because Your Sending Power To Them From The Red Wire. This Red Wire Should Be Connected To Both Black Wires At The First Fan That You Are Feeding, Than The One Black Or Hot Wire Back Over To The Second Fan. You Just Need One Hot And One Nuetral Wire To The Fans. But At The Switch You Should Have One Hot Wire And One Switch Leg, Which Becomes Hot When You Flip The Switch On. The Nuetral Or White Wires Should Be Pig-tailed Together With One Going To Your Receptacle. Goodluck And Be Safe. One Other Thing The Switch May Some How Be Malfunctioning, Try Taking The Red And Black Wires Off The Switch And Touch Them Together On And Off. This Way You Bypass The Switch And Manually Switch It. Be Careful.

I'm sorry if I failed too explain that the 2 ceiling lights are canister lights.

These 2 lights have a black, white and red wire connected and leading to a switch in the wall. When I disconnect the red and black wires from the terminals nothing happens the lights stay on...if I touch the wires togather nothing happens (manual switching) the lights stay on. There is current in the red wire as I tested it and also in the black pigtail via a test. Its like i
do not need these 2 wires as the lights stay on until I turn the bulb off by hand, These two fixtures are in an enclosed ceiling and I cannot get at the
wires leading from them as they are in a fixed position in the ceilng under ceiling tile and drywall. Their housing is fastened to the ceiling joist. I would
have to take the whole ceiling apart (a super major project to get to these
fixtures) I'm not going to do that as this is a finished basement.

Is there anther way to get these 2 ceiling to turn on and off? Power is supplied to these two lights via the black and white wires. The red wire is hot because it ties into the black and white wires somewhere in the ceiling. The 2 fixtures are wired togather as the both go on with the one black and white wire leading to the switch box. Please advised. Thanks rei016

The way you wired the switch the red wire is the one you need to be connecting to the fixture black wire. The black wire in the light box is not used. Cap it.
However you said the cable goes to somewhere else from the switch box. You need to find out where and check the connections in that box. Could this have been wired for a second switch controlling these lights?

The cable in the switch box goes to the power supply. The black and red wire come from the fixtures along with the white wire. The white wire is connected to the white wire from the power source. The black wire from the fixture is connected to the black wire from the power source and a pigtail to
the switch along with the red wire from the fixture. However this does not work as far as switching the lights on and off. I do not understand what black wire you mean to cap...there are only 2 black wires one from the power
source and one from the fixture. The extra black pigtail go to the receptacle in the same box and a pigtail to the light switch. The receptacle works as a
normal receptacle but the switch does not function to turn the lights on and off. Please advise. Thank you. rei016

You were right the black wire from the fixtures does not need to be used.
I put a cap on it after disconnecting it from the black group. The switch works
with the red wire and the black pigtail from the power source and the receptacle pigtail. Everything is working proper and the lights switch on and off via the new switch I installed. Thanks. rei016