Thread: Listview arrow in column head

Hi guys,

this is a minor question but I just don't find the answer on MSDN or google.

How do I activate the small arrow (for sorting) in the head of the column in a
listview? I am using plain C, no MFC etc. (Mingw + gcc).

Thanks

Thomas

I looked for exact the same thing a while ago. I found an aswer, but it was so much trouble to implement, i didnt add it. Unfortunately i dont remember where i found the answer.

Welcome to the forums!

I whipped up a little function. Enjoy.

Code:

typedef enum 
{
   SHOW_NO_ARROW,
   SHOW_UP_ARROW,
   SHOW_DOWN_ARROW
} SHOW_ARROW;

/*
 * Description: Given a list-view control, this function will set the
 *              sort arrow for a specific column.
 * Requirements: ComCtl32.dll Version 6 (available on XP and greater).
 *               To use Comctl32.dll version 6, you must specify it in a manifest.
 *               You also need to add: #define _WIN32_WINNT 0x501
 *               before including commctrl.h
 * Example: xListViewSetSortArrow(hListView, 0, SHOW_UP_ARROW);
 */
BOOL xListViewSetSortArrow(HWND hListView, INT idxColumn, SHOW_ARROW showArrow)
{
	HWND    hHeader  = NULL;
	HDITEM  hdrItem  = { 0 };

	hHeader = ListView_GetHeader(hListView);

	if (hHeader)
	{
		hdrItem.mask = HDI_FORMAT;

		if ( Header_GetItem(hHeader, idxColumn, &hdrItem) )
		{
			if (showArrow == SHOW_UP_ARROW)
			{
				hdrItem.fmt = (hdrItem.fmt & ~HDF_SORTDOWN) | HDF_SORTUP;
			}
			else if (showArrow == SHOW_DOWN_ARROW)
			{
				hdrItem.fmt = (hdrItem.fmt & ~HDF_SORTUP) | HDF_SORTDOWN;
			}
			else 
			{
				hdrItem.fmt = hdrItem.fmt & ~(HDF_SORTDOWN | HDF_SORTUP);
			}

			return Header_SetItem(hHeader, idxColumn, &hdrItem);
		}
	}

	return FALSE;
}

I think this may be possible for platforms prior to XP, but it is more complex and you would have to supply your own arrow images. There is a generic list-view sample that this function could be used with.

Thanks, I think that will help