Thread: disabling minimize and mazimize boxes on Microsoft display output

Code:

ws xor (WS_MAXIMIZEBOX or WS_MINIMIZEBOX)

The code above is weird. The xor is bitwise (there is no logical xor in C, even in iso646.h>. Anyway, the code above is the same as

Code:

ws ^ (WS_MAXIMIZEBOX || WS_MINIMIZEBOX)

The bit inside the parenthesis is doing a logical (boolean) operation and will evaluate to either 0 or 1. Assuming that one of those bits is set (which they would be if the boxes are originally shown) then it will evaluate to 1, giving:

Code:

ws ^ 1

Which is a bitwise operation that toggles the least significant bit of ws. So I can only conclude that what you've written is working by accident. It makes no sense to me, but maybe someone with a Windows computer and a debugger can explain. Edit: the reason that I'm bringing this up is because code that appears to work but apparently only works by accident is a red flag for me. If I came across that code I'd be investigating why/how toggling the least significant bit works and I'd also be wondering why the compiler wasn't warning about the incorrect types and mixing of boolean and bitwise operations

Originally Posted by Ivory348

How about a suggestion as to how to change the code so it will work?

That's precisely what I suggested in post #19. I don't know if it works or not; I made the suggestion based on john.c's initial suggestion combined with the Basic example that you say works. If you want a working answer served to you on a platter, bye! I'm not going to prepare one for you because I simply cannot: I'm on a Mac right now in the office, and while I dual boot Windows and Linux at home, I generally only program on Linux there.

But come on, it's not hard to try and find a permutation that might work. I mean, there's a bunch of stuff you can try:

Exhibit A:

Code:

void disableMinimizeAndMaximizeButtons(void)
{
    HWND hwnd = GetConsoleWindow();
    SetWindowLong(hwnd, GWL_STYLE,
        GetWindowLong(hwnd, GWL_STYLE) & ~(WS_MAXIMIZEBOX|WS_MINIMIZEBOX));
}

Exhibit B:

Code:

void disableMinimizeAndMaximizeButtons(void)
{
    HWND hwnd = GetConsoleWindow();
    SetWindowLongPtr(hwnd, GWL_STYLE,
        GetWindowLongPtr(hwnd, GWL_STYLE) & ~(WS_MAXIMIZEBOX|WS_MINIMIZEBOX));
}

Exhibit C:

Code:

void disableMinimizeAndMaximizeButtons(void)
{
    HWND hwnd = GetConsoleWindow();
    SetWindowLong(hwnd, GWL_STYLE,
        GetWindowLong(hwnd, GWL_STYLE) ^ (WS_MAXIMIZEBOX|WS_MINIMIZEBOX));
}

Exhibit D

Code:

void disableMinimizeAndMaximizeButtons(void)
{
    HWND hwnd = GetConsoleWindow();
    SetWindowLongPtr(hwnd, GWL_STYLE,
        GetWindowLongPtr(hwnd, GWL_STYLE) ^ (WS_MAXIMIZEBOX|WS_MINIMIZEBOX));
}

Exhibit A is john.c's original suggestion, but with the GetConsoleWindow() call.
Exhibit B is Exhibit A but trying GetWindowLongPtr and SetWindowLongPtr as in the Basic example.
Exhibit C is the Basic example, but with GetWindowLong and SetWindowLong instead.
Exhibit D is the Basic example directly translated to C.

Compile each of them at a high warning level and and take note of any warning messages. There might even be a compile error because I am completely guessing about GetWindowLongPtr because the MSDN docs seem to say something different. If there are no warning messages and yet none of them manages to disable the "minimize and mazimize boxes", then it could be that there's something else missing that perhaps the API in the Basic version handles for you.

Originally Posted by Ivory348

Making random changes until by chance success is hit doesn't seem to me to be an alternative for professional expertise.

It's systematic, not random, but yes, you risk running into the equivalent of "undefined behaviour" that way. But it's useful exploratory work to try and understand what works and what doesn't, after which you can relook the why to be sure you didn't arrive at a solution that only works by chance. This is part and parcel of problem solving.

Here's something else that I suggest that you do: change your Basic code to:

Code:

fbgfxHwnd = GetConsoleWindow()
ws = GetWindowLongPtr( fbgfxHwnd, GWL_STYLE )
SetWindowLongPtr( fbgfxHwnd, GWL_STYLE, ws and not (WS_MAXIMIZEBOX or WS_MINIMIZEBOX) )

Run it and see if it still works. I believe it would, because Hodor's argument seems sound to me. This would establish that my exhibit C and D can be discarded.

Have you tried exhibit B? If the MSDN docs are applicable, I suspect that you actually need a suffix, i.e., GetWindowLongPtrA and SetWindowLongPtrA. But if you've tried the code you should then have gotten a compile error.

Originally Posted by Ivory348

We have been at I for a number of days now, without getting anywhere. So my conclusion is that the query I posted is outside forum's scope of expertise. Thanks to those who participated.

You have proven yourself to be a moron and an a-hole. You are outside this forum's scope of humanity.

Originally Posted by adeyblue

They got a working answer days ago from the FreeBasic forum of all places
disabeling the minimize and maximize box - freebasic.net

Yep, that make sense asking a Basic programming question on a website that support Basic programming is likely to get a answer faster.

Edit: In case you did not figure it out the stupid OP was converting the C code to Basic and doing it poorly!

Tim S.