checking if mouse is over a window

is there any way to be notified possibly my message that the mouse is over a new window (even child) and tell you what window it is. Im not talking about if the window has mouse capture or input focus but if the mouse even passes over another window or child window to which the mouse is currently in?
Thanx in Advance

no SetCapture? hmmmm.... I'm thinking Hook. definitely. you have to do a System wide hook and monitor WM_MOUSEMOVEs. What do you think? maybe somebody knows of an easier way?

i dont know about a hook im actually only checking if the mouse goes over one of my programs child windows. Also i just wondered if there was an easier way then manually checking with mouse coords.

but what's the actual purpose? to get a mouseaway kind of event? if so, I would definitely use SetCapture. Then you just hit test it and release capture when your mouse is not in the window. I get the idea that's not the purpose though.

If they are child windows for your app though you could always handle WM_MOUSEMOVE in every wndproc. Update a handle or something that tells what window was the last to be moused-over

no i just need to know what window was last moused over in child windows of my app, like buttons

well then every wndproc just needs to handle the WM_MOUSEMOVE and update some value that says "HEY, the last window moused-over was me!"

but child windows like buttons can't handle thier own wndproc or messages

Ahh... well you could subclass the wndproc for them but I don't suggest that. What are you trying to do? have mouseover for your buttons? Have you ever tried Windowless buttons? Meaning just draw them yourself and handle hit detection and clicks yourself. Then you can do all that stuff in the one window callback. of course you could subclass the wndproc. *shivers*

no its simpler then that i just want to know when the button has a mouse over it

subclass the button wndproc. It's not too tough.

GetWindowLong with the GWL_WNDPROC gives you a pointer to the control's callback

SetWindowLong with the GWL_WNDPROC lets you insert your own. Then your subclassed callback needs to handle the WM_MOUSEMOVE and at the bottom it should call the original one that you got in the first step.

On WM_DESTROY you need to set it back with SetWindowLong again.

before I do that is there a way to find if a pair of coords is within a rect struct, or just 4 other coods thatway I could just check when the mouse movesif the mouse coords are in thye buttons coords.

uh I cant get it too work can I have an example

Code:

---

BOOL HitTest(RECT *rect, POINT *pt)
  {
  return pt->x > rect->left &&
              pt->x < rect->right &&
              pt->y > rect->top &&
              pt->y < rect->bottom;
  }

---

I'll give you a subclassing example if the hit test doesn't work for you. but it should

Or use

PtInRect()

(takes a point and a rect struct)

you make need ClientToScreen() or ScreenToClient()

The coord checking worked great thanx everyone for sticking with my question