Thread: Clicking list box items and functions

I'm pretty new to all this programming stuff especially winapi. Well to get to it I was wondering if it is possible in c and winapi to call different functions by clicking the item text in a listbox. Sort of like using a list box as a menu. I found this code:

Code:

WORD wNotify; /* notification code */
WORD wID; /* control id */
HWND hCntrl; /* control handle */
int nSelection; /* zero-based index of selected listbox item */
int nLen; /* listbox item number of TCHARS (ie str length) */
TCHAR *chBuffer; /* for listbox item text */
wID=LOWORD(wParam);
wNotify=HIWORD(wParam);
hCntrl=(HWND)lParam;
if (hCntrl && wNotify==LBN_SELCHANGE && wID==IDLISTBOX)
{
nSelection=SendMessage(hCntrl, LB_GETCURSEL, 0, 0);
nLen=SendMessage(hCntrl, LB_GETTEXTLEN, nSelection, 0);
chBuffer=(TCHAR*)malloc((nLen+1)*sizeof(TCHAR));

if (chBuffer)
{
SendMessage(hCntrl, LB_GETTEXT, nSelection, (LPARAM)chBuffer);
/* 'hEdit' is handle to edit control*/

SetWindowText(hwnd,chBuffer);

free(chBuffer);
}
}

It just changes the window text to the selected item text, something like this could be useful to me now. If anyone could help me out with this, or recommend a tutorial or sample code. It would be appreciated.

Thanks.

You can set different values for each item as item data, then just get the item data using LB_GETITEMDATA message and switch it:

Code:

//while setting up the list
int item_index;

item_index = SendMessage(hCntrl, LB_ADDSTRING, 0, (LPARAM)"Open file");
SendMessage(hCntrl, LB_SETITEMDATA, (WPARAM)item_index, (LPARAM)MAKELPARAM(OPEN_FILE, 0));

item_index = SendMessage(hCntrl, LB_ADDSTRING, 0, (LPARAM)"Save file");
SendMessage(hCntrl, LB_SETITEMDATA, (WPARAM)item_index, (LPARAM)MAKELPARAM(SAVE_FILE, 0)); 



//and then to respond to action messages
switch(LOWORD(SendMessage(hCntrl, LB_GETITEMDATA, (WPARAM)nSelection, 0))) {
	case OPEN_FILE: {
		call_to_open_file();
	}
	break;
	case SAVE_FILE: {
		call_to_save_file();
	}
	break;
}

Of course you will have to declare previously OPEN_FILE and SAVE_FILE (macro or enum). If you have also a standard menu you can set the list item values with the same menu item values, so instead of switch the selected item value you can simulate a menu click sending a WM_COMMAND and the list item value that will correspond to the same action on the standard menu.

Hope that halps
Niara

Thank you very much Niara, I was away from the computer for a while. It also took me a while to figure that out but I have it working now. Your help is much appreciated. Thanks again.

Randy.