Thread: WM_CAPTION causing CreateWindowEx() to fail.

  1. #1
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Posts
    183

    Unhappy WM_CAPTION causing CreateWindowEx() to fail.

    Hey all!

    I just started a new project, and I came across a problem. I think the title explains it all. All I want to do is create a window at the moment, with the standard code everyone uses from www.winprog.org. Anyways, I tried to change the WS to WS_OVERLAPPEDWINDOW, but an error message came up saying that the window could not be created. So I split OVERLAPPEDWINDOW up into WS_OVERLAPPED, WS_CAPTION, WS_SYSMENU, and WS_MINIMIZEBOX, to see which one was causing the problem. It works fine without WS_CAPTION, in that no error messages came up, but I was very annoyed when I couldn't see the window. Ideally, (sp?) I need to get this problem fixed, or another WS that has the same effect on the window as CAPTION.

    Any one know what's wrong?

    Cheers for any help provided.
    Necrofear

  2. #2
    Registered User OnionKnight's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Posts
    555
    Show us some code? Did you call ShowWindow() on the created window?

  3. #3
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Posts
    183

    Oh, I fixed it.

    Code:
    #include <windows.h>
    
    const char g_szClassName[] = "myWindowClass";
    
    // Step 4: the Window Procedure
    
    LRESULT CALLBACK WndProc(HWND hwnd, UINT msg, WPARAM wParam, LPARAM lParam)
    {
        switch(msg)
        {   
            case WM_CLOSE:
                DestroyWindow(hwnd);
                break;
            
            case WM_DESTROY:
                PostQuitMessage(0);
                break;
            
            default:
                return DefWindowProc(hwnd, msg, wParam, lParam);
        }
        
        return 0;
    }
    
    int WINAPI WinMain(HINSTANCE hInstance, HINSTANCE hPrevInstance,
        LPSTR lpCmdLine, int nCmdShow)
    {
        WNDCLASSEX wc;
        HWND hwnd;
        MSG Msg;
    
        //Step 1: Registering the Window Class
        
        wc.cbSize        = sizeof(WNDCLASSEX);
        wc.style         = 0;
        wc.lpfnWndProc   = WndProc;
        wc.cbClsExtra    = 0;
        wc.cbWndExtra    = 0;
        wc.hInstance     = hInstance;
        wc.hIcon         = LoadIcon(NULL, IDI_APPLICATION);
        wc.hCursor       = LoadCursor(NULL, IDC_ARROW);
        wc.hbrBackground = (HBRUSH)(COLOR_WINDOW+1);
        wc.lpszMenuName  = NULL;
        wc.lpszClassName = g_szClassName;
        wc.hIconSm       = LoadIcon(NULL, IDI_APPLICATION);
    
        if(!RegisterClassEx(&wc))
        {
            MessageBox(NULL, "Window Registration Failed!", "Error!", MB_ICONEXCLAMATION | MB_OK);
            return 0;
        }
    
        // Step 2: Creating the Window
        
        hwnd = CreateWindowEx(
            WS_OVERLAPPEDWINDOW,
            g_szClassName,
            "The title of my window",
            WS_OVERLAPPEDWINDOW,
            0, 0, 240, 120,
            NULL, NULL, hInstance, NULL);
    
        if(hwnd == NULL)
        {
            MessageBox(NULL, "Window Creation Failed!", "Error!", MB_ICONEXCLAMATION | MB_OK);
            return 0;
        }
    
        ShowWindow(hwnd, nCmdShow);
        UpdateWindow(hwnd);
    
        // Step 3: The Message Loop
        
        while(GetMessage(&Msg, NULL, 0, 0) > 0)
        {
            TranslateMessage(&Msg);
            DispatchMessage(&Msg);
        }
        
        return Msg.wParam;
    }
    Never mind. It's a pointless thread. The above was the code I tried to compile, and in CreateWindowEx I put OVERLAPPEDWINDOW twice, I can't believe that I didn't notice that. It works with clientedge. But I do have a question: What is the first parameter if the fourth is the window style(s)?

    Cheers.

  4. #4
    Sweet
    Join Date
    Aug 2002
    Location
    Tucson, Arizona
    Posts
    1,820
    The first one is for the extended styles and the second one is for the CreateWindow styles.
    Woop?

  5. #5
    Registered User Queatrix's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2005
    Posts
    1,342
    The extended window styles can be one or more of the following values:

    WS_EX_ACCEPTFILES
    Specifies that a window created with this style accepts drag-drop files.

    WS_EX_APPWINDOW
    Forces a top-level window onto the taskbar when the window is visible.

    WS_EX_CLIENTEDGE
    Specifies that a window has a border with a sunken edge.

    WS_EX_COMPOSITED
    Windows XP: Paints all descendants of a window in bottom-to-top painting order using double-buffering. For more information, see Remarks. This cannot be used if the window has a class style of either CS_OWNDC or CS_CLASSDC.

    WS_EX_CONTEXTHELP
    Includes a question mark in the title bar of the window. When the user clicks the question mark, the cursor changes to a question mark with a pointer. If the user then clicks a child window, the child receives a WM_HELP message. The child window should pass the message to the parent window procedure, which should call the WinHelp function using the HELP_WM_HELP command. The Help application displays a pop-up window that typically contains help for the child window.

    WS_EX_CONTEXTHELP cannot be used with the WS_MAXIMIZEBOX or WS_MINIMIZEBOX styles.

    WS_EX_CONTROLPARENT
    The window itself contains child windows that should take part in dialog box navigation. If this style is specified, the dialog manager recurses into children of this window when performing navigation operations such as handling the TAB key, an arrow key, or a keyboard mnemonic.

    WS_EX_DLGMODALFRAME
    Creates a window that has a double border; the window can, optionally, be created with a title bar by specifying the WS_CAPTION style in the dwStyle parameter.

    WS_EX_LAYERED
    Windows 2000/XP: Creates a layered window. Note that this cannot be used for child windows. Also, this cannot be used if the window has a class style of either CS_OWNDC or CS_CLASSDC.

    WS_EX_LAYOUTRTL
    Arabic and Hebrew versions of Windows 98/Me, Windows 2000/XP: Creates a window whose horizontal origin is on the right edge. Increasing horizontal values advance to the left.

    WS_EX_LEFT
    Creates a window that has generic left-aligned properties. This is the default.

    WS_EX_LEFTSCROLLBAR
    If the shell language is Hebrew, Arabic, or another language that supports reading order alignment, the vertical scroll bar (if present) is to the left of the client area. For other languages, the style is ignored.

    WS_EX_LTRREADING
    The window text is displayed using left-to-right reading-order properties. This is the default.

    WS_EX_MDICHILD
    Creates a multiple-document interface (MDI) child window.

    WS_EX_NOACTIVATE
    Windows 2000/XP: A top-level window created with this style does not become the foreground window when the user clicks it. The system does not bring this window to the foreground when the user minimizes or closes the foreground window.
    To activate the window, use the SetActiveWindow or SetForegroundWindow function.

    The window does not appear on the taskbar by default. To force the window to appear on the taskbar, use the WS_EX_APPWINDOW style.

    WS_EX_NOINHERITLAYOUT
    Windows 2000/XP: A window created with this style does not pass its window layout to its child windows.

    WS_EX_NOPARENTNOTIFY
    Specifies that a child window created with this style does not send the WM_PARENTNOTIFY message to its parent window when it is created or destroyed.

    WS_EX_OVERLAPPEDWINDOW
    Combines the WS_EX_CLIENTEDGE and WS_EX_WINDOWEDGE styles.

    WS_EX_PALETTEWINDOW
    Combines the WS_EX_WINDOWEDGE, WS_EX_TOOLWINDOW, and WS_EX_TOPMOST styles.

    WS_EX_RIGHT
    The window has generic "right-aligned" properties. This depends on the window class. This style has an effect only if the shell language is Hebrew, Arabic, or another language that supports reading-order alignment; otherwise, the style is ignored.
    Using the WS_EX_RIGHT style for static or edit controls has the same effect as using the SS_RIGHT or ES_RIGHT style, respectively. Using this style with button controls has the same effect as using BS_RIGHT and BS_RIGHTBUTTON styles.

    WS_EX_RIGHTSCROLLBAR
    Vertical scroll bar (if present) is to the right of the client area. This is the default.

    WS_EX_RTLREADING
    If the shell language is Hebrew, Arabic, or another language that supports reading-order alignment, the window text is displayed using right-to-left reading-order properties. For other languages, the style is ignored.

    WS_EX_STATICEDGE
    Creates a window with a three-dimensional border style intended to be used for items that do not accept user input.

    WS_EX_TOOLWINDOW
    Creates a tool window; that is, a window intended to be used as a floating toolbar. A tool window has a title bar that is shorter than a normal title bar, and the window title is drawn using a smaller font. A tool window does not appear in the taskbar or in the dialog that appears when the user presses ALT+TAB. If a tool window has a system menu, its icon is not displayed on the title bar. However, you can display the system menu by right-clicking or by typing ALT+SPACE.

    WS_EX_TOPMOST
    Specifies that a window created with this style should be placed above all non-topmost windows and should stay above them, even when the window is deactivated. To add or remove this style, use the SetWindowPos function.

    WS_EX_TRANSPARENT
    Specifies that a window created with this style should not be painted until siblings beneath the window (that were created by the same thread) have been painted. The window appears transparent because the bits of underlying sibling windows have already been painted.

    To achieve transparency without these restrictions, use the SetWindowRgn function.

    WS_EX_WINDOWEDGE
    Specifies that a window has a border with a raised edge.

    My Im in a good mood tonight.

  6. #6
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Posts
    183

    Wow

    Never realized that there was such a big list. Thanks for the info, and Queatrix, cheers for your descriptions. The list will be very handy in future. .

    EDIT:

    Ok, now I have another question. I know the persistence in my inquisitivity is annoying, but it seemed pointless to make a new thread. It concerns the famous 'I want to disable window movement,' problem. I've searched the boards, and many have told others to handle WM_MOVE, and position the window using SetWindowPos(). But this creates an annoying flickering effect. I was wondering if there's a 'cleaner' way to do this.

    Appriciate any help you could provide.
    Cheers
    Last edited by Necrofear; 04-05-2007 at 11:53 AM.

  7. #7
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    Scranton, Pa
    Posts
    252
    I think it was laserlight who posted something like;

    Code:
      case WM_SYSCOMMAND:
    
                if(wParam==SC_MOVE)
                   {
                  break;
                   }
    I can't precisely remember. I do recall running across it somewhere on the boards -

  8. #8
    erstwhile
    Join Date
    Jan 2002
    Posts
    2,227
    That only prevents use of the system/window menu 'Move' option - it won't prevent dragging.
    Code:
    case WM_SYSCOMMAND:
      {
      /*block attempts to move window by:*/  
      if (wParam == (SC_MOVE | HTCAPTION) || /*dragging caption with mouse*/
          wParam == SC_MOVE)                 /*window/system menu 'Move' command*/
        {
        return 0;
        }
      return DefWindowProc(hwnd,WM_SYSCOMMAND,wParam,lParam);
      }
    CProgramming FAQ
    Caution: this person may be a carrier of the misinformation virus.

  9. #9
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Posts
    183

    Smile

    Exelent. That is really helpful code and replies.
    Thanks everyone!

Popular pages Recent additions subscribe to a feed

Similar Threads

  1. Non-blocking socket connection problem
    By cbalu in forum Linux Programming
    Replies: 25
    Last Post: 06-03-2009, 02:15 AM
  2. bad and fail of steam
    By George2 in forum C++ Programming
    Replies: 8
    Last Post: 02-19-2008, 03:07 AM
  3. strlen causing my program to freeze
    By Beowolf in forum C Programming
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: 09-11-2007, 04:09 PM
  4. Button handler
    By Nephiroth in forum Windows Programming
    Replies: 8
    Last Post: 03-12-2006, 06:23 AM
  5. Set fail flag in istream
    By *ClownPimp* in forum C++ Programming
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: 03-20-2003, 09:24 PM