AllocConsole w/out close button?

[Steve Ryckman]

I am using a console in a PB/DLL6 application as a sort of debug
screen because a listbox wouldn't keep up. This is a propeitary
web server that is sometimes running close to a hundred threads
at a time. Anyways, the problem is this:

When I create a console with AllocConsole, it has the standard
minimize, maximize and close buttons on it. Minimize and maximize
I don't really care about (although I'd like to get rid of them
as well) but the close button is a problem. If the user clicks
on the close button, not only does it close the console, but
it closes the entire application because the messages don't seem
to be differentiated between the console or my main dialogue.

On my main dialogue I have a "Close Debug" button that calls the
FreeConsole and that works fine.... my app stays running and the
console closes.

So the question is, is there a way to keep the console from
being created with a system menu (AllocConsole has no options
it appears) or is there a way for my application to tell a close
from the console apart from one for the main dialogue ?

This application is using EzGui2.0 but I've verified the same
behaviour using just DDT as well.

Ideas ?



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--
Steve Ryckman
mailto:[email protected][email protected]</A>
http://the.nevets.net

[Semen Matusovski]

> So the question is, is there a way to keep the console from being created with a system menu
No, but you can delete "close" item in system menu similar like for GUI window.
+ take a look SetConsoleCtrlHandler


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[Eric Pearson]

SetConsoleCtrlHandler would be a "broader" solution, because it would allow you to intercept Close, Ctrl-C, and Ctrl-Break, and to handle Windows logoff and shutdown as well. The Close button would still be visible -- there's no way to get rid of it -- but SetConsoleCtrlHandler would allow you to "handle" it, instead of just closing the console window.

Be advised, however, that SetConsoleCtrlHandler is not fully functional on Windows 95/98/ME systems. But I suspect that you would not be running that type of program on anything but NT or 2000 anyway.

If you do need a solution that works on 95/98/ME (or even if you don't) you might want to consider my company's Console Tools add-on. It was designed for PB/CC apps but it works fine with AllocConsole too. The current version provides a method of detecting 9x shutdown and logoff events, and lots of other console-related functions that might be useful for a debug window.

-- Eric

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Perfect Sync Development Tools
Perfect Sync Web Site
Contact Us: mailto:[email protected][email protected]</A>

[This message has been edited by Eric Pearson (edited June 20, 2001).]

[Steve Ryckman]

Thanks for reminding me about Console Tools, I have the pro version
but didn't even think about it for a PB/DLL app's console. That
makes sense. Yes, this is strictly a Win2000 Server product
anyways so 9x versions aren't a concern.

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--
Steve Ryckman
mailto:[email protected][email protected]</A>
http://the.nevets.net

[Eric Pearson]

Steve --

Check out the InitCTInternals function in the Console Tools Help File. It's used only when your program creates a console with AllocConsole.

If you need any help, just let us know!

-- Eric


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Perfect Sync Development Tools
Perfect Sync Web Site
Contact Us: mailto:[email protected][email protected]</A>

[Steve Ryckman]

Actually, using Console Tools I found that:

lResult& = DeleteWindowMenuItem(%MENUITEM_CLOSE)

Works quite nicely under Windows 2000 even though the docs say
it only works for Windows 95/98.

I played with SetConsoleCtrlHandler a bit but although it allowed
me to know about the close, it didn't allow me to prevent it
from occuring.

With DeleteWindowMenuItem it grays out the close button on the
console yet doesn't disturb the main dialogue just fine. So
what magic is DeleteWindowMenuItem using to accomplish this feat?



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--
Steve Ryckman
mailto:[email protected][email protected]</A>
http://the.nevets.net

[Semen Matusovski]

1) DeleteWindowMenuItem(%MENUITEM_CLOSE) = DeleteMenu GetSystemMenu(hWndConsole, 0), %SC_CLOSE, %MF_BYCOMMAND
2) SetConsoleCtrlHandler is necessary to prevent Ctrl-Break (and Ctrl-C)


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[Eric Pearson]

> lResult& = DeleteWindowMenuItem(%MENUITEM_CLOSE)
>
> Works quite nicely under Windows 2000 even though the docs say
> it only works for Windows 95/98.

Where do the docs say that?

> I played with SetConsoleCtrlHandler a bit but although
> it allowed me to know about the close, it didn't allow
> me to prevent it from occuring.

Right, I forgot about that. Sorry. That API provides notification but no control.

Semen said:

> SetConsoleCtrlHandler is necessary to prevent
> Ctrl-Break (and Ctrl-C)

That's true about Ctrl-Break, but you can get around Ctrl-C in other ways, such as SetConsoleMode.

Steve, if you want to handle Ctrl-Break, use the Console Tools OnCtrlBreak function. For Ctrl-C you should use the SetConsoleMode API.

-- Eric


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Perfect Sync Development Tools
Perfect Sync Web Site
Contact Us: mailto:[email protected][email protected]</A>

[This message has been edited by Eric Pearson (edited June 20, 2001).]

[Steve Ryckman]

Eric:

Sorry, read the docs for DeleteWindowMenuItem again and it isn't
saying that the function isn't supported on NT/2000, but is
saying Toolbar items on 95/98 are difficult to restore. I read
that wrong, sorry about that.

Semen:

Thanks for pointing me towards GetSystemMenu. I wouldn't mind
using Console Tools if it was a real console app and I would
benefit from the other ease of use, but just for one call I
don't want to have to include the DLL and so forth.

Thanks to everyone for their help on this. In fact, it never
even occured to me that Ctrl-C/Break would cause the main app
to terminate until everyone mentioned it. All I'm using the
console for is outputting text and I had no idea I'd have to
watch for those events as well. Thank goodness this is mostly
an internal application and we caught that before someone
Ctrl-C'd the server down on accident with files open all over
the place.

Thanks again guys.



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--
Steve Ryckman
mailto:[email protected][email protected]</A>
http://the.nevets.net

[Mark A Owiesny]

Originally posted by Steve Ryckman:

So the question is, is there a way to keep the console from
being created with a system menu (AllocConsole has no options
it appears) or is there a way for my application to tell a close
from the console apart from one for the main dialogue ?

This application is using EzGui2.0 but I've verified the same
behaviour using just DDT as well.

Ideas ?

Here might be a solution. Somewhere on the BBS someone has
posted examples of how to get the console handle. You also
own Console Tools which has a function that does that as well.

Grab the system menu and use the EnableMenuItem API Call
to disable it. Should look something like this:

Dim hMenu As Long, X%, Y%, Res&
Dim MenuString As Asciiz * 256
Dim conHdl As Long

    conHdl = SomeRoutineToGetTheConsoleHandle()
    hMenu = GetSystemMenu(conHdl, %False)
    X% = GetMenuItemCount(hMenu)
    For Y% = 0 to X% - 1
        GetMenuString hMenu, Y%, MenuString, 256, %MF_BYPOSITION
        If Instr(MenuString, "&Close") Then 
            Res& = EnableMenuItem(hMenu, Y%, %MF_GRAYED + %MF_BYPOSITION) 
            Exit For
        End If
    Next Y%
    DrawMenuBar hMenu

The only other thing you would have to worry about is if someone
Hit ctrl + C to exit the console window. But there is an
API call to block that as well. I believe it is setConsoleMode.
Not sure, been a while...

Hope that helps
Mark

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