[Win+D] without %WS_MINIMIZEBOX

[Plamen Chobanov]

Hello everyone,
the situation is as follows:
I have a Dialog Box with style constant %WS_MINIMIZEBOX. After pressing the Windows hotkey [Win Logo + D] expectedly causes the messages:
%WM_SIZE (lParam)
or
%WM_SYSCOMMAND (wParam)
This allows control of the dialog when hiding and/or showing on the screen.

The same dialog WITHOUT the %WS_MINIMIZEBOX constant hides after [Win Logo + D], but I can't intercept (control) it by hiding and/or showing it on the screen because the above messages are not generated.

Any ideas on the matter?

[Dale Yarker]

That is exactly correct operation for with, and without, %WS_MINIMIZEBOX. That is what that style is for.

Small note - minimize is not "hiding". DIALOG HIDE is a separate statement. (so also see DIALOG NORMALIZE)

added - Is hide what you want to do?

more added - Here [Win + D] minimizes all program's windows, another [Win + D] restores "normalizes" all the program's windows. If window without %WS_MINIMIZEBOX was behind before, it will be behind after. If you want to do something to a particular window you'll need a different hot-key.

Cheers,

[Stuart McLachlan]

WIn+D is actually a system registered shortcut key to WIndows Explorer which responds by minimising or restoring all visible windows unchanged.

IMNSHO, interfering with this standard Windows behaviour is a "bad thing"™

[Plamen Chobanov]

Dale Yarker,
Thanks for the reply.
Sorry, I'm not precise "hide" and "show" are "minimize" and "restore" - of course in this case.

Stuart McLachlan,
That's exactly what it's about.
I don't want to change the action of the system Win+D:
Step 1 - Minimize;
Step 2 - Restore.
I would like to control the result of its action for dialogs in my application.
Control means, for example, the delay in the appearance of dialogs in my application during "restore" (Step 2) for 1 second. This works fine (see Post #1) for dialogs in my application with style constant %WS_MINIMIZEBOX.
THE PROBLEM is how to do the same (delay the appearance on "restore" (Step 2) of the dialogs in my application by 1 sec.) for dialogs without the style constant %WS_MINIMIZEBOX.

[Dale Yarker]

I figured there must be a message so tried WM_RESTORE at Google. Apparently there is no such message, but top return was:
WM_SHOWWINDOW message (Winuser.h) - Win32 apps | Microsoft Learn
Maybe a delay exiting your callback for that message will delay the "showing" of the window.
Or add -
DIALOG HIDE
SLEEP 1000
DIALOG NORMALIZE
(in the case of whatever message is correct)
((on second thought- if HIDE and NORMALIZE cause windows to send the same message, an infinite loop is created))

Something to think about till something better is posted.

Cheers,

[Borje Hagsten]

Is possible to trap %WM_ACTIVATEAPP and restore dialog, but quick test shows dialog need %WS_MINIMIZEBOX style so we need to use GetWindowLong/SetWindowLong to add and remove %WS_MINIMIZEBOX style during operation. But there are issues with %WM_ACTIVATEAPP, like it is triggered also when clicking outside dialog. This works (but I would not use it...)
'

'====================================================================
#COMPILE EXE
#DIM ALL
#INCLUDE "WIN32API.INC"

'====================================================================
FUNCTION PBMAIN () AS LONG
  LOCAL hDlg AS DWORD
  DIALOG NEW 0, "No System Minimize Test",,, 220, 140, _
             %WS_CAPTION OR %WS_SYSMENU, 0 TO hDlg
  '------------------------------------------------------------------
  DIALOG SHOW MODAL hDlg CALL DlgProc
END FUNCTION

'====================================================================
CALLBACK FUNCTION DlgProc() AS LONG

  SELECT CASE AS LONG CB.MSG
  CASE %WM_ACTIVATEAPP
     IF CB.WPARAM = 0 THEN
        LOCAL dwRes AS DWORD
        dwRes = GetWindowLong(CB.HNDL, %GWL_STYLE)  ' grab style
        SetWindowLong(CB.HNDL, %GWL_STYLE, dwRes OR %WS_MINIMIZEBOX)      ' add minimizebox
        ShowWindow CB.HNDL, %SW_MINIMIZE   ' repeat
        ShowWindow CB.HNDL, %SW_SHOWNORMAL ' and restore
        SetWindowLong(CB.HNDL, %GWL_STYLE, dwRes AND NOT %WS_MINIMIZEBOX) ' remove box
        PostMessage CB.HNDL, %WM_USER, CB.WPARAM, CB.LPARAM
     END IF

  CASE %WM_USER  ' need a PostMessage stunt to return focus to dialog...
     SetFocus CB.HNDL

  END SELECT
END FUNCTION
'

[Plamen Chobanov]

Borje Hagsten, thank you!
I don't want to ban Step 1 - minimize. In Step 2 - normalize to delay the eventual appearance of these dialogs without the style constant %WS_MINIMIZEBOX.

Some test results...
Trapped messages: %WM_SIZE, %WM_SHOWWINDOW, %WM_WINDOWPOSCHANGING

Test with Dialog with the style constant %WS_MINIMIZEBOX.
Win+D - Step 1
1. %WM_WINDOWPOSCHANGING > Flag (%SWP_NOACTIVATE OR %SWP_DRAWFRAME OR %SWP_SHOWWINDOW OR %SWP_NOCOPYBITS
2. %WM_SIZE > Minimize
Win+D - Step 2
3. %WM_WINDOWPOSCHANGING > Flag (%SWP_NOSIZE OR %SWP_NOMOVE OR %SWP_NOACTIVATE)
4. %WM_WINDOWPOSCHANGING > Flag (%SWP_NOACTIVATE OR %SWP_DRAWFRAME OR %SWP_NOCOPYBITS)
5. %WM_SIZE > Size

With the messages in this case, I am fine - I achieve the desired effect!

Test with Dialog without the style constant %WS_MINIMIZEBOX.
Win+D - Step 1
... nothing ...
Win+D - Step 2
... nothing ...

Is this style of dialogue the problem?!

[Kurt Kuzba]

If you want your dialog to be invisible, you can just move it off screen, to something like -900,-900.

[Plamen Chobanov]

Kurt Kuzba,
This is how the delay works when styled with constant %WS_MINIMIZEBOX.
With a style without constant %WS_MINIMIZEBOX I can't catch an event (message) to do this.

[Stuart McLachlan]

Kurt Kuzba,
This is how the delay works when styled with constant %WS_MINIMIZEBOX.
With a style without constant %WS_MINIMIZEBOX I can't catch an event (message) to do this.

Since DDT is proprietary, we have no idea how BOB designed it to work when different styles are applied. Apparently it discards those events before they get to the callback.

[Plamen Chobanov]

Stuart McLachlan,
... above the results are for API style (dialogs read from RC file).

p.s. I thought the same thing and changed the approach (from DDT to API) in my test app.

[Kurt Kuzba]

Kurt Kuzba,
This is how the delay works when styled with constant %WS_MINIMIZEBOX.
With a style without constant %WS_MINIMIZEBOX I can't catch an event (message) to do this.

Sure. But if you want, as it seems from the discussion above,
to have it only seen on the taskbar, and not to have a screen presence,
then just making it not have a screen presence would seem to be the
easiest way to go about it, rather than enforced minimization.

[Borje Hagsten]

DDT "eats" some messages, but solution is usually by subclassing a dialog. Don't know if it can be used to solve this problem, but SetWindowLong() and a SubClassProc...

[Dale Yarker]

There is a subclass demo in PB's \samples\ folder.