how to create a win32 dialog based application?

[Grace]

My application needs to be a dialog box with an icon, title, minimize button, and the close button in the title bar (no maximize button). It's trivial in MFC, but how would you do it in Win32?

What I did was to create an invisible application, and SendMessage to pop up a dialogbox, but I realize that I couldn't add the icon! And when I minimize the dialogbox, it doesn't minimize to the windows task bar. It's definitely a wrong approach. I am such a newbie in Win32 (or even win programming!).

Thanks in advance,
Grace

[usman999_1]

When you create you dialogbox (using DialogBox or CreateDialog) give either of these APIs GetDeskTopWindow() as the handle of the ParentWindow. The dialog will minimise properly etc etc.
HTH,
Regards,
Usman.

[Bond]

For a modal dialog:

int WINAPI WinMain(HINSTANCE hInstance, HINSTANCE hPrevInstance, PSTR pCmdLine, int iCmdShow)
{
return DialogBox(hInstance, MAKEINTRESOURCE(IDD_DIALOG1), NULL, DialogProc);
}

BOOL CALLBACK DialogProc(HWND hwnd, UINT message, WPARAM wParam, LPARAM lParam)
{
switch (uMessage)
{
case WM_CLOSE:
EndDialog(hwnd, 0);
return FALSE;

default:
return FALSE;
}
}

For a modeless dialog:

int WINAPI WinMain(HINSTANCE hInstance, HINSTANCE hPrevInstance, PSTR pCmdLine, int iCmdShow)
{
HWND hwnd = CreateDialog(hInstance, MAKEINTRESOURCE(IDD_DIALOG1), NULL, DialogProc);

MSG msg;

while (GetMessage(&msg, hwnd, 0, 0))
{
if (!IsDialogMessage(hwnd, &msg))
{
TranslateMessage(&msg);
DispatchMessage(&msg);
}
}

DestroyWindow(hwnd);

return 0;
}

BOOL CALLBACK DialogProc(HWND hwnd, UINT message, WPARAM wParam, LPARAM lParam)
{
switch (uMessage)
{
case WM_CLOSE:
PostQuitMessage(0);
return FALSE;

default:
return FALSE;
}
}

[Grace]

Does it matter if it's a modal or modeless?

[kirants]

It depends on what you want to do. You would go for a modal dialog when you popup the dialog for a reason where the user cannot proceed without entering something or cancelling it out. That is the user will not be able to interact with the other parts of the UI.

That is not the case with modeless dialogs. These kind will allow user to switch to other windows and do something.

So, whether you want modal or modeless is driven by your requirements.

[Bond]

There are also cases where you may want to hide your main application window. For example, if you write a tray application, you'll need a dialog or window procedure to process your tray messages. However, you won't want your application window to be onscreen the entire time. So, you can create a modeless dialog and just hide it, only making it visible when the user requests it.

[srq70]

Also, if you want to handle arrow keys, WM_KEYDOWN, etc, I think, it is easier
with modeless dialog, with modal, because these are "DialogMessages" , you
can't get them in DialogProc.

[Grace]

Hi Bond,

I did a modeless dialogbox as you suggested earlier. I also set the Icon inside WM_INITDIALOG by using


SetClassLong(hDlg, GCL_HICON, (LONG)LoadIcon(g_hInst, (LPCTSTR)IDI_MYICON));
SetClassLong(hDlg, GCL_HICONSM, (LONG)LoadIcon(g_hInst, (LPCTSTR)IDI_MYICON));


The icon is shown on the task bar as well as on the title bar, but the problem is that in the IExplorer, it is still using the default icon. How would you fix this problem?


Thanks,
Grace


For a modeless dialog:

int WINAPI WinMain(HINSTANCE hInstance, HINSTANCE hPrevInstance, PSTR pCmdLine, int iCmdShow)
{
HWND hwnd = CreateDialog(hInstance, MAKEINTRESOURCE(IDD_DIALOG1), NULL, DialogProc);

MSG msg;

while (GetMessage(&msg, hwnd, 0, 0))
{
if (!IsDialogMessage(hwnd, &msg))
{
TranslateMessage(&msg);
DispatchMessage(&msg);
}
}

DestroyWindow(hwnd);

return 0;
}

BOOL CALLBACK DialogProc(HWND hwnd, UINT message, WPARAM wParam, LPARAM lParam)
{
switch (uMessage)
{
case WM_CLOSE:
PostQuitMessage(0);
return FALSE;

default:
return FALSE;
}
}

[Bond]

Hi Bond,

I did a modeless dialogbox as you suggested earlier. I also set the Icon inside WM_INITDIALOG by using


SetClassLong(hDlg, GCL_HICON, (LONG)LoadIcon(g_hInst, (LPCTSTR)IDI_MYICON));
SetClassLong(hDlg, GCL_HICONSM, (LONG)LoadIcon(g_hInst, (LPCTSTR)IDI_MYICON));


The icon is shown on the task bar as well as on the title bar, but the problem is that in the IExplorer, it is still using the default icon. How would you fix this problem?


Thanks,
Grace
What do you mean "IExplorer?" I assume you're not talking about Internet Explorer. Do you mean Windows Explorer? Or are you talking about the desktop icon?

I think your SetClassLong messages do the same thing, but I've always used:

SendMessage(hwnd, WM_SETICON, ICON_BIG, (LPARAM) LoadIcon(hInstance, MAKEINTRESOURCE(IDI_ICON1)));
SendMessage(hwnd, WM_SETICON, ICON_SMALL, (LPARAM) LoadIcon(hInstance, MAKEINTRESOURCE(IDI_ICON2)));

[Grace]

Yes, Windows Explorer.

I figured it out. the ICON resource has to be the lowest number possible in order to show up in the Windows Explorer. I have it set to 2, and it works.

Thanks Bond. :thumb:
Grace