I wonder if there is any way to somehow interact with windows that are currently open on a Windows system. I am interested in getting some of their properties, namely:
Location
Dimension
is in background?
possibly window title
Preferably, I would like to do that in Java but any suggestions are welcome.
A comment by theB linked to good resources for Java. I'll run through the relevant Windows APIs, in case you want to go native with C++.
To enumerate all the top-level windows in the system, use EnumWindows. You give it a callback function with the signature of EnumWindowsProc, so it will receive each window handle as the first parameter.
You can get the window location (in screen coordinates) and dimensions with the GetWindowRect function. Pass in the window handle you received and get an LPRECT (pointer to RECT) out.
To determine whether a window is maximized, use GetWindowPlacement and check the showCmd field of the WINDOWPLACEMENT structure you receive.
Finally, to get a window's caption, use GetWindowText. (As an aside, if you want to get the text of a control in another process, you'll need to send the WM_GETTEXT message yourself.)
Related
So I`m very new to win32ui, basically just starting. I was once using BitBlt wit python win32api module and as far as I remember to draw on top of display (so any application - if they are opened) I had to get specific context handle. But my memory is hazy on whether it simply was NULL or was it some specific context? Null doesn't seem to work, so I wonder how to obtain that general context? I really want to avoid to create fully transparent un blocking window.
The GetDC API allows you to get a device context for any given window. Alternatively,
If [hWnd] is NULL, GetDC retrieves the DC for the entire screen.
You can use the device context for the entire screen to read from, reliably (with restrictions). Rendering into a device context for a window you do not own won't be reliable, though. While it won't fail straight away, the window owner can overwrite your rendering at any point. There's no way for you to even be notified about this.
If you need to render on top of the screen you will have to create a top-most (transparent) window yourself, and use its device context. Make sure you ask the question: What if two programs did this?
I have a windows application which has several sub-forms. i have to navigate through 5 or 6 forms to reach the form i need. this is time consuming since i have to open it several times through the day and i do it daily.
my need: i dont have the source project for this application, i got it as an executable program, but i need to create some application that does these steps for me automatically. In other words i need to find a way to automatically click the buttons that navigate through the forms and opens the form i need from step one.
is there any way i can do this ?
There is indeed, though generic solutions already exist to perform just this kind of function to arbitrary programs.
You can use Spy++ or a resource-editor, like ResHack or ResEdit to look at the program and get the control ids of the navigation buttons.
Once done, you can get a handle to the program itself and then send messages to it's WindowProcedure that would be generated if the user clicked the controls with a mouse,
Another alternative, is to get the position of the running target application, after you've got it's HWND, by using the GetWindowRect function. You could then use this position along with vert/horiz distances to generate mouse events.
The two have more-or-less the same result, though some applications won't work with approach #1.
In one instance, you need to use Spy++ to get the control IDs.
In the other instance, you need to use an image editor to get the pixel offsets of the controls.
In both instances, you'll need to use FindWindow, along with the window's title-text in order to get a HWND handle.
You could use a combination of the two - asking the program itself with GetDlgItem for the handle of the controls you need to click. You could then query the control for its position, before using mouse_event to position the mouse above it and again to click it.
Quite a few ways to skin this cat, actually.
Pre-existing solutions like AutoIt are said to be very easy to use and will be much easier than coding a new program for each target.
I am trying to capture windows hidden behind my application. I am using windows 7 and VC++. I have tried printwindow() function which draws the both non-client and client area of hidden window, but captured window in the device context doesn't show desktop composition effects(aero effects). Instead it shows the captured window with windows 7 basic theme.
I have also tried with GetWindowDC() to retrive the DC of hidden window, and then Bitblt() it to memory DC but the captured window doesn't show non-client area (caption, close button, minimize button etc) correctly.
Anybody faced this issue?
Please help.
Click the link below. It leads to a MSDN site that lists all the existing Windows Functions ever of all history since Windows 95 up to Windows 8 (from period where Microsoft started Windows until present). It shows old windows functions of first Windows and new windows functions added for the new windows.
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/ff468919(v=vs.85).aspx
Anyway follow this site.
You will see the name of each function as a link.
Click any of them that you are interested.
Each link there leads to another MSDN site that explains all the basics knowledge that you must know about the function before using it, that you want to learn more. What that function does, its purpose, all its parameters and how to use each one, all their flags, all parameters types, return value and at last remarks section that shed more light and sometimes gives tips about the selected function.
Of course, you don't have to read all of them. Find in the list only the necessary functions to fit your needs. The functions that will solve your problem and answer your question that you posted.
By the way, I read your post, and I think that I found in the list the necessary functions that will do what you want to do, I will list them below, and say in one sentence what each does for what you need:
AnimateWindow - Enables you to produce special effects when showing or hiding windows. There are four types of animation: roll, slide, collapse or expand, and alpha-blended fade.
FlashWindow - Flashes the specified window one time. It does not change the active state of the window.
FlashWindowEx - Flashes the specified window specified number of times. It does not change the active state of the window.
Use these functions to achieve the aero effects that you want.
SetWindowPos - Changes the size, position, and Z order of a child, pop-up, or top-level window. These windows are ordered according to their appearance on the screen. The topmost window receives the highest rank and is the first window in the Z order.
Use this function to show the hidden windows on the top side (above all other windows) and on the screen front of you. The operating system will automatically draw the both non-client and client area of these windows without using any gdi, draw and paint functions yourself.
If you want these windows to return back to their previous state (where they were hidden), then save their state with GetWindowPlacement function and later call SetWindowPlacement to bring them back to their hidden state. You can try GetWindowRect and SetWindowPos instead to achieve the same goal.
I also think that you will be interested in GetWindowTheme and SetWindowTheme functions and all the draw theme functions (BackgroundEx, Edge, Icon, Text, TextEx).
There are more theme functions. Find in msdn and in other sites on the web.
I've just got a fresh device context (DC):
GetDC(someForeignHwnd)
Most normal people now want to paint on this. I don't. I want to display the context in my own program. Or duplicate, I wouldn't even mind the window I stole the context from beeing empty.
In my case, I want it in a TPanel in Delphi, but anything else helping me understanding goes.
Afterwards, I'll probably find the DC invalid by the time I get to display it.
My main problem is: Showing the content of another window in my own. But that isn't important. First of all, I want to know how these DC are of any use. Can I do something like the following?
Canvas.Draw(0, 0, MyNewDC);
The answer can be in Java, C, or Pascal. Is it just not possible or just a stupid idea?
While it's possible to use a device context that you retrieve via GetDC() as the SOURCE for BitBlt(), etc., you will likely not get the results that you're looking for. When you call GetDC() for a specific window, Windows essentially returns a device context for the screen, but with a clipping region set to exclude any portions of the screen where the window is not visible. For example, if there happens to be another window overlapping the source window, the portion of the source window that is covered is clipped from the device context. Therefore, you can only "retrieve" the bits that are actually visible.
You may have better luck sending a WM_PRINT or WM_PRINTCLIENT message to the window. However, not all windows respond to these messages, so this isn't a universal solution.
i am beginner in win 32 api . i try use win 32 api for create an onscreen keyboard . I can give handle of window and components by click but how to realize type of these and i want set text only on text box and editable components
i try to use GetWindowInfo() and try use atomWindowType of window for realize type of that but this is not use full for this goal because this change on each restart of OS.
(click is handle of window)
WINDOWINFO pwi = new WINDOWINFO(); USER32INST.GetWindowInfo(click, pwi); if (pwi.atomWindowType != -15891) { setLastclick(click); } tnx
You are not going to be able to achieve what you desire, in full generality it is not realistically possible.
A window's type (or class) is essentially determined by its WndProc. You can use GetClassName and its ilk to help you identify some standard window classes, but as you have already discovered, most real-world apps will not use these standard classes.
So, although in theory, you could analyse the code behind the WndProc at runtime, in practice this is not remotely feasible.