Re: BringWindowToTop: "Simulate" "ALT-Tab" keys
Hi David,
thanks for your thoughts.
In application A I can now minimize and maximize application B with
SendMessages. If I do this, the application B is first minimized, then
maximized again, but not repainted on the screen, so I don't see the
application B in front of my application A.
Do you send WM_SYSCOMMAND with SC_MINIMIZE/SC_MAXIMIZE messages to the
HWND,
or do you send some private message that causes App B to privately do the
minimizing/maximizing?
No, I don't send normal syscommands or so. The application B only interprets
CopyData Messages.
So I send it with WM_COPYDATA, there's a structure that has a well-defined
integer, so that the app knows, what to do.
But here you say SetForegroundWindow *does* bring it to the top. Which
one
is it?
The problem with SetForeground is simple. It has an effect. I can send a
CopyData Message that pops up a warning in application B. I can see the
popup window, so I know that SetForegroundWindow works. Only what is
"behind" the popup window, i.e. the normal application, is only redrawn (and
shown) when I close the popup window, so that the normal control goes back
to the normal application view.
Does your code work at all when you temporarily disable your Application A
from being a full screen dialog? What if it's a normal dialog instead?
I'm sorry, I can't change the size of my application A. The dialog is not
maximized with a system command but set to maximum with SetWindowPos. I need
the full screen display, since it is running only on laptops with 1024*768
resolution.
The problem may be the HWND you get back from the registered Windows
message. Are you sure it really is the HWND of the visible window you
want
to bring to top/repaint? Or is it just a window you command the App A
with,
which internally reacts to the messages you send this HWND by manipulating
its visible window? Find out the HWND, then use Spy++ to see if that
window
is visible and is the one you think it is.
I've already thought of that. I will look, if Spy++ gives the same HWND of
the application.
When I send messages with WM_COPYDATA to the HWND handle (I got from
application B) the application reacts correctly.
BTW, which HWND to you send the registerered Windows message to in order
to
get the HWND? And how does that HWND respond with another HWND? Seems
odd.
First I send a broadcast message with the application A hwnd. Only the
application B is able to interpret this message, and answers (to my hwnd)
with an afx_msg function (ON_REGISTERED_MESSAGE in the message map).
Could you snip the relevant code out of your app and post it here? It may
tell us more than your (excellent) descriptions.
------------>
BEGIN_MESSAGE_MAP(CMyDlg, CDialog)
ON_REGISTERED_MESSAGE(CApplicationBRegMsg::ANNOUNCE_SERVER_TO_CLIENT,
OnComAnnounceServerToClient)
END_MESSAGE_MAP()
LRESULT CMyDlg::OnComAnnounceServerToClient(WPARAM wParam, LPARAM lParam)
{
m_hApplicationB = (HWND)lParam;
return 0;
}
// this is called from application B after I send the message:
BOOL br = ::PostMessage(HWND_BROADCAST,
CApplicationBRegMsg::ANNOUNCE_CLIENT_TO_SERVER, (WPARAM)NULL,
(LPARAM)GetSafeHwnd());
// now, I know the HWND of application B
---------->
// to minimize, I must do the following:
BOOL bRC = false;
COPYDATASTRUCT cpd;
cpd.dwData = ApplicationB_MINIMIZE;
cpd.cbData = 0;
cpd.lpData = 0;
bRC = ::SendMessage(m_hApplicationB, WM_COPYDATA, (WPARAM)NULL,
(LPARAM)&cpd);
// to maximize the same, but now I must repaint the window on top of my
dialog application A
void CMyDlg:: maximizeAppB()
{
BOOL bRC = false;
COPYDATASTRUCT cpd;
cpd.dwData = ApplicationB_MAXIMIZE;
cpd.cbData = 0;
cpd.lpData = 0;
bRC = ::SendMessage(m_hServer, WM_COPYDATA, (WPARAM)NULL, (LPARAM)&cpd);
Sleep(2000); // wait, until app B is maximized
::SetForegroundWindow(m_hApplicationB);
::BringWindowToTop(m_hApplicationB);
::SetActiveWindow(m_hApplicationB);
// ::RedawWindow(m_hApplicationB, NULL,NULL, RDW_INTERNALPAINT);
// ::RedawWindow(m_hApplicationB, NULL,NULL, RDW_ERASE | RDW_INVALIDATE);
}
---> after this I want to see the app B to be in the front
Regards, Guido