Windows Programming/User Interface Controls
This page may need to be Some predefined window classes are intended for use as user interface controls. They're commonly known as "standard Windows controls" and "common controls".
Usages of these UI controls should be documented in task-oriented categories, not on an API-oriented basis.
Contents
|
[edit] Standard Windows Controls
[edit] Static Control (Label / Image / Icon)
[edit] What it is
A static control is a child window that displays either text, bitmap image, or icon. Static controls cannot be selected and do not receive focus from the keyboard. They can; however, receive mouse input with use of SS_NOTIFY. This will allow the control to detect click and double-click with the WM_NOTIFY event of its parent.
[edit] Example Code
- Create Label
The label Static Control should be a child of another window, either a main window or a child window. To create it, all you need to do is call CreateWindow() with the STATIC class and the parameters of your choice. Below is the basic code to create it.
/*Create a Static Label control*/
hwndLabel = CreateWindow(
TEXT("STATIC"), /*The name of the static control's class*/
TEXT("Label 1"), /*Label's Text*/
WS_CHILD | WS_VISIBLE | SS_LEFT, /*Styles (continued)*/
0, /*X co-ordinates*/
0, /*Y co-ordinates*/
50, /*Width*/
25, /*Height*/
hwnd, /*Parent HWND*/
(HMENU) ID_MYSTATIC, /*The Label's ID*/
hInstance, /*The HINSTANCE of your program*/
NULL); /*Parameters for main window*/
Using the Label
- Setting Label's Text
To set the text of your Label (static control), use the SendMessage() function with the WM_SETTEXT message.
/*Setting the Label's text
/*You may need to cast the text as (LPARAM)*/
SendMessage( hwndLabel , /*HWND*/ /*Label*/
WM_SETTEXT, /*UINT*/ /*Message*/
NULL, /*WPARAM*/ /*Unused*/
(LPARAM) TEXT("Hello")); /*LPARAM*/ /*Text*/
[edit] Push Button
[edit] What it is
Everyone should be familiar with the windows push button. It is simply a raised square with text inside it, and when you click usually something happens.
[edit] Example Code
As with all windows controls the push button is a child of your window be it the main window or another child. So to implement it into your program you merely need to call the CreateWindow() function. Below is a line of code to create a button.
- Create Button
// create button and store the handle
HWND hwndButton = CreateWindow (TEXT("button"), // The class name required is button
TEXT("Push Button"), // the caption of the button
WS_CHILD |WS_VISIBLE | BS_PUSHBUTTON, // the styles
0,0, // the left and top co-ordinates
100,300, // width and height
hwnd, // parent window handle
(HMENU)ID_MYBUTTON, // the ID of your button
hInstance, // the instance of your application
NULL) ; // extra bits you dont really need
this will create the button for you but it will NOT do anything on a click. In order to do that you need to go into your Windows Procedure function and handle the WM_COMMAND event. In the WM_COMMAND event the low word in the wparam is the ID of the child that has caused the event. So to ensure that you have received a message from your button ensure that the ID's are the same.
- Test button ID
// compare button ID to message ID
if(ID_MYBUTTON == LOWORD(wparam))
{
/* it's your button so do some work */
}
So now you know that your button has been pressed you need to find out what has happened to it so we process the notification code that is stored in the High Word of the wparam. The notification code you need to watch for is BN_CLICKED.
- Test notification
// compare Notification to message Notification
if(BN_CLICKED == HIWORD(wparam))
{
/* the button has been clicked do some stuff */
}
One last thing you may need to know is that lparam contains the handle to the button pressed.
Thats all you need to implement a button in a Win32 Application using the API
[edit] Radio Button (Single choice box)
[edit] Checkbox Button (Multiple choice box)
[edit] Combo Box
// create a combo box and store the handle
HWND hwndCombo = CreateWindow (TEXT("combobox"), // The class name required is combobox
TEXT(""), // not used, ignored.
WS_CHILD | WS_VISIBLE | CBS_DROPDOWNLIST, // the styles
0,0, // the left and top co-ordinates
100,300, // width and height
hwnd, // parent window handle
(HMENU)ID_MYCOMBO, // the ID of your combobox
hInstance, // the instance of your application
NULL) ; // extra bits you dont really need
The displayed height of the actual widget will be automatically changed depending on the font. The "unused" part of the height will be devoted to the size of the drop down menu.
For example, only 33 pixels of the 300 pixel height will be to the selected item. When the down button is clicked, the menu will be 267 pixels in height.
There are other combo box styles: CBS_SIMPLE (similiar to a list box) and CBS_DROPDOWN (similiar to CBS_DROPDOWNLIST but the selected field is editable).
// Add a list of strings to the combo box.
SendMessage(
hwndCombo, // The handle of the combo box
CB_ADDSTRING, // Tells the combo box to append this string to its list
0, // Not used, ignored.
(LPARAM) "Item A" // The string to add.
);
SendMessage(hwndCombo, CB_ADDSTRING, 0, (LPARAM) "Item B");
SendMessage(hwndCombo, CB_ADDSTRING, 0, (LPARAM) "Item C");
SendMessage(hwndCombo, CB_ADDSTRING, 0, (LPARAM) "Item D");
SendMessage(hwndCombo, CB_ADDSTRING, 0, (LPARAM) "Item E");
// Select the default item to be "Item C".
SendMessage(
hwndCombo, // The handle of the combo b,
CB_SETCURSEL, // Tells the combo box to select the specified index
2, // The index of the item to select (starting at zero)
0 // Not used, ignored.
);
[edit] Text Box
[edit] Standard Edit Control
The Edit control is the standard base object for text editing and display (it is commonly called a TextBox).
// create a text box and store the handle
HWND hwndText = CreateWindow(
TEXT("edit"), // The class name required is edit
TEXT(""), // Default text.
WS_VISIBLE | WS_CHILD | WS_BORDER | WS_HSCROLL | WS_VSCROLL| ES_MULTILINE | ES_AUTOHSCROLL, // the styles
0,0, // the left and top co-ordinates
100,300, // width and height
hwnd, // parent window handle
(HMENU)ID_MYTEXT, // the ID of your combobox
hInstance, // the instance of your application
NULL
); // extra bits you dont really need
The Edit control has a large number of styles.
Here are the ones used in the example:
| WS_BORDER | A thin border around the text area. |
| WS_HSCROLL | Display the horizontal scroll bar. |
| WS_VSCROLL | Display the vertical scroll bar. |
| ES_MULTILINE | This is a multiline text box. |
| ES_AUTOHSCROLL | No word wrapping. |
// Set the text.
SendMessage(hwndText, WM_SETTEXT, 0, (LPARAM)"Hello");
// Get the text.
LRESULT iTextSize = SendMessage(hwndText, EM_GETLIMITTEXT, 0, 0);
char *szText = new char[iTextSize];
SendMessage(hwndText, WM_GETTEXT, iTextSize, (LPARAM)szText);
[edit] Frame Box
[edit] Tree View
INITCOMMONCONTROLSEX iccInit;
iccInit.dwSize = sizeof(INITCOMMONCONTROLSEX); iccInit.dwICC = ICC_WIN95_CLASSES;//| ICC_PROGRESS_CLASS //| ICC_TREEVIEW_CLASSES | ICC_DATE_CLASSES;
InitCommonControlsEx(&iccInit);
[edit] List View
[edit] Picture Box
[edit] Common Controls
[edit] Header and Linking Requirements
Using Common Controls may require linking to comctl32.lib and including commctrl.h
[edit] Combo Box Ex
[edit] Progress Bar
[edit] What it is
A standard bar graph that displays progress of an item. Shows a graphical representation of amount completed over amount total.
[edit] Example code
- Create Progress Bar
The Progress Bar control should be a child of another window, either a main window or a child window. To create it, all you need to do is call CreateWindow() with the PROGRESS_CLASS class and the parameters of your choice. Below is the basic code to create it.
/*Create a Progress Bar*/
HWND hwndProgress = CreateWindow(
PROGRESS_CLASS, /*The name of the progress class*/
NULL, /*Caption Text*/
WS_CHILD | WS_VISIBLE, /*Styles*/
0, /*X co-ordinates*/
0, /*Y co-ordinates*/
200, /*Width*/
30, /*Height*/
hwnd, /*Parent HWND*/
(HMENU) ID_MYPROGRESS, /*The Progress Bar's ID*/
hInstance, /*The HINSTANCE of your program*/
NULL); /*Parameters for main window*/
- Using the Progress Bar
-
- Changing position
There are three ways to increment/decrement the progress bar. PBM_DELTAPOS steps by a given number. PBM_SETPOS sets a specific position. PBM_SETSTEP sets an increment/decrement number, and PBM_STEPIT steps with that number.
-
- Delta Position
- PBM_DELTAPOS advances the progress bar with a number given as the wparam.
/*Advance progress bar by 25 units*/
SendMessage( hwndProgress , /*HWND*/ /*Progress Bar*/
PBM_DELTAPOS, /*UINT*/ /*Message*/
25, /*WPARAM*/ /*Units*/
NULL) /*LPARAM*/ /*Unused*/
-
- Set Position
- PBM_SETPOS advances the progress bar to the specified position in the WPARAM
/*Advances progress bar to specified position (50)*/
SendMessage( hwndProgress , /*HWND*/ /*Progress Bar*/
PBM_SETPOS, /*UINT*/ /*Message*/
50, /*WPARAM*/ /*Units*/
NULL) /*LPARAM*/ /*Unused*/
-
- Stepping Position
- PBM_SETSTEP specifies the amount of units to step. PBM_STEPIT advances by the amount of units given with PBM_SETSTEP (default 10 units).
/*Advances progress bar by specified units*/
/*If progress bar is stepped when at the progress bar's maximum,
/* the progress bar will go back to its starting position*/
/*Set the step*/
SendMessage( hwndProgress , /*HWND*/ /*Progress Bar*/
PBM_SETSTEP, /*UINT*/ /*Message*/
1, /*WPARAM*/ /*Amount to step by*/
NULL) /*LPARAM*/ /*Unused*/
/*Step*/
SendMessage( hwndProgress , /*HWND*/ /*Progress Bar*/
PBM_STEPIT, /*UINT*/ /*Message*/
NULL, /*WPARAM*/ /*Unused*/
NULL) /*LPARAM*/ /*Unused*/
