[Solved] Enabling a button

[LivedKrad]

Is it possible to enable a button on another program's form? I was told that the API EnableWindow() could do this, but one of the parameters is obviously a handle. I don't know how to grab the handle of a button on a remote form. Can anyone assist?

[K]

Use FindWindow to find the top level window.  Use FindWindowExto enumerate through the child windows until you have found the button.  You will need to know some information about the windows, which you can find with Spy++ (which comes with Visual Studio).

[Warrior]

Wouldn't you need Spy++ everytime you opened the application?

[K]

No.  You just need to know the window text and/or class name of the main window, and the text and/or class name of the child window.  If there is more than one child with the same class at the same level in the window heirarchy, then you just need to call FindWindowEx() with the appropriate arguments to enumerate the siblings and find the correct one.

For example, the following code will find the "Defragment" button in the Windows XP Disk Defragmenter:

Code Select Expand


Dim mmcmainframe As Long, mdiclient As Long, mmcchildfrm As Long
Dim mmcviewwindow As Long, mmcocxviewwindow As Long, atlaxwinex As Long
Dim atlffa As Long, button As Long
mmcmainframe = FindWindow("mmcmainframe", vbNullString)
mdiclient = FindWindowEx(mmcmainframe, 0&, "mdiclient", vbNullString)
mmcchildfrm = FindWindowEx(mdiclient, 0&, "mmcchildfrm", vbNullString)
mmcviewwindow = FindWindowEx(mmcchildfrm, 0&, "mmcviewwindow", vbNullString)
mmcocxviewwindow = FindWindowEx(mmcviewwindow, 0&, "mmcocxviewwindow", vbNullString)
atlaxwinex = FindWindowEx(mmcocxviewwindow, 0&, "atlaxwinex", vbNullString)
atlffa = FindWindowEx(atlaxwinex, 0&, "atl:000007ff7236a190", vbNullString)
button = FindWindowEx(atlffa, 0&, "button", vbNullString)
button = FindWindowEx(atlffa, button, "button", vbNullString)


And as I should have mentioned before, there is this nifty application (which I just used to create that code!) which will generate the code for you.

[topaz]

No. You just need to know the window text and/or class name of the main window, and the text and/or class name of the child window. If there is more than one child with the same class at the same level in the window heirarchy, then you just need to call FindWindowEx() with the appropriate arguments to enumerate the siblings and find the correct one.

For example, the following code will find the "Defragment" button in the Windows XP Disk Defragmenter:

Code Select Expand


Dim mmcmainframe As Long, mdiclient As Long, mmcchildfrm As Long
Dim mmcviewwindow As Long, mmcocxviewwindow As Long, atlaxwinex As Long
Dim atlffa As Long, button As Long
mmcmainframe = FindWindow("mmcmainframe", vbNullString)
mdiclient = FindWindowEx(mmcmainframe, 0&, "mdiclient", vbNullString)
mmcchildfrm = FindWindowEx(mdiclient, 0&, "mmcchildfrm", vbNullString)
mmcviewwindow = FindWindowEx(mmcchildfrm, 0&, "mmcviewwindow", vbNullString)
mmcocxviewwindow = FindWindowEx(mmcviewwindow, 0&, "mmcocxviewwindow", vbNullString)
atlaxwinex = FindWindowEx(mmcocxviewwindow, 0&, "atlaxwinex", vbNullString)
atlffa = FindWindowEx(atlaxwinex, 0&, "atl:000007ff7236a190", vbNullString)
button = FindWindowEx(atlffa, 0&, "button", vbNullString)
button = FindWindowEx(atlffa, button, "button", vbNullString)


And as I should have mentioned before, there is this nifty application (which I just used to create that code!) which will generate the code for you.

WOW! Thanks!

[LivedKrad]

Solved.