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VB Forum / Win API / September 2007Hiding a Window
In other forums, I have seen people state that hiding a window by class name is a bad habit because class names are always subject to change. But what other methods are there to hide a window? I use the ShowWindow or AnimateWindow APIs to hide a window, but they need a handle which is typically discovered through the FindWindow API and a class name. Is there another way? Incidentally, this post is releated to my previous post (seen in this forum) concerning hiding the Vista Start Orb. My VB6 code for hiding a window can be seen there. I want to find an alternate way to hide the Start Orb since the class name method fails. - Vinson Vinson <Vinson@discussions.microsoft.com> schrieb im Beitrag <5E5BC35C-657F-4BBA-BCFF-5DA578393C72@microsoft.com>... > In other forums, I have seen people state that hiding a window by class name > is a bad habit because class names are always subject to change. To use the window class name really isn't a bad habit. Just ignore people saying so. Within one version of Windows the window class name surely isn't subject to change unless the change of the window class name within the same version of Windows is intentional. If so, you shouldn't use that window class name at all because there presumably is a good reason for this behaviour. In all other cases your use of a window class name should depend on the running version of Windows. In case you will have to write code for each version of Windows. > But what other methods are there to hide a window? You shouldn't try to hide a window which can't be hide by the standard procedure to do so. If it can't be hidden this way there presumably is a good reason for that. > I use the ShowWindow or AnimateWindow APIs to hide a window, but they need a > handle which is typically discovered through the FindWindow API and a class > name. Is there another way? I don't know any. Of course you can make a guess by retrieving additional information on the window and the window class e.g. with GetWindowLong() and GetClassLong(). This e.g. allows you to retrieve the handle of the module which registered the class, and again the handle allows you to get the filename of the module which may be a hint for you to see if the window in question may be the one you are looking for.  Signature---------------------------------------------------------------------- THORSTEN ALBERS Universität Freiburg albers@ uni-freiburg.de ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Thank you for your kind insights, Thorsten. I will experiment with the APIs you have suggested to see if there are any clues within the results they return. In my project, the Start Button really has no purpose since the workstation is dedicated to other tasks which are being performed in a public setting (kiosk). If anything, the Orb is really in the way and can cause trouble. I am hoping someone will be able to provide an alternate method, even if unorthodox. Perhaps there is an undocumented API called ObliterateStartOrb? =D - Vinson > Vinson <Vinson@discussions.microsoft.com> schrieb im Beitrag > <5E5BC35C-657F-4BBA-BCFF-5DA578393C72@microsoft.com>... [quoted text clipped - 31 lines] > the filename of the module which may be a hint for you to see if the window > in question may be the one you are looking for. I believe that you can force kiosk mode in Vista using Group Policy - the same way it was always done prior to Vista. This is not a programmatic solution but a configuration issue. > Thank you for your kind insights, Thorsten. I will experiment with the > APIs [quoted text clipped - 53 lines] >> window >> in question may be the one you are looking for. Thank you, Mark. I am quite versed in Group Policy as I often set it programatically to hide various aspects of the desktop, but I have never found anything that would hide the Start Orb. Do you know of a specific policy setting that will accomplish this task? - Vinson > I believe that you can force kiosk mode in Vista using Group Policy - the > same way it was always done prior to Vista. This is not a programmatic [quoted text clipped - 57 lines] > >> window > >> in question may be the one you are looking for. > I am quite versed in Group Policy as I often set it programatically to hide > various aspects of the desktop, but I have never found anything that would > hide the Start Orb. Do you know of a specific policy setting that will > accomplish this task? Something like this, maybe? Microsoft Certified Professional Magazine Online | Column: Kiosks Under Your Control http://mcpmag.com/columns/article.asp?EditorialsID=1158 Signature.NET: It's About Trust! http://vfred.mvps.org I suppose in a purely technical since, it would hide the Start Orb when running an alternate shell, but of course the entire Windows Explorer would be gone, too. I might as well run Linux if I am going to go that far. =D Thank you for the suggestion, however. Vinson > > I am quite versed in Group Policy as I often set it programatically to hide > > various aspects of the desktop, but I have never found anything that would [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > Microsoft Certified Professional Magazine Online | Column: Kiosks Under Your Control > http://mcpmag.com/columns/article.asp?EditorialsID=1158 |
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