[VBnet Combo API] FindWindowEx: Obtain Combo Box Edit Window Handle


	Visual Basic Combo API Routines FindWindowEx: Obtain Combo Box Edit Window Handle

Posted:	Thursday May 13, 1999
Updated:	Monday December 26, 2011

Applies to:	VB4-32, VB5, VB6, and VB3, VB4-16 with appropriate declarations
Developed with:	VB6, Windows 98
OS restrictions:	None
Author:	VBnet - Randy Birch

Related:	WM_CONTEXTMENU: Kill the Default Text Box Context Menu SendMessage: Make a Style-0 Combo Edit Read-Only FindWindowEx: Obtain Combo Box Edit Window Handle GetComboBoxInfo: Obtain Combo Box Edit and List Handles on Win98/NT5

Prerequisites

None.

This method shows how you can obtain the handle to the edit portion of a combo box using the FindWindowEx API. Unlike the GetComboBoxInfo method linked above, this method will work with all versions of Windows 95/98/NT4/2000/XP so far released.

As a further check against the handle returned, you could also add a call to GetClassName() and compare the return vale for the string "Edit" before using the handle.

BAS Module Code

None.

Form Code

Add a combo and a command button to a form using their default names, along with the following code:

Option Explicit

''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
' Copyright ©1996-2011 VBnet/Randy Birch, All Rights Reserved.
' Some pages may also contain other copyrights by the author.
''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
' Distribution: You can freely use this code in your own
'               applications, but you may not reproduce 
'               or publish this code on any web site,
'               online service, or distribute as source 
'               on any media without express permission.
''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

Private Const CB_ADDSTRING = &H143
Private Const CB_SETITEMDATA = &H151

Private Declare Function FindWindowEx Lib "user32" _
   Alias "FindWindowExA" _
  (ByVal hWnd1 As Long, _
   ByVal hWnd2 As Long, _
   ByVal lpsz1 As String, _
   ByVal lpsz2 As String) As Long

Private Declare Function SendMessage Lib "user32" _
   Alias "SendMessageA" _
  (ByVal hwnd As Long, _
   ByVal wMsg As Long, _
   ByVal wParam As Long, _
   lParam As Any) As Long

Private Declare Function SetWindowText Lib "user32" _
   Alias "SetWindowTextA" _
  (ByVal hwnd As Long, _
   ByVal lpString As String) As Long
   


Private Sub Command1_Click()

   Dim hwndEdit As Long
   
  'get the handle to the edit portion
  'of the combo control
   hwndEdit = FindWindowEx(Combo1.hwnd, 0&, vbNullString, vbNullString)
   
  'prove you got it by changing its text (style 0 only)
   Call SetWindowText(hwndEdit, "FindWindowEx found it!")
   
  'add it to the list...
   Call SendMessage(Combo1.hwnd, CB_ADDSTRING, _
                       0&, ByVal "FindWindowEx: Edit handle is " & CStr(hwndEdit))
   
End Sub

Comments

Searching further using FindWindowEx will not obtain the handle to the List portion of the combo, because the parent of the list is the desktop, not the combo box.

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