Visual Basic System Services
GetWindowThreadProcessId: Obtain the hWnd of an App Started with Shell
     
Posted:   Wednesday May 12, 1999
Updated:   Monday December 26, 2011
     
Applies to:   VB4-32, VB5, VB6
Developed with:   VB6, Windows 98
OS restrictions:   None
Author:   VBnet - Randy Birch
     

Related:  

EnumWindows: Enumerate (and Restore) a Window via Callback
SetWindowPlacement: Restore and Activate a Window via its hWnd
     
 Prerequisites
None.

Although the CreateProcess API can be used to start an application and provide information from that app, legacy code relied on the VB Shell() statement to start foreign application execution. But one drawback of the Shell() method is that it returns an instance handle which is itself useless should the developer wish to refer to the shelled process at a later time.

This method demonstrates using Shell() to launch notepad, obtain its hwnd using GetWindowThreadProcessId, and then use that hwnd to change its caption and place text into its Edit window using SetWindowText and SendMessage.

 BAS Module Code
None.

 Form Code
To test, add a command button to a form along with the following:

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 GW_HWNDFIRST = 0
Private Const GW_HWNDNEXT = 2
Private Const GW_CHILD = 5
Private Const WM_SETTEXT = &HC

Private Declare Function GetWindow Lib "user32" _
  (ByVal hwnd As Long, _
   ByVal wCmd As Long) As Long
  
Private Declare Function GetDesktopWindow Lib "user32" () As Long

Private Declare Function GetWindowThreadProcessId Lib "user32" _
  (ByVal hwnd As Long, _
   lpdwProcessId As Long) As Long
    
Private Declare Function BringWindowToTop Lib "user32" _
  (ByVal hwnd As Long) As Long
    
Private Declare Function SetWindowText Lib "user32" _
   Alias "SetWindowTextA" _
  (ByVal hwnd As Long, ByVal _
   lpString As String) As Long
   
Private Declare Function GetClassName Lib "user32" _
   Alias "GetClassNameA" _
  (ByVal hwnd As Long, _
   ByVal lpClassName As String, _
   ByVal nMaxCount As Long) 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 Sub Command1_Click()

   Dim hWndApp As Long
   
  'call the wrapper function to start shell,
  'and return the handle to the shelled app.
   hWndApp = StartShell("notepad.exe")
   
  'if found, prove it!
   If hWndApp Then
   
     'change its caption
      Call SetWindowText(hWndApp, "The handle to Notepad is " & CStr(hWndApp))
      
     'bring it to the top
      Call BringWindowToTop(hWndApp)
      
     'and add some text to its edit window
      Call PutTextIntoNotepad(hWndApp)
   
   End If

End Sub


Private Function GethWndFromProcessID(hProcessIDToFind As Long) As Long

    Dim hWndDesktop As Long
    Dim hWndChild As Long
    Dim hWndChildProcessID As Long
    
    On Local Error GoTo GethWndFromProcessID_Error
    
   'get the handle to the desktop
    hWndDesktop = GetDesktopWindow()
    
   'get the first child under the desktop
    hWndChild = GetWindow(hWndDesktop, GW_CHILD)
    
   'hwndchild will = 0 when no more child windows are found
    Do While hWndChild <> 0
    
       'get the ThreadProcessID of the window
        Call GetWindowThreadProcessId(hWndChild, hWndChildProcessID)
        
       'if it matches the target, exit returning that value
        If hWndChildProcessID = hProcessIDToFind Then
            GethWndFromProcessID = hWndChild
            Exit Do
        End If
        
       'not found, so get the next hwnd
        hWndChild = GetWindow(hWndChild, GW_HWNDNEXT)
        
    Loop
    
Exit Function

GethWndFromProcessID_Error:
    GethWndFromProcessID = 0
    Exit Function
    
End Function


Private Function StartShell(sApplication As String) As Long

   Dim hProcessID As Long
   
  'start using shell, and get the process ID
   hProcessID = Shell(sApplication, vbNormalFocus)
   
  'return the hwnd to the shelled process
   StartShell = GethWndFromProcessID(hProcessID)
   
End Function


Private Sub PutTextIntoNotepad(hWndApp As Long)

  'This adds text to notepad, by locating its
  ''Edit' class window. This is similar to the
  'method used to locate the hwnd itself, but
  'here we know the parent (hWndApp) so only
  'have to search its child windows.

   Dim hWndChild  As Long
   Dim sMsg As String
   Dim sBuffer As String * 32
   Dim nSize As Long
   
  'this string is split only to fit the browser window
   sMsg = "This method demonstrates using Shell() "
   sMsg = sMsg & "to launch notepad, obtain its hwnd using "
   sMsg = sMsg & "GetWindowThreadProcessId, and then use that"
   sMsg = sMsg & "hwnd to change its caption and place text into "
   sMsg = sMsg & "its Edit window using SetWindowText and SendMessage."

  'get the first child window in Notepad
   hWndChild = GetWindow(hWndApp, GW_CHILD)
   
  'hwndchild will = 0 when no more child windows are found
   Do While hWndChild <> 0
   
     'get the Class Name of the window
      nSize = GetClassName(hWndChild, sBuffer, 32)
       
     'if nSize > 0, it contains the length
     'of the class name retrieved
      If nSize Then
      
        'if the class name is "Edit",
        'set some text and exit
         If Left$(sBuffer, nSize) = "Edit" Then
         
            Call SendMessage(hWndChild, WM_SETTEXT, 0&, ByVal sMsg)
            Exit Sub
            
         End If
       
      End If
      
     'not found, so get the next hwnd
      hWndChild = GetWindow(hWndChild, GW_HWNDNEXT)
       
   Loop

End Sub
 Comments
Save the project and run. The comments are self explanatory.

 
 

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