[VBnet Subclassing] WM_TIMECHANGE: Detect System Changes to the Date/Time


	Visual Basic Subclassing Routines WM_TIMECHANGE: Detect System Changes to the Date/Time

Posted:	Tuesday June 8, 1999
Updated:	Monday December 26, 2011

Applies to:	VB5, VB6
Developed with:	VB6, Windows 98
OS restrictions:	None
Author:	VBnet - Randy Birch

Related:	SetLocaleInfo: Change System Long and Short Date Formats WM_TIMECHANGE: Detect System Changes to the Date/Time RegQueryValueEx: Identify Time Zones by Time Zone Bias EnumDateFormats: Regional Locale Date Settings EnumTimeFormats: Regional Locale Time Settings GetLocaleInfo: Regional Locale Date Settings

Prerequisites

VB5 or VB6.

When the Control Panel's Date/Time property dialog "Apply" or "OK" button is pressed, Windows broadcasts a message to all applications notifying them of the change to the system. By subclassing a form and trapping the WM_TIMECHANGE message, a VB application can receive this notification to make whatever adjustments are needed. An application should return zero if it processes this message. (Note that changes made through the DOS or CMD window are not detected.)

In addition, MSDN states that applications (subject to operating system version) can use the WM_TIMECHANGE message to notify other applications that a Date/Time change has been made. To send the WM_TIMECHANGE message to all top-level windows, an application can use the SendMessage function with the hwnd parameter set to HWND_TOPMOST. The application should post the WM_TIMECHANGE message with both the wParam and lParam members passed as zero.

The course to take when posting a change notification differs with the operating system version:

Windows NT 5.0 and later: An application should not broadcast this message, because the system will broadcast this message when the application changes the system time.
Windows NT 4.0 and earlier: An application should send the WM_TIMECHANGE message to all top-level windows after changing the system time.
Windows 95/98: An application should send the WM_TIMECHANGE message to all top-level windows after changing the system time.

BAS Module Code

Place the following code into the general declarations area of a bas module:

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.
''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

Public defWindowProc As Long

Public Const GWL_WNDPROC As Long = (-4)
Public Const WM_TIMECHANGE = &H1E

Public Declare Function SetWindowLong Lib "user32" _
    Alias "SetWindowLongA" _
   (ByVal hwnd As Long, _
    ByVal nIndex As Long, _
    ByVal dwNewLong As Long) As Long
   
Public Declare Function CallWindowProc Lib "user32" _
    Alias "CallWindowProcA" _
   (ByVal lpPrevWndFunc As Long, _
    ByVal hwnd As Long, _
    ByVal uMsg As Long, _
    ByVal wParam As Long, _
    ByVal lParam As Long) As Long


Public Sub SubClass(hwnd As Long)

  'assign window message procedure (WindowProc)
   On Error Resume Next
   defWindowProc = SetWindowLong(hwnd, _
                                 GWL_WNDPROC, _
                                 AddressOf WindowProc)
   
End Sub


Public Sub UnSubClass(hwnd As Long)

  'restore the default message handling before exiting
   If defWindowProc Then
      SetWindowLong hwnd, GWL_WNDPROC, defWindowProc
      defWindowProc = 0
   End If
   
End Sub


Public Function WindowProc(ByVal hwnd As Long, _
                           ByVal uMsg As Long, _
                           ByVal wParam As Long, _
                           ByVal lParam As Long) As Long

'window message procedure

   On Error Resume Next
  
   Select Case hwnd
   
     'If the handle returned is to our form,
     'perform form-specific message handling
     'to deal with the notifications.
      Case Form1.hwnd
         
        'form-specific handler
         Select Case uMsg
            
            Case WM_TIMECHANGE
            
              'take some action if desired
               Form1.Caption = "Subclassed: DATE/TIME changed"
               Form1.Label3.Caption = "New Time : " & Time()
               Form1.Label4.Caption ="New Date : " & Format$(Date, "Long Date")
                  
              'message processed so return 0
               WindowProc = 0          
            
              Case Else
               'if subclassing has been activated, pass
               'messages to the default message handler
               'If it hasn't, then the default handler
               'will take care of them by default.
               WindowProc = CallWindowProc(defWindowProc, _
                                           hwnd, _
                                           uMsg, _
                                           wParam, _
                                           lParam)
               Exit Function
                  
          End Select
   
   
      Case Else
         'this takes care of messages when the
         'handle specified is not that of the form
          WindowProc = CallWindowProc(defWindowProc, _
                                      hwnd, _
                                      uMsg, _
                                      wParam, _
                                      lParam)
   
   End Select
   
End Function

Form Code

Create a form containing four Labels (Label1-Label4), and three command buttons (Command1, Command2 and Command3). Keep the form name as "Form1", or be sure to change Form1 references throughout the app before running. And add the following code to the form:

Option Explicit

Private Sub Command1_Click()

  'reset the titlebar caption during testing
   Me.Caption = "Subclassed: Change the Date/Time"
   
End Sub


Private Sub Command2_Click()

  'show the control panel date/time properties
   Call Shell("rundll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL timedate.cpl,,0",vbNormalFocus)
   
End Sub


Private Sub Command3_Click()

   Unload Me
   
End Sub


Private Sub Form_Load()

   Label1.Caption = "Start Time : " & Time()
   Label2.Caption = "Start Date : " & Format$(Date, "Long Date")
   
  'subclass
   Call SubClass(Form1.hwnd)
   Command1.Value = True
    
End Sub


Private Sub Form_Unload(Cancel As Integer)

   If defWindowProc Then
      Call UnSubClass(Me.hwnd)
   End If
   
End Sub

Comments

Save the program before trying to run, and use Start with Full Compile to catch any coding errors. Open the date/time panel and change a setting, pressing OK or Apply.

Responding to the WM_TIMECHANGE event is not limited to changes made through the control panel. If an application happens to broadcast this message after making a system date/time change, this routine will detect that as well.

To test the SendMessage method with this demo, add the following additional declarations to the BAS module:

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

Public Const HWND_TOPMOST = -1

..and add new form to the project (Form1) and the following code to a command button on that form:

Private Sub Command1_Click()

   Date = #2/6/1998#
   
  'specify HWND_TOPMOST as the hWnd parameter 
  'to broadcast to all top-level windows 
   Call SendMessage(HWND_TOPMOST, _
                    WM_TIMECHANGE, 0, ByVal 0)
   
End Sub

Add a Form1.Show command to the Form1 Load event, then run the demo again and press the Form1 command button. The system clock and the Form1 captions and labels will reflect the new change. And remember to set the date back before posting in a newsgroup or sending email !!

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