Windows User Interface Controls API Reference

Windows User Interface Controls

This section provides detailed API reference documentation for the various controls available for building Windows user interfaces. These APIs allow developers to create, manage, and interact with standard Windows UI elements.

Overview of UI Controls

Windows provides a rich set of built-in controls that form the foundation of graphical user interfaces. These include buttons, text boxes, list boxes, menus, and more. Understanding their corresponding APIs is crucial for efficient UI development.

Common Controls

The Common Controls Library (ComCtl32.dll) offers a collection of sophisticated UI elements that enhance user experience and application consistency. Key controls include:

Buttons: Standard push buttons, checkbox buttons, radio buttons.
Edit Controls: Single-line and multi-line text input fields.
List Boxes: Display lists of items for selection.
Combo Boxes: Combine an edit control with a list box.
Scroll Bars: For navigating content larger than the display area.
Progress Bars: Indicate the progress of an operation.
Trackbars (Sliders): Allow users to select a value from a continuous range.
Tooltips: Provide brief descriptive text for UI elements.
Tree Views: Display hierarchical data.
List Views: Display lists of items with columns, supporting various views (icons, list, details).

Accessing Control APIs

Control functionality is typically accessed through window messages. Each control is a window with a specific class name. Developers send messages to these control windows to perform actions, retrieve information, or respond to user input.

Example: Sending a message to an Edit Control

To set text in an edit control, you would typically use the WM_SETTEXT message.

LRESULT SendMessage(HWND hWnd, UINT Msg, WPARAM wParam, LPARAM lParam);

For example, to set text:

SendMessage(hEditControl, WM_SETTEXT, 0, (LPARAM)"Hello, Windows!");

Example: Retrieving text from an Edit Control

To retrieve text, you can use WM_GETTEXT.

TCHAR buffer[256];
SendMessage(hEditControl, WM_GETTEXT, sizeof(buffer), (LPARAM)buffer);

Further Resources

Note: The specific messages and parameters may vary slightly depending on the Windows version and the exact control implementation. Always refer to the detailed documentation for each control.

Important: For modern application development, consider using the Windows UI Library (WinUI) or XAML, which provide higher-level abstractions and more powerful UI paradigms compared to direct Win32 control manipulation.