Win32 Window Management API Reference

This section provides detailed documentation on the Windows API functions and concepts related to creating, managing, and interacting with windows within the Windows operating system.

Creating Windows

Learn how to create top-level windows, child windows, and pop-up windows using functions like CreateWindowEx and RegisterClassEx.

Function	Description
`CreateWindowEx`	Creates an overlapped, pop-up, or child window.
`RegisterClassEx`	Registers a window class for subsequent use in calls to the `CreateWindowEx` function.
`DestroyWindow`	Destroys the specified window. The parent window of a destroyed window automatically destroys any child windows that the window has.

Managing Window State

Control the visibility, enabled state, and focus of windows.

Function	Description
`ShowWindow`	Sets the show state of a window.
`EnableWindow`	Enables or disables the specified window.
`SetForegroundWindow`	Brings the thread that created the specified window into the foreground and activates the window.
`IsWindowVisible`	Determines whether a window is visible.

Window Messages

Understand the message-driven architecture of Windows, including message loops, message dispatching, and common message types.

The core of window management in Win32 is the message loop. Applications retrieve messages from a message queue and dispatch them to the appropriate window procedure.


// Example of a basic message loop
MSG msg;
while (GetMessage(&msg, NULL, 0, 0)) {
    TranslateMessage(&msg);
    DispatchMessage(&msg);
}

Function/Concept	Description
`GetMessage`	Retrieves messages from the calling thread's message queue.
`TranslateMessage`	Translates virtual-key messages into character messages.
`DispatchMessage`	Sends the message to the appropriate window procedure.
`WNDPROC`	The callback function that processes messages sent to a window.
Common Messages	Information about standard Windows messages (e.g., `WM_PAINT`, `WM_COMMAND`, `WM_SIZE`).

Window Drawing and Painting

Learn how to handle painting requests using the WM_PAINT message and the Graphics Device Interface (GDI).

When a window needs to be redrawn, the system sends a WM_PAINT message. Your application's window procedure should handle this message to update the window's content.


LRESULT CALLBACK WindowProc(HWND hwnd, UINT uMsg, WPARAM wParam, LPARAM lParam) {
    switch (uMsg) {
        case WM_PAINT: {
            PAINTSTRUCT ps;
            HDC hdc = BeginPaint(hwnd, &ps);
            // Drawing code goes here...
            RECT rect;
            GetClientRect(hwnd, &rect);
            DrawText(hdc, "Hello, Windows!", -1, &rect, DT_CENTER | DT_VCENTER | DT_SINGLELINE);
            EndPaint(hwnd, &ps);
            return 0;
        }
        // ... other messages
    }
    return DefWindowProc(hwnd, uMsg, wParam, lParam);
}

Positioning and Sizing

Functions to get and set the position, size, and Z-order of windows.

Function	Description
`SetWindowPos`	Changes the size, position, and Z order of a child, pop-up, or top-level window.
`GetWindowRect`	Gets the dimensions of the specified window. The dimensions are given in screen coordinates.
`MoveWindow`	Changes the position and size of the specified window.

Dialog Boxes

Information on creating and managing modal and modeless dialog boxes, which provide interactive user interfaces.

Function	Description
`CreateDialog`	Creates a modeless dialog box from a dialog box template.
`DialogBox`	Creates a modal dialog box from a dialog box template.

Standard Controls

Reference for common Windows controls such as buttons, edit boxes, list boxes, and static text.

These controls are typically created as child windows and can be managed using the general window management functions.

Control Type	Description
Buttons	`BS_PUSHBUTTON`, `BS_CHECKBOX`, etc.
Edit Boxes	`ES_MULTILINE`, `ES_PASSWORD`, etc.
List Boxes	`LBS_OWNERDRAW`, etc.
Static Text	For displaying text or images.
Scroll Bars	`SBS_HORIZONTALSCRLL`, `SBS_VERTICALLSCRLL`.