Using AutoItX to get handles in C++

[Apocalypse]

I was under the impression that I could do something along the following lines to get a window handle:

hdc = GetDC( AU3_WinGetHandle("Window Title", "", "", 0) );

The AutoItX help file says that the command WinGetHandle returns a string, but the Visual Studio claims that it returns a void and therefore cannot be used.

Can someone help me correct the above line of code?

[Jon]

It returns the handle in szRetText.

I really need to add some native versions of those calls to return pure HWNDs to make it easier.

[SmOke_N]

I was under the impression that I could do something along the following lines to get a window handle:

hdc = GetDC( AU3_WinGetHandle("Window Title", "", "", 0) );

The AutoItX help file says that the command WinGetHandle returns a string, but the Visual Studio claims that it returns a void and therefore cannot be used.

Can someone help me correct the above line of code?

Looks like you're calling it with too many parameters to me.

hdc = GetDC(AU3_WinGetHandle("Window Title", ""));

But again, I've never used the DLL (Guess I should find a reason to lol).

[Apocalypse]

In C++ the command AU3_WinGetHandle requires four arguments: Title, Text, RetText, Flag

I still don't see the problem, but thats not it.

Thanks anyway.

Edited February 21, 2007 by Apocalypse

[Jon]

The function declaration:

AU3_API void WINAPI AU3_WinGetHandle(const char *szTitle, const char *szText, char *szRetText, int nBufSize);

Handle is returned as a string in szRetText (the only non-const)

char szHandle[256];
 AU3_WinGetHandle("title", "text", szHandle, 256)

Handle (as a string) is now in szHandle.

[Apocalypse]

I implemented the code below and continued on programming without testing since it had compiled (very stupid). Later on I traced my bugs back to this:

char szHandle[256];

AU3_WinGetHandle("title", "text", szHandle, 256)

hdc = GetDC( (HWND)szHandle );

I know that the first two lines are correct, but typecasting it to HWND does not produce favorable results when getting the device context.

I am sorry for asking for help with every line, but I rarely use C++ for work with other windows. That's why I incorperated AutoIt.

Edited February 23, 2007 by Apocalypse

[Jon]

szHandle is a STRING like "AAFCC0" - you can't just cast it to a HWND. You need to convert it to a pointer first that's why I said I need to add some native HWND methods too.

I suppose the next question would is going to be how, so:

int nNumber;

HexToDecimal( szHandle, nNumber );
HWND hWnd = (HWND)nNumber;



void HexToDecimal (char* HexNumber, int& Number)
{ 
    char *pStopString; 
    Number = strtol (HexNumber, &pStopString, 16);
}

This code is bad for a number of reasons but will probably work atm.

[InfiniteNothing]

szHandle is a STRING like "AAFCC0" - you can't just cast it to a HWND. You need to convert it to a pointer first that's why I said I need to add some native HWND methods too.

I suppose the next question would is going to be how, so:

int nNumber;

HexToDecimal( szHandle, nNumber );
HWND hWnd = (HWND)nNumber;



void HexToDecimal (char* HexNumber, int& Number)
{ 
    char *pStopString; 
    Number = strtol (HexNumber, &pStopString, 16);
}

This code is bad for a number of reasons but will probably work atm.

How do I use HWND in a later call to, for example, WinExist. In the activeX API, WinExist seems to only want strings and not hWnd

For a bit of background information, I'm trying to detect a java popup window with no title and no text but a handle of 005807BA

[Jon]

Good point, I'll add a conversion function to the DLL to help.

I intend to add native HWND functions as well but I get stuck on the naming, e.g. WinExist to take string handles, plus WinExistEx to take HWNDs - but it quickly gets out of control.