Windows handles are not strings,

[ezzetabi]

Test this script.

MsgBox(4096,'','Please opens two windows and give focus the first one.')
Sleep(200);So the focus returns to the new window instead of the msgbox it self.

$a = WinGetHandle('')
MsgBox(4096,'','Please give focus to an other window')
Sleep(200)

$a = $a & @LF & WinGetHandle('')
$a = StringSplit($a,@lf)

MsgBox(4096,'',$a[1] & @lf & 'This should be the handle of the first window')
WinActivate($a[1]);But it is not.
MsgBox(4096,'No way','But the window did not actived... :( Why?')

As you can see the script does not work. There is a way to convert a string to and handle?

[scriptkitty]

Strange, a handle is not a string, a number, or anything inbetween.

$b=WinGetHandle('')
select
case IsFloat($b)
   msgbox(1,"", "is float")
case IsInt ($b)
   msgbox(1,"","is integer")
case isnumber($b)
   msgbox(1,"","is number")
case isstring($b)
   msgbox(1,"","is text")
case else
   msgbox(1,"","is none of the above")
endselect

[Somerset]

WinActivate works on title and text not handle...

Edited December 2, 2004 by beerman

[scriptkitty]

not the point, try this out:

$b1=WinGetHandle('')
clipput($b1)
$b=clipget()
$title=Wingettitle($b)
$title2=wingettitle($b1)
MsgBox(1,$b&"-"&$title,$b1&"-"&$title2)

and it does work with handles msgbox is not the best to see it however:

$b1=WinGetHandle('')
WinSetState($b1,"",@SW_MINIMIZE)
sleep(1000)
WinActivate($b1)

Edited December 2, 2004 by scriptkitty

[sugi]

Test this script.

As you can see the script does not work. There is a way to convert a string to and handle?

I don't know how to do this but I noticed that the content of $a differs when you add a simple Opt('WinTitleMatchMode', 4) on top.

EDIT: and I just found a way to work around this:

MsgBox(4096,'','Please opens two windows and give focus the first one.')
Sleep(500);So the focus returns to the new window instead of the msgbox it self.

$a = WinGetHandle('')
MsgBox(4096,String($a),'Please give focus to an other window')
Sleep(500)

$a = $a & @LF & WinGetHandle('')
$a = StringSplit($a,@lf)

MsgBox(4096,'',$a[1] & @lf & 'This should be the handle of the first window')
Opt('WinTitleMatchMode', 4)
WinActivate("handle=" & $a[1]);But it is not.
MsgBox(4096,'No way','But the window did not actived... :( Why?')

Works for me (notice the change of WinTitleMatchMode)

Edited December 2, 2004 by sugi

[scriptkitty]

nice Sugi, I have been useing it without the "handle=" part, I forgot about that.

$a = WinGetHandle('')
WinSetState($a,"",@SW_MINIMIZE)
$a = $a & @LF & WinGetHandle('')
$a = StringSplit($a,@lf)
tooltip("about to restore")
sleep(1000)
Opt('WinTitleMatchMode', 4)
WinActivate("handle=" & $a[1]); need "handle=" if you change it

I still am worndering why the handle acts like it does, it is not text, it is not a number of any type, and it doesn't seem to be binary.

[Valik]

The Variant class natively handles HWND's. Jon obviously didn't provide a cast to string/number for HWNDs, and in my opinion, rightly so, as HWNDs aren't meant for human use.

Using WinTitleMatchMode-4 reverts back to the old string-based handling of HWNDs, not the new internal method Jon added. That is why you are able to print an HWND or whatever using that mode.

[ezzetabi]

We may need a HWND() function to convert... I could add 1 to the AU3Xtra.dll, but how lame is that?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Lame? Why? This is greatly needed.

Now that Autoit can handle... handles without using Opt('WinTitleMatchMode',4) we need that command!

[ezzetabi]

Oh, yes. I see. Well, lets ask Jon so.

[jpm]

I think in Opt('WinTitleMatchMode',4)

WinWait or WinWaitActive should return when successful the handle to avoid to add extra $handle=WinGetHandle("title", "text")

WinWaitActive ( "Device Manager")
$hWin=WinGetHandle("Device Manager")

can be simplified to

$hWin=WinWaitActive ( "Device Manager")