Best way to present a GUI next to another window

[Kiai]

I have created an application that waits for a certain window to be opened, and when it is, presents a small GUI in the title bar (height of the title bar, contains 4 buttons). I have also set it to move if the user changes the window position. The app loops, sleeps for 1 sec, deletes the GUI if the target window is no longer active. It all works, but when I check this out with Microsoft process explorer, it seems that this code runs the CPU a bit more than I expected -- nothing dramatic but it made an app that was using only 0.7% hit 2.5% at times. Any suggestions on making this more efficient? Thanks.

$size = WinGetPos($title)

If WinActive($title) And @error<>1 Then; if the size check fails because the window has been closed, @error is set to 1

$Open_chart_window = GUICreate("GUI_Open_chart",260, 16, $size[2]+$size[0]-340, $size[1]+4,$WS_POPUP + $WS_BORDER, $WS_EX_TOPMOST + $WS_EX_TOOLWINDOW)

......

While WinActive($title) or WinActive("GUI_Open_chart") ;Keeps the GUI active as long as the main window is open

$size_new=WinGetPos($title)

If @error<>1 Then

If $size_new[0]<>$size[0] Or $size_new[1]<>$size[1] Or $size_new[2]<>$size[2] Or $size_new[3]<>$size[3] Then

WinMove("GUI_Open_chart","",$size_new[2]+$size_new[0]-340, $size_new[1]+4)

WinActivate($title)

$size=WinGetPos($title)

EndIf

EndIf

Sleep(1000)

WEnd

GUIDelete("GUI_Open_chart") ;close the GUI when the main window is no longer active

[Beege]

Are you saying this script caused a different process to use more cpu than normal, or this script uses more cpu than you thought it would?

[Kiai]

Are you saying this script caused a different process to use more cpu than normal, or this script uses more cpu than you thought it would?

That wasn't very clear was it. This loop seems to take twice or more cpu% than a very similar loop in the same app that doesn't have the getwinpos statement. My question boils down to, is there a better way to essentially attach a gui to another window and have the gui travel with that window if moved, max'd or min'd?

[MDCT]

That wasn't very clear was it. This loop seems to take twice or more cpu% than a very similar loop in the same app that doesn't have the getwinpos statement. My question boils down to, is there a better way to essentially attach a gui to another window and have the gui travel with that window if moved, max'd or min'd?

Not sure, but maybe CPU can be decreased if you add sleep after each CPU intensive command, in this case getwinpos.

I'm assuming if you add sleep in last line after many commands, the CPU would need to process many commands before going to sleep.. so CPU is noticed higher.

But, if you add smaller sleep after each command, it could make the CPU to go unnoticed.

I'm not sure, and I don't know if it can help to decrease CPU or not. But, would like to know.

Also, in your script, I think "If @error<>1 Then" is not necessary as the chance of getting error on wingetpos while the window is active is quite rare. I read If is quite high on CPU so reducing it would be better.

One more thing, alternatively, if you are using it on AutoIt GUIs, you could register message, so you could intercept window move. Using: GUIRegisterMsg($WM_WINDOWPOSCHANGED, "WM_WINDOWPOSCHANGED")

Edited July 20, 2009 by MDCT

[martin]

I have created an application that waits for a certain window to be opened, and when it is, presents a small GUI in the title bar (height of the title bar, contains 4 buttons). I have also set it to move if the user changes the window position. The app loops, sleeps for 1 sec, deletes the GUI if the target window is no longer active. It all works, but when I check this out with Microsoft process explorer, it seems that this code runs the CPU a bit more than I expected -- nothing dramatic but it made an app that was using only 0.7% hit 2.5% at times. Any suggestions on making this more efficient? Thanks.

$size = WinGetPos($title)

If WinActive($title) And @error<>1 Then; if the size check fails because the window has been closed, @error is set to 1

$Open_chart_window = GUICreate("GUI_Open_chart",260, 16, $size[2]+$size[0]-340, $size[1]+4,$WS_POPUP + $WS_BORDER, $WS_EX_TOPMOST + $WS_EX_TOOLWINDOW)

......

While WinActive($title) or WinActive("GUI_Open_chart") ;Keeps the GUI active as long as the main window is open

$size_new=WinGetPos($title)

If @error<>1 Then

If $size_new[0]<>$size[0] Or $size_new[1]<>$size[1] Or $size_new[2]<>$size[2] Or $size_new[3]<>$size[3] Then

WinMove("GUI_Open_chart","",$size_new[2]+$size_new[0]-340, $size_new[1]+4)

WinActivate($title)

$size=WinGetPos($title)

EndIf

EndIf

Sleep(1000)

WEnd

GUIDelete("GUI_Open_chart") ;close the GUI when the main window is no longer active

Not directly related to your question but you might have problems using WinGetPos when the application is minimized. If so using _WINAPI_GETWINDOWRECT might help which, as far as I have tried it, returns the correct coordinates for minimzed and normal windows.

[MDCT]

using WinGetPos when the application is minimized.

Can a window be active and minimized at the same time? I'm not using explorer shell, so the I'm not sure.

In that case my suggestion was wrong, the @error check is quite necessary.

[martin]

Can a window be active and minimized at the same time?

No. But I thought that the OP might want to keep track of wether the app was minimized or not and then place some indicator near it or above it instead of closing his gui each time. Possibly an incorrect guess though.