Window handle from Console App

[tmoody]

I have a Console App that I created under NT with VC++ 6.0. I need to figure out how to get the hWnd handle for the console(DOS) window?? Or is there one??

 

[rpet]

Sounds simple but is really tricky... The latest platform SDK contains a function called GetConsoleWindow(). The problem: This function is not prototyped so you have to call it from the library directly... Try the following source code. It works with Windows 2000 and Windows 9x. I am not 100% sure if the _winver condition is correct, but I think so. Maybe you need to install the Microsoft Platform SDK first. Please reply if it does (not) work.


#include <windows.h>
#include <wincon.h>

HWND GetConsoleWindow(VOID);

HWND readWindowHandle()
{
HWND hWnd = 0;

// Windows 2000 or higher

if(_winver >= 0x0400) {
HINSTANCE hInstLib = LoadLibrary(&quot;kernel32&quot;

if(hInstLib) {
typedef HWND (*TProc)(void);

TProc procAddr = (TProc) GetProcAddress(hInstLib, &quot;GetConsoleWindow&quot;

if(procAddr)
hWnd = (procAddr)();

FreeLibrary(hInstLib);
}
}
else { // Windows 9x, 98, SE, ME(?)
char szTitle[0x40] = {0};

DWORD dw = GetConsoleTitle(szTitle, 0x40);

hWnd = FindWindow(&quot;tty&quot;, szTitle);
}

return hWnd;
}


Hope this helps.

Regards,
Ralf

 

[tmoody]

Ralf, Good code and I can almost understand it too. Walking thru it with the debugger I found that after this line of code &quot;TProc procAddr = (TProc) GetProcAddress hInstLib, &quot;GetConsoleWindow&quot;&quot; procAddr is zero, so hWnd is never set. I'm gonna step into it a little further to see if I can figure it out. Thanks, Tim

#include <windows.h>
#include <wincon.h>

HWND GetConsoleWindow(VOID);

HWND readWindowHandle()
{
HWND hWnd = 0;

// Windows 2000 or higher

if(_winver >= 0x0400) {
HINSTANCE hInstLib = LoadLibrary(&quot;kernel32&quot;

if(hInstLib) {
typedef HWND (*TProc)(void);

TProc procAddr = (TProc) GetProcAddress(hInstLib, &quot;GetConsoleWindow&quot;

if(procAddr)
hWnd = (procAddr)();

FreeLibrary(hInstLib);
}
}
else { // Windows 9x, 98, SE, ME(?)
char szTitle[0x40] = {0};

DWORD dw = GetConsoleTitle(szTitle, 0x40);

hWnd = FindWindow(&quot;tty&quot;, szTitle);
}

return hWnd;
}

 

[tmoody]

Ralf, Good code and I can almost understand it too. Walking thru it with the debugger I found that after this line of code &quot;TProc procAddr = (TProc) GetProcAddress hInstLib, &quot;GetConsoleWindow&quot;&quot; procAddr is zero, so hWnd is never set. I'm gonna step into it a little further to see if I can figure it out. Thanks, Tim

#include <windows.h>
#include <wincon.h>

HWND GetConsoleWindow(VOID);

HWND readWindowHandle()
{
HWND hWnd = 0;

// Windows 2000 or higher

if(_winver >= 0x0400) {
HINSTANCE hInstLib = LoadLibrary(&quot;kernel32&quot;

if(hInstLib) {
typedef HWND (*TProc)(void);

TProc procAddr = (TProc) GetProcAddress(hInstLib, &quot;GetConsoleWindow&quot;

if(procAddr)
hWnd = (procAddr)();

FreeLibrary(hInstLib);
}
}
else { // Windows 9x, 98, SE, ME(?)
char szTitle[0x40] = {0};

DWORD dw = GetConsoleTitle(szTitle, 0x40);

hWnd = FindWindow(&quot;tty&quot;, szTitle);
}

return hWnd;
}

 

[rpet]

I guess you need to install the MS Platform SDK. Tomorrow I will test it on a Windows NT workstation (without the SDK), then I know it for sure.

 

[tmoody]

Maybe I confused people by asking for the hWnd handle but here is the simplest way I've found to get a window handle for your console app. It took me two days to find this. I hope it helps someone else.
Tim



HWND handle;

handle=GetDesktopWindow();

 

[rpet]

This does not work. Try the following program:


#include <windows.h>

int main()
{
const int BUFSIZE = 0x80;

TCHAR lpszBuffer[BUFSIZE] = {0};

GetWindowText(GetDesktopWindow(), lpszBuffer, BUFSIZE-1);

OutputDebugString(lpszBuffer);

return 0;
}


The window title is empty because the desktop window has no title.
I guess you need an updated version of kernel32.lib so you can call 'GetConsoleTitle()'.

Regards,
Ralf

 

[tmoody]

Well gosh darn. It sure worked OK for me. I'll have to look into this a little more becasue it &quot;seems&quot; to work. I use &quot;handle=GetDesktopWindow();&quot; and pass the handle to a Service Routine that requires it. The SR works as expected, but would die horribly if I used NULL. I'm not sure how, or how well it is working and now I wonder if the handle name doesn't default to the app name?? Thanks, Tim

 

[rpet]

>I use &quot;handle=GetDesktopWindow();&quot; and pass the
>handle to a Service Routine that requires it.
>The SR works as expected, but would die horribly
>if I used NULL.

It is not NULL, but you get the desktop window handle - not the console window handle. I don't know your SR. Maybe this makes no difference but GetDesktopWindow() does not return the console window handle. (However, I don't know which result you get if the console application is in fullscreen mode!)

What will your service routine do with the window handle?

Ralf

 

[tmoody]

Ralf,

Thanks for all the good advise. I need to work this out because after what you said, once I incorporate this into the main program( I wrote a stand alone wrapper to test it) it will probably die a horrible death by getting the desktop handle and not the console handle. Back to my above post on the 18th, Do you know why procAddr is zero?? I think I have the SDK and I would like to use the code you wrote! Thanks, Tim

 

[rpet]

> Do you know why procAddr is zero??

I think your version of the library does not contain the procedure. I tested this on a NT4 workstation and got the same result. Unfortunately I cannot install the Platform SDK on this machine to verify if this helps. The kernel32.lib file that works for me (on Win2000) is created 2000/Feb/02, the file shipped with the Visual Studio (that does not work) is created 1998/May/13.

Ralf

 

[tmoody]

Now I'm confused. This also seems to work. Notice I say seems?? GetForegroundWindow( ); Tim