Generating Taskbar buttons

[billwagnon]

I have a "program" that is actually an Excel macro written in VBA. I leave the instance of Excel invisible.

The problem I have is that because Excel is invisible, there is no button for the instance on the Taskbar when Excel is running.

I use a tiny VB6 executable to "kick start" the instance of Excel and run the macro. The user double-clicks on the icon, and Excel starts but the user doesn't see it.

The users of the "program" would like to be able to click on the taskbar to bring the macro forms to the top of the desktop (because some of them leave it on ALL DAY). I know how to do this using zorder, but I don't know how to put the task button on the Taskbar.

Is there an API or a method related to a form (rather than the instance of Excel) that I could use to place this button on the Taskbar while the "program" is running?

The only way to get to the form, if you are working with other programs, is to minimize the others. The form starts on top but if you activate another "program" it is covered up. Ultimately it ends up as the last thing on the desktop.

[Stevie-O]

2 ideas:

(1) Use SetWindowPos to make your form 'always on top'.
(2) Use GetWindowLong and SetWindowLong to modify the WS_EX_APPWINDOW extended style:

ShowWindow hWnd, SW_HIDE
SetWindowExStyles hWnd, WS_EX_APPWINDOW, 0
ShowWindow hWnd, SW_SHOW

to remove it from the taskbar, or

ShowWindow hWnd, SW_HIDE
SetWindowExStyles hWnd, WS_EX_APPWINDOW, WS_EX_APPWINDOW
ShowWindow hWnd, SW_SHOW

to put it back.

SetWindowExStyles is:

Public Function SetWindowExStyles(ByVal hWnd As Long, ByVal mask As WindowStyleExConstants, ByVal styles As WindowStyleExConstants)
  Dim curStyle As Long
  curStyle = GetWindowLong(hWnd, GWL_EXSTYLE) ' get current style
  curStyle = curStyle And (Not mask)          ' remove masked styles
  SetWindowExStyles = SetWindowLong(hWnd, GWL_EXSTYLE, curStyle Or styles) And mask
End Function

[Dr_Evil]

Have you tried the ITaskbarList API function? If you need more info reply & I will try to get more info. I've never had a need to do this so I don't have any related code at the moment.