Hide IDEOwner Class Window when loading IDE

[Elroy]

I'm not sure if this just happens when running SDI (which is the only way I run) for the VB6 IDE, or if it happens for everyone.

But, when I load the IDE, ever since about the beginning of Windows 10, I get this little window on the center of my screen, If I minimize and then re-normalize the IDE, it goes away. But that's annoying. For years, I've just been ignoring it, but I finally decided to do something about it.

This little add-in attempts to hide it when the IDE loads. Its class is named "IDEOwner", and it seems to be the only window that's part of the IDE with that class name. So, that's how I found it (programmatically).

Here's code in the add-ins DSR module:

Option Explicit
'
Private Declare Function GetClassName Lib "user32" Alias "GetClassNameA" (ByVal hWnd As Long, ByVal lpClassName As String, ByVal nMaxCount As Long) As Long
Private Declare Function ShowWindow Lib "user32" (ByVal hWnd As Long, ByVal nCmdShow As Long) As Long
Private Declare Function GetCurrentProcessId Lib "kernel32" () As Long ' Returns OUR PID.
Private Declare Sub Sleep Lib "kernel32" (ByVal dwMilliseconds As Long)
'

Private Sub AddinInstance_OnConnection(ByVal Application As Object, ByVal ConnectMode As AddInDesignerObjects.ext_ConnectMode, ByVal AddInInst As Object, custom() As Variant)
    Dim i As Long
    '
    ' Get all the windows in our PID.
    Dim hWnds() As Long
    hWnds = hWndOfAllTopLevelWindows(GetCurrentProcessId) ' Only ones belonging to our PID.
    '
    ' Find the IDEOwner Class
    Dim hWndIdeBar As Long
    For i = LBound(hWnds) To UBound(hWnds)
        'If WindowClass(hWnds(i)) = "wndclass_desked_gsk" Then
        If WindowClass(hWnds(i)) = "IDEOwner" Then
            hWndIdeBar = hWnds(i)
            Erase hWnds
            Exit For
        End If
    Next
    '
    ' Now hide it.
    Const SW_HIDE           As Long = 0&
    Const SW_SHOWNORMAL     As Long = 1&
    Const SW_SHOWMINIMIZED  As Long = 2&
    If hWndIdeBar Then
        ShowWindow hWndIdeBar, SW_SHOWMINIMIZED     ' This seems to be all it takes.
    End If
End Sub

Private Function WindowClass(hWndOfInterest As Long) As String
    WindowClass = String$(1024&, 0&)
    WindowClass = Left$(WindowClass, GetClassName(hWndOfInterest, WindowClass, 1024&))
End Function

And here's some code that needed to be in a BAS module (so AddressOf could be used):

Option Explicit
'
Private Declare Sub SafeArrayAllocDescriptor Lib "oleaut32" (ByVal cDims As Long, ByRef psaInOut As Long)
Private Declare Function EnumWindows Lib "user32" (ByVal lpEnumFunc As Long, ByVal lParam As Long) As Long
Private Declare Function GetWindowThreadProcessId Lib "user32" (ByVal hWnd As Long, lpdwProcessId As Long) As Long
Private Declare Function vbaObjSetAddref Lib "msvbvm60" Alias "__vbaObjSetAddref" (ByRef dstObject As Any, ByRef srcObjPtr As Any) As Long
Private Declare Function ArrPtr Lib "msvbvm60" Alias "VarPtr" (a() As Any) As Long
'

Public Function hWndOfAllTopLevelWindows(Optional iSpecificProcessId As Long = -1&) As Long()
    ' Returns a 0 to -1 array if none found, but it ALWAYS returns a dimensioned array (so that LBound and UBound can be used).
    ' The caller should use GetCurrentProcessId if you wish to get windows for just this process.
    '
    Dim hWndsColl As New Collection
    ' Gather ALL of them.
    EnumWindows AddressOf EnumWindowsCallBack, ObjPtr(hWndsColl) ' Doesn't return until done.
    ' See if we only want a specific PID, and delete non-matches if so.
    If iSpecificProcessId <> -1& Then
        Dim i As Long
        For i = hWndsColl.Count To 1& Step -1&
            If ProcessId(CLng(hWndsColl.Item(i))) <> iSpecificProcessId Then hWndsColl.Remove i
        Next
    End If
    ' Transfer into our return array.
    If hWndsColl.Count Then
        hWndOfAllHelper hWndOfAllTopLevelWindows, hWndsColl
    Else
        SafeArrayAllocDescriptor 1&, ByVal ArrPtr(hWndOfAllTopLevelWindows) ' Makes a 0 to -1 array.
    End If
End Function

Private Sub hWndOfAllHelper(hArray() As Long, coll As Collection)
    ReDim hArray(coll.Count - 1&)
    Dim v As Variant
    Dim iPtr As Long
    For Each v In coll
        hArray(iPtr) = v
        iPtr = iPtr + 1&
    Next
End Sub

Private Function EnumWindowsCallBack(ByVal hWnd As Long, ByVal lpData As Long) As Long
    Dim coll As Collection  ' Will de-reference when we fall out of scope.
    vbaObjSetAddref coll, ByVal lpData
    coll.Add hWnd
    EnumWindowsCallBack = 1&
End Function

Public Function ProcessId(hWndOfInterest As Long) As Long
    Call GetWindowThreadProcessId(hWndOfInterest, ProcessId)
End Function

And the whole project is attached (minus the actual add-in's DLL).

I also included some little DLLReg and DLLUnreg scripts for registering/unregistering this in case you needed to. However, just compiling it will register it, so long as you save your DLL in a reasonable place. I save my add-in DLLs in the following folder: C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio\VB6_Addins

Enjoy.

EDIT: Made a couple of changes. Changed it to just minimize the IDEOwner rather than hide it, as hiding it caused some unintended consequences, and minimizing it accomplishes the same objective without any consequences that I see. I also slipped in my new EnumWindows work (which doesn't use any module level variables to get its work done).

[soorya]

Hi Elroy,

Thanks for your good AddIn, which saves me at least from the irritation of seeing the IDEOwner window.

But I slightly modifies your code for less flicker on startup.

1) Your dll was just minimizing the VB6 IDE and left there.
I coudn't see the IDE onscreen. I have to then manually normalize it from taskbar.
I have added SW_SHOWNORMAL immediately to resume the IDE on decktop.

2) I have moved your code from AddinInstance_OnConnection() to AddinInstance_OnStartupComplete() for smoother job.
Otherwise fighting was there who first. (IDE vs Addin)

'soorya moved to avoid too much flickering on startup
'Private Sub AddinInstance_OnConnection(ByVal Application As Object, ByVal ConnectMode As AddInDesignerObjects.ext_ConnectMode, ByVal AddInInst As Object, custom() As Variant)
Private Sub AddinInstance_OnStartupComplete(custom() As Variant)
    Dim i As Long
    '
    ' Get all the windows in our PID.
    Dim hWnds() As Long
    hWnds = hWndOfAllTopLevelWindows(GetCurrentProcessId) ' Only ones belonging to our PID.
    '
    ' Find the IDEOwner Class
    Dim hWndIdeBar As Long
    For i = LBound(hWnds) To UBound(hWnds)
        'If WindowClass(hWnds(i)) = "wndclass_desked_gsk" Then
        If WindowClass(hWnds(i)) = "IDEOwner" Then
            hWndIdeBar = hWnds(i)
            Erase hWnds
            Exit For
        End If
    Next
    '
    ' Now hide it.
    Const SW_HIDE           As Long = 0&
    Const SW_SHOWNORMAL     As Long = 1&
    Const SW_SHOWMINIMIZED  As Long = 2&
    If hWndIdeBar Then
        ShowWindow hWndIdeBar, SW_SHOWMINIMIZED     ' This seems to be all it takes.
        'soorya added this to show again on screen
        ShowWindow hWndIdeBar, SW_SHOWNORMAL     ' This seems to be all it takes.
    End If
End Sub

Here is the issue to those who didn't face it yet.

Attachment 192475

[jmuhammad]

Greetings all,
First post (but been a fan for many years).

I had seen the little 'window' when I installed "windows 10" but did not know what to do about it. I also noticed that my IDE would be on one monitor and the app icon would be on the other window's taskbar. It was annoying so I'd click the taskbar icon...that would minimize the IDE and the taskbar icon would move to that window's taskbar then I would click the taskbar icon again to maximize the VB6 IDE. Phew!

Today I was automating the VB6 startup: I launch scrollbar fix which allows scrolling in VB6, then VB6 IDE. For the first time ever the IDEOwner window was maximized on one monitor (along with having the task icon) and the IDE was on the other. And I couldn't just move it with my mouse. So I searched Google and found this post.

However, in the past any addins would wipe all my VB6 menu settings so I have not use addins on "windows 10". I am posting here because I 'developed' a fix that I can use and perhaps others can as it is super easy and does not require any addins.

I wrote an AutoHotKey script to move the IDEOwner window to the other monitor. If I just hide it then I lose my taskbar icon (which it seems the icon is of THIS window not the actual IDE) and therefore cannot normalize/maximize the IDE. This script is really 6 lines (move,sleep,hide,sleep,show,exit) and could be called in an existing script using a hotkey or something but there is some extra setup code if this is going to be a standalone script. The script can be launched many ways: simply running it (it will exit when done), changing it to exe, etc. Here is the standalone AHK script:

if not A_IsAdmin
{
  Run *RunAs "%A_ScriptFullPath%"  ; Requires v1.0.92.01+
  ExitApp
}
#Include %A_ScriptDir%      
#WinActivateForce
#SingleInstance force       
#NoEnv                      
SetBatchLines, 10ms         
SendMode Input              
SetWorkingDir %A_ScriptDir% 
SetTitleMatchMode 2         
CoordMode, Mouse, Screen

WinMove, ahk_class IDEOwner,, 1920, 0 ;[M2=0,0][M1=1920,0] I have my monitors in this order
Sleep 100
WinHide ahk_class IDEOwner
Sleep 100
WinShow ahk_class IDEOwner
ExitApp

[jmuhammad]

FYI, my 1st post is still being reviewed but just wanted to add that the script could be made 'smarter' by detection the monitor then using the found coordinates, etc. For me I just hardcoded the coordinates of the monitor I always do my VB6 coding on.