How to remove the title bar from a EXE

[she]

Hello,

I would like to know how I could remove the title bar from an application executed from VB in a standalone window.

I need to keep the possibility to move and resize the window.
For information, the EXE window is a child window from the MDI of my VB project.

Thank in advance for your help.

she

[Rick Bull]

This is a function I use for removing titlebar's from windows, not sure how you would go about letting it be moved:

Public Function SetBorder(ByVal hWnd As Long, ByVal Visible As Boolean) As Boolean
    Dim lngStyle As Long
    'Get the current style
    lngStyle = GetWindowLong(hWnd, GWL_STYLE)
    'If we want the caption visible
    If Visible Then
        lngStyle = lngStyle Or WS_CAPTION
    'If we don't
    Else
        lngStyle = lngStyle And Not WS_CAPTION
    End If
    'Set the new style
    Call SetWindowLong(hWnd, GWL_STYLE, 0 Or lngStyle)
    'Show the changes
    Call SetWindowPos(hWnd, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, SWP_FRAMECHANGED Or _
        SWP_NOMOVE Or SWP_NOZORDER Or SWP_NOSIZE)
    'Return True if successful, false if not
    SetBorder = (lngStyle = GetWindowLong(hWnd, GWL_STYLE))
End Function

[amitabh]

See this link
for moving borderless form

[MarkT]

Someone posted this here a while back and it seems to work pretty well.

Option Explicit
 
'API Calls Used To Remove The Title Bar From Window (Make A Sizeable Borderless Form)
Private Declare Function SetWindowLong Lib "user32" Alias "SetWindowLongA" _
                            (ByVal hwnd As Long, ByVal nIndex As Long, _
                            ByVal dwNewLong As Long) As Long
Private Declare Function GetWindowLong Lib "user32" Alias "GetWindowLongA" _
                            (ByVal hwnd As Long, ByVal nIndex As Long) As Long
                            
Private Const GWL_STYLE = (-16)
Private Const WS_DLGFRAME = &H400000
 
'API Calls Used To Move A Form With The Mouse
Private Declare Function ReleaseCapture Lib "user32" () As Long
Private Declare Function SendMessage Lib "user32" Alias "SendMessageA" _
                            (ByVal hwnd As Long, ByVal wMsg As Long, _
                            ByVal wParam As Long, lParam As Any) As Long
 
Private Const HTCAPTION = 2
Private Const WM_NCLBUTTONDOWN = &HA1
 
Private Sub Command1_Click()
    Unload Me
End Sub
 
Private Sub Form_Load()
    'ERASE the Title Bar
    SetWindowLong Me.hwnd, GWL_STYLE, GetWindowLong(Me.hwnd, GWL_STYLE) + WS_DLGFRAME
End Sub
 
Private Sub Form_MouseDown(Button As Integer, Shift As Integer, X As Single, Y As Single)
    'Move the form with the Left Mouse Button
    If Button = vbLeftButton Then
        Me.MousePointer = vbSizeAll
        Call ReleaseCapture
        Call SendMessage(hwnd, WM_NCLBUTTONDOWN, HTCAPTION, 0&)
        Me.MousePointer = vbArrow
    End If
End Sub

[kinjalgp]

If u r making exe in VB then during deign time set the Forms BorderStyle property to None.

[she]

Originally posted by MarkT
Someone posted this here a while back and it seems to work pretty well.

Option Explicit
 
'API Calls Used To Remove The Title Bar From Window (Make A Sizeable Borderless Form)
Private Declare Function SetWindowLong Lib "user32" Alias "SetWindowLongA" _
                            (ByVal hwnd As Long, ByVal nIndex As Long, _
                            ByVal dwNewLong As Long) As Long
Private Declare Function GetWindowLong Lib "user32" Alias "GetWindowLongA" _
                            (ByVal hwnd As Long, ByVal nIndex As Long) As Long
                            
Private Const GWL_STYLE = (-16)
Private Const WS_DLGFRAME = &H400000
 
'API Calls Used To Move A Form With The Mouse
Private Declare Function ReleaseCapture Lib "user32" () As Long
Private Declare Function SendMessage Lib "user32" Alias "SendMessageA" _
                            (ByVal hwnd As Long, ByVal wMsg As Long, _
                            ByVal wParam As Long, lParam As Any) As Long
 
Private Const HTCAPTION = 2
Private Const WM_NCLBUTTONDOWN = &HA1
 
Private Sub Command1_Click()
    Unload Me
End Sub
 
Private Sub Form_Load()
    'ERASE the Title Bar
    SetWindowLong Me.hwnd, GWL_STYLE, GetWindowLong(Me.hwnd, GWL_STYLE) + WS_DLGFRAME
End Sub
 
Private Sub Form_MouseDown(Button As Integer, Shift As Integer, X As Single, Y As Single)
    'Move the form with the Left Mouse Button
    If Button = vbLeftButton Then
        Me.MousePointer = vbSizeAll
        Call ReleaseCapture
        Call SendMessage(hwnd, WM_NCLBUTTONDOWN, HTCAPTION, 0&)
        Me.MousePointer = vbArrow
    End If
End Sub

I've already tested this code in my application, it did not work very good.
I think the problem might be that the external application is not a VB compiled EXE.

she

[she]

Originally posted by she
I've already tested this code in my application, it did not work very good.
I think the problem might be that the external application is not a VB compiled EXE.

she

My external application is unfortunately not a VB program and I can't modify anything in it.

she

[she]

Originally posted by Rick Bull
This is a function I use for removing titlebar's from windows, not sure how you would go about letting it be moved:

Public Function SetBorder(ByVal hWnd As Long, ByVal Visible As Boolean) As Boolean
    Dim lngStyle As Long
    'Get the current style
    lngStyle = GetWindowLong(hWnd, GWL_STYLE)
    'If we want the caption visible
    If Visible Then
        lngStyle = lngStyle Or WS_CAPTION
    'If we don't
    Else
        lngStyle = lngStyle And Not WS_CAPTION
    End If
    'Set the new style
    Call SetWindowLong(hWnd, GWL_STYLE, 0 Or lngStyle)
    'Show the changes
    Call SetWindowPos(hWnd, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, SWP_FRAMECHANGED Or _
        SWP_NOMOVE Or SWP_NOZORDER Or SWP_NOSIZE)
    'Return True if successful, false if not
    SetBorder = (lngStyle = GetWindowLong(hWnd, GWL_STYLE))
End Function

Hi,

To respond to your question, I would say that my main program is a VB MDI. That MDI includes a window with an external program not designed and compiled with VB. So it is impossible for me to change anything in it. I need the possibility to move and resize the application in my own program, this means in my MDI form.
Thank you for your code. I will try it right now.

she