get title of active window

[HAVocINCARNATE29]

my program needs to get the title of the window that has the focus (the window that the user is currently working with)

any ideas?


thanks in advance!!

Here you go:

Private Declare Function GetForegroundWindow Lib "user32" () As Long
Private Declare Function GetWindowTextLength Lib "user32" Alias _
"GetWindowTextLengthA" (ByVal hwnd As Long) As Long
Private Declare Function GetWindowText Lib "user32" Alias "GetWindowTextA" _
(ByVal hwnd As Long, ByVal lpString As String, ByVal cch As Long) As Long
Private Declare Function GetParent Lib "user32" (ByVal hwnd As Long) As Long

Public Function GetActiveWindowTitle(ByVal ReturnParent As Boolean) As String
   Dim i As Long
   Dim j As Long

   i = GetForegroundWindow


   If ReturnParent Then
      Do While i <> 0
         j = i
         i = GetParent(i)
      Loop

      i = j
   End If

   GetActiveWindowTitle = GetWindowTitle(i)
End Function
Public Function GetWindowTitle(ByVal hwnd As Long) As String
   Dim l As Long
   Dim s As String

   l = GetWindowTextLength(hwnd)
   s = Space(l + 1)

   GetWindowText hwnd, s, l + 1

   GetWindowTitle = Left$(s, l)
End Function

Usage:

MsgBox GetActiveWindowTitle(True)

[HAVocINCARNATE29]

thanks! it works great.

i'm trying to get a msgbox to come up when my form loses focus

i tried:

Private Sub Form_LostFocus()
msgbox GetActiveWindowTitle(True)
End Sub

but it doesnt work. any ideas on this one?

(or am i not using LostFocus() correctly?)



by the way, where do you get all these functions? are there some good books you recommend i should read or what?

thanks!!

[Edited by HAVocINCARNATE29 on 09-11-2000 at 09:22 PM]

Subclass.

Option Explicit

Private Declare Function SetWindowLong Lib "user32" Alias "SetWindowLongA" (ByVal hWnd As Long, ByVal ndx As Long, ByVal newValue As Long) As Long
Private Declare Function CallWindowProc Lib "user32" Alias "CallWindowProcA" (ByVal lpPrevWndFunc As Long, ByVal hWnd As Long, ByVal Msg As Long, ByVal wParam As Long, ByVal lParam As Long) As Long

' This is used with the SetWindowLong API function.
Const GWL_WNDPROC = -4

Public Const WM_KILLFOCUS = &H8

Dim saveHWnd As Long        ' The handle of the subclassed window.
Dim oldProcAddr As Long     ' The address of the original window procedure

Sub StartSubclassing(ByVal hWnd As Long)
    saveHWnd = hWnd
    oldProcAddr = SetWindowLong(hWnd, GWL_WNDPROC, AddressOf WndProc)
End Sub

Sub StopSubclassing()
    SetWindowLong saveHWnd, GWL_WNDPROC, oldProcAddr
End Sub

Function WndProc(ByVal hWnd As Long, ByVal uMsg As Long, _
    ByVal wParam As Long, ByVal lParam As Long) As Long
    ' Send the message to the original window procedure, and then
    ' return Windows the return value from the original procedure.
    WndProc = CallWindowProc(oldProcAddr, hWnd, uMsg, wParam, lParam)
    
Select Case uMsg
    Case WM_KILLFOCUS
            MsgBox GetActiveWindowTitle(True)
    End Select
End Function

Private Sub Form_Load()
    StartSubclassing Me.hWnd
End Sub

Private Sub Form_Unload(Cancel As Integer)
    StopSubclassing
End Sub

[Aaron Young]

If Subclassing seems a little daunting for this task, try a Timer control and the GetForeGroundWindow() API, i.e.

Private Declare Function GetForegroundWindow Lib "user32" () As Long

Private Sub Form_Load()
    Timer1.Interval = 1000
End Sub

Private Sub Timer1_Timer()
    If hWnd <> GetForegroundWindow() Then MsgBox "Don't ya like me no more?", vbQuestion + vbSystemModal + vbYesNo, "Don't Go!!!"
End Sub