[RESOLVED] problem with status bar and form max button disabled

[Zerodyme]

i have a form with a status bar that i launch it maximized. if i enable the max button, i can see the status bar avobe the Windows bar. if i disable the max button, the status bar still exists but behind my Windows bar. what property of the form or the status bar may i change to solve this problem?

[bushmobile]

http://www.vbforums.com/showpost.php...47&postcount=2

[Zerodyme]

hi bushmobile, thanks for the info but your code almost works. it takes the screen width but dont know why it doesnt take the screen height, there is a small gap. however i need the form to be maximized so the user dont play with the window size.

[Ellis Dee]

Here's a function I just wrote to size a form to full screen while taking into consideration the taskbar. I'm guessing bushmobile's code does something similar, but since it's a different API call, what the heck. Here ya go:

Private Type RECT
    Left As Long
    Top As Long
    Right As Long
    Bottom As Long
End Type

Private Type APPBARDATA
    cbSize As Long
    hwnd As Long
    uCallbackMessage As Long
    uEdge As Long
    rc As RECT
    lParam As Long '  message specific
End Type

Private Declare Function SHAppBarMessage Lib "shell32.dll" (ByVal dwMessage As Long, pData As APPBARDATA) As Long

' Supply coords (in twips) of usable desktop
' which will differ from full screen if the taskbar
' is AlwaysOnTop and doesn't autohide
Public Sub GetDesktop(Left As Long, Top As Long, Width As Long, Height As Long)
    Const ABM_GETSTATE = &H4
    Const ABM_GETTASKBARPOS = &H5
    Const ABS_ALWAYSONTOP = &H2
    Dim typBar As APPBARDATA
    Dim lngState As Long
    
    ' Start with full screen coords
    Left = 0
    Top = 0
    Width = Screen.Width
    Height = Screen.Height
    ' Query the taskbar state
    lngState = SHAppBarMessage(ABM_GETSTATE, typBar)
    ' Now shrink down the side with the taskbar if it infringes on desktop space
    If lngState = ABS_ALWAYSONTOP Then ' AlwaysOnTop and doesn't AutoHide
        lngState = SHAppBarMessage(ABM_GETTASKBARPOS, typBar)
        Select Case typBar.uEdge
            Case 0: Left = typBar.rc.Right * Screen.TwipsPerPixelX
            Case 1: Top = typBar.rc.Bottom * Screen.TwipsPerPixelY
            Case 2: Width = typBar.rc.Left * Screen.TwipsPerPixelX ' this is really right, not width
            Case 3: Height = typBar.rc.Top * Screen.TwipsPerPixelY ' this is really bottom, not height
        End Select
        ' Convert right and bottom to width and height
        Width = Width - Left
        Height = Height - Top
    End If
End Sub

Note that instead of the returning a RECT, I modify the passed parameters. I can't really remember why, which is sad because I wrote this just last week.

[bushmobile]

@Zerodyme: should work ok - although i must admit i misread your question slightly - see if the attached form gives the effect you're after

@Ellis Dee: SPI_GETWORKAREA returns the RECT of the desktop space taking into account any AppBars that may be on screen. I'm assuming that your code only accounts for one AppBar (the window's TaskBar).

[Ellis Dee]

Great tip, bushmobile, thanks. I'll update my function accordingly. Out of curiosity, what other kind of AppBar is there?

dont know why it doesnt take the screen height, there is a small gap.

I just realized what you're talking about. I noticed the same thing, but it isn't actually a gap. That gap is part of your form; it's the darkened shadow part of the 3D border effect of the form.

[bushmobile]

Great tip, bushmobile, thanks. I'll update my function accordingly. Out of curiosity, what other kind of AppBar is there?

Any form can be registered as an AppBar.

[Zerodyme]

now it gets the exact size i want with your code. the only but is that i dont want the form to be sizeable by the user. how can i disable this? the problem is not if i launch the window normal or maximized. the problem is when i launch it maximized and the MaxButton is disabled when i cannot see the status bar.

[bushmobile]

you shouldn't have been able to resize the form i attached - the borderstyle was set to FixedSingle and Moveable was set to False

[Zerodyme]

wohoo! its true, i dont know why it was set to Sizeable, now it works perfectly! thanks a bunch!