Prevent Maximizing Window

[arpan_de]

How do I ensure that clicking the Maximize button on the title bar doesn't maximize the window?

Setting the ControlBox of the Form to False or setting the BorderStyle of the Form to Fixed Single, Fixed Dialog or Fixed ToolWindow isn't the solution! Trying to set MaxButton.Visible = False generates an error.

[cutepraba]

http://www.codeguru.com/forum/showthread.php?t=428742

[IniX]

On the Form's properties, set MaxButton to False. You can't do it in code because its read-only, i think.

[chemicalNova]

You can use SetWindowLong to remove the Maximize button from the Window style at runtime.

chem

[RobDog888]

Use the SetWindowPlacement API so you can specify the maximum size, normal size and other positioning/placement properties. Then when they "Maximize it will only max to the size you specify.

http://www.vbforums.com/showpost.php...0&postcount=18

[arpan_de]

Tried using the suggestion given by cutepraba (thread #2)....it removes Maximize from the system menu but it doesn't disable/remove the Maximize button from the titlebar.

Also tried using SetWindowLong as shown in this post but it too doesn't disable/remove the Maximize button from the titlebar but removes Maximize from the system menu.

Finally tried RobDog's suggestion as well but it hangs the app (which is a web browser). Where does IEFrame (passed to the FindWindow function) come from?

Any other suggestions, friends?

[MartinLiss]

Very simple - set the MaxButton property in the IDE to False.

[RobDog888]

If your program "hangs" then you must have something wrong. You cant just give up on things without trying to fix them. That is what programmers do, debug code.

Post code of what you are having trouble with

[arpan_de]

Very simple - set the MaxButton property in the IDE to False.

I can't do that because I need to set the MaxButton to False at runtime which VB doesn't allow.

If your program "hangs" then you must have something wrong. You cant just give up on things without trying to fix them. That is what programmers do, debug code

Yes...yes...I tried to debug it (otherwise I wouldn't have posted my follow-up question after 4 days) but couldn't find a way out

Actually this pertains to opening new browser windows when a button or a link is clicked in a web page (for e.g. the Manage Attachments button which exists in the page where users type their questions). Using the WebBrowser control's events ClientToHostWindow, WindowSetHeight, WindowSetLeft, WindowSetTop & WindowSetWidth, I have succeeded in opening new browser windows to the position & dimensions in which the new browser window has been programmed (by the website programmer) to open. This is how I did it:

Dim blnCH As Boolean
Dim iH    As Integer
Dim iW    As Integer

Private Sub Form_Activate()
    'adjust the position & dimension of the new browser window only if a
    'new browser window is programmed to open; not if user right-clicks a 
    'link & then selects Open in New Window
    If (blnCH = True) Then
        wWeb.Top = 0
        wWeb.Left = 0
        wWeb.Height = iH * Screen.TwipsPerPixelY
        wWeb.Width = iW * Screen.TwipsPerPixelX
    End If
End Sub

Private Sub wWeb_ClientToHostWindow(CX As Long, CY As Long)
    blnCH = True
    Me.WindowState = vbNormal

    'this is where I added your code RobDog
End Sub

Private Sub wWeb_WindowSetHeight(ByVal Height As Long)
    iH = Height
    Me.Height = Height * Screen.TwipsPerPixelY
End Sub

Private Sub wWeb_WindowSetLeft(ByVal Left As Long)
    Me.Left = Left * Screen.TwipsPerPixelX
End Sub

Private Sub wWeb_WindowSetTop(ByVal Top As Long)
    Me.Top = Top * Screen.TwipsPerPixelY
End Sub

Private Sub wWeb_WindowSetWidth(ByVal Width As Long)
    iW = Width
    Me.Width = Width * Screen.TwipsPerPixelX
End Sub

What could be causing the browser to hang?

EDIT:

Forgot to add that it opens a new IE window as well.

[arpan_de]

The Do While loop is causing the browser to hang.

[RobDog888]

OK now we are getting somewhere. The do loop is looking for the window handle. For whatever reason its not finding it. Is it a different string or different language perhaps?

When you place a breakpoint, what are the values? Caption to look for on the window and the actual caption of the window as reported by Spy++?

[arpan_de]

Yes you are right RobDog. The title of the new browser window gets assigned in the WebBrowser's DocumentComplete event which fires after the ClientToHostWindow event & I have put your code in the ClientToHostWindow event which means that when the Do loop executes, no title has been assigned to the new browser window which I think causes the browser to hang. Earlier the Do loop looked like this:

Do While lRet = 0
    lRet = FindWindow(vbNullString, wWeb.LocationName)
Loop

I changed the code within the Do loop slightly:

Do While lRet = 0
    lRet = FindWindow(vbNullString, vbNullString)
Loop

Now the app doesn't hang but users can still maximize the new browser window by clicking the icon on the titlebar.

What would you suggest?

[Edgemeal]

What about using a hook?
Have a look at the Module in this sample,
http://www.Planet-Source-Code.com/vb...68724&lngWId=1

If you change the ptMaxSize to something like,
mm.ptMaxSize.X = 500
mm.ptMaxSize.Y = 500
When you maximize the form it will only be 500 by 500.

[RobDog888]

Well by changing the Findwindow to both nullstrings you will be obtaining any open window of any class and title.

There should be a way for you enumerate all the child windows of your browser window. The only problem again is to know which is the new window.

The first thing I can think of is to populate a string array of all the open windows titles. Then when you click on the new window link you can enumerate the windows again and check for the one that is different which will be one additional and the defferent caption will be the new wndow.

[RobDog888]

What about using a hook?
Have a look at the Module in this sample,
http://www.Planet-Source-Code.com/vb...68724&lngWId=1

If you change the ptMaxSize to something like,
mm.ptMaxSize.X = 500
mm.ptMaxSize.Y = 500
When you maximize the form it will only be 500 by 500.

But you would have to know what window to hook and thats the problem.

[Edgemeal]

Oh sorry, from the 1st post I thought it was a VB form you wanted to stop from maximizing.

[RobDog888]

Well it is but its got a webbrowser control on it which in part of his stuff is opening another window from the html code which isnt a vb form.

[arpan_de]

There's one very stupid way to ensure that maximizing the window doesn't maximize the window & this is that stupid approach (using the blnCH boolean variable shown in thread #9):

Private Sub Form_Resize()
    If (blnCH = False) Then
        'do resizing here for normal windows
    Else
        If Not (Me.WindowState = vbMinimized) Then
            Me.WindowState = vbNormal
            If (Me.Height > iH * Screen.TwipsPerPixelY) Then
                Me.Height = iH * Screen.TwipsPerPixelY
            End If

            If (Me.Width > iW * Screen.TwipsPerPixelX) Then
                Me.Width = iW * Screen.TwipsPerPixelX
            End If
        End If
    Ed If
End Sub

When you try to maximize such a new browser window, then you can see the window maximizing momentarily after which it reverts back to the original height & width in the restored state! It looks sort of funny....gives an animated look to the window......

The 3rd & 4th If conditions aren't necessary but the 2nd one is a must otherwise even if users minimize the window, the window will refuse to minimize & restore its state back to normal.