Placing a form right above the TASKBAR?

[Pure Krome]

Hi All.


I'm trying to make a form popup just above the clock, just above the TASKBAR.


If the taskbar is NOT on the bottom, then i want the form to appear on the bottom of the screen please.


i have ABSOULTLY NO IDEA where to start my research for this...

Any help / links / suggesstions please.

Thank you kindly.

-PK-

[da_silvy]

does code count as help

here you go :

Private Declare Function SystemParametersInfo Lib "user32" Alias "SystemParametersInfoA" (ByVal uAction As Long, ByVal uParam As Long, ByRef lpvParam As Any, ByVal fuWinIni As Long) As Long
    Private Const SPI_GETWORKAREA = 48


Private Type RECT
    Left As Long
    Top As Long
    Right As Long
    Bottom As Long
    End Type
Sub PositionForm()
Dim WindowRect As RECT
SystemParametersInfo SPI_GETWORKAREA, 0, WindowRect, 0
Form1.Top = WindowRect.Bottom * Screen.TwipsPerPixelY - Form1.Height
Form1.Left = WindowRect.Right * Screen.TwipsPerPixelX - Form1.Width
End Sub

[Pure Krome]

DUDE!

you are a legend! I now have a new sugar daddy......


that is EXACTLY the answer i was after. It's perfect.


Thank you kindly.


*respect*


Now to add a timer, which slowly opens and closes the window HEIGHT and off we go =)
-PK-

[da_silvy]

No probs

Why do you need to put it there?

[Pure Krome]

I've made a simple VB program that downloads some XML from my MUD Game.

My VB Client the shows the people ONLINE, and also lists those people, who YOU have nominated in another XML file (locally stored) that are friends, as either ONLINE or OFFLINE.

Now, you code allows me to have a POP-UP window occur whenever a certain STATUS occurs == EG. user has come online or offline or either.

=)


But my bloody MS Internet Transfer Control object is not very nice ... it hangs the program -only when i quit- for a few seconds [only after I have succesfully grabbed my xml / html from da net...]

If only there was some other -FREE- OCX out there i could use for grabbing an html / xml page from a website.....

*sigh*

-PK-

[brijmohank]

Can you try this one,
this will put the form always above the task bar
even at different screen resolutions.
I saw your thread also did not know
'system parameter info' can do this .
i wrote this one seeing your query, so please do reply

on a form put a timer and paste the following code


Private Declare Function FindWindow Lib "user32" Alias "FindWindowA" (ByVal lpClassName As String, ByVal lpWindowName As String) As Long
Private Declare Function GetWindowRect Lib "user32" (ByVal hwnd As Long, lpRect As RECT) As Long
Private Type RECT
Left As Long
Top As Long
Right As Long
Bottom As Long
End Type
Dim cd As Boolean
Dim a, b As RECT

Private Sub Form_Load()
Timer1.Interval = 10
End Sub

Private Sub Timer1_Timer()
Dim hwnd As Long
hwnd = FindWindow("Shell_TrayWnd", vbNullString)
GetWindowRect hwnd, b
If b.Left = -2 And (b.Right = 802 Or b.Right = 1026 Or b.Right = 642 Or b.Right = 722) And b.Top = -2 Then
Me.Top = (b.Bottom) * 15
Me.Left = Screen.Width - Me.Width - 30
Else
If b.Left = -2 And (b.Right = 802 Or b.Right = 1026 Or b.Right = 642 Or b.Right = 722) And (b.Bottom = 602 Or b.Bottom = 770 Or b.Bottom = 482 Or b.Bottom = 578) Then
Me.Top = b.Top * 15 - (Me.Height)
Me.Left = Screen.Width - Me.Width - 30
Else
If b.Top = -2 And (b.Bottom = 602 Or b.Bottom = 770 Or b.Bottom = 482 Or b.Bottom = 578) And (b.Right = 802 Or b.Right = 1026 Or b.Right = 642 Or b.Right = 722) Then
Me.Top = Screen.Height - Me.Height - 30
Me.Left = (Screen.Width - Me.Width - (b.Right - b.Left) * 15) + 30
Else
If b.Left = -2 And b.Top = -2 And (b.Bottom = 602 Or b.Bottom = 770 Or b.Bottom = 482 Or b.Bottom = 578) Then
Me.Top = Screen.Height - Me.Height - 30
Me.Left = ((b.Right - b.Left) * 15) - 30
End If
End If
End If
End If
End Sub

[Pure Krome]

why are you hard-coding the numbers for
LEFT and TOP ??


eg...

If b.Left = -2 And (b.Right = 802 Or b.Right = 1026 Or b.Right = 642 Or b.Right = 722) And b.Top = -2 Then



'magic numbers' i tend to stay away from.....


-PK-

[da_silvy]

where'd u get that code from?

[brijmohank]

did u use the zip file ,if you use it u will understand
it clearly.
the numbers -2 etc denotes the left of taskbar
and the others 802,1026 etc used to get the
screen resolution,I gurantee that it will work superbly.
even if you change the taskbar location .
please try the zip file ,see the working.
if u've any doubts i'll clear it for u
waiting to hear from u
thanks

[Pure Krome]

brijmohank :: I used da_silvy's code because 1) it's cleaner / smaller. 2) it doesn't include hardcoded numbers. [just personal opinion]

Thank you both for the code, nonetheless.


I've now implimented da_silvy's code, adding my own additions, like a timer that grows and shrinks the height (like MSN MESSENGER).

My next question regarding this code (both versions), is how to make the window SHOW, when the main form window is minimized.

--CURENTLY-- i call PositionForm(). BY DEFAULT, the window is HIDDEN. (ie just LOADED).

I then reset the height to 120, show the form, then start the timer. when the timer finishes, it UNLOADS the form (me)

works perfectly, but the form is NOT SHOWN if the main program (which calls the instance of it) is minimized.....

do you need to see my MAIN FORM CODE?

-PK-

[Wokawidget]

It might be worth while you checking out the code I have attached here.

This is code for popup messages, that have the following features.

• Clickable Message link
• Add progress bar into message
• Message shows above all other windows
• Change virtually all properties to customise message
• set background pic
• set logo
• close when clicked
• good scrolling
• play sound when displayed
• close button in top right hand corner
• hide message as it's loading
• store deafult messages and show them at any time
• Set parent object of messages, so you can display inside an app/picture box
• plus many many more...

The code contains a full demo and source code.
Very small code, very easy to change.

Just run Test.vpg

Hope this helps. Still developing it, so any suggestions welcome.

Woka

[Axionysus]

Im doing a similar grow event form for a chat program I'm making, these methods really help, up until now I had it hard coded to work with 1024x768 only.

[Wokawidget]

Why is it hard?

[stevebmartin]

Hi all
Is there a vb.net way around this?
Just be nice to know, that's all.

Thanks.

[Rev. Michael L. Burns]

brijmohank,

I tried your menu program that you gave as a zipped example. It looks and works great. However, I can't get rid of it now. It runs whenever I start windows. How can I prevent this?

Thanks,
Rev. Michael L. Burns

[Rev. Michael L. Burns]

da_silvy,

I am trying to make a launch bar similar to the Microsoft Office Bar. I am using your code example given in this thread to position my form above the task bar. It seems to work great. How can I get my form to recognize if the taskbar has changed. For instance, it positions itself now above the taskbar but what if the taskbar is set to autohide? How can I get my form to resize to the new position of the taskbar?

On a unrelated issue, what I am trying to do is make a launchbar on the right of my screen. This works ok and resizes the client area when my bar is visable and resizes when I close my bar. However, I have noticed that everytime I launch and close the launch bar, the actual horizontal width of the client area of my screen gets a little smaller until, if done enough times, I can only see half the screen width above the taskbar although the taskbar is the full width of the screen. How can I prevent this?

On final question, how can I get my launch bar to autohide and resize the client area of the screen? Currently, it is attached to the right of the screen and is an inch wide.

Thanks for any help or advise that you can give.

Michael

[manavo11]

brijmohank,

I tried your menu program that you gave as a zipped example. It looks and works great. However, I can't get rid of it now. It runs whenever I start windows. How can I prevent this?

Thanks,
Rev. Michael L. Burns

Well it either has a shortcut in the Start->Startup folder or on the registry...

[Rev. Michael L. Burns]

Thanks manavo11. Initially I tried the registry but was using the name of the program displayed in the System Tray. When I went back and actually searched on menu.exe I fold the registry entry, deleted it and restarted my computer and all is now well.

Michael

[tony007]

Could u guys re upload a working example of resizing and placing an external window right above taskbar in the lower right cornder of screen just above clock. I could not download the first few zip files and the last one was giving tones of error!!Thanks

[rory]

I just put it into a program of mine by editing it to work with my form .. here is a sample project just using one manual popup ... maybe it will help you .. its stripped down some .. easier to add to existing programs .. the section you edit is the AddPopup on the form1 .. you could add a timer and all that also ..

Rory

Edit . i left some of my program in there LOL ..
anyway i uploaded the changed version ..

[tony007]

I just put it into a program of mine by editing it to work with my form .. here is a sample project just using one manual popup ... maybe it will help you .. its stripped down some .. easier to add to existing programs .. the section you edit is the AddPopup on the form1 .. you could add a timer and all that also ..

Rory

Thanks for u reply. i liked the pop idea. I will be using it for my other project so can u tell me what shouldi change in order that it works for my external window knowing its classname and caption?

Furthermore, at this moment i am just intrested in placeing my external window in that position and leaving it like that not bring it down . How i should do that ? My external window might be in the middle of screen with diffrent size , how i should resize and place it above taskbar without brining it down?Thanks

[rory]

Well . .. I just made a slight change BTW .. i had a reference to Media Player in there as I was using that in my proggy .. i took it out so you could download the newer one if you like ..

Its actually a popup message .. not an external program ..
uses a form in the project as the pop up ..

Looks like Wokawidget originally developed it .. so he would know the ins and outs more than I :-) But id like to tell him hey its great ...

I think though from reading your other posts .. this might not be the thing for this program of yours .. or it will take some serious editing for it to work with an external program ..

Do you have control over the external program or is it someone elses ..?

Rory

[Wokawidget]

You may find my project MSM Popup Messages quite handy.
The link is in my sig. This sould have all the code you could want for this.

Woka