[RESOLVED] Change caption or text of running Application

[cyberd]

Hi,

for once again i am trying something difficult...

Well i want my VB6 program see the current application running at my desktop (that the easy part) and with one click change for example the title of running application (Application - EXE - that is not mine)...

For example if Windows Calculator running... with one click to my program at the button change title of "Calculator" - i want to turn the title of this program to something else like "C-a-l-c-u-l-a-t-o-r"...

is that possible to change the captions or text of a running application ?

and how ?

Thanks in advance... :-)

[cyberd]

...i ve found that code.... that changes text of Start button of Windows XP...

Private Const WM_SETTEXT = &HC
Private Const WM_GETTEXT = &HD
Private Declare Function FindWindow Lib "user32" Alias "FindWindowA" (ByVal lpClassName As String, ByVal lpWindowName As String) As Long
Private Declare Function FindWindowEx Lib "user32" Alias "FindWindowExA" (ByVal hWnd1 As Long, ByVal hWnd2 As Long, ByVal lpsz1 As String, ByVal lpsz2 As String) As Long
Private Declare Function SendMessageSTRING Lib "user32" Alias "SendMessageA" (ByVal hwnd As Long, ByVal wMsg As Long, ByVal wParam As Long, ByVal lParam As String) As Long
 
Public Sub SetStartCaption(str As String)
   Dim StartBar As Long
   Dim StartBarText As Long
   Dim sCaption As String
   StartBar = FindWindow("Shell_TrayWnd", vbNullString)
   StartBarText = FindWindowEx(StartBar, 0&, "button", vbNullString)
   Debug.Print StartBarText
   sCaption = Left(str, 5)
   SendMessageSTRING StartBarText, WM_SETTEXT, 256, sCaption
   Exit Sub
End Sub

code found here

but i don;t know how to "cycle" the controls to see caption/texts before change...

[vb5prgrmr]

'System & API - How to Change Other Window's Caption

Option Explicit

'Add two Text Boxes and a Command Button to your form.
'Insert the caption of the window you want to change in Text1.
'Insert the new caption in Text2.

Private Declare Function FindWindow Lib "user32" Alias "FindWindowA" (ByVal lpClassName As String, _
    ByVal lpWindowName As String) 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 WM_SETTEXT = &HC

Private Sub Command1_Click()
    Dim target_hwnd As Long
    Dim target_name As String
    Dim new_caption As String
    target_name = Text1.Text
    target_hwnd = FindWindow(vbNullString, target_name)
    If target_hwnd = 0 Then
        MsgBox "Cannot find target"
        Exit Sub
    End If
    new_caption = Text2.Text
    SendMessage target_hwnd, WM_SETTEXT, 0, ByVal new_caption
End Sub

Private Sub Form_Load()
    Text1.Text = "My Computer"
    Text2.Text = "New Caption"
End Sub

Good Luck

[cyberd]

@vb5prgrmr thank for your answer.. but i didn't mean that ... exactly... i want my programs reads the Controls of Calculator... the title that may be in German / Greek or any other Language... and change it with the text i want...

In generic words i want to read all controls and caption of other application.

if that code was possible will be ok for me .. but it isnt:

k=0
for x=1 to otherapplication.controls.count
 if otherapplication.control(x).typeof is label then
       if otherappliction.control(x).caption="Calculator" then
               otherapplication.control(x).caption="C-A-l-C-u-l-a-t-o-r"
                k=k+1
       end if
 end if
next x
debug.print "From " & otherapplication.controls.count & " change only " & k

i want to cycle all the controls of the other Application... at least that i can view...

[vb5prgrmr]

Ok, you will need to add the API EnumChildWindows to enumerate through the controls of the target application and then use the SendMessage API.

Good Luck

[cyberd]

@vb5prgrmgr can you give the code or the example of how to do it ?

[vb5prgrmr]

You can find some example code here

http://www.acky.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=7497

or search the web for enumerate child windows

[cyberd]

thanx

[cyberd]

Option Explicit
 
Public Const WM_SETTEXT = &HC
Public Const WM_GETTEXT = &HD
Public Declare Function FindWindow Lib "user32" Alias "FindWindowA" (ByVal lpClassName As String, ByVal lpWindowName As String) As Long
Public Declare Function FindWindowEx Lib "user32" Alias "FindWindowExA" (ByVal hWnd1 As Long, ByVal hWnd2 As Long, ByVal lpsz1 As String, ByVal lpsz2 As String) As Long
Public Declare Function SendMessageSTRING Lib "user32" Alias "SendMessageA" (ByVal hwnd As Long, ByVal wMsg As Long, ByVal wParam As Long, ByVal lParam As String) As Long
Public Declare Function EnumChildWindows Lib "user32" (ByVal hWndParent As Long, ByVal lpEnumFunc As Long, ByVal lParam As Long) As Long
Public Declare Function GetWindowText Lib "user32" Alias "GetWindowTextA" (ByVal hwnd As Long, ByVal lpString As String, ByVal cch As Long) As Long
 
Public Function EnumChildProc(ByVal hwnd As Long, ByVal lParam As Long) As Long
   Static winnum As Integer
   winnum = winnum + 1
   ReDim winhandle(winnum) As Long
   winhandle(winnum) = hwnd
   EnumChildProc = 1
End Function
 
'-------------------
'-Form code:
 
 
 
Public Sub SetStartCaption(str As String)
   Dim StartBar As Long
   Dim StartBarText As Long
   Dim sCaption As String
   StartBar = FindWindow("Shell_TrayWnd", vbNullString)
   StartBarText = FindWindowEx(StartBar, 0&, "button", vbNullString)
   
   Debug.Print StartBarText
   
   sCaption = Left(str, 5)
   SendMessageSTRING StartBarText, WM_SETTEXT, 256, sCaption
   Exit Sub
End Sub
 
Private Sub Form_Load()
   
   Dim pHandle As Long
   Dim bHandle As Long, h As Long, i As Long, length As Long
   Dim caption As String
   
   pHandle = FindWindow(vbNullString, "Áñéèìïìç÷áíÞ")
   h = EnumChildWindows(pHandle, AddressOf EnumChildProc, 0)
   bHandle = 0
   
   If (h = 1) Then
       For i = 1 To (UBound(winhandle) - LBound(winhandle))
       
           caption = Space$(1024)
           length = GetWindowText(winhandle(i), caption, Len(caption))
           caption = Left$(caption, length)
           
           Debug.Print caption, length
           
           If caption = "OK" Then
               bHandle = winhandle(i)
               Exit For
           End If
           
       Next i
   End If
   
End Sub

I am getting error at ubound(winhandle) why ?

[I]For i = 1 To (UBound(winhandle) - LBound(winhandle))[/I]

Type mismatch.

[vb5prgrmr]

to begin with I do not see where winhandle is declared, is it declared?

[cyberd]

ReDim winhandle(winnum) As Long   winhandle(winnum) = hwnd

what do you suggest ?

[chunk]

Hi,

for once again i am trying something difficult...

Well i want my VB6 program see the current application running at my desktop (that the easy part) and with one click change for example the title of running application (Application - EXE - that is not mine)...

For example if Windows Calculator running... with one click to my program at the button change title of "Calculator" - i want to turn the title of this program to something else like "C-a-l-c-u-l-a-t-o-r"...

is that possible to change the captions or text of a running application ?

and how ?

Thanks in advance... :-)

Private Declare Function FindWindow Lib "user32" Alias "FindWindowA" (ByVal lpClassName As String, ByVal lpWindowName As String) As Long
Private Declare Function SetWindowText Lib "user32" Alias "SetWindowTextA" (ByVal hwnd As Long, ByVal lpString As String) As Long

Private Sub Form_Load()
Dim H As Long
H = FindWindow(vbNullString, "Calculator")
If H > 0 Then
    SetWindowText H, "C-a-l-c-u-l-a-t-o-r"
Else
    MsgBox "Calculator not found"
End If

End Sub

[cyberd]

@chunk you didn't read after 1st post ? - i want to cycle all controls of form...
thanks anyway but i have already this answer..

[vb5prgrmr]

proper declaration would be say at form level

dim winhandle() as Long

and then keep the rest of your code as is

Good Luck

[cyberd]

hmm... seems ok.. i am continue the project... seems no error.. thanx again

[vb5prgrmr]

Not a problem

Good Luck

[cyberd]

caugh.. hmmm..
what about the menus of forms how i can enumerate them... ? is it possible ?

(the title and the buttons, and captions enumerated by the code i ve write - but menus... not...)

[vb5prgrmr]

Hmmm.... Not sure. Try to send via sendmessage "&File" to main app and see if the file menu drops (that is if it has a file menu item). I would think that during your enumeration you should recieve a handle to a window with no caption but its class should be something like ToolbarWindow32.

Just used SPY++ on IE and it reported that the captionless window (the menu bar) does have a child.

Good Luck

[chunk]

caugh.. hmmm..
what about the menus of forms how i can enumerate them... ? is it possible ?

(the title and the buttons, and captions enumerated by the code i ve write - but menus... not...)

i dont this this is possible. If this is possible then i would also like to learn it
because it will always show 32676 something like that on menus

[vb5prgrmr]

Okay, with a little research, I found some more API's for you...
SetForegroundWindow (not really needed but will allow you to see if the rest of the API's work)

In help look up GetSystemMenu
At the bottom look into the Menu Functions and the WM_SYSCOMMAND>Keyboard Accelerator Messages

Good Luck

[Zach_VB6]

Try this code to turn a string like "ABCD" into "A-B-C-D"

Public Function dashString(sInput As String) As String
Dim tempArray() As String, i As Integer
    ReDim tempArray(1 To Len(sInput))
    For i = 1 To Len(sInput)
        tempArray(i) = Mid$(sInput, i, 1)
    Next i
    dashString = Join(tempArray, "-")
End Function

[cyberd]

@Zach_VB6 please read the topic .. thanks again..

@vb5prgrmr ...can't get it.. can you give a simple example...

[vb5prgrmr]

Don't know if I have one... Will search systems... If anybody else perhaps has an example please post...

[cyberd]

did anyone found something... (?)...

[vb5prgrmr]

No not yet.. I have to work sometimes...

Perhaps, that you are now on a bit of a different subject, start a new thread with something like

How to enumerate seperate program's menu items

Or whatever

[cyberd]

ok thanks, you have right