Re: Hiding all open forms

See my original posting: Application.OpenForms doesn't return any forms where ShowInTaskbar = false  -- this is actually my main problem

I don't have many (if any) standard MessageBox's in the application (since I've replaced them with my own lookalike) but it'd be nice to cope with standard MessageBoxes if I can.  Which I would be able to if there were a way to enumerate all form window handles on a particular thread (not sure if this is possible, hence my original posting!)

Best wishes
James

-----Original Message-----
From: Discussion forum for developers using Windows Forms to build apps and controls [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Mike Andrews
Sent: 27 November 2007 16:27
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [DOTNET-WINFORMS] Hiding all open forms

Why is not Application.OpenForms reliable?
Oh, you're also talking about standard MessageBoxes then as well?

On Nov 27, 2007 10:24 AM, James Berry <[email protected]> wrote:

> Most do (all could if I had to).  But some forms have owned windows for
> pop-ups, and there are standard messagebox's to think about...
>
> But surely I can send messages to it knowing the handle anyway using Win32
> SendMessage on the right thread through SynchronixationContext .  So if I
> could reliably find all open windows (and OpenForms isn't reliable in this
> regard), then I can send messages to move/resize forms.
>
> Best wishes
> James
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Discussion forum for developers using Windows Forms to build apps
> and controls [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of
> Mike Andrews
>  Sent: 27 November 2007 16:09
> To: [email protected]
> Subject: Re: [DOTNET-WINFORMS] Hiding all open forms
>
> The reason I ask about the base dialog, is that I do have a solution for
> you.
> If there is a base dialog form, you can override the WndProc and use the
> Control.ReflectMessage method in the alternate thread to send a custom
> message to the dialog form.
> You will have to use the SetBounds method of the form to move it off the
> screen, but that's easily overcome.
> I have a sample that I can send to you if you want.
>
> Thanks,
> Mike
>
> On Nov 27, 2007 9:05 AM, James Berry <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > The majority of the forms are non-modal.  But a modal dialog may well be
> > present.  And of course there are the usual number of owned forms etc.
> >
> > As you say, there is no centralized tracking of forms currently.
> >
> > The "locking" code actually runs on a different thread, and uses a
> > synchronizationcontext to make sure the changes to the forms happen on
> the
> > right thread. That's fine; it's reliable identification of the forms and
> > then what to do with them that is the issue ;-)
> >
> > Best wishes
> > James
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Discussion forum for developers using Windows Forms to build apps
> > and controls [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of
> > Mike Andrews
> >  Sent: 27 November 2007 14:59
> > To: [email protected]
> > Subject: Re: [DOTNET-WINFORMS] Hiding all open forms
> >
> > Are these non-modal dialogs?
> > I'm also assuming there's no central place where all forms are tracked?
> > On Nov 27, 2007 8:56 AM, James Berry <[email protected]> wrote:
> >
> > > I actually need to hide all the forms that are currently active; show
> an
> > > application security window, and once the criteria in that window have
> > been
> > > met I re-show the old forms again to continue where they left off.
> > >
> > > The issue with dialog boxes is that if I can identify that they're
> there
> > > (either with OpenForms or some other way), if I change their
> visibility
> > to
> > > false, or send a window hide message to the form, then what actually
> > happens
> > > is that DialogResult gets set to Cancel, and the value is returned to
> > the
> > > calling function.  Which I need to avoid if I am going to put things
> > back
> > > the way they where, which is why I wondered if there was a more
> > imaginative
> > > solution than moving the windows off screen, or resizing them, or
> both.
> > >
> > > Best wishes
> > > James
> > >
> > >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: Discussion forum for developers using Windows Forms to build
> apps
> > > and controls [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of
> > > Mike Andrews
> > > Sent: 27 November 2007 14:52
> > > To: [email protected]
> > > Subject: Re: [DOTNET-WINFORMS] Hiding all open forms
> > >
> > > Is the specific requirement that they all hide/show at once?
> > > Or is it that when the "close" they don't really close you just hide
> > them
> > > for later use?
> > >
> > > Thanks,
> > > Mike
> > >
> > > On Nov 27, 2007 8:47 AM, James Berry <[email protected]> wrote:
> > >
> > > > I need to hide all open forms in my application (and be able to
> bring
> > > them
> > > > back later).  This is a security function for which there is an
> > external
> > > > requirement, and I can do nothing to manage.
> > > >
> > > > My first test was to use the Application.OpenForms to discover all
> > open
> > > > forms and then hide them.  This gives two sets of problems:
> > > >
> > > > 1. OpenForms does not include forms where ShowInTaskBar = false
> > > > 2. Hiding open dialog boxes causes them to close (returning
> > > DialogResult).
> > > >
> > > > So, any pointers?
> > > >
> > > > 1. Is there a way to identify all open forms without OpenForms
> (Win32
> > > > functions to find the handles would be enough probably, as I can
> > always
> > > send
> > > > messages rather than using the dotnet functions)
> > > > 2. Is there a good alternative to hiding?  I thought of resizing to
> > 0,0
> > > -
> > > > or moving massively off screen (eg to 10000, 10000)
> > > >
> > > > Best wishes
> > > > James
> > > >
> > >
> >
>