Creating Controls

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Windows Mobile Not SupportedWindows Embedded CE Supported

8/28/2008

This section explains how to add window controls, common controls, and Windows Embedded CE–specific controls to windows and dialog boxes. It also explains how to handle control notification messages. The window controls that are discussed here include buttons, combo boxes, edit controls, list boxes, scroll bars, and static controls.

A control is a child window that an application uses in conjunction with another window to perform I/O tasks. Windows Embedded CE defines two basic kinds of controls: window controls and common controls. Window controls send WM_COMMAND messages. Common controls generally send WM_NOTIFY messages, although a few controls send WM_COMMAND messages.

Windows Embedded CE also supports two Windows Embedded CE–specific controls: an HTML viewer control and a Rich Ink control. These controls are neither window controls nor common controls. The HTML viewer control provides a simple interface for rendering HTML text, displaying embedded images, and notifying the application of user events. The Rich Ink control enables a user to write and draw on a touch-sensitive screen by using a pointing device.

Controls are placed most often within dialog boxes, but they also can be placed directly on the surface of the client area of a normal window. Each control has attributes that affect its appearance and behavior. When you create a control, you can apply one or more styles to the control. For a complete listing of supported Windows Embedded CE control styles, see Window and Control Styles.