Message Map for Navigation Controls

4/19/2010

Navigation controls communicate with the Windows Embedded CE operating system by sending messages. An OEM provides the driver that links each control with WM_KEYUP and WM_KEYDOWN messages individually or in a series. Each message has a virtual key message in its wParam parameter. The driver starts when the user presses a navigation control. The driver then sends the window messages to the device shell, which in turn shell passes the messages to the current application.

In the following message map table, the Action key and the Exit control do not send VK_RETURN and VK_EXIT messages until the user releases them. This makes the use of control combinations, or chording, easier. The direction keys each send a pair of WM_KEYDOWN and WM_KEYUP messages when held down. The driver continues sending these pairs for each auto-repeat, until the user releases the key. The messages for each operation on a control are sent in the order listed in table.

The "Done" key will do an "OK" action when there is an ok icon in the top-right corner and "close" action when the "x" icon is shown in the top right corner.

Whenever a window receives a VK_RETURN message that is generated by pressing the action key(VK_ACTION or VK_F23), the system will know that the action key is pressed down simultaneously. Therefore, an application programmer can distinguish a plain return key press from an action key press as outlined below.

case VK_RETURN:
   if (GetAsyncKeyState(VK_ACTION) < 0
   {
       // Action key was pressed, perform action key behavior
   }
   else
   {
       // Perform plain return key behavior
   }

The following message map table lists the control operations, with their respective messages and wParam values, for Windows Mobile Standard keys.

Note that beginning with Windows Mobile 6.5.3, soft keys are replaced by touchable tiles on Windows Mobile Professional phones. **

See Also

Concepts

Navigation Keys

Other Resources

Keys and Key Codes for Windows Mobile