Snippet Library

There are times when you might need to know if a window is a DOS window and all you have is the window handle. To find out if a window is a DOS window you only need to do the following two things: Get the task handle for your window handle with the "GetWindowTask" API call. Test this "IsWinOldApTask" API call for true. The following declare statement outlines the IsDOSWindow API call: Declare Function IsWinOldApTask% Lib "kernel" Alias "#158" (ByVal hTask%) In the "kernel" (ex: KRNL386.EXE) file, the exported function, "158", points to this routine. Although undocumented, this API call was supported internally in Windows 3.0 and continues to thrive in the 3.1 and 3.11 versions. It probably won't be around for future Windows versions as DOS seems to be on the way out.

'Declare

Declare Function IsWinOldApTask% Lib "kernel" Alias "#158" (ByVal hTask%)

Declare Function GetWindowTask% Lib "user" (ByVal hWnd%)

Declare Function FindWindow% Lib "user" (ByVal ClassName$, ByVal lpWindowName As Any)

 

Function IsDOSWindow (iHandle As Integer) As Long

     IsDOSWindow = IsWinOldApTask(GetWindowTask(iHandle))

End Function

'Example

Dim iInstance As Integer
Dim iFoundWindow As Integer

    'launch a DOS window

    iInstance = Shell("COMMAND.COM", 1)

    'Get the window handle

    iFoundWindow = FindWindow("tty", 0&)

    If IsDOSWindow(iFoundWindow) = True Then

         MsgBox "YES, it IS a DOS window"

    End If

none;