A windows control is a predefined child window that enables a user to make selections, carry out commands, and perform input and output tasks. When Windows creates controls for a dialog box, each control is the child of the dialog box. When an application creates a control, the control is the child of a window identified by the application. A control sends messages, called notification messages, to its parent window when the control is manipulated by the user. The application relies on these notification messages to determine what action the user wants the application to take.
Controls are most often used within dialog boxes, but they can also be used in other windows. Controls within dialog boxes provide the user with the means to type text, select options, and direct a dialog box to complete its action. Controls in other windows provide a variety of services, such as letting the user choose commands, scroll down the screen, and view and edit text.
Windows CE supports the following windows controls:
Check Boxes
Combo Boxes
Edit Controls
Group Boxes
List Boxes
Push Buttons
Radio Buttons
Scroll Bars
Static Controls
You can create windows controls individually by specifying the name of the window class when calling the CreateWindowEx function.
Because controls are windows, you can manipulate them by using the window-management functions, such as ShowWindow and EnableWindow. If the window class for a control supports control messages, you can also manipulate a control of that class by using the SendMessage function to send these messages to the control.
For guidelines on using controls in user interface design, see Designing the User Interface for Windows CE.