HOWTO: Keep Word Print Dialog Box on Top Using APIs

ID: Q195404

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Visual FoxPro for Windows, versions 5.0a, 6.0

SUMMARY

This article shows how to display the Microsoft Word for Windows 97 print dialog box that always remains on top of all windows or applications without making Word visible.

MORE INFORMATION

One problem encountered when you open Word's print dialog box from Visual FoxPro using OLE automation and do not show Word or the document window is that the following message may appear:

This action cannot be completed because the other application is busy. Choose 'Switch To' to activate the busy application and correct the problem.

This usually occurs because Word's print dialog box appears behind the current window. To prevent this message, use the FindWindowA and SetWindowPos Application Program Interface (API) calls to make the print dialog box remain on top.

Sample Code


   ***** Begin code sample *****
   DECLARE LONG FindWindowA IN WIN32API ;
      STRING class, ;
      STRING title

   DECLARE SetWindowPos IN WIN32API ;
      LONG HWND, ;
      LONG hwndafter, ;
      LONG x, ;
      LONG y, ;
      LONG cx, ;
      LONG cy, ;
      LONG flags

   oWord = CREATEOBJECT("Word.Application" )
   oWord.Documents.Add
   * Check background printing.
   lBackground = oWord.Options.PrintBackground()
   IF lBackground
      oWord.Options.PrintBackground = .F.   && Turn off.
   ENDIF

   dlg = oWord.Dialogs(88)   && Open Print dialog box in Word.
   dlg.SHOW

   * Get the window handle to Word 97.
   wordhandle = 0
   DO WHILE wordhandle = 0
      * Pass the class name for Word 97 "OpusApp" to FindWindowA
      wordhandle = FindWindowA("OpusApp", NULL)
   ENDDO

   * Variables used in the SetWindowPos API.
   swp_nosize = 1
   swp_nomove = 2
   hwnd_topmost = -1
   hwnd_notopmost = -2

   * Call SetWindowPos to make the print dialog stay on top.
   lretval = 0
   lretval = SetWindowPos(wordhandle,hwnd_topmost,;
                0,0,0,0,swp_nosize+swp_nomove)

   * Turn on background printing if it was on before.
   IF lBackground
      oWord.Options.Printbackground = !oWord.Options.Printbackground
   ENDIF
   oWord.Quit
   RETURN
   ***** End code sample *****

NOTE: On some machines, Word displays briefly and disappears whenever the print dialog box closes.

REFERENCES

"PC Magazine's Visual Basic Programmer's Guide to the Windows API" by Daniel Appleman, pages 215 and 243, Ziff-Davis Press.

(c) Microsoft Corporation 1998. All Rights Reserved. Contributions by Dean Christopher, Microsoft Corporation.

Additional query words:

Keywords : kbole kbAPI kbVFp500 kbVFp600
Version : WINDOWS:5.0a,6.0
Platform : WINDOWS
Issue type : kbhowto