M
- mailslot
- A pseudofile used for one-way interprocess communications.
- mailslot client
- A process that writes a message to a mailslot.
- mailslot server
- A process that creates and owns a mailslot and can read messages from it. See also process.
- main window
- The window that serves as the primary interface between the user and an application.
- manual-reset event object
- See event object.
- mapping
- A representation of the elements (or points) from a source coordinate space on a target coordinate space.
- mapping mode
- Specifies the size of the units used for any drawing operations associated with a particular device context.
- matrix
- An n-dimensional array that is used to specify a transformation. Transformations in a two-dimensional space require either a two-dimensional or a three-dimensional array.
- maximize button
- A window component that, when clicked, causes the system to enlarge the window to the size of the screen.
- maximized window
- A window that has the WS_MAXIMIZE style. A maximized top level window fills the screen; a maximized child window fills the client area of its parent window.
- maximum tracking size
- The largest window size the user can produce by dragging the sizing border.
- MDI client window
- See multiple document interface client window.
- MDI frame window
- See multiple document interface frame window.
- memory device context (DC)
- See compatible device context (DC).
- menu
- A list of items that represent an application's commands. A menu item can be either a string or a bitmap. See also bitmap, menu item.
- menu bar
- The topmost menu in a hierarchy of menus. A menu bar typically contains one or more menu items that the user can select to display pop-up menus. See also menu, menu item, pop-up menu.
- menu handle
- A unique value of the type HMENU used to identify a menu. See also menu.
- menu item
- A string or bitmap displayed in a menu. Choosing a menu item either sends a command message or activates a pop-up menu. See also bitmap, pop-up menu.
- message
- A data packet used for communicating information or a request. Messages can be passed between the operating system and an application, different applications, threads within an application, and windows within an application. See also thread, window.
- message loop
- A program loop that retrieves messages from a thread's message queue and dispatches them to the appropriate window procedures. See also message queue.
- message parameters
- A pair of values that contains information a window procedure uses while processing a message.
- message queue
- An operating system-defined memory object that holds an ordered list of messages awaiting processing. The system message queue holds mouse and keyboard input waiting to be passed to a thread's message queue. A thread's message queue holds messages waiting to be retrieved by a thread's message loop. See also message loop.
- message-type pipe
- A named pipe where data is written as a stream of messages. See also named pipe.
- metafile
- An array of variable-length structures (called metafile records) that store a picture in a device-independent format. A metafile is played when its records are converted to device commands and processed by the appropriate device. (There are two metafile formats: the enhanced format and the Windows format.)
- metafile bits
- The binary representation of a metafile. The bits include the header, an optional palette, an optional text description of the metafile contents, and the metafile records. See also metafile record, palette.
- metafile device context (DC)
- A device context that is used for metafile operations. See also device context.
- metafile handle table
- An array of handles that identify pens, brushes, fonts, and other objects used to create the picture stored in the metafile. See also brush, font, handle, metafile, pen.
- metafile header
- A structure that specifies the size of the picture stored in the metafile, the size of the metafile (in bytes), the number of entries in the metafile palette, the number of records in the metafile, a pointer to the metafile description (if one exists), and a pointer to the metafile palette (if one exists). See also metafile, metafile palette, palette.
- metafile palette
- An array of red, green, blue (RGB) values that represent the colors used to create the picture stored in a metafile. See also metafile.
- metafile record
- A variable-length structure that contains information such as resolution of the device on which the picture was created, the dimension of the picture, and the GDI functions required to create the picture. See also metafile.
- minimize button
- A window component that, when clicked, causes the system to reduce the window to the size of an icon.
- minimized window
- A window that has the WS_MINIMIZE style. A minimized window is the same size as an icon. The system displays a minimized top-level window at the bottom of the screen; the system displays a minimized child window at the bottom of its parent window's client area.
- minimum tracking size
- The smallest window size the user can produce by dragging the window's sizing border.
- module-definition file
- A text file (.DEF) that contains one or more statements describing various attributes of an executable module. See also dynamic-link library (DLL).
- mount
- To install a volume onto a computer. The operating system performs this installation when the system starts. Microsoft® Windows® 2000, Microsoft® Windows NT®, Windows 95/98, and Microsoft® MS-DOS® mount volumes to drive letters at startup. In addition, with Windows 2000 you can mount one volume to another volume. For more information, see Volume Mount Points and Mounting Volumes.
- mount point
- A directory on one volume that an application can use to mount a different volume, that is to set it up for use at the location a user specifies. In other words, you can use a mount point as a gateway to the volume. When a volume is mounted at a mount point, users and applications can refer to the mounted volume by the path of the mount point or a drive letter. For example, with a mount point set the user might refer to drive D as "C:\mnt\Ddrive" as well as "D:". Mount points are implemented with reparse points. For more information, see Volume Mount Points and Mounting Volumes.
- mouse capture
- The act of channeling mouse input to a specific window without regard to the position of the mouse-cursor hot spot. See also hot spot, window.
- MS-DOS date
- A date in the format used by MS-DOS. The date is a packed 16-bit value in which bits in the value represent the day, month, and year.
- MS-DOS time
- A time in the format used by MS-DOS. The time is a packed 16-bit value in which bits in the value represent the hour, minute, and second.
- multibyte character set
- A character set in which each character is identified by using more than one byte--for example, a double-byte character set (DBCS). Although Unicode characters are 2 bytes wide, the Unicode character set is not referred to by this term. See also double-byte character set (DBCS), single-byte character set, Unicode.
- multiple document interface (MDI) client window
- A window that belongs to the MDICLIENT window class. An MDI client window serves as the background for MDI child windows, and it provides support for creating and manipulating child windows. See also window.
- multiple document interface (MDI) frame window
- The main window of a multiple document interface (MDI) application. See also window.
- multiple-selection list box
- A list box in which more than one item can be selected at the same time.
- mutex object
- An interprocess synchronization object whose state is set to signaled when it is not owned by any thread, and nonsignaled when it is owned. Only one thread at a time can own a mutex. See also nonsignaled, signaled, synchronization object.