Get Control From Handle

[jonfroehlich]

I have not yet determined a clean way to invoke code on the UI thread
without access to a Form/Control. The Process class has a property
called "MainWindowHandle," which returns the window handle of the main
window of the associated process. So, for example,
Process.GetCurrentProcess().MainWindowHandle would return a Handle
(HWND) to the main window. But how can we translate a window handle to
a Form?

In .NET 2.0, this is relatively easy, we can simply call
Control.FromHandle(IntPtr handle). Thus, receiving access to the main
window is simply:
(Form)Control.FromHandle(Process.GetCurrentProcess().MainWindowHandle)

Unfortunately, however, .NET CF 2.0 does not expose the
Control.FromHandle method. I have not found anyone on the web who has
solved this problem. Given the limitations of CF, one hacky way to do
this would be to expose a static property on the MainForm class which
would return a reference to itself.

I was wondering if anyone else has come up with a separate solution.
Basically, I need to marshal calls into my UI thread, but I don't want
to pass around a reference to a From/Control.

A few relevant links:

1. https://forums.microsoft.com/MSDN/ShowPost.aspx?
PostID=855352&SiteID=1
2. http://groups.google.com/group/microsoft.public.dotnet.general/
browse_frm/thread/c65f0b7d652c3c3d/a9c80f50dd05af20?
lnk=st&q=MainWindowHandle+Form&rnum=4#a9c80f50dd05af20
3.
http://groups.google.com/group/microsoft.public.dotnet.framework.compactframework/browse_frm/thread/d6509bd2852d8b20/3ee2c216071da85b?lnk=gst&q=FromHandle&rnum=1#3ee2c216071da85b

[Peter Foot [MVP]]

If you want to get your own main form, you are probably right, the best way
would be to have a static reference to your form somewhere in your app.

Peter

--
Peter Foot
Device Application Development MVP
www.peterfoot.net | www.inthehand.com

"jonfroehlich" <jonfro...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1170223710....@a34g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...

[Neil Cowburn]

You should take a look at using SHChangeNotifyRegister with
SHCNE_MEDIAINSERTED. If you're not comfortable with P/Invoke, drop me a
mail.

--
Neil Cowburn
Principal Partner
OpenNETCF Consulting, LLC.

http://www.opennetcf.com/

"Peter Foot [MVP]" <feed...@nospam-inthehand.com> wrote in message
news:62E68EA8-0429-43F8...@microsoft.com...

[jonfroehlich]

Neil,

I'm going to guess that your reply here is meant for a different
thread--it looks like you're answering a question about receiving a
notification when a device's storage card is inserted (I just wanted
to point that out to reduce confusion amongst those more uninformed
readers).

Peter, I was afraid you were going to say that. OK, I'll go ahead and
keep my current solution for now then.

On Jan 31, 4:11 am, "Neil Cowburn"

<neilc@[nospamthanks].opennetcf.com> wrote:
> You should take a look at using SHChangeNotifyRegister with
> SHCNE_MEDIAINSERTED. If you're not comfortable with P/Invoke, drop me a
> mail.
>
> --
> Neil Cowburn
> Principal Partner
> OpenNETCF Consulting, LLC.
>
> http://www.opennetcf.com/
>

> "Peter Foot [MVP]" <feedb...@nospam-inthehand.com> wrote in messagenews:62E68EA8-0429-43F8...@microsoft.com...

>
> > If you want to get your own main form, you are probably right, the best
> > way would be to have a static reference to your form somewhere in your
> > app.
>
> > Peter
>
> > --
> > Peter Foot
> > Device Application Development MVP
> >www.peterfoot.net|www.inthehand.com
>

> > "jonfroehlich" <jonfroehl...@gmail.com> wrote in message

> >news:1170223710....@a34g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
> >>I have not yet determined a clean way to invoke code on the UI thread
> >> without access to a Form/Control. The Process class has a property
> >> called "MainWindowHandle," which returns the window handle of the main
> >> window of the associated process. So, for example,
> >> Process.GetCurrentProcess().MainWindowHandle would return a Handle
> >> (HWND) to the main window. But how can we translate a window handle to
> >> a Form?
>
> >> In .NET 2.0, this is relatively easy, we can simply call
> >> Control.FromHandle(IntPtr handle). Thus, receiving access to the main
> >> window is simply:
> >> (Form)Control.FromHandle(Process.GetCurrentProcess().MainWindowHandle)
>
> >> Unfortunately, however, .NET CF 2.0 does not expose the
> >> Control.FromHandle method. I have not found anyone on the web who has
> >> solved this problem. Given the limitations of CF, one hacky way to do
> >> this would be to expose a static property on the MainForm class which
> >> would return a reference to itself.
>
> >> I was wondering if anyone else has come up with a separate solution.
> >> Basically, I need to marshal calls into my UI thread, but I don't want
> >> to pass around a reference to a From/Control.
>
> >> A few relevant links:
>
> >> 1.https://forums.microsoft.com/MSDN/ShowPost.aspx?
> >> PostID=855352&SiteID=1

> >> 2.http://groups.google.com/group/microsoft.public.dotnet.general/
> >> browse_frm/thread/c65f0b7d652c3c3d/a9c80f50dd05af20?
> >> lnk=st&q=MainWindowHandle+Form&rnum=4#a9c80f50dd05af20
> >> 3.
> >>http://groups.google.com/group/microsoft.public.dotnet.framework.comp...