Advertisement

07.21.2008 at 10:38PM PDT, ID: 23584221
[x]
Attachment Details
[x]
The Solution Rating System

With so many solutions, how can you tell which solutions are most likely to help you and which ones are not? To provide you with a tool to use, we rate our solutions based on various elements that most accurately determine if a solution is a quality solution. To explain what factors affect the solution rating, here are the elements we take into consideration when formulating our solution rating.

  • The Grade of the Solution
  • The Zone Rank of the Expert Providing the Solution
  • The Number of Author and Expert Comments
  • The Number of Experts Contributing
  • The Feedback of the Community

Your Input Matters
Because of the way the system is set up, the most important variable in this equation is you. As a member of Experts Exchange, you are able to cast your vote on the quality of the solutions in regard to how complete, accurate, helpful and easy to understand each solution is. When you provide your feedback, each rating is adjusted accordingly. So, if you see a solution that has a poor rating that you think is a good solution, let us know by rating it. As you do, the rating will be adjusted and will become more accurate for other members of our site.

If you have any suggestions that you would like to make for our rating system, please ask a question in the Suggestions Zone of Community Support.

Thank you!

8.6

Detect Windows Desktop Switch

Asked by think-cell in Windows Programming, C++ Programming Language, DirectX Graphics & Game Programming

Tags: ,

In a user-mode C++ program (not a driver) in Windows 2000 or later with regular user privileges, I would like to get an event when the user leaves the Ctrl-Alt-Del (a.k.a. Winlogon) screen and switches back to the regular desktop.

The background is that DirectDraw initialization does not see hardware devices when on the Winlogon desktop, so I want to delay it until the user switches back.

I am currently polling, which is not satisfactory. I attached the code snippet that I am using to test whether I am on the right desktop.Start Free Trial
1:
2:
3:
4:
5:
6:
7:
8:
9:
10:
11:
12:
13:
14:
15:
16:
17:
18:
19:
20:
21:
22:
23:
24:
25:
static bool OnDefaultDesktop() {
	// UOI_IO checks whether given desktop is currently receiving input, but it's >=Vista.
	// So we check whether thread desktop and input desktop have the same name.
 
    HDESK hdeskInput=OpenInputDesktop(0, FALSE, 0); // does not set GetLastError(), so GetLastError() is arbitrary if NULL is returned
	if( hdeskInput==NULL ) {
		TRACE( "hdeskInput==NULL" );
		return false;
	}
 
	DWORD nLengthNeeded;
	TCHAR szInputDesktop[16];
	APIERR( GetUserObjectInformation( hdeskInput, UOI_NAME, &szInputDesktop, sizeof(szInputDesktop), &nLengthNeeded ) && nLengthNeeded<=sizeof(szInputDesktop) );
 
	APIERR( CloseDesktop( hdeskInput ) );
 
	HDESK hdeskThread=GetThreadDesktop( GetCurrentThreadId() ); // MSDN says no need to close this handle
	APIERR( hdeskThread );
 
	TCHAR szThreadDesktop[16];
	APIERR( GetUserObjectInformation( hdeskThread, UOI_NAME, &szThreadDesktop, sizeof(szThreadDesktop), &nLengthNeeded ) && nLengthNeeded<=sizeof(szThreadDesktop) );
	_ASSERTNOTIFY( _tcsicmp( szThreadDesktop, _T("DEFAULT") )==0 ); // I think it is always named "DEFAULT"
 
	return _tcsicmp( szThreadDesktop, szInputDesktop )==0;
}
[+][-]07.22.2008 at 03:17PM PDT, ID: 22064228

At Experts Exchange, members can ask their questions to thousands of technology professionals, also known as Experts. Experts compete and collaborate to answer those questions by leaving comments like this one.

Start your 7-day free trial to view this Expert Comment or ask the Experts your question.

 
[+][-]07.23.2008 at 03:15AM PDT, ID: 22067574

View this solution now by starting your 7-day free trial. Setting up your free trial is quick, easy, and secure. We will return you to this solution, unlocked, when you're done.

 

About this solution

Zones: Windows Programming, C++ Programming Language, DirectX Graphics & Game Programming
Tags: C++, Win32
Sign Up Now!
Solution Provided By: Zoppo
Participating Experts: 2
Solution Grade: A
 
 
 
Loading Advertisement...
20080716-EE-VQP-32 / EE_QW_2_20070628