• Home
 · 
• Windows API Call/Explanation
 · 
• Get a hWnd's Icon Handle

Get a hWnd's Icon Handle

This basicly tries to find the small icon for a window (the icon on the top left). Note: it returns the HANDLE to the icon, good for using in API calls. Also, I have looked around and there is NOTHING about this posted anywhere. That is why I'm posting it. (this is part of my current app...)

Inputs
hWnd - the Handle of the Window to check (ie form1.hwnd)

Assumes
Place code in a module file (and name it something like wIcon)

Returns
Returns Handle to the icon of the hWnd being checked.

API Declarations
Private Declare Function GetWindowLong Lib "user32" Alias "GetWindowLongA" (ByVal hWnd As Long, ByVal nIndex As Long) As Long
Private Declare Function SendMessage Lib "user32" Alias "SendMessageA" (ByVal hWnd As Long, ByVal wMsg As Long, ByVal wParam As Long, lParam As Long) As Long
Private Declare Function GetClassLong Lib "user32" Alias "GetClassLongA" (ByVal hWnd As Long, ByVal nIndex As Long) As Long
Private Declare Function GetClassName Lib "user32" Alias "GetClassNameA" (ByVal hWnd As Long, ByVal lpClassName As String, ByVal nMaxCount As Long) As Long
Private Declare Function GetClassInfo Lib "user32" Alias "GetClassInfoA" (ByVal hInstance As Long, ByVal lpClassName As String, lpWndClass As WNDCLASS) As Long
Private Declare Function GetClassInfoEx Lib "user32" Alias "GetClassInfoExA" (ByVal hInstance As Long, ByVal lpClassName As String, lpWndClass As WNDCLASSEX) As Long
Private Type WNDCLASSEX ' Same as WNDCLASS but has a few advanced values
cbSize As Long
style As Long
lpfnwndproc As Long
cbClsextra As Long
cbWndExtra As Long
hInstance As Long
hIcon As Long ' Handle to large icon (Alt-Tab icon)
hCursor As Long
hbrBackground As Long
lpszMenuName As String
lpszClassName As String
hIconSm As Long ' Handle to Small icon (Top Left Icon/Taskbar Icon)
End Type
Private Type WNDCLASS
style As Long
lpfnwndproc As Long
cbClsextra As Long
cbWndExtra2 As Long
hInstance As Long
hIcon As Long ' Handle to icon (only 1 size)
hCursor As Long
hbrBackground As Long
lpszMenuName As String
lpszClassName As String
End Type
Private Const GWL_HINSTANCE = -6 ' For GetWindowLong(..)
Private Const GCL_HICON = -14 ' For GetClassLong(..)
Private Const WM_GETICON = &H7F


Rate Get a hWnd's Icon Handle

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5

(3(3 Vote))

Public Function GetIconHandle(hWnd As Long) As Long
' OK, This function is confusing
' Many windows have different ways of handling Icons.
'---------------------------
'1. All VB apps use SendMessage(..WM_GETICON..) to get the Icon (not only VB apps)
'2. Other Programs like GetClassInfoEx(..)      (most non-SendMessage Apps)
'3. Others Like GetClassInfo(..)        (Very Rare)
'4. And the rest like GetClassLong(GCL_HICON)     (The rest.)
'----------------------------
' Any program that doesn't work with these 4 methods have issues.
'
' All apps I have tried work fine with these 4 methods.. one or the other.
'
 
'*************************************
'Method: SendMessage (Small Icon)
'*************************************
 Dim hIcon As Long
 frmMain.Text1.Text = ""
 ' First, Try for the small icon. This would be nice.
 hIcon = SendMessage(hWnd, WM_GETICON, CLng(0), CLng(0))
 
 If hIcon > 0 Then GetIconHandle = hIcon: Exit Function ' found it
 ' Nope, keep trying
 
 
'*************************************
'Method: SendMessage (Large Icon)
'*************************************
 ' Hmm.. No small Icon, Try LARGE icon.
 hIcon = SendMessage(hWnd, WM_GETICON, CLng(1), CLng(0))
 
 If hIcon > 0 Then GetIconHandle = hIcon: Exit Function ' found it
 ' Nope, keep trying
 
 
'*************************************
'Method: GetClassInfoEx (Small or Large with Small Pref.)
'*************************************
 
 Dim ClassName As String
 Dim WCX As WNDCLASSEX
 Dim hInstance As Long
 
 ' First, get the Instance of the Class via GetWindowLong
 hInstance = GetWindowLong(hWnd, GWL_HINSTANCE)
 
 ' Now set the Size Value of WndClassEx
 WCX.cbSize = Len(WCX)
 
 ' Set The ClassName variable to 255 spaces (max len of the class name)
 ClassName = Space(255)
 
 Dim X As Long ' temp variable
 ' Get the Classname of hWnd and put into ClassName (max 255 chars)
 X = GetClassName(hWnd, ClassName, 255)
 
 ' Now Trim the Classname and add a NullChar to the end (reqd. for GetClassInfoEx)
 ClassName = Left$(ClassName, X) & vbNullChar
 
 ' Now, if GetClassInfoEx(..) Returns 0, their was an error. >0 = No probs
 X = GetClassInfoEx(hInstance, ClassName, WCX)
 If X > 0 Then
  ' Returned True
  ' So we should now have both WCX.hIcon and WCX.hIconSm
  If WCX.hIconSm = 0 Then 'No small icon
   hIcon = WCX.hIcon ' No small icon.. Windows should have given default.. weird
  Else
   hIcon = WCX.hIconSm ' Small Icon is better
  End If
  GetIconHandle = hIcon ' found it =]
  Exit Function
  
 End If
 
 
'*************************************
'Method: GetClassInfo (Large Icon)
'*************************************
  
  ' Hmm.. ClassInfoEX failed, Try ClassInfo
  Dim WC As WNDCLASS
  X = GetClassInfo(hInstance, ClassName, WC)
  If X > 0 Then
   ' Woohoo.. dunno why but it liked that
   hIcon = WC.hIcon
   GetIconHandle = hIcon: Exit Function ' Found it
  End If
  
  
'*************************************
'Method: GetClassLong (Large Icon)
'*************************************
   ' Hmm.. One more try
   X = GetClassLong(hWnd, GCL_HICON)
   If X > 0 Then
    ' Yay, about time.. annoying windows.. Example: NOTEPAD
    hIcon = X
   Else
    ' This is most prob a Icon-less window.
     hIcon = 0
   End If
If hIcon < 0 Then hIcon = 0  ' Handles must be > 0
GetIconHandle = hIcon
End Function