InputResizer: edit EA/Indicator settings comfortably

Quoting bandung

Disliked

MaryJane thank you the pm.

by looking at your code on Input Resizer and googling about Menu's API, I try my luck
hope you can refine and improve the code, only when you're not busy .

here it is the script's code
[php]
//+------------------------------------------------------------------+
//| #test-create-label-using-api.mq4 |
//+------------------------------------------------------------------+
#property copyright ""
#property link ""

#import "user32.dll"
//int GetForegroundWindow();
int...

Ignored

Quoting CockeyedCowboy

Disliked

why are you doing so much work, if you use the MT getwindowhandle() function, you have the handle to the chart window, all you need next is to call the GetParent() function to get the main MT window handle.

When you send key or mouse events you must make sure that the window that you intend to receive the input has the focus or you'll be sending key events to an unintended window. Not only does MT have to have focus but the chart that you want to attach your label to also has the focus and you must move your mouse over to the chart window to...

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#include <WinUser32.mqh>

#import "user32.dll"
   int  GetParent(int hWnd);
   int  GetForegroundWindow();
#import
...
if(IsActiveChart)
   {yes now we can read input}
...
//+------------------------------------------------------------------+
bool IsActiveChart()
   //+---------------------------------------------------------------+
   {
   int hWnd       = WindowHandle(Symbol(), Period());
   int ChartMDI   = GetParent(hWnd);
   int MDIParent  = GetParent(ChartMDI);
   int ActiveMDI  = SendMessageA(MDIParent, WM_MDIGETACTIVE, 0, 0);

   if (ActiveMDI == ChartMDI && GetParent(MDIParent) == GetForegroundWindow()) return(true);
   return(false);
   }

...
...

Quoting MaryJane

Disliked

hi, i have a "do-anything" EA on every chart and as i sometimes need to control them via keyboard using GetAsyncKeyState(), i have to determine whether the particular chart window is active or not.

the EAs are looped with a 150ms/300ms sleep interval depending whether the chart is active or not, i call the function below in every pass:

[code]
#include <WinUser32.mqh>

#import "user32.dll"
int GetParent(int hWnd);
int GetForegroundWindow();
#import
...
if(IsActiveChart)
{yes now we can read input}
...
//+------------------------------------------------------------------+
bool...

Ignored

#import "user32.dll"
   int GetDC(int hwnd);
   int ReleaseDC(int hwnd,int hdc);
 
#import "gdi32.dll"
   color GetPixel(int hdc,int x,int y);
#import

//--get window background color
color getChartBg(int hwnd)
{
   
   int   hdc = GetDC(hwnd);
   
   color cbg  = GetPixel(hdc,1,2);
   
   ReleaseDC(hwnd,hdc);   
   
   return(cbg);  
} 

Quoting bandung

Disliked

hi mj... thanks for the tips.
i remember when i'm trying to make an indicator that only run its routine only when the chart is visible,
my first work around is by detecting window visibility using GetWindowVisible(..), but somehow i cant make it work.
but fortunately there is another way to get window visibility status, by detecting its background color.

when window is not visible, this function simply returned -1.
[php]#import "user32.dll"
int GetDC(int hwnd);
int ReleaseDC(int hwnd,int hdc);

#import "gdi32.dll"
color GetPixel(int...

Ignored

Quoting bandung

Disliked

lol Keit, you're right... that is my first try before i dig a little deeper about mt windows structure.

what i do now is :

1. hwnd1 >> get chart view window handle using WindowHandle(Symbol(), Period())
2. hwnd2 >> GetParent(hwnd1) >> chart window handle (mdi client)
3. hwnd3 >> GetParent(hwnd2) >> mdi window handle
4. hwnd4 >> GetParent(hwnd3) >> mt4 main window handle

and yes that sendkey event is tricky

Ignored

Quoting MaryJane

Disliked

hi :-) apparently the IsWindowVisible() api doesn't check the "surface visibility" of a window but only checks the window style for the WS_VISIBLE flag - that is set all the time even if that particular window is overlapped with another window or even minimized. your pixel cheat is perfect i suppose a cleaner way to do it would be using some of the clipping api calls, there must be a simple way to reveal the current viewable rectangular area of...

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''some api declare and constant here
'................
'................

Sub Main


    'Set hMT4Inst.ChartView window style
    SetParentStyle hMT4Inst.ChartView
        
    Set FMain = New Form1
    SetChildStyle FMain.hWnd
    SetParent FMain.hwnd, hMT4Inst.ChartView
    
    ShowWindow FMain.hwnd, SW_NORMAL Or SW_SHOWNOACTIVATE
       
    'StartTimer
End Sub

Private Sub SetParentStyle(ByVal hwnd As Long)
    Dim lStyle As Long
    
    lStyle = GetWindowLong(hwnd, GWL_STYLE)
    lStyle& = lStyle& Or WS_CLIPCHILDREN
    lStyle& = lStyle& Or WS_GROUP
    lStyle& = lStyle& Or WS_MINIMIZEBOX
    
    SetWindowLong hwnd, GWL_STYLE, lStyle
End Sub

Private Sub SetChildStyle(ByVal hwnd As Long)
    Dim lStyle As Long
    
    lStyle = GetWindowLong(hwnd, GWL_STYLE)
    lStyle& = lStyle& Or WS_CHILD
    
    SetWindowLong hwnd, GWL_STYLE, lStyle
    
End Sub

Quoting Jeff Crystal

Disliked

I have been trying to place chrome in the Mdi window .....IBFX did it ( use them for trading) .... Anyway I am stumped. I can Talk to chrome sort of using ShellExecuteA(0,"open","http://www.cnn.com", 0,0,1); but I can not make MT4 the Parent of Chrome.

Ignored

Quoting Erebus

Disliked

There is now a free utility called Resize Enable that does the same thing, works in the background and all programs not just MT4

Ignored

Quoting CapeCoddah

Disliked

...the button text at the bottom are not positioned properly with lengthy input, multiple pages. The positioning of the text is not over the button input so the form cannot recognize any button input. If you are supporting it, let me know and I will get a screen shot for illustration.

Ignored

Quoting CapeCoddah

Disliked

Also it would be awesome to add drag and drop capabilities to the Resizer so a user could drag from a label and drop it onto a chart for changing the symbol pair. I have tested this using Terminal and found a drag and drop initiated on one instance of Terminal can be dragged across to a second running instance of Terminal and dropped that the chart pair will change.

Ignored

Quoting MaryJane

Disliked

Hi everybody I'm starting this thread for a small utility I made upon request in this thread to be able to post fixes/updates in one place, if anybody finds it useful. InputResizer is a workaround for one of many MT4 annoyances. Today's EAs are overloaded with settings. Blessing 3 has 118 lines of input, The Beast has 155. Some more advanced pivot indicators have dozens of them. Yet all our beloved MT4 offers is a tiny, non-resizable dialog box with a 8.5 line peephole. Majority of...

Ignored

Quoting hanover

Disliked

{quote} MaryJane, Very nice! Many thanks. The only problem I've found so far is that if you subsequently try to edit an indicator's parameters, it (at least the EA version) locks up MT4. David {image}

Ignored

Quoting yicktan

Disliked

{quote} This problem still exist. The EA version lock up my MT4.

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