AFX Messages
The latest version of this topic can be found at AFX Messages.
These messages are used in MFC.
Messages
The following table lists messages that are used in the MFC library:
| Message | Description | [in] wParam |
lParam (All parameters are [in] unless otherwise stated.) |
Return Value |
| AFX_WM_ACCGETOBJECT | Not used. | Not used. | Not applicable. | Not applicable. |
| AFX_WM_ACCGETSTATE | Used for accessibility support. Send this message to CMFCPopupMenu or CMFCRibbonPanelMenu to retrieve the state of the current element. |
Index of element, which could be a menu button or separator. | Not used. | The element’s state. It is -1 if the index is invalid, 0 if the menu button has no special attributes. Otherwise it is a combination of the following flags: TBBS_DISABLED –item is disabled TBBS_CHECKED – item is checked TBBS_BUTTON – the item is a standard pushbutton TBBS_PRESSED –button is pressed TBBS_INDETERMINATE – undefined state TBBS_SEPARATOR - rather than a menu button, this element forms a separation between other menu items |
| AFX_WM_CHANGE_ACTIVE_TAB | The framework sends this message to the resizable control bar control. Process this message to receive notifications from CMFCTabCtrl objects when a user changes an active tab. |
The index of a tab. | Not used. | Nonzero. |
| AFX_WM_CHANGE_CURRENT_FOLDER | The framework sends this message to the parent of CMFCShellListCtrl when the user has changed the current folder. |
Not used. | Not used. | Not used. |
| AFX_WM_CHANGEVISUALMANAGER | The framework sends this message to all frame windows when the user changes the current Visual Manager. In response to this message, a frame window recalculates its region and adjusts other parameters as needed. You can process the AFX_WM_CHANGEVISUALMANAGER message in your application if you need to be notified about this event. You must call the base class handler ( OnChangeVisualManager) to ensure that the framework's internal processing of this event takes place. |
Not used. | Not used. | Not used. |
| AFX_WM_CHANGING_ACTIVE_TAB | Sent to the parent of CMFCTabCtrl object. Process this message if you want to receive notifications from CMFCTabCtrl objects when a user resets a tab. |
The index of the tab that is being activated. | Not used. | Nonzero. |
| AFX_WM_CHECKEMPTYMINIFRAME | For internal use only. | Not applicable. | Not applicable. | Not applicable. |
| AFX_WM_CREATETOOLBAR | Sent from CMFCToolBarsListPropertyPage when a user creates a new toolbar during customization process. You can process this message to instantiate a custom CMFCToolBar-derived object. If you handle this message and create your own toolbar, omit the call to the default handler. |
Not used. | A pointer to a string that contains the name of the toolbar. | A pointer to the newly created toolbar. NULL indicates that the toolbar creation was canceled. |
| AFX_WM_CUSTOMIZEHELP | Sent to the main frame window from the customization property sheet CMFCToolbarCustomize``Dialog when the user presses the Help button or the F1 key. |
Specifies the active page of the customization property sheet. | A pointer to a CMFCToolbarCustomize``Dialog object. |
Zero. |
| AFX_WM_CUSTOMIZETOOLBAR | The CMFCToolbarCustomize``Dialog sends this message to notify the parent frame that the user is creating a new toolbar. |
TRUE when customization is started, FALSE when customization is finished. |
Not used. | Zero. |
| AFX_WM_DELETETOOLBAR | Sent to the main frame window when the user is about to delete a toolbar in the customization mode. Process this message to take additional actions when a user deletes a toolbar in customization mode. You should also call the default handler ( OnToolbarDelete), which deletes the toolbar. The default handler returns a value that indicates whether it is possible to delete the toolbar. |
Not used. | Pointer to a CMFCToolBar object to be deleted. |
Nonzero if a toolbar cannot be deleted; otherwise 0. |
| AFX_WM_GETDOCUMENTCOLORS | CMFCColorMenuButton sends this message to the main frame window to retrieve the document colors. |
Not used. | [in, out] Pointer to a CList<COLORREF, COLORREF> object. |
Zero. |
| AFX_WM_GETDRAGBOUNDS | For internal use only. | Not applicable. | Not applicable. | Not applicable. |
| AFX_WM_HIGHLIGHT_RIBBON_LIST_ITEM | Sent to the main frame window when a user highlights a ribbon list item. | Index of the highlighted item | A pointer to CMFCBaseRibbonElement |
Not used. |
| AFX_WM_ON_AFTER_SHELL_COMMAND | Sent to a parent of CMFCShellListCtrl or CMFCShellTreeCtrl controls when a user finishes executing a shell command. |
The ID of the command that the user executed | Not used. | If the application processes this message, it should return zero. |
| AFX_WM_ON_BEFORE_SHOW_RIBBON_ITEM_MENU | The framework sends this message to the ribbon's parent before it displays the pop-up menu. You can process this message and modify pop-up menus at any time. | Not used. | A pointer to CMFCBaseRibbonElement |
Not used. |
| AFX_WM_ON_CANCELTABMOVE | For internal use only. | Not applicable. | Not applicable. | |
| AFX_WM_ON_CHANGE_RIBBON_CATEGORY | The framework sends this message to the main frame when the user changes the active Ribbon Control category. | Not used. | A pointer to the CMFCRibbonBar whose category has changed. |
Not used. |
| AFX_WM_ON_CLOSEPOPUPWINDOW | The framework sends this message to notify the owner of CMFCDesktopAlertWnd that the window is about to be closed. |
Not used. | A pointer to CMFCDesktopAlertWnd object. |
Not used. |
| AFX_WM_ON_DRAGCOMPLETE | For internal use only. | Not applicable. | Not applicable. | Not applicable. |
| AFX_WM_ON_GET_TAB_TOOLTIP | Sent to the main frame window when a tab window is about to display a tooltip for a tab, if custom tooltips are enabled. | Not used. | A pointer to a CMFCTabToolTipInfo structure. |
Not used. |
| AFX_WM_ON_HSCROLL | Sent to the resizable control bar control. Process this message to receive notifications from CMFCTabCtrl objects when a scroll event occurs in the tabbed widget horizontal scroll bar. |
The low-order word specifies a scroll bar value that indicates the user's scrolling request. For more information, see the table later in this topic. | Not used. | Nonzero. |
| AFX_WM_ON_MOVE_TAB | Sent to the parent of a tabbed window when a user drags a tab to a new position. | The zero-based index of the tab in its original position. | [out] The zero-based index of the tab in its new position. | Zero. |
| AFX_WM_ON_MOVETABCOMPLETE | For internal use only. | Not applicable. | Not applicable. | Not applicable. |
| AFX_WM_ON_MOVETOTABGROUP | Sent to the main frame window when a user moves an MDI child window from one tabbed group to another. | A handle to tabbed window ( CMFCTabCtrl) from which the MDI child window has been removed. |
[out] A handle to tabbed window ( CMFCTabCtrl) to which the MDI child window has been inserted. |
Ignored. |
| AFX_WM_ON_PRESS_CLOSE_BUTTON | Sent to a parent of CDockablePane when user clicks the Close button on the caption of the control bar. |
Not used. | A pointer to a dockable pane on which the user clicked the Close button. | TRUE if a pane cannot be closed; otherwise FALSE. |
| AFX_WM_ON_RENAME_TAB | Sent to the parent of tabbed window after the user renamed an editable tab. | The zero-based index of the renamed tab. | [out] A pointer to a string that contains the new tab name. | Nonzero if the application processes this message; the framework will suppress the call to CMFCBaseTabCtrl::SetTabLabel. If zero is returned, then CMFCBaseTabCtrl::SetTabLabel is called by the framework. |
| AFX_WM_ON_RIBBON_CUSTOMIZE | Sent to the parent frame when user starts customization. Process this message if you want to display your own customization dialog box. | Not used. | A pointer to the ribbon control to be customized. | Nonzero if the application processes this message and displays its own customization dialog box. If the application returns zero, the framework will display the built-in customization dialog box. |
| AFX_WM_ON_TABGROUPMOUSEMOVE | For internal use only. | Not applicable. | Not applicable. | Not applicable. |
| AFX_WM_POSTSETPREVIEWFRAME | Sent to notify the main frame that the user changed the print preview mode | TRUE indicates that the print preview mode is set. FALSE indicates that print preview mode is turned off. |
Not used. | Not used. |
| AFX_WM_PROPERTY_CHANGED | Sent to the owner of the property grid control ( CMFCPropertyGridCtrl) when the user changes the value of the selected property. |
The control ID of the property list. | A pointer to the property ( CMFCProp``ertyGridProperty) that changed. |
Not used. |
| AFX_WM_RESETCONTEXTMENU | Sent to the main frame window when the user resets the context menu during customization. | The resource ID of the context menu. | A pointer to the current context menu, CMFCPopupMenu. |
Not used. |
| AFX_WM_RESETKEYBOARD | The framework sends this message to the main frame window when the user resets all keyboard accelerators during customization. | Not used. | Not used. | Not used. |
| AFX_WM_RESETMENU | The framework sends this message to the menu owner (a frame window) when the user resets an application frame menu during customization | The menu resource ID. | Not used. | Not used. |
| AFX_WM_RESETPROMPT | The framework sends this message when the user resets a toolbar from the toolbar customize dialog box. The default handler displays a message box that asks whether the user wants to reset the toolbar. | Not used. | Not used. | Not used. |
| AFX_WM_RESETTOOLBAR | A CMFCToolBar object sends this message when a toolbar is restored to its original state, that is, loaded from the resources. Process this message to reinsert toolbar buttons whose classes are derived from CMFCToolbarButton. For more information, see CMFCToolbarComboBoxButton. |
The resource ID of a toolbar whose state was restored. | Not used. | Zero. |
| AFX_WM_SHOWREGULARMENU | CMFCToolbarMenuButton object sends this message to its owner when the user clicks a regular menu button. Process this message every time that you use CMFCToolbarMenuButton to display a pop-up menu when the user clicks a button. |
The command ID of a button that sends the message. | Screen coordinates of the cursor. The low-order word specifies the x-coordinate. The high-order word specifies the y-coordinate. | Not used. |
| AFX_WM_TOOLBARMENU | Sent to the main frame window when the user releases the right button of a mouse while the mouse pointer is in the client or non-client area of a pane. | Not used. | Screen coordinates of the mouse pointer. The low-order word specifies the x-coordinate. The high-order word specifies the y-coordinate. | Zero if the application processes this message; otherwise, nonzero. |
| AFX_WM_UPDATETOOLTIPS | Sent to all tooltip owners to indicate that their tooltip controls should be recreated. | The type of control that should process this message. See the table later in this topic for a list of possible values. | Not used. | Not used. |
| AFX_WM_WINDOW_HELP | CMFCWindowsManagerDialog sends this message to the parent frame when the user clicks the Help button, or enters the help mode by clicking the Help caption button or the F1 key. |
Not used. | A pointer to the instance of CMFCWindowsManagerDialog. |
Not used. |
The following table shows the values for the low word of the lParam parameter of the AFX_WM_HSCROLL method:
| Value | Meaning |
| SB_ENDSCROLL | The user ends the scroll. |
| SB_LEFT | The user scrolls to the upper-left. |
| SB_RIGHT | The user scrolls to the lower-right. |
| SB_LINELEFT | The user scrolls left by one unit. |
| SB_LINERIGHT | The user scrolls right by one unit. |
| SB_PAGELEFT | The user scrolls left by the width of the window. |
| SB_PAGERIGHT | The user scrolls right by the width of the window. |
| SB_THUMBPOSITION | The user has dragged the scroll box (thumb) and released the mouse button. The high-order word indicates the position of the scroll box at the end of the drag operation. |
| SB_THUMBTRACK | The user is dragging the scroll box. The AFX_WM_ON_HSCROLL message is sent repeatedly with this value until the user releases the mouse button. The high-order word indicates the position to which the scroll box has been dragged. |
Note
The high-order word of the lParam parameter specifies the current position of the scroll box if the low-order word is SB_THUMBPOSITION or SB_THUMBTRACK; otherwise, this word is not used.
The following table lists the flag values for the lParam parameter of the AFX_WM_UPDATETOOLTIPS message:
| Flag | Value |
| AFX_TOOLTIP_TYPE_DEFAULT | 0x0001 |
| AFX_TOOLTIP_TYPE_TOOLBAR | 0x0002 |
| AFX_TOOLTIP_TYPE_TAB | 0x0004 |
| AFX_TOOLTIP_TYPE_MINIFRAME | 0x0008 |
| AFX_TOOLTIP_TYPE_DOCKBAR | 0x0010 |
| AFX_TOOLTIP_TYPE_EDIT | 0x0020 |
| AFX_TOOLTIP_TYPE_BUTTON | 0x0040 |
| AFX_TOOLTIP_TYPE_TOOLBOX | 0x0080 |
| AFX_TOOLTIP_TYPE_ALL | 0xFFFF |