editcontrol in dialog not displaying

[Rainstorm]

hi
am having a prob with this code. - it contains a dialogbox with a button & an edit control, assembles properly but doesn't run correctly..seems to just quit off. - i've tested the button control individually & it works proper.
i inserted a MessageBox before the CreateDialogIndirectParam function & it displays
but if i insert it after that function it doesn't. i tried a couple of things without any luck.
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t y

[attachment deleted by admin]

[MichaelW]

For some reason the code that sets editbox_title in the edit control template is causing CreateDialogIndirectParam to fail and return zero. This code is actually trying to set the initial text of the control. Also, the memalign edi, 4 ahead of the creation data is not necessary.

[jj2007]

Also, the memalign edi, 4 ahead of the creation data is not necessary.

Code Select Expand

     memalign MACRO reg, number
        add reg, number - 1
        and reg, -number
      ENDM


"Not necessary" is maybe too gentle an expression: If there were non-aligned members in the structure, this would break the code. memalign is not the same as .align...
Anyway, taking the 4 memaiigns out does not solve your problem.

[MichaelW]

Two of the memaligns are necessary, just not the ones above the creation data definitions. The point is to align the the pointer in edi so the data in the template will be properly aligned. The templates structures must be dword aligned, but the arrays in the template only word aligned, and since the templates are dword aligned and everything in the templates is either a dword or a word, alignment of the arrays is automatic.

[Rainstorm]

thanks for the responses.

Michael,
  I just added the memalign for the creation-data to check. Thing is, the SDK seems to say in some places that the creation-data should be word aligned.. & in other places it seems to say that it should be dword aligned, like this for example..

In addition, any creation data that follows a control definition must be aligned on a DWORD boundary.

-- that's from the 'about dialogboxes' overview in the SDK. - while on the DLGITEMTEMPLATE PAGE it says that the creation data should be word aligned like you said.
anyhow after the CreateDialogIndirectParam function the app seems to just quit of its own.

[jj2007]

Two of the memaligns are necessary, just not the ones above the creation data definitions.

Thanks for clarifying this. I thought this was kind of a structure, but now I realise I was on the wrong track. :red

[Rainstorm]

Hi,
  I just hacked around a bit picking up on what Michael said about the title array & kinda got the dialog to display. - all is still not working as desired.. & still don't know why the old code doesn't work,..but at least the dialog displays now with the button & the editbox.
  What i tried is however not documented, in the SDK i have, in the description of the DLGITEMTEMPLATE structure (controls),.... however such a capability is mentioned in the DLGTEMPLATE structure.(dialogs) - So i don't know if its Safe
I set the first word of the title array to 0 , which for dialog templates is supposed to indicate that there is no title & no other elements in the array.
Would still be nice to know why my orginal code doesn't work though
here is the modification i made for the title section of the edit control
new code

Code Select Expand

       add edi, 22
       mov word ptr [edi], 0           ; indicates no title
       add edi, 2                           ; update the pointer                

old code

Code Select Expand

       add edi, 22
       invoke MultiByteToWideChar, CP_ACP, MB_PRECOMPOSED, addr editbox_title, -1,
                                   edi, LENGTHOF editbox_title
       add edi, LENGTHOF editbox_title*2


[MichaelW]

Using my own test code, I cannot find any way to set the initial text for an edit control from the title array, and depending on how I attempt to do it the application may not run. And I cannot find any way to specify creation data that will be passed in the WM_INITDIALOG message. The PSDK actually specifies that the address of the creation data will be passed in the lParam parameter of the WM_CREATE message.

Code Select Expand


; «««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««
    include \masm32\include\masm32rt.inc
; «««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««
    .data
      hInstance dd 0
      buffer    db 10 dup(0)
    .code
; «««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««


DlgProc proc hDlg:DWORD,uMsg:DWORD,wParam:DWORD,lParam:DWORD
    SWITCH uMsg

      CASE WM_INITDIALOG

        mov eax, lParam
        ;mov eax, [eax]
        invoke dwtoa, eax, ADDR buffer
        invoke MessageBox, 0, ADDR buffer, 0, 0

      CASE WM_COMMAND

        .IF wParam == IDCANCEL
          invoke EndDialog, hDlg, 0
        .ENDIF

      CASE WM_CLOSE

         invoke EndDialog, hDlg, 0

    ENDSW
    xor eax, eax
    ret
DlgProc endp

; «««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««
start:
; «««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

    invoke GetModuleHandle, NULL
    mov hInstance, eax
    Dialog "Test", \
           "MS Sans Serif",10, \
           WS_OVERLAPPED or WS_SYSMENU or DS_CENTER, \
           2,0,0,100,75,1024

    DlgButton "Close",0,34,45,30,10,IDCANCEL

    DlgEdit WS_BORDER or ES_MULTILINE,6,5,85,30,100
    align_2 edi
    ustring "initial text"
    ;add edi, 20

    ;add edi,2
    ;align_4 edi
    ;mov WORD PTR [edi], 6
    ;add edi, 2
    ;mov DWORD PTR [edi],1234
    ;add edi,4

    CallModalDialog hInstance, 0, DlgProc, NULL
    exit
; «««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««
end start


[hutch--]

When I designed these "in memory dialog" macros years ago it was done the hard way in win9x as the documentation was wrong in a number of important instances. The alignment control is critical and intolerant so experiments will often fail without explanation.

[Rainstorm]

Michael wrote..

And I cannot find any way to specify creation data that will be passed in the WM_INITDIALOG message. The PSDK actually specifies that the address of the creation data will be passed in the lParam parameter of the WM_CREATE message.

in the CreateDialogIndirectParam Function the initialization data can be passed in the last parameter. all those functions with 'Param' in the end can do that i think. i.e pass the value in the lParam parameter of WM_INITDIALOG. - the sdk seems to say the creation data will just be passed on automatically in WM_CREATE.

edit
==========
just realised that after i got the dialogbox to display by making the title 0(of the edit control), if i add the WS_TABSTOP style to the the edit control it quits off again.(without displaying i.e)

Code Select Expand

       mov dword ptr [edi+0] ,   ES_LEFT or ES_AUTOHSCROLL or WS_CHILD or WS_VISIBLE or WS_TABSTOP
can't make any sense of that

[MichaelW]

The CallModalDialog macro actually calls DialogBoxIndirectParam and passes the last macro parameter in the dwInitParam function parameter. In my test code (above) whatever value I pass in the last macro parameter is passed in the lParam parameter of the WM_INITDIALOG message and displayed in the message box.

Now that I look my code again I see two stupid errors that should have been obvious. The first error is that the creation data is for the edit control, not the dialog. So far I cannot see any simple way to properly test the creation data. The second error is that the DlgEdit macro skips over the title and creation data arrays leaving the first elements set to zero, so it's not possible to append the title array after the macro. The solution is to create a version of the macro that accepts an initial text parameter that it loads into the title array. This seems to work OK, so your problem is probably an error in your code.

Code Select Expand


; «««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««
    include \masm32\include\masm32rt.inc

    _DlgEdit MACRO quoted_initial_text,dstyle,tx,ty,wd,ht,ctlID
      align_4 edi
      mov DWORD PTR [edi+0],  WS_VISIBLE or WS_CHILD or dstyle
      mov WORD  PTR [edi+8],  tx
      mov WORD  PTR [edi+10], ty
      mov WORD  PTR [edi+12], wd
      mov WORD  PTR [edi+14], ht
      mov WORD  PTR [edi+16], ctlID
      mov WORD  PTR [edi+18], 0FFFFh
      mov WORD  PTR [edi+20], 0081h   ;; edit control
      add edi, 22
      ustring quoted_initial_text
      align_2 edi
      add edi, 2
    ENDM
; «««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««
    .data
      hInstance dd 0
      buffer    db 10 dup(0)
    .code
; «««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

DlgProc proc hDlg:DWORD,uMsg:DWORD,wParam:DWORD,lParam:DWORD
    SWITCH uMsg

      CASE WM_INITDIALOG

      CASE WM_COMMAND

        .IF wParam == IDCANCEL
          invoke EndDialog, hDlg, 0
        .ENDIF

      CASE WM_CLOSE

         invoke EndDialog, hDlg, 0

    ENDSW
    xor eax, eax
    ret
DlgProc endp

; «««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««
start:
; «««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

    invoke GetModuleHandle, NULL
    mov hInstance, eax
    Dialog "Test", \
           "MS Sans Serif",10, \
           WS_OVERLAPPED or WS_SYSMENU or DS_CENTER, \
           2,0,0,100,75,1024

    _DlgEdit "initial text",WS_BORDER,6,5,85,30,100

    DlgButton "Close",0,34,45,30,10,IDCANCEL

    CallModalDialog hInstance, 0, DlgProc, 12345
    exit
; «««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««
end start


[Rainstorm]

Michael thanks a lot for the testing.
its something to do with the title array, but i don't know what.

update:
==================

if i change the code this way , it works & the editcontrol displays in the dialog, (but don't see the initial text) i don't know exactly why though. - My current button & edit control Templates have an identical structure & this line is not needed for the title array in the button control, so it looks strange. also if i make the line; memalign edi, 2    it doesn't work

Code Select Expand

        add edi, 22
       memalign edi, 4             ; --- * Inserted this line * ---
       invoke MultiByteToWideChar, CP_ACP, MB_PRECOMPOSED, addr editbox_title, -1,
                                   edi, LENGTHOF editbox_title
       add edi, LENGTHOF editbox_title*2

old code
-----------------

Code Select Expand

       add edi, 22
       invoke MultiByteToWideChar, CP_ACP, MB_PRECOMPOSED, addr editbox_title, -1,
                                   edi, LENGTHOF editbox_title
       add edi, LENGTHOF editbox_title*2


[jj2007]

also if i make the line; memalign edi, 2    it doesn't work

The alignment seems a key issue, because with unicode the edi+x means valid wide char for valid alignment, and invalid wide char for "bad" alignment. Have you tried passing a unicode string directly, i.e. with a lbl dd "a", 0 etc.?

[Rainstorm]

jj, didn't fully get all that you said, but the title array is supposed to be word aligned according to the documentation. then again as hutch said in older versions the documentation was wrong in a number of places.
Another thing, Am using the same format in the button control for the title & there doesn't seem to be any problems there.(don't need to align the title array there) - the template is supposed to be the same for all control items. - follwing edi till the title array, shows that the start of the title array is already aligned on a word boundary. - so i don't actually need to align it
In what i described in the earlier post, the dialog now shows with the edit control but the text still doesn't show.

t  y
-----

[jj2007]

jj, didn't fully get all that you said, but the title array is supposed to be word aligned according to the documentation

Code Select Expand

mov WORD  PTR [edi+20], 0081h   ;; edit control
add edi, 22
; now here at edi+22 the OS expects a Unicode string
       memalign edi, 4             ; --- * Inserted this line * ---
; and you gave it some nullwords - same as a zero delimiter, so no text!

I haven't seen your latest full code, but I would drop the memalign and instead play with
; one of these:
add edi, 22-1   ; this won't work ;-)
add edi, 22+0
add edi, 22+1
add edi, 22+2
etc. until a string is displayed. For testing, you can also replace the call to MultiByteToWideChar:

add edi, 22+0
ustring "My title"

Another additional road: Try playing with the start of the edit sequence
; one of these:
dec edi
inc edi
add edi, 2
; then:
mov DWORD PTR [edi+0],  WS_VISIBLE