Windows Controls: Date Time Picker

	Windows Controls: Date Time Picker

Introduction

These are the steps to add a date time picker control to an application. This exercise uses Microsoft Visual C++.

Practical Learning: Introducting the Date Time Picker

Start Microsoft Visual Studio or Visual C++
On the main menu, click File -> New Project...
In the left list, click Visual C++ Project.
In the right list, click Win32 Project
Set the Name to DateTimePickerControl
Click OK
In the first page of the wizard, click Next
In the second page, click Windows Application and click Empty Project
Click Finish

Practical Learning: Creating a Resource Header

On the main menu, click Project -> Add New Item...
In the right list, click Header File
Set the Name to Resource
Click Add
In the empty document, type: #define IDD_EXERCISE_DLG 1010

Practical Learning: Creating a Resource File

On the main menu, click Project -> Add New Item...
In the right list, click Text File
Set the Name to Exercise.rc (make sure you include the extension)
Click Add
In the Solution Explorer, right-click Exercise.rc and click Open With...
In the Open With dialog box, click Source Code (Text) Editor
Click OK

In the empty document, type the following:

#include <afxres.h>
#include "Resource.h"

IDD_EXERCISE_DLG DIALOG 260, 200, 158, 140
STYLE DS_MODALFRAME | WS_POPUP | WS_CAPTION | WS_SYSMENU
CAPTION "Date Time Picker"
FONT 8, "MS Shell Dlg"
BEGIN
DEFPUSHBUTTON   "OK", IDOK, 100, 120, 50, 14
END

Practical Learning: Creating the Source Code

On the main menu, click Project -> Add New Item...
In the right list, click C++ File (.cpp)
Set the Name to Exercise
Click Add

In the empty document, type the following:

#include <windows.h>
#include "Resource.h"

//---------------------------------------------------------------------------
HWND hWnd;
HINSTANCE hInstGlobal;
LRESULT CALLBACK DlgProc(HWND hWnd, UINT Msg, WPARAM wParam, LPARAM lParam);
//---------------------------------------------------------------------------
INT WINAPI WinMain(HINSTANCE hInstance, HINSTANCE hPrevInstance,
				   LPSTR lpCmdLine, int nCmdShow)
{
	hInstGlobal = hInstance;

	DialogBox(hInstGlobal, MAKEINTRESOURCE(IDD_EXERCISE_DLG),
	          hWnd, reinterpret_cast<DLGPROC>(DlgProc));

	return FALSE;
}
//---------------------------------------------------------------------------
LRESULT CALLBACK DlgProc(HWND hWndDlg, UINT msg, WPARAM wParam, LPARAM lParam)
{
	switch(msg)
	{
	case WM_INITDIALOG:

		return TRUE;

	case WM_COMMAND:
		switch(wParam)
		{
		case IDOK:
			EndDialog(hWndDlg, 0);
			return TRUE;
		}
		break;

	case WM_CLOSE:
            PostQuitMessage(WM_QUIT);
        break;
	}

	return FALSE;
}
//---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Execute the application to see the result
Close the dialog box and return to your programming environment

Practical Learning: Adding the Common Controls Library

On the main menu, click Project -> Add Existing Item...
Locate the directory where Microsoft Visual C++ libraries are installed. By default, for Microsoft Visual C++ 2010, this should be
C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft SDKs\Windows\v7.0A\Lib\
Select ComCtl32.Lib
Click Add
In the empty document, type: #define IDC_DATETIMEPICKER 2012 and press Enter

Practical Learning: Programmatically Creating the Control

Access the Exercise.cpp file

To programmatically create a date time picker, change the code as follows:

#include <windows.h>
#include <commctrl.h>
#include "Resource.h"

No Change . . .

//---------------------------------------------------------------------------
LRESULT CALLBACK DlgProc(HWND hWndDlg, UINT msg, WPARAM wParam, LPARAM lParam)
{
    INITCOMMONCONTROLSEX icex;

    icex.dwSize = sizeof(icex);
    icex.dwICC = ICC_DATE_CLASSES;

    InitCommonControlsEx(&icex);

	switch(msg)
	{
	case WM_INITDIALOG:
		
		CreateWindowEx(0,
                       DATETIMEPICK_CLASS,
                       TEXT("DateTime"),
                       WS_BORDER | WS_CHILD | WS_VISIBLE | DTS_SHOWNONE,
                       10,10,220,20,
		       hWndDlg,
                       NULL,
                       hInstGlobal,
                       NULL);
		return TRUE;

	case WM_COMMAND:
		switch(wParam)
		{
		case IDOK:
			EndDialog(hWndDlg, 0);
			return TRUE;
		}
		break;

	case WM_CLOSE:
        PostQuitMessage(WM_QUIT);
        break;
	}

	return FALSE;
}
//---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Execute the application to see the result
Close the dialog box and return to your programming environment

Practical Learning: Manually Creating a Data Time Picker

In the Exercise.cpp file, delete the code in the WM_INITDIALOG event:

#include <windows.h>
#include <commctrl.h>
#include "Resource.h"

//---------------------------------------------------------------------------
HWND hWnd;
HINSTANCE hInstGlobal;
LRESULT CALLBACK DlgProc(HWND hWnd, UINT Msg, WPARAM wParam, LPARAM lParam);
//---------------------------------------------------------------------------
INT WINAPI WinMain(HINSTANCE hInstance, HINSTANCE hPrevInstance,
				   LPSTR lpCmdLine, int nCmdShow)
{
	hInstGlobal = hInstance;

	DialogBox(hInstGlobal, MAKEINTRESOURCE(IDD_EXERCISE_DLG),
	          hWnd, reinterpret_cast<DLGPROC>(DlgProc));

	return FALSE;
}
//---------------------------------------------------------------------------
LRESULT CALLBACK DlgProc(HWND hWndDlg, UINT msg, WPARAM wParam, LPARAM lParam)
{
    INITCOMMONCONTROLSEX icex;

    icex.dwSize = sizeof(icex);
    icex.dwICC = ICC_DATE_CLASSES;

    InitCommonControlsEx(&icex);

    switch(msg)
    {
	case WM_INITDIALOG:
	
		return TRUE;

	case WM_COMMAND:
		switch(wParam)
		{
		case IDOK:
			EndDialog(hWndDlg, 0);
			return TRUE;
		}
		break;

	case WM_CLOSE:
            PostQuitMessage(WM_QUIT);
        break;
    }

    return FALSE;
}
//---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Access the Exercise.rc file and change it as follows:

#include <afxres.h>
#include "Resource.h"

IDD_EXERCISE_DLG DIALOG 260, 200, 158, 140
STYLE DS_MODALFRAME | WS_POPUP | WS_CAPTION | WS_SYSMENU
CAPTION "Date Time Picker"
FONT 8, "MS Shell Dlg"
BEGIN
    CONTROL         "", IDC_DATETIMEPICKER, "SysDateTimePick32",
                    WS_CHILD | WS_TABSTOP, 10, 10, 140, 14
    DEFPUSHBUTTON   "OK", IDOK, 100, 120, 50, 14
END

Execute the application to see the result
Close the dialog box and return to your programming environment

Resource Header:

Resource File:

Source Code: