March 9th, 2009

Why doesn’t the MoveWindow function generate the WM_GETMINMAXINFO message?

Raymond Chen
Raymond Chen

Commenter Phil Quirk asks why calling MoveWindow does not result in a WM_GETMINMAXINFO message being sent to validate the moved window size.

Well, because you moved it after all. You’re being trusted to respect your own rules. After all, if you didn’t want the window to be wider than 200 pixels, you shouldn’t have passed nWidth=300, right?

The WM_GETMINMAXINFO message is for obtaining minimum and maximum sizing information when the sizes were chosen by a means outside the application’s control, such as when you said “I’ll let you choose the window size (CW_USEDEFAULT)” or when the user grabbed the corner of the window and started dragging it around. But if you yourself changed the window size, then the window manager assumes that you know what you’re doing.

If you don’t trust yourself to follow your own rules, you can intercept the attempt to change the window size by handling the WM_WINDOWPOSCHANGING message.

Category
Old New Thing
Topics
Code

Author

Raymond Chen

Raymond has been involved in the evolution of Windows for more than 30 years. In 2003, he began a Web site known as The Old New Thing which has grown in popularity far beyond his wildest imagination, a development which still gives him the heebie-jeebies. The Web site spawned a book, coincidentally also titled The Old New Thing (Addison Wesley 2007). He occasionally appears on the Windows Dev Docs Twitter account to tell stories which convey no useful information.

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