open a form from a form

[Jennifer84]

If you have a form application and open another form from a buttoncontrol on "Form1", this will open another form but this form will also be in the "Taskbar" on your desktop. So you have 2 forms in the "Taskbar" (What I am after is to still only have one wich is the "Form1".
When using other windowsprograms and open forms like this, the form shows but not in the "Taskbar".
I use this code to open a form.
Is this possible to do and is it difficult ?

private: Form2 form2instance;

this->form2instance.ShowDialog();

[Duoas]

The typical way to handle this is to create a hidden parent window for the whole application. All other top-level windows are children of this parent window, so no extra taskbar buttons are created for them.

To quote the MS docs under Visibility of Taskbar Buttons

A taskbar button is placed on the taskbar whenever an application creates a unowned primary window. To ensure that the window button is placed on the taskbar, create the window by calling CreateWindowEx and include the WS_EX_APPWINDOW style. To prevent the window button from being placed on the taskbar, create the window by calling CreateWindowEx and include the WS_EX_TOOLWINDOW style. As an alternative, you can create a hidden window and make it the owner of your primary window.

The window button typically contains the application icon and title. However, if the application does not contain a window menu, the window button is created without the icon.

If you want your application to display a message to the user while its window is not active, use the FlashWindow function to let the user know that a message is waiting. This function flashes the window button. Once the user clicks the window button to activate the window, your application can display the message.

Hope this helps.

[Jennifer84]

Okay, it sounds interesting. Is there any topic on this on msdn ?

It is hard to understand how this is done. I have 2 forms. 1 that opens up first and 2:nd that I open from this form. (So Form1 and Form2)

Does this meen that I will do one more form that is the parent Form and my Form1 and Form2 will be children to that one ?

[Duoas]

Yes, essentially.

I'm surprised your IDE doesn't do this for you already. What are you using? VC++? BC++Builder?

[Jennifer84]

Yes I am using VC++ 2008 Express Edition. Should it do this automatically. Perheps there is any settings in VC++ to do to make it work automatically ?

Yes, essentially.

I'm surprised your IDE doesn't do this for you already. What are you using? VC++? BC++Builder?

[Duoas]

I have no clue about VC++. You should have started a "Windows Application" project, and AFAIK that should have done it for you...

[scott.vass]

VC++ 2008 EE gives you the option under properties of the form - Window Style - ShowInTaskbar. Set it to false.

I realise the thread is a bit outdated, but it's something I hadn't considered.