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Using API's in a <object>::<action> format?


Question

I'm using .net, and I've been reading about some windows features on Microsofts site, how do I made use of stuff in a format like this:

  Microsoft said:
APIs:

ITaskbarList3::SetProgressState

ITaskbarList3::SetProgressValue

Do I need to add a reference or something? Is it part of Windows API?

NOTE: This is a Windows 7 Feature

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The :: operator is not used in VB.NET to access namespace of type members. In VB.NET, along with C#, use the following:

ITaskbarList3.SetProgressState

, you also need to make sure you reference whatever libraries are required

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Ideally, you should wait for it to be officially added, but simply put ITaskbarList3 is a COM interface exposed by Explorer. SetProgressValue is a method of this interface. If you have the Windows 7 Beta SDK, it's defined in ShObjIdl.idl. You can rip the relevant parts out and put it in your own IDL. You then compile that with the MIDL compiler (midl /tlb tl.tlb tl.idl) and then convert that type library to an assembly with Tlbimp (tlbimp tl.tlb /out:TaskbarLib.dll). Finally, you add that assembly as a reference in your project.

Here is an example I did just now (note that I make no guarantees about the correctness of this code, and I would not use it in production code without careful auditing first):

[
   uuid(683BF642-E9CA-4124-BE43-67065B2FA653),
   version(1.0),
]
library TaskbarLib
{
[
	uuid(56FDF342-FD6D-11d0-958A-006097C9A090),
	object,
]
interface ITaskbarList : IUnknown 
{
	HRESULT _stdcall HrInit();

	HRESULT _stdcall AddTab([in] long hwnd);

	HRESULT _stdcall DeleteTab([in] long hwnd);

	HRESULT _stdcall ActivateTab([in] long hwnd);

	HRESULT _stdcall SetActivateAlt([in] long hwnd);
};

[
	uuid(602D4995-B13A-429b-A66E-1935E44F4317),
	object,
]
interface ITaskbarList2 : ITaskbarList
{
	HRESULT MarkFullscreenWindow(
		[in] long hwnd,
		[in] BOOL fFullscreen);
}

cpp_quote("#ifdef MIDL_PASS")
typedef IUnknown* HIMAGELIST;
typedef IUNknown* HICON;
cpp_quote("#endif")

cpp_quote("#include &lt;pshpack8.h&gt;")
typedef struct tagTHUMBBUTTON
{
	DWORD   dwMask;
	UINT	iId;
	UINT	iBitmap;
	HICON   hIcon;
	WCHAR   szTip[260];
	DWORD   dwFlags;
} THUMBBUTTON, *LPTHUMBBUTTON;
cpp_quote("#include &lt;poppack.h&gt;")

[
	uuid(ea1afb91-9e28-4b86-90e9-9e9f8a5eefaf),
	object,
]
interface ITaskbarList3 : ITaskbarList2
{
	// Flags for Setting Taskbar Progress state
	typedef [v1_enum] enum TBPFLAG
	{
		TBPF_NOPROGRESS	 = 0x00000000,
		TBPF_INDETERMINATE  = 0x00000001,
		TBPF_NORMAL		 = 0x00000002,
		TBPF_ERROR		  = 0x00000004,
		TBPF_PAUSED		 = 0x00000008,
	} TBPFLAG;

	cpp_quote("DEFINE_ENUM_FLAG_OPERATORS(TBPFLAG)")

	// Flags for SetTabActive
	typedef [v1_enum] enum TBATFLAG
	{
		TBATF_USEMDITHUMBNAIL   = 0x00000001,
		TBATF_USEMDILIVEPREVIEW = 0x00000002,
	} TBATFLAG;

	cpp_quote("DEFINE_ENUM_FLAG_OPERATORS(TBATFLAG)")

	HRESULT SetProgressValue(
		[in] long hwnd,
		[in] ULONGLONG ullCompleted,
		[in] ULONGLONG ullTotal);

	HRESULT SetProgressState(
		[in] long hwnd,
		[in] TBPFLAG tbpFlags);

	HRESULT RegisterTab(
		[in] long hwndTab,
		[in] HWND hwndMDI);

	HRESULT UnregisterTab(
		[in] long hwndTab);

	HRESULT SetTabOrder(
		[in] long hwndTab,
		[in] long hwndInsertBefore);

	HRESULT SetTabActive(
		[in] long hwndTab,
		[in] long hwndMDI,
		[in] TBATFLAG tbatFlags);

	HRESULT ThumbBarAddButtons(
		[in] long hwnd,
		[in] UINT cButtons,
		[in, size_is(cButtons)] LPTHUMBBUTTON pButton);

	HRESULT ThumbBarUpdateButtons(
		[in] long hwnd,
		[in] UINT cButtons,
		[in, size_is(cButtons)] LPTHUMBBUTTON pButton);

	HRESULT ThumbBarSetImageList(
		[in] long hwnd,
		[in] HIMAGELIST himl);

	HRESULT SetOverlayIcon(
		[in] long hwnd, 
		[in] HICON hIcon,
		[in, string] LPCWSTR pszDescription);

	HRESULT SetThumbnailTooltip(
		[in] long hwnd, 
		[in, string] LPCWSTR pszTip);

	HRESULT SetThumbnailClip(
		[in] long hwnd, 
		[in] RECT *prcClip);
}

[ uuid(56FDF344-FD6D-11d0-958A-006097C9A090) ] coclass TaskbarList { interface ITaskbarList3; }
};

To use it, you would do something like

using TaskbarLib;

TaskbarList tl3 = new TaskbarList();
tl3.HrInit();
tl3.SetProgressValue((int)this.Handle, 50, 100);

I've included the version I compiled as an attachment, but remember that it comes with no warranties of any kind.

TaskbarLib.zipFetching info...

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