Multi Commander Windows Message API
Multi Commander supports the WM_COPYDATA Windows message for setting and getting information.
Other programs can use this message to tell Multi Commander to go to a path, change focus to a file item, or to query what the current path is or which file is currently in focus.
Actions for getting information from Multi Commander will have the response to the calling program returned using WM_COPYDATA message.
WM_COPYDATA is a special Windows message. One of the parameters to send is a pointer to a COPYDATASTRUCT stucture. This struct is used to store all the data that should be send to Multi Commander.
typedef struct tagCOPYDATASTRUCT {
ULONG_PTR dwData;
DWORD cbData;
PVOID lpData;
} COPYDATASTRUCT, *PCOPYDATASTRUCT;
dwData is used to set some action flags for Multi Commander
lpData is a pointer to the data that should be sent to Multi Commander
cbData is the size in bytes of the data that should be sent
The WM_COPYDATA message must be sent to the main Multi Commander Window.
This can be found by first finding the process ID of the Multi Commander.exe instance and then finding the top level window of that instance.
An example of how to do that is the MCCopyData.h file in the samples.
When the HWND for the window has been found, use the Windows API SendMessage to send the WM_COPYDATA message to the HWND of the windows of Multi Commander.
If requesting information that requires Multi Commander to answer back, the HWND of the windows that will recieve the answer is also needed.
Exmple
COPYDATASTRUCT cds; cds.dwData = CPF_GOTOPATH | CPF_SOURCE | CPF_NEWTAB; cds.cbData = wcslen(szPath) * sizeof(wchar_t); cds.lpData = (void*)szPath; SendMessage(hMCHWND, WM_COPYDATA, (WPARAM)hMyHwnd, (LPARAM)(LPVOID)&cds);
CPF_GOTOPATH tells Multi Commander that the data provided is a path and this it should go to this path
CPF_SOURCE tells Multi Commander that the new path should be shown in the source panel
CPF_NEWTAB tells Multi Commander that the new path should be opened in a new tab.
The following CopyData Flags can be combined.
Some flags can't be combined: do not combine multiple action flags and multiple target panel/side flags.
#define CPF_GOTOPATH 0x00000002L // Go to path #define CPF_GETCURPATH 0x00000004L // Go to current path - Result returned in WM_COPYDATA message from MC #define CPF_GETCURITEM 0x00000008L // Get name of current item (file or folder) in focus #define CPF_GETCURITEMFULL 0x00000010L // Get full path of current item (file or folder) in focus #define CPF_LEFT 0x00000100L // Go to the new path on the left side #define CPF_RIGHT 0x00000200L // Go to the new path on the right side #define CPF_SOURCE 0x00000400L // Go to the new path in the source panel side #define CPF_TARGET 0x00000800L // Go to the new path in the target panel side #define CPF_ANSI 0x00010000L // If not specified, all string are assumed to be Unicode #define CPF_NEWTAB 0x00020000L // Open a new side on the specified side #define CPF_FOCUSITEM 0x00040000L // Change focus to the file item provided in the path
Set CPF_ANSI if the path sent is ASCII/ANSI. If this is not set, Unicode (wchar_t) is assumed.
C++ Helper
Included in the Sample project there is a MCCopyData.h file. This file contains a helper class that will do most of the work for you.
// Get Current path of the source panel MultiCommander::MCCopyDataHelper MCCopyData; MCCopyData.Subclass(hDlg); std::wstring path = MCCopyData.GetCurrentPathW(hDlg, CPF_SOURCE); MCCopyData.ReleaseSubClass(hDlg);
hDlg is the HWND of the calling program. This HWND is used when Multi Commander returns the answer to the request.
MCCopyData.Subclass(hDlg);
This will hook the helper class into the message loop of the calling program and it will handle all of the WM_COPYDATA responses sent from Multi Commander.
If your program is not a pure Win32 program or you cannot do this, you need to handle the answer of the WM_COPYDATA yourself.
You will find an example of how to do this in the helper class.
In this example we tell Multi Commander to go to D:\MyFolder\SubFolder and that this path should be opened in a new tab
MultiCommander::MCCopyDataHelper MCCopyData; MCCopyData.GoToPath(L"D:\\MyFolder\\SubFolder\\", CPF_SOURCE | CPF_NEWTAB, hDlg);