Window Styles

The following are the window styles. After the window has been created, these styles cannot be modified, except as noted.



WS_BORDER
0x00800000L

	

The window has a thin-line border.

WS_CAPTION
0x00C00000L

	

The window has a title bar (includes the WS_BORDER style).

WS_CHILD
0x40000000L

	

The window is a child window. A window with this style cannot have a menu bar. This style cannot be used with the WS_POPUP style.

WS_CHILDWINDOW
0x40000000L

	

Same as the WS_CHILD style.

WS_CLIPCHILDREN
0x02000000L

	

Excludes the area occupied by child windows when drawing occurs within the parent window. This style is used when creating the parent window.

WS_CLIPSIBLINGS
0x04000000L

	

Clips child windows relative to each other; that is, when a particular child window receives a WM_PAINT message, the WS_CLIPSIBLINGS style clips all other overlapping child windows out of the region of the child window to be updated. If WS_CLIPSIBLINGS is not specified and child windows overlap, it is possible, when drawing within the client area of a child window, to draw within the client area of a neighboring child window.

WS_DISABLED
0x08000000L

	

The window is initially disabled. A disabled window cannot receive input from the user. To change this after a window has been created, use the EnableWindow function.

WS_DLGFRAME
0x00400000L

	

The window has a border of a style typically used with dialog boxes. A window with this style cannot have a title bar.

WS_GROUP
0x00020000L

	

The window is the first control of a group of controls. The group consists of this first control and all controls defined after it, up to the next control with the WS_GROUP style. The first control in each group usually has the WS_TABSTOP style so that the user can move from group to group. The user can subsequently change the keyboard focus from one control in the group to the next control in the group by using the direction keys.

You can turn this style on and off to change dialog box navigation. To change this style after a window has been created, use the SetWindowLong function.

WS_HSCROLL
0x00100000L

	

The window has a horizontal scroll bar.

WS_ICONIC
0x20000000L

	

The window is initially minimized. Same as the WS_MINIMIZE style.

WS_MAXIMIZE
0x01000000L

	

The window is initially maximized.

WS_MAXIMIZEBOX
0x00010000L

	

The window has a maximize button. Cannot be combined with the WS_EX_CONTEXTHELP style. The WS_SYSMENU style must also be specified.

WS_MINIMIZE
0x20000000L

	

The window is initially minimized. Same as the WS_ICONIC style.

WS_MINIMIZEBOX
0x00020000L

	

The window has a minimize button. Cannot be combined with the WS_EX_CONTEXTHELP style. The WS_SYSMENU style must also be specified.

WS_OVERLAPPED
0x00000000L

	

The window is an overlapped window. An overlapped window has a title bar and a border. Same as the WS_TILED style.

WS_OVERLAPPEDWINDOW
(WS_OVERLAPPED | WS_CAPTION | WS_SYSMENU | WS_THICKFRAME | WS_MINIMIZEBOX | WS_MAXIMIZEBOX)

	

The window is an overlapped window. Same as the WS_TILEDWINDOW style.

WS_POPUP
0x80000000L

	

The windows is a pop-up window. This style cannot be used with the WS_CHILD style.

WS_POPUPWINDOW
(WS_POPUP | WS_BORDER | WS_SYSMENU)

	

The window is a pop-up window. The WS_CAPTION and WS_POPUPWINDOW styles must be combined to make the window menu visible.

WS_SIZEBOX
0x00040000L

	

The window has a sizing border. Same as the WS_THICKFRAME style.

WS_SYSMENU
0x00080000L

	

The window has a window menu on its title bar. The WS_CAPTION style must also be specified.

WS_TABSTOP
0x00010000L

	

The window is a control that can receive the keyboard focus when the user presses the TAB key. Pressing the TAB key changes the keyboard focus to the next control with the WS_TABSTOP style.

You can turn this style on and off to change dialog box navigation. To change this style after a window has been created, use the SetWindowLong function. For user-created windows and modeless dialogs to work with tab stops, alter the message loop to call the IsDialogMessage function.

WS_THICKFRAME
0x00040000L

	

The window has a sizing border. Same as the WS_SIZEBOX style.

WS_TILED
0x00000000L

	

The window is an overlapped window. An overlapped window has a title bar and a border. Same as the WS_OVERLAPPED style.

WS_TILEDWINDOW
(WS_OVERLAPPED | WS_CAPTION | WS_SYSMENU | WS_THICKFRAME | WS_MINIMIZEBOX | WS_MAXIMIZEBOX)

	

The window is an overlapped window. Same as the WS_OVERLAPPEDWINDOW style.

WS_VISIBLE
0x10000000L

	

The window is initially visible.

This style can be turned on and off by using the ShowWindow or SetWindowPos function.

WS_VSCROLL
0x00200000L

	

The window has a vertical scroll bar.
Requirements

Minimum supported client
	Windows 2000 Professional [desktop apps only]

Minimum supported server
	Windows 2000 Server [desktop apps only]

Header
	

Winuser.h (include Windows.h)

 

 
Community Additions
ADD
Describing a Graphical User Interface (GUI) without pictures

Here we have a nice example how complicated reading and - more worse - translating into non-English languages can be introduced by describing each bit with some incomprehensible sentences instead of descriptive pictures: parts of screenshots how every bit influences the window appearance.

Henrik Haftmann
8/23/2012
Low 16 bits?
When I look at all the windows, I find many with bits set in the low 16 bits, but none of the flags are defined for those bits. That is on Windows 7. What do these bits mean?


Answer:


Edit Control Styles (e.g. ES_CENTER = 0x0001L, ES_RIGHT = 0x0002L, ES_MULTILINE = 0x0004L, etc.  declared in "winuser.h")

details at: "http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb775464(v=vs.85)"


Button Control Styles (e.g. BS_DEFPUSHBUTTON = 0x00000001L, BS_CHECKBOX = 0x00000002L, BS_AUTOCHECKBOX = 0x00000003L, etc. declared in "winuser.h")

details at: "http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb775951(v=vs.85)"


Static Control Styles (e.g. SS_CENTER = 0x00000001L, SS_RIGHT = 0x00000002L, SS_ICON = 0x00000003L, etc. declared in "winuser.h")

details at: "http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb760773(v=vs.85)"


Detail about these and other controls are at: "http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb773169(v=vs.85)".


The appropriate header file is stated at each control's styles page in the Requirements section.
Zdenek Velisek
7/1/2012
WS_CHILD prevents CS_DROPSHADOW
If you're hoping to make a temporary popup control in your window and want to use CS_DROPSHADOW to reinforce the fleeting nature of the popup, you can't use it with WS_CHILD -- it just ignores CS_DROPSHADOW. You'll need to make your control be WS_POPUP and then position it where you want it when it opens.
Thomas Lee
1/25/2012
No library tree node

This page has no corresponding MSDN Library tree node. Consider adding one like for STATIC controls - see tag.

------------ If you are connected in other languages than English, This thing will be happen. (My first language is Korean, so I connected library with the language English)
Thomas Lee
1/25/2012
C# Syntax
    public static class WindowStyles

    {

      public static readonly Int32

      WS_BORDER = 0x00800000,

      WS_CAPTION = 0x00C00000,

      WS_CHILD = 0x40000000,

      WS_CHILDWINDOW = 0x40000000,

      WS_CLIPCHILDREN = 0x02000000,

      WS_CLIPSIBLINGS = 0x04000000,

      WS_DISABLED = 0x08000000,

      WS_DLGFRAME = 0x00400000,

      WS_GROUP = 0x00020000,

      WS_HSCROLL = 0x00100000,

      WS_ICONIC = 0x20000000,

      WS_MAXIMIZE = 0x01000000,

      WS_MAXIMIZEBOX = 0x00010000,

      WS_MINIMIZE = 0x20000000,

      WS_MINIMIZEBOX = 0x00020000,

      WS_OVERLAPPED = 0x00000000,

      WS_OVERLAPPEDWINDOW = WS_OVERLAPPED | WS_CAPTION | WS_SYSMENU | WS_THICKFRAME | WS_MINIMIZEBOX | WS_MAXIMIZEBOX,

      WS_POPUP = unchecked((int)0x80000000),

      WS_POPUPWINDOW = WS_POPUP | WS_BORDER | WS_SYSMENU,

      WS_SIZEBOX = 0x00040000,

      WS_SYSMENU = 0x00080000,

      WS_TABSTOP = 0x00010000,

      WS_THICKFRAME = 0x00040000,

      WS_TILED = 0x00000000,

      WS_TILEDWINDOW = WS_OVERLAPPED | WS_CAPTION | WS_SYSMENU | WS_THICKFRAME | WS_MINIMIZEBOX | WS_MAXIMIZEBOX,

      WS_VISIBLE = 0x10000000,

      WS_VSCROLL = 0x00200000;

    }
btarb24
1/9/2012
WS_VISIBLE behaviors differently on Windows XP and on Windows 7
WS_VISIBLE:

on Windows XP and on Windows 7, this style behaviors differently if combined with something like WS_EX_NOACTIVATE or WS_DISABLED.


WS_EX_NOACTIVATE or WS_DISABLED tends to make the window inactivated, but on Windows XP, if you set a WS_VISIBLE(or any combination with that ) to CreateWindow[Ex]()'s dwStyle parameter, the window, however, looks as it is activated, but actually is not. So Don't set this flag at the very first, use ShowWindow() later to make it visible in this case.


On Windows 7, no difference this flag is initially set or a ShowWindow() is called, the caption(title bar) is darker(meanwhile the window looks inactivated as well as it is).
YumeYao
4/12/2010
Errors in WS_DLGFRAME and WS_SYSMENU styles

"WS_DLGFRAME



Creates a window that has a border of a style typically used with dialog boxes. A window with this style cannot have a title bar."









This is wrong. If you create a window with just this style, you get a window with a caption and a border.










"WS_SYSMENU




Creates a window that has a window menu on its title bar. The WS_CAPTION style must also be specified."





Again, if you create a window with just this style, WS_SYSMENU, you get a window with a caption and a border.