> I want to build an application with a user interface similar to MS
Outlook -
> One main form, and each "detail form" shall be shown non-modal and have
its
> own button in the windows taskbar.

> I managed it to have the form display a button in the taskbar by
overriding
> the CreateParams method and settings the Form.ParentWnd = 0, which works
> almost fine, but there is one problem:

> When I want to show a modal dialog from a detail form, the main form is
> always displayed and becomes the active form of my application. Is there
any
> way to achieve what I want without having these problems with modal forms?

> Thanks in advance

> > I want to build an application with a user interface similar to MS
> Outlook -
> > One main form, and each "detail form" shall be shown non-modal and have
> its
> > own button in the windows taskbar.

> > I managed it to have the form display a button in the taskbar by
> overriding
> > the CreateParams method and settings the Form.ParentWnd = 0, which works
> > almost fine, but there is one problem:

> > When I want to show a modal dialog from a detail form, the main form is
> > always displayed and becomes the active form of my application. Is there
> any
> > way to achieve what I want without having these problems with modal
forms?

> > Thanks in advance

> I found this somewhere on the web (don't remember where):

> To add a taskbar button for a specific application window, you need to
> override the CreateParams method of TForm and add WS_EX_APPWINDOW to the
> window's extended style:

> type
>   TMyForm = class(TForm)
>     protected
>       procedure CreateParams(var Params: TCreateParams);
>     end;

> implementation

> procedure TMyForm.CreateParams(var Params: TCreateParams);
> begin
>   ExStyle := ExStyle or WS_EX_APPWINDOW;
> end;

> This will add the taskbar button for your form, but there are a few other
> minor details to handle.  Most obviously, your form still receives
> minimize/maximize that get sent to the parent form (the main form of the
> application).  In order to avoid this, you can install a message handler
for
> WM_SYSCOMMAND by adding a line such as:

> procedure WMSysCommand(var Msg: TMessage); WM_SYSCOMMAND;

> procedure TParentForm.WMSysCommand(var Msg: TMessage);
> begin
>   if Msg.wParam = SC_MINIMIZE then
>   begin
>     // Send child windows message, don't
>     // send to windows with a taskbar button.
>   end;
> end;

> Note that this handler goes in the PARENT form of the one you want to
behave
> independantly of the rest of the application, so as to avoid passing on
the
> minimize message. You can add similar code for SC_MAXIMIZE, SC_RESTORE,
etc.

> Have a great day!

> Ernest
> (efairch...@home.com)
> _____________________
> "You will never find anybody who can give you a clear and compelling
reason
> why we observe daylight savings time." -- Dave Barry

> Visit my website at http://www.public.asu.edu/~ernestf