Thread: toggle taskbar

I found this code on the web for hiding the windows taskbar.

Option Explicit
 Private Declare Function FindWindowEx& Lib "user32" Alias "FindWindowExA" _
  (ByVal hWnd1&, ByVal hWnd2&, ByVal lpsz1$, ByVal lpsz2$)
 Private Declare Function ShowWindow& Lib "user32" (ByVal hwnd&, ByVal nCmdShow&)


 Sub TaskBar_Hide()
  ShowWindow FindWindowEx(0, 0, "Shell_TrayWnd", vbNullString), 0
 End Sub
 


 Sub TaskBar_Show()
  ShowWindow FindWindowEx(0, 0, "Shell_TrayWnd", vbNullString), 5
 End Sub

It works as advertised

What I would like to do is read a value so that I can toggle between show/hide.

Any help is appreciated

That is my question

how do I test for whether the taskbar is visible ?

Hello SuitedAces,

Here is the code to check if a task bar is visible. However, this not what you really need. The TaskBar is always visible, even when the Atuo Hide is enabled. It is really reduced in size to only a few pixels. What you really need the second macro which displays a message box if it is hidden.

Private Const GWL_STYLE As Long = (-16)
Private Const WS_VISIBLE As Long = &H10000000

Private Declare Function FindWindowEx _
    Lib "user32" Alias "FindWindowExA" _
    (ByVal hwndParent As Long, _
    ByVal hwndChildAfter As Long, _
    ByVal lpszClass As String, _
    ByVal lpszWindow As String) _
    As Long
    
Private Declare Function GetWindowLong _
    Lib "user32" Alias "GetWindowLongA" _
    (ByVal hWnd As Long, _
    ByVal nIndex As Long) _
    As Long

Public Function IsTaskbarVisible() As Boolean

  Dim hWnd As Long
  Dim Ret As Long

    hWnd = FindWindowEx(0, 0, "Shell_TrayWnd", vbNullString)
    Ret = GetWindowLong(hWnd, GWL_STYLE)
  
    If Ret And WS_VISIBLE Then IsTaskbarVisible = True

End Function

Macro to test if the Taskbar is Minimized

Sub CheckTaskbar()

  Dim hWnd As Long
  Dim Tray_Rect As API_RECT
  Dim DskTop_Rect As API_RECT
  Dim Ret As Long
  
    hWnd = FindWindowEx(0&, 0&, "Shell_TrayWnd", vbNullString)
    Ret = GetWindowRect(hWnd, Tray_Rect)
    
    hWnd = GetDesktopWindow()
    Ret = GetWindowRect(hWnd, DskTop_Rect)
    
    BarHeight = DskTop_Rect.Bottom - Tray_Rect.Top
    
    If BarHeight = 2 Then MsgBox "Task Bar is Hidden", vbInformation
    
End Sub

Sincerely,
Leith Ross

Hello SuitedAces,

vbInformation is MessageBox constant that displays the information icon and plays the information sound when it is displayed. Other constants are vbExclamation, vbWarning, and vbCritical.

Sincerely,
Leith Ross

Hello SuitedAces,

Sorry, I didn't see that the rectangle structure was missing. Here is the correct macro listing for testing if the Task Bar is hidden...

Private Type API_RECT
  Left As Long
  Top As Long
  Right As Long
  Bottom As Long
End Type

Private Declare Function FindWindowEx _
    Lib "user32" Alias "FindWindowExA" _
    (ByVal hwndParent As Long, _
    ByVal hwndChildAfter As Long, _
    ByVal lpszClass As String, _
    ByVal lpszWindow As String) _
    As Long

Declare Function GetDesktopWindow _
  Lib "user32.dll" () As Long
    
Declare Function GetWindowRect _
  Lib "user32.dll" _
    (ByVal hWnd As Long, _
     ByRef lpRect As API_RECT) As Long

Sub CheckTaskbar()

  Dim hWnd As Long
  Dim Tray_Rect As API_RECT
  Dim DskTop_Rect As API_RECT
  Dim Ret As Long
  
    hWnd = FindWindowEx(0&, 0&, "Shell_TrayWnd", vbNullString)
    Ret = GetWindowRect(hWnd, Tray_Rect)
    
    hWnd = GetDesktopWindow()
    Ret = GetWindowRect(hWnd, DskTop_Rect)
    
    BarHeight = DskTop_Rect.Bottom - Tray_Rect.Top
    
    If BarHeight = 2 Then MsgBox "Task Bar is Hidden", vbInformation
    
End Sub

Sincerely,
Leith Ross

Hello SuitedAces,

I ran the macro on my other computer which has Office 2003 with Windows XP, and it works with no problems. Post the code you are using so I can check it.

The RECT structure is a Type declaration. This allows you to create an object whose structure is composed of other object types that can be referenced individually within the structure. The name that follows Type is then entered into the general component library. This construct is used in C as well. The API has many such type structures.

Sincerely,
Leith Ross

Leith this is the code I was running

Option Explicit

Private Type API_RECT
  Left As Long
  Top As Long
  Right As Long
  Bottom As Long
End Type

Private Declare Function FindWindowEx _
    Lib "user32" Alias "FindWindowExA" _
    (ByVal hwndParent As Long, _
    ByVal hwndChildAfter As Long, _
    ByVal lpszClass As String, _
    ByVal lpszWindow As String) _
    As Long

Declare Function GetDesktopWindow _
  Lib "user32.dll" () As Long
    
Declare Function GetWindowRect _
  Lib "user32.dll" _
    (ByVal hwnd As Long, _
     ByRef lpRect As API_RECT) As Long

Sub CheckTaskbar()

  Dim hwnd As Long
  Dim Tray_Rect As API_RECT
  Dim DskTop_Rect As API_RECT
  Dim Ret As Long
  Dim Barheight As Long
  
    hwnd = FindWindowEx(0&, 0&, "Shell_TrayWnd", vbNullString)
    Ret = GetWindowRect(hwnd, Tray_Rect)
    
    hwnd = GetDesktopWindow()
    Ret = GetWindowRect(hwnd, DskTop_Rect)
    
    Barheight = DskTop_Rect.Bottom - Tray_Rect.Top
    
    If Barheight = 2 Then
    MsgBox "Task Bar is Hidden"
    Else
    MsgBox "Task Bar is Visible"
    End If
    
End Sub

this is the code I used to hide the taskbar

Private Declare Function FindWindowEx& Lib "user32" Alias "FindWindowExA" _
  (ByVal hWnd1&, ByVal hWnd2&, ByVal lpsz1$, ByVal lpsz2$)
 Private Declare Function ShowWindow& Lib "user32" (ByVal hwnd&, ByVal nCmdShow&)
 
 Sub TaskBar_Hide()
 ShowWindow FindWindowEx(0, 0, "Shell_TrayWnd", vbNullString), 0
 End Sub
 Sub TaskBar_Show()
 ShowWindow FindWindowEx(0, 0, "Shell_TrayWnd", vbNullString), 5
 End Sub