System Menu

The system gives a dialog box a System menu when the template specifies the WS_SYSMENU style. To prevent inappropriate command input, the system automatically disables all commands in the menu except the Move and Close commands. The user can use the Move command to move the dialog box. When the user chooses the Close command, the system sends a WM_COMMAND message to the dialog box procedure with the wParam parameter set to IDCANCEL. This is identical to the message sent by the Cancel button when the user chooses it. The recommended action for this message is to close the dialog box and cancel the requested command or task.

Although other menus in dialog boxes are not recommended, a dialog box template can specify a menu by supplying the identifier or the name of a menu resource. In this case, the system loads the resource and creates the menu for the dialog box. Applications typically use menu identifiers or names in templates when using the templates to create custom windows rather than dialog boxes.