EnableMenuItem

The EnableMenuItem function enables, disables, or grays the specified menu item.

BOOL EnableMenuItem(
  HMENU hMenu,         // handle to menu
  UINT uIDEnableItem,  // menu item to enable, disable, or gray
  UINT uEnable         // menu item flags
);
 

Parameters

hMenu

Handle to the menu.

uIDEnableItem

Specifies the menu item to be enabled, disabled, or grayed, as determined by the uEnable parameter. This parameter specifies an item in a menu bar, menu, or submenu.

uEnable

Specifies flags that control the interpretation of the uIDEnableItem parameter and indicate whether the menu item is enabled, disabled, or grayed. This parameter must be a combination of either MF_BYCOMMAND or MF_BYPOSITION and MF_ENABLED, MF_DISABLED, or MF_GRAYED.

Value	Meaning
MF_BYCOMMAND	Indicates that uIDEnableItem gives the identifier of the menu item. If neither the MF_BYCOMMAND nor MF_BYPOSITION flag is specified, the MF_BYCOMMAND flag is the default flag.
MF_BYPOSITION	Indicates that uIDEnableItem gives the zero-based relative position of the menu item.
MF_DISABLED	Indicates that the menu item is disabled, but not grayed, so it cannot be selected.
MF_ENABLED	Indicates that the menu item is enabled and restored from a grayed state so that it can be selected.
MF_GRAYED	Indicates that the menu item is disabled and grayed so that it cannot be selected.

Return Values

The return value specifies the previous state of the menu item (it is either MF_DISABLED, MF_ENABLED, or MF_GRAYED). If the menu item does not exist, the return value is 0xFFFFFFFF.

Remarks

An application must use the MF_BYPOSITION flag to specify the correct menu handle. If the menu handle to the menu bar is specified, the top-level menu item (an item in the menu bar) is affected. To set the state of an item in a drop-down menu or submenu by position, an application must specify the handle to the drop-down menu or submenu.

When an application specifies the MF_BYCOMMAND flag, the system checks all items that open submenus in the menu identified by the specified menu handle. Therefore, unless duplicate menu items are present, specifying the menu handle to the menu bar is sufficient.

The InsertMenu, InsertMenuItem, LoadMenuIndirect, ModifyMenu, and SetMenuItemInfo functions can also set the state (enabled, disabled, or grayed) of a menu item.

Windows CE: Windows CE does not support the MF_DISABLED flag for the uEnable parameter. Menu items cannot be disabled without being grayed. To disable a menu item use the MF_GRAYED flag.

QuickInfo

  Windows NT: Requires version 3.1 or later.
  Windows: Requires Windows 95 or later.
  Windows CE: Requires version 1.0 or later.
  Header: Declared in winuser.h.
  Import Library: Use user32.lib.

See Also

Menus Overview, Menu Functions, GetMenuItemID, InsertMenu, InsertMenuItem, LoadMenuIndirect, ModifyMenu, SetMenuItemInfo, WM_SYSCOMMAND