SetWindowText

The SetWindowText function changes the text of the specified window's title bar (if it has one). If the specified window is a control, the text of the control is changed. However, SetWindowText cannot change the text of a control in another application.

BOOL SetWindowText(
  HWND hWnd,         // handle to window or control
  LPCTSTR lpString   // address of string
);
 

Parameters

hWnd

Handle to the window or control whose text is to be changed.

lpString

Pointer to a null-terminated string to be used as the new title or control text.

Return Values

If the function succeeds, the return value is nonzero.

If the function fails, the return value is zero. To get extended error information, call GetLastError.

Remarks

If the target window is owned by the current process, SetWindowText causes a WM_SETTEXT message to be sent to the specified window or control. If the control is a list box control created with the WS_CAPTION style, however, SetWindowText sets the text for the control, not for the list box entries.

The SetWindowText function does not expand tab characters (ASCII code 0x09). Tab characters are displayed as vertical bar (|) characters.

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.
  Unicode: Implemented as Unicode and ANSI versions on Windows NT.

See Also

Windows Overview, Window Functions, GetWindowText, WM_SETTEXT