Ok, I am making a program that runs in 2 windows, When the main window is executed it calls(using the spawn function) the second program in another window.

The 2 programs actings as one interact through sending data through a file, now the heres the problem. Think of how winamp or music match jukebox works, the have like 2 windows running at once, but both are active at the same time, with me I have to click between windows to activate each one. Is there a solution to that (so both windows can be active at the same time)

thankss

I mean allegro,

with the whole message thing, I'm NOT using win32 api message system. I'm using my own method through allegro to send data to a file, and both windows read from that file and communicate.

but heres the thing,i'm making my own video player to play special video files that I make(that are really datafiles with pictures in them).
One window is the video window(that plays the movie flie) and the second window has the controls, like play, stop, pause, etc.

When I run the video window is calls the control window and they both are on showing, but when I click on the control window the movie stops because that window becomes inactive and resume only after I click on it again.

you said that you didn't think it was possible? so how does winamp do it, like they have they playlist window, and the window that shows that file is playing (NO win32 api please).

Thanks

I don't know much of GUI programming... But you could give the "impression" that when you click of the windows both show up. When you click one window, bring the other window on the top first and then the one you clicked on.

Then you don't get an answer.

Allegro is, primarily, a game library. It's interface to the GUI is precisely enough to get a game up and running, and nothing more than that.

If you want to do something like what you're wanting to do, you're going to have to talk to the GUI directly. That's simply the nature of the beast.

Well, you can still use allegro to create your main window etc.. but for changing window properties etc.. you'll still need to use some Win32 code.

are there any good tutorials out their for integrating Win32 with allegro.

Like having the advantages of the win32 windows
but the ease of allegro graphic functions, like blitting, and datafiles,

Thankss

your problem has to do with set_display_switch_mode. AFAIK when a windowed allegro program looses focus, it pauses. You cannot change the display switch mode for windowed programs (at least not on my computer). I think it's a directx issue, but i'm not sure.
You could change focus really fast between your windows, but that's not really a solution.

allrgro function set_display_switch_mode()
its in the docs.

have one window.
then spam the desktop using blit_to_hdc( ... );
use the hdc for the windows desktop.
use a win32 api function to get the windows desktops hdc.

or

launch another window that does nothing.
then get its hdc (use the win32 api function to get the hdc of that other window)
then blit_to_hdc()

or

write a win32 app.

or

use one window, make it full screen
then, just before the window is activated (using set_gfx_mode)
copy the windows hdc to a bitmap.
then go allegro full screen
blit that bitmap to the full screen.
it will look like the windows desktop.
then just draw your own windows on top of that !

seriously win32 api is not that hard.
the basics id say are easier than allegro.

gettings some data out of the system, or settings same stuff is often one function call.
and its as easy as just adding a header file to the top of the 'c' file that uses the win32 call.

try this:

int main(void)
{
allegro_init();
MessageBox(win_get_window(), "msg", "title", MB_OK );
}

there you have it, a win32 call... how easy !
if you dont want to use allegro in the above example...

try this:

int main(void)
{
MessageBox( NULL, "msg", "title", MB_OK );
}

You, sir, are on crack

I wrote a little example of getting Allegro and Win32 to work together. So now all you need to do is learn a little Win32 to run a second window. See mEmO's last post; Petzold rocks . Allegro will run slower in a window than fullscreen though; no question.

Though if one were very 1337, I would bet you could put the main game window into fullscreen using ChangeDisplaySettings() and then running a smaller window over that. But I've never tried that.

Win32 is not too hard, though it can be cumbersome. Never tried any alternatives though. Isn't this that "console" thing everyone loves so much? You could create a simple GUI window using Allegro or something, no?

Just rambling ...

EDIT: Hey, I just noticed

that ss4410 is using paragraphs!

When did he start
doing that?

threads are not the issue...
the issue is about getting multi-windows..

heres another idea...

have 2 seperate programs... both use allegro for drawing etc... both are stand alone allegro programs.

BUT, one launches the other.
then communicate between them using
win32::SendMessage( WM_COPYDATA, ... );

sorted

i was trying to offer the simplest method, as someones afraid of win32, and needs to be shown the light

i would bet that win32::SendMessage(WM_COPYDATA,...) is the simplest, and yes i know its not portable, but really what (useful warez) is these days anyway.