Enable/Disable MenuItem

[p8er]

This topic seems to have cropped up regularly over a decade or more. I have ploughed through the exchanges in all the forums, yet I still cannot make it work. The following is a tiny Code::Blocks program, written to isolate the
problem:

// resource.h
#define IDR_MYMENU	101
#define ID_FILE     	102
#define ID_DISABLE	103
#define ID_ENABLE       104
#define ID_MESSAGE	105
#define ID_EXIT		106

// resource.rc
#include <windows.h>
#include "resource.h"
IDR_MYMENU MENU
{
    POPUP "File"
    {
        MENUITEM "M1 Disable M3",	ID_DISABLE
        MENUITEM "M2 Enable M3",        ID_ENABLE
        MENUITEM "M3 MesageBox",	ID_MESSAGE
        MENUITEM "M4 Exit",	        ID_EXIT

    }
}

// main.cpp
... minimal code down to the Switch instruction of case WM_COMMAND, and then ...
   case ID_DISABLE:
	EnableMenuItem((HMENU)IDR_MYMENU,ID_MESSAGE,MF_GRAYED);
   break;

case ID_ENABLE is similar to case ID_DISABLE above, and neither works. case ID_MESSAGE and case ID_EXIT both works as expected.

I have tinkered with EnableMenuItem(), as various posts have suggested, but without success. Can anybody help?

Peter

[Disch]

(HMENU)IDR_MYMENU

This is wrong.

An ID is not an HMENU. Forcibly casting to one won't work _{(don't cast around compiler errors! The compiler is telling you something is wrong... casting around it just tells the compiler to shut up without actually solving the problem)}

The easiest way to get an HMENU is probably with GetMenu:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/ms647640%28v=vs.85%29.aspx

For that you'd need the HWND of the parent window:

HMENU menu = GetMenu( my_hwnd );
EnableMenuItem( menu, ID_MESSAGE, MF_GRAYED );

[p8er]

Disch
Thanks for the prompt reply. I did try:

HMENU hmenu = GetMenu(hwnd);
EnableMenuItem( hmenu, ID_MESSAGE, MF_GRAYED );

No joy :(
Peter

[LB]

I think MF_GRAYED is deprecated, try MF_DISABLED

[p8er]

Thanks L B, but MF_DISABLED instead of MF_GRAYED stop the window appearing. (I am sure I remember reading that GRAYED is preferred now. Maybe that's wrong.)
Peter

[LB]

Ah, I don't know, all I know is that it was either MF_GRAYED or MF_DISABLED that had a comment in the windows headers saying to use the other one. I remember having an issue similar to this but I can't find where the code is.

[p8er]

So where are all the C++ pros? Come on guys. Disable/Enable Menu Item is surely bread and butter to you fellas. What's wrong with:

HMENU hmenu = GetMenu(hwnd);
EnableMenuItem(hmenu, ID_MESSAGE, MF_GRAYED );

or have I gone wrong somewhere else? Please help.
Peter

[MikeyBoy]

This is Windows-specific stuff. Many of us work with cross-platform toolkits rather than platform-specific GUI code.

I'd recommend using either the Windows Programming forum here, or a forum more focussed on Windows development elsewhere

[p8er]

OK Mike. I'll try that. Thanks,
Peter