C# Signature:

[DllImport("user32.dll")]
static extern IntPtr SetParent(IntPtr hWndChild, IntPtr hWndNewParent);

VB .Net Signature:

<DllImport("user32.dll", SetLastError:=True, CharSet:=CharSet.Auto)> _
Public Shared Function SetParent(ByVal hWndChild As IntPtr, ByVal hWndNewParent As IntPtr) As IntPtr
End Function

VB Signature:

Declare Auto Function SetParent Lib "user32" (ByVal hWndChild As IntPtr, ByVal hWndNewParent As IntPtr) As IntPtr

User-Defined Types:

None.

Notes:

None.

Tips & Tricks:

Use this to create forms and then place child windows on it.

Sample Code:

SetParent(FindWindow(vbnullstring,"notepad.exe"),me.handle)

    Me.SuspendLayout()
    Dim runProcess As New System.Diagnostics.Process
    Dim info As New System.Diagnostics.ProcessStartInfo
    info.FileName = "NotePad.exe"
    info.WindowStyle = ProcessWindowStyle.Normal
    runProcess = Process.Start(info)

    SetParent(runProcess.MainWindowHandle, Me.Handle)

    Me.ResumeLayout()

Alternative Managed API:

MDIParent and MDIChild do work for interforms.

One thing that makes SetParent more useful than MDIParent is that there are cases in which a control may be unstable in a MDI interface.

An example of this that I have encountered is using the FarPoint Spread 3.0/6.0 ActiveX controls. These controls will throw a Runtime protected memory violation exception if they are hosted in a WinForms Form, instantiated and then the Form.MDIParent property is set to an MDI container Form but using the SetParent(childForm.Handle, Me.Handle) call works.

Please edit this page!

Do you have...

• helpful tips or sample code to share for using this API in managed code?
• corrections to the existing content?
• variations of the signature you want to share?
• additional languages you want to include?

Select "Edit This Page" on the right hand toolbar and edit it! Or add new pages containing supporting types needed for this API (structures, delegates, and more).