what could cause SetPixel to return null? here''s my simplified loop code: while(true) { if(PeekMessage(&msg, NULL, 0, 0, PM_REMOVE)) { if (msg.message == WM_QUIT) break; TranslateMessage(&msg); DispatchMessage(&msg); } if (hMainDC = NULL) MessageError(); COLORREF thecolor = RGB(255,0,0); SetPixel(hMainDC, 10,10,thecolor); } I know that the DC is valid...although i dont know what it is. I''ve gotten it to work inside of the WM_PAINT but that''s not useful to me in this case...what im really trying to do is bitblt, but no GDI functions are working here so i decided to solve the problem with SetPixel to simplify things. what am i missing? thanks for any help you can give me.

How did you acquire that DC?


I will not make a list of links... I will not make a list of links... I will not make a list of links...
Invader''s Realm

yeah, how do you know the hdc is valid? if you dont kknow what itis, then its most likly not valid. also you set it to NULL in your conditional statement.

the reason it worked in WM_PAINT is probably because you were using a valid DC that the WM_PAINT message gives you. or you possibly used GetDC() on the window handle within the WM_PAINT message, but now are not doing that.

i suggest reading u onw how DCs work in windows as well as the GetDC() and ReleaseDC() functions. SelectObject(), CreateDIBSection(), CreateCompatibleBitmap(), CreateDC(), CreateCompatibleDC() are good functions to read about as well.

right after i create my window:

hMainDC = GetDC(hMainWnd);
if (hMainDC = NULL)
MessageError();

hMainWnd is my window. MessageError is a dialog box function that tells me if the call fails...and i've tested it and put a watch on it. It does get initialized to something.

thanks
oh by the way could the fact that i used = instead of == have something to do with it? i just noticed that after your comment, but even without the check code shown it doesn't work. i just put that in after i couldn't make it work. I have read tons on DCs and i cant find a difference in my implementation against several other source files i have that work

[edited by - bjmumblingmiles on July 25, 2002 5:02:35 PM]

[edited by - bjmumblingmiles on July 25, 2002 5:03:32 PM]

quote: Original post by bjmumblingmiles


oh by the way could the fact that i used = instead of == have something to do with it?

i just tried making them all == and now i am getting an error at some point...

quote:
oh by the way could the fact that i used = instead of == have something to do with it?

== means "is equal to"
= means "assign a value to"

so what you are doing in the line

if (hMainDC = NULL)

is assign the value of NULL to the hMainDC. When ever you make an assignment, it will always return true. This means that not only will your MesageError() function be called, but the call to SetPixel(...) using that value will be wrong.

Try this. Revert all of your changes with the ''='' operator. then in that line chnage it to ''=='' (without apostrophes). If you are still getting an error, assign a breakpoint to the line right after you get the DC, and run the code. when the compiler stops, add a watch to see what the value of hMainDC is. If it is 0, then you aren''t acuiring(sp?)the DC correctly.

actually
if(someVar=NULL)
dosomething();

is like doing:

someVar=NULL;
if(NULL)
doSomething();

you MUST use == in all if statments if you are comparing things. whta error do you get? you have to be clear and not use elipses for effect of trailing off.

you cant just grab the hdc and never release it unless you set your window up that way (see the docs). otherwise you could screw things up. also you should use while() around peekmessage() so that all messages get processed.

once more so you get it:
if (hMainDC = NULL)
MessageError();

is like saying

hMainDC = NULL
if (NULL)
MessageError();

instead you MUST do:
if (hMainDC == NULL)
MessageError();

i seriously think you dont want help. you are not explaining the error you are getting. if you dont want help keep responding the way you are.

quote:
i seriously think you dont want help. you are not explaining the error you are getting. if you dont want help keep responding the way you are.

Well actually i do want help i was in a hurry to go somewhere and i didn''t get back til late. I do realize the difference between the = and == operators i just often forget while i am coding them. ;-) I tried to say that in one of my earlier posts. The error handler i made in like 2 seconds is just designed to tell me if hMainDC is NULL, it is not intended to change anything. i fixed that problem anyway, and my DC is still invalid. And also i do release the dc at the end and i do have a loop with PeekMessage, then Translate and Dispatch. The code i posted was more focused on why i cant get a valid dc.

here is my situation. after window creation i call
hMainDC = GetDC(hMainWnd);
then i try to draw with that dc
then i release it at the end.
in my main loop, hMainDC is NULL, after it has been initialized a few functions earlier. I have also tried getting the DC in WM_CREATE but it has no different effect.
Hope you can more clearly see my problem. thanks

I''ve also tried Begin and End paint and everything compiles but SetPixel returns NULL! is there some reason i can draw in my Message handler but not my main loop? in WM_PAINT it works just fine with the same code i tried to use in the loop. But WM_PAINT messages are not consistent with my timing, obviously. calling InvalidateRect to generate them is clearly not the way to go.

Sheesh. Go read the docs for SetPixel. It returns the previous pixel color, or -1 if the API failed. Since it''s returning 0, that means the pixel was black before you changed it to something else.

If you don''t need to know the previous pixel color when you set a pixel, use SetPixelV. It''s faster and will return non-zero if it succeeds, and zero if it fails.