Screen Saver, Windows, Writing one

• Notes on Windows Screen Savers

External

• SAVER: Screen Saver http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/vcsample98/html/_sample_mfc_saver.asp
• Writing Windows(32bit) Screensavers in C http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/town/square/fc77/hobbies/screen/screen_c32.htm
• See comments on this page for putting IE in a screen saver http://www.codeproject.com/cpp/scrfrmwk.asp

Notes on Windows Screen Savers

• Screen Savers are normal windows apps.
• Application must end in .scr to be used as a screen saver.
• Must popup config panel in response to the command line parameter /c and -c
• Must run in response to the command line parameter /s or -s
• Window Style WS_POPUP is good to use by itself, since it makes a window with no decorations
• Use this to get the screens size SM_CXFULLSCREEN
• May have to watch for messages of type WM_SYSCOMMAND which will try to run the screen saver multiplle times (happens each time the countdown expires)
• Good times to close a screen saver WM_MOUSEMOVE WM_ACTIVATE WM_ACTIVATEAPP WM_KEYDOWN WM_SYSKEYDOWN WM_LBUTTONDOWN WM_MBUTTONDOWN WM_RBUTTONDOWN
• Send a WM_CLOSE message to exit the screen saver
• In apps .def file you need a line like this to name the screen saver
  DESCRIPTION 'SCRNSAVE :SaversName'