Windows and messages

The Microsoft Game Development Kit (GDK) uses the Win32 programming style, including windows and messages. Although much of this is identical to what you might encounter on Windows PC, this topic describes what's supported on console and the differences from Windows PC.

Every game must have a WinMain as its entry point function. Within WinMain, the game should do the following.

1. Register a window class.
2. Specify a window procedure.
3. Create a window.
4. Pump the message loop.

On console, the window just acts a target for messages.

On console, there's support for basic input from the keyboard and mouse as well as window lifetime. The following system messages are supported.

• WM_ACTIVATE
• WM_ACTIVATEAPP
• WM_CHAR
• WM_CREATE
• WM_DESTROY
• WM_DPICHANGED
• WM_KEYDOWN
• WM_KEYUP
• WM_KILLFOCUS
• WM_LBUTTONDOWN
• WM_LBUTTONUP
• WM_MBUTTONDOWN
• WM_MBUTTONUP
• WM_MOUSEMOVE
• WM_MOUSEWHEEL
• WM_QUIT
• WM_RBUTTONDOWN
• WM_RBUTTONUP
• WM_SETFOCUS
• WM_SHOWWINDOW
• WM_SIZE
• WM_SYSKEYDOWN
• WM_SYSKEYUP
• WM_THEMECHANGED
• WM_TIMER
• WM_USER
• WM_XBUTTONDOWN
• WM_XBUTTONUP

Console supports only a subset of what might be expected from winuser.h. Console supports only the following windows functions.

• AdjustWindowRect
• AdjustWindowRectEx
• CallWindowProc
• CreateWindowEx
• DefWindowProc
• DestroyCursor
• DestroyWindow
• DispatchMessage
• GetClientRect
• GetCursorInfo
• GetCursorPos
• GetMessage
• GetWindowLong
• GetWindowLongPtr
• KillTimer
• LoadCursor
• MoveWindow
• PeekMessage
• PostMessage
• PostQuitMessage
• PostThreadMessage
• RegisterClass
• RegisterClassEx
• SendMessage
• SetCursor
• SetTimer
• SetWindowLong
• SetWindowLongPtr
• SetWindowPos
• ShowCursor
• ShowWindow
• TranslateMessage
• UnregisterClass