The SetWindowText function changes the text of the specified window's title bar (if it has one). If the specified window is a control, the text of the control is changed. However, SetWindowText cannot change the text of a control in another application.

Syntax

    BOOL SetWindowText(
        HWND hWnd,
        LPCTSTR lpString
    );

Parameters

• hWnd Handle to the window or control whose text is to be changed.
• lpString Pointer to a null-terminated string to be used as the new title or control text.

Return ValueIf the function succeeds, the return value is nonzero.

If the function fails, the return value is zero. To get extended error information, call GetLastError.

RemarksIf the target window is owned by the current process, SetWindowText causes a programming:windows:WM_SETTEXT message to be sent to the specified window or control. If the control is a list box control created with the WS_CAPTION style, however, SetWindowText sets the text for the control, not for the list box entries.

To set the text of a control in another process, send the WM_SETTEXT message directly instead of calling SetWindowText.

The SetWindowText function does not expand tab characters (ASCII code 0x09). Tab characters are displayed as vertical bar (|) characters.

Windows 95/98/Me: SetWindowTextW is supported by the Microsoft Layer for Unicode (MSLU). To use this, you must add certain files to your application, as outlined in Microsoft Layer for Unicode on Windows 95/98/Me Systems .

Function Information

• Minimum DLL Version user32.dll
• Header Declared in Winuser.h, include Windows.h
• Import library User32.lib
• Minimum operating systems Windows 95, Windows NT 3.1
• Unicode Implemented as Unicode version.