CODEWITHSUNDEEP
c++windowsconsole-applicationdirectinput
Valse
Valse

Reputation: 1

DirectInput console application

I'm working in C++ in Windows and I need to deal with an input device with force feedback. I found out that one solution could be to use DirectInput and so I start looking at that.

FIRST QUESTION: any suggestions on other ways for dealing with force feedback devices? (Win32 app, not UWP)

Coming back to DirectInput

The reference starting point I have got in my mind is the DirectInput Samples, in particular the FFconst example where a constant feedback force is applied to the first device axis according to a value grabbed from a simple GUI. In my case what I want to achieve is having a simple console application where I set a constant force according to a value grabbed from the standard input.

The basic steps for using the DirectInput API, according to the samples and the documentation, are:

Now, all goes well until we encounter the SetCooperativeLevel mehtod since it needs as input a HWND window handle "to be associate to the device" and which "must be a valid top-level window handle that belongs to the process". Since I'm writing a console application I need to find a valid HWND pointer: I sorted the problem out following this suggestion. Anyway, the HWND pointer I get in that way seems not to be a valid window handle since I get a E_HANDLE error, as I would specify nullptr as argument. I found out that specifying the argument through the call of GetTopWindow allows not to get the invalid handle error. However I'm not able to acquire the device and I get the DIERR_OTHERAPPHASPRIO error, which is nothing more than E_ACCESSDENIED. I found that it seems someone use to treat that error in the same way the DIERR_INPUTLOST error is treated, i.e. re-acquiring the device in a while loop as shown in the Joystick direct input sample in the UpdateInputState function. Anyway trying this I'm not able to exit that loop, i.e. the device device keep being denied.

That said I end up with the

SECOND QUESTION: how to use the DirectInput API in a console application or inside a DLL? (Win32) In case of a console application I'd like to understand why the steps I've done don't work, and in case of a DLL I'd like to know if anyone has an idea on which HWND pointer could be used.

Upvotes: 0

Views: 1504

Answers (1)

Abel
Abel

Reputation: 111

Microsoft provides a function to get a console application's window for uses like this.

HWND WINAPI GetConsoleWindow(void);

Upvotes: 0

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