How to receive Plug & Play device notifications without a windows form

Question

I am trying to write a class library that can catch the windows messages to notify me if a device has been attached or removed. Normally, in a windows forms app I would just override the WndProc method but there is not WndProc method in this case. Is there another way I can get the messages?

Fever

Answer 1

You'll need a window, there's no way around that. Here's a sample implementation. Implement an event handler for the DeviceChangeNotifier.DeviceNotify event to get notifications. Call the DeviceChangeNotifier.Start() method at the start of your program. Call DeviceChangeNotifier.Stop() at the end of your program. Beware that the DeviceNotify event is raised on a background thread, be sure to lock as needed to keep your code thread-safe.

using System;
using System.Windows.Forms;
using System.Threading;

class DeviceChangeNotifier : Form {
  public delegate void DeviceNotifyDelegate(Message msg);
  public static event DeviceNotifyDelegate DeviceNotify;
  private static DeviceChangeNotifier mInstance;

  public static void Start() {
    Thread t = new Thread(runForm);
    t.SetApartmentState(ApartmentState.STA);
    t.IsBackground = true;
    t.Start();
  }
  public static void Stop() {
    if (mInstance == null) throw new InvalidOperationException("Notifier not started");
    DeviceNotify = null;
    mInstance.Invoke(new MethodInvoker(mInstance.endForm));
  }
  private static void runForm() {
    Application.Run(new DeviceChangeNotifier());
  }

  private void endForm() {
    this.Close();
  }
  protected override void SetVisibleCore(bool value) {
    // Prevent window getting visible
    if (mInstance == null) CreateHandle();
    mInstance = this;
    value = false;
    base.SetVisibleCore(value);
  }
  protected override void WndProc(ref Message m) {
    // Trap WM_DEVICECHANGE
    if (m.Msg == 0x219) {
      DeviceNotifyDelegate handler = DeviceNotify;
      if (handler != null) handler(m);
    }
    base.WndProc(ref m);
  }
}

Modillion

I see you use .Invoke. Does this work if the delegate is not in a UI? – Brause

@nobugz, I am using this and it works but for some reason I am receiving two device attached messages every time I plug in my device. Any idea why? – Fever

@jordan - pay attention to the wparam value of the message. – Modillion

I'm an idiot and was calling the EventHandler twice... Sorry for wasting your time – Fever

Note that this also works if there actually is already a window. This is handy in a library which can be called from windows, console or whatever applications. – Pleasurable

Just adding to this, if you're not interested in handling HWND_BROADCAST then inheriting from System.Windows.Forms.Control will suffice. However if you want HWND_BROADCAST then you must use a System.Windows.Forms.Form to ensure that it becomes the top-level window in your app (otherwise it won't get any broadcast messages) – Bevon

Answer 2

I have a working USB communication class that implements device change notification in a slightly different way if anyone is interested. It's pretty compact (w/o the comments) and doesn't rely on Threading or the OnSourceInitialized and HwndHandler stuff in the client. Also, you do not need a Form or Window as mentioned. Any type where you can override WndProc() can be used. I use a Control.

The sample contains only code needed for notification and nothing else. The sample code is C++/CLI and although I don't subscribe to the practice of putting executable code in header files, for the sake of brevity, I do so here.

#pragma once

#include <Windows.h>    // Declares required datatypes.
#include <Dbt.h>        // Required for WM_DEVICECHANGE messages.
#include <initguid.h>   // Required for DEFINE_GUID definition (see below).

namespace USBComms 
{
    using namespace System;
    using namespace System::Runtime::InteropServices;
    using namespace System::Windows;
    using namespace System::Windows::Forms;

    // This function is required for receieving WM_DEVICECHANGE messages.
    // Note: name is remapped "RegisterDeviceNotificationUM"
    [DllImport("user32.dll" , CharSet = CharSet::Unicode, EntryPoint="RegisterDeviceNotification")]                 
    extern "C" HDEVNOTIFY WINAPI RegisterDeviceNotificationUM(
        HANDLE hRecipient,
        LPVOID NotificationFilter,
        DWORD Flags);

    // Generic guid for usb devices (see e.g. http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/hardware/ff545972%28v=vs.85%29.aspx).
    // Note: GUIDs are device and OS specific and may require modification. Using the wrong guid will cause notification to fail.
    // You may have to tinker with your device to find the appropriate GUID. "hid.dll" has a function `HidD_GetHidGuid' that returns
    // "the device interfaceGUID for HIDClass devices" (see http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/hardware/ff538924%28v=vs.85%29.aspx).
    // However, testing revealed it does not always return a useful value. The GUID_DEVINTERFACE_USB_DEVICE value, defined as
    // {A5DCBF10-6530-11D2-901F-00C04FB951ED}, has worked with cell phones, thumb drives, etc. For more info, see e.g.
    // http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/hardware/ff553426%28v=vs.85%29.aspx. 
    DEFINE_GUID(GUID_DEVINTERFACE_USB_DEVICE, 0xA5DCBF10L, 0x6530, 0x11D2, 0x90, 0x1F, 0x00, 0xC0, 0x4F, 0xB9, 0x51, 0xED);

    /// <summary>
    /// Declare a delegate for the notification event handler.
    /// </summary>
    /// <param name="sender">The object where the event handler is attached.</param>
    /// <param name="e">The event data.</param>
    public delegate void NotificationEventHandler(Object^ sender, EventArgs^ e);

    /// <summary>
    /// Class that generetaes USB Device Change notification events.
    /// </summary>
    /// <remarks>
    /// A Form is not necessary. Any type wherein you can override WndProc() can be used.
    /// </remarks>
    public ref class EventNotifier : public Control
    {
    private:
        /// <summary>
        /// Raises the NotificationEvent.
        /// </summary>
        /// <param name="e">The event data.</param>
        void RaiseNotificationEvent(EventArgs^ e) {
            NotificationEvent(this, e);
        }

    protected:
        /// <summary>
        /// Overrides the base class WndProc method.
        /// </summary>
        /// <param name="message">The Windows Message to process. </param>
        /// <remarks>
        /// This method receives Windows Messages (WM_xxxxxxxxxx) and
        /// raises our NotificationEvent as appropriate. Here you should
        /// add any message filtering (e.g. for the WM_DEVICECHANGE) and
        /// preprocessing before raising the event (or not).
        /// </remarks>
        virtual void WndProc(Message% message) override {
            if(message.Msg == WM_DEVICECHANGE)
            {
                RaiseNotificationEvent(EventArgs::Empty);
            }
            __super::WndProc(message);
        }

    public:
        /// <summary>
        /// Creates a new instance of the EventNotifier class.
        /// </summary>
        EventNotifier(void) {
            RequestNotifications(this->Handle); // Register ourselves as the Windows Message processor.
        }

        /// <summary>
        /// Registers an object, identified by the handle, for
        /// Windows WM_DEVICECHANGE messages.
        /// </summary>
        /// <param name="handle">The object's handle.</param>
        bool RequestNotifications(IntPtr handle) {
            DEV_BROADCAST_DEVICEINTERFACE NotificationFilter;

            ZeroMemory(&NotificationFilter, sizeof(NotificationFilter));
            NotificationFilter.dbcc_devicetype = DBT_DEVTYP_DEVICEINTERFACE;
            NotificationFilter.dbcc_size = sizeof(DEV_BROADCAST_DEVICEINTERFACE);
            NotificationFilter.dbcc_reserved = 0;
            NotificationFilter.dbcc_classguid = GUID_DEVINTERFACE_USB_DEVICE;
            return RegisterDeviceNotificationUM((HANDLE)handle, &NotificationFilter, DEVICE_NOTIFY_WINDOW_HANDLE) != NULL;
        }

        /// <summary>
        /// Defines the notification event.
        /// </summary>
        virtual event NotificationEventHandler^ NotificationEvent;
    };
}

Then, in the 'receiver' (the object that subscribes to and consumes our NotificationEvent), all you have to do is:

void Receiver::SomeFunction(void)
{
    USBComms::EventNotifier usb = gcnew USBComms::EventNotifier();

    usb->NotificationEvent += gcnew USBComms::NotificationEventHandler(this, &Receiver::USBEvent);
}

void Receiver::USBEvent(Object^ sender, EventArgs^ e)
{
    // Handle the event notification as appropriate.
}

Janerich

Form is descended from Control and control wraps a win32 window instance anyway. The only non-window based method I have found is to use ManagementEventWatcher. But this seems to have its own problems. – Frascati

Answer 3

In Windows CE / Windows Mobile / SmartDevice projects, the standard Form does not provide an override to the WndProc method, but this can be accomplished by making a class based on Microsoft.WindowsCE.Forms.MessageWindow, creating a constructor that takes a form, hold that form in a local variable so that a method on that form can be called whenever the message is detected. Here's a scaled down sample to illustrate. Hope this is helpful to someone in the CE / Windows Mobile world.

  public class MsgWindow : Microsoft.WindowsCE.Forms.MessageWindow {

    public const int WM_SER = 0x500;
    public const int WM_SER_SCANDONE = WM_SER + 0;

    frmMain msgform { get; set; }

    public MsgWindow(frmMain msgform) {
      this.msgform = msgform;
    }

    protected override void WndProc(ref Microsoft.WindowsCE.Forms.Message m) {
      switch (m.Msg) {
        case WM_SER_SCANDONE:
          this.msgform.RespondToMessage(WM_SER_SCANDONE);
          break;
        default:
          break;
      }
      base.WndProc(ref m);
    }

  }

  public partial class frmMain : Form {

    public frmMain() {
      InitializeComponent();
    }

    public void RespondToMessage(int nMsg) {
      try {
        switch (nMsg) {
          case MsgWindow.WM_SER_SCANDONE:
            // do something here based on the message
            break;
          default:
            break;
        }
      } catch (Exception ex) {
        MessageBox.Show(string.Format("{0} - {1}", ex.Message, ex.ToString()), "RespondToMessage() Error", MessageBoxButtons.OK, MessageBoxIcon.Exclamation, MessageBoxDefaultButton.Button1);
        // throw;
      }
    }

  }

Sorn