Manually create a dialog child window using an ID from resource.h

Question

I want to add a simple panel to a dialog created using Visual Studio resource editor, but the resource editor doesn't allow this - I need to add my own CWnd as a dialog child. However that way I think I have to use CWnd::Create manually, and pass in names for the class and the window.

I want to create an ID like IDC_MYPANEL, and as much as possible add the window so it works like something defined in the template. What's the right way to do this, and what's the best MFC class to use as a simple panel... just use CWnd itself?

Answer 1

What do you mean by 'a simple panel'? If it's a custom control, derive from CWnd, override Create() and call CWnd::Create() with NULL as the class name so that MFC makes its own, and add a line to resource.h with the IDC_XXX value of your control. If it's a sub-dialog, with controls on it, derive from CDialog and call CDialog::Create() with the IDD that you define in your dialog.

The only difference when creating a control at runtime is that in OnInitDialog, you do some Create() and initialisation things, and you don't include a DDX_Control() line for that control. For the rest everything works the same.