Handling special multimedia keyboard keys

[maddoxrunner]

Hi, I'm writing an app where I need to handle the play, pause, stop buttons on multimedia keyboards. I get the WM_APPCOMMAND events while my app has focus and all is well.

However, when my app is not focused, it never sees the play/stop/etc. I read through Win32 doc for handling keyboard input and it hints under the heading "Keyboard Keys for Browsing and Other Functions" to use SetWindowsHookEX with WH_SHELL.

If I do that as a local thread hook, my app never sees keys while other apps have focus. I'm pretty sure registering as a global hook will work, BUT

1) The Win32 docs say never to do that for released software (just bad practice, but I know lots of software does)
2) I'm afraid of getting flagged by anti-virus software (the real reason I have reservations about this approach)

How realistic is my fear of running afoul of anti-virus software? I'm not setting a keyboard hook like a key logger would, so maybe a global WH_SHELL hook is more benign?

I've noticed that Microsoft Media Player gets Play/Stop keys when they aren't focused, and Spy tells me they get it through the WH_SHELL hook. Does that mean they have to have set a global hook?

Thanks all!
Gus

[VladimirF]

I would try to use RegisterHotKey Function.
Check out Virtual-Key Codes, in particular VK_MEDIA_PLAY_PAUSE and other VK_MEDIA_...

[maddoxrunner]

That works great. Thank you very much Validimir!

[VladimirF]

That works great. Thank you very much Validimir!

you are welcome!