FindWindow(NULL,"windowname") using a string variable instead of "windowname"

[Ev0ker]

As the title suggests I am working on a project and
FindWindow(NULL,"windowname") works fine, but for my project, I need to pull the windowname from a string variable, for example String* Hereitis = "temp.pdf - Adobe Reader". My thought was FindWindow(NULL, Hereitis) would work but instead I get the error can't convert second variable from string to lpcstr. I am using .net visual C++. Here is the section of applicable code

String* view = "c:\\scan\\program\\pdfviewer.txt";
FileStream* fsview = new FileStream(view, FileMode::Open);
StreamReader* srview = new StreamReader(fsview);
String* viewpath = "Start";
viewpath = srview->ReadLine();
fsview->Close();
String* closepath = String::Concat("temp.pdf - ",viewpath);
HWND closer = FindWindow(NULL, closepath);
SendMessage(closer,WM_CLOSE,0,0);

[cup]

Try the (LPCTSTR) or (LPCSTR) operator

HWND closer = FindWindow(NULL, (LPCSTR) closepath);

[Ev0ker]

I tried both of those and get the same error c2440: 'type cast' : cannot convert from 'System::String_gc* to 'LPCTSTR' or 'LPCSTR' for each.

[darwen]

Are you aware that you're mixing managed (.NET) and native C++ code here ?

If you don't know the difference STOP AND FIND OUT. Otherwise you'll get yourself into heaps of problems.

You need to convert the .NET string (System.String) to a native C++ char array to pass to FindWindow.

See here.

Darwen.

[Ev0ker]

Thanks that did the trick, where or what do you recommend reading to know the difference between the two types.

[darwen]

Get a book on learning native C++ (it's easy to spot - it'll be full of 'std::') and read that.

Then come back to .NET code and see the difference.

Out of interest why aren't you learning C# if you're interested in learning .NET and don't know native C++ ?

Then there's no confusion.

Darwen.

[Ev0ker]

I got a deluxe learning edition a while back of visual c++ .net version 2003 and so have been using it.