AIM window positions

[B1inkFan]

hey,
Anyone know how to decode the AIM window positions that are stored in the registry? as it is now they're just really big REG_BINARY numbers and i'm not quite sure how to get X and Y positions or width and height from that... can anyone help out?

thanks

[fuuucckkers]

Well ...first off it's not Binary, those are Hexidecimal numbers. Binary is only 1's and 0's. (example- 100101100110.)

So if you want to decode Hex numbers, you need a Hex to Decimal conversion chart. You can pick one of those up here...
http://www.dtp-aus.com/hexadeci.htm

And then to help you out some.. the first column (that orangish/peachy color are the Hex Values, and the White column next to it is the Decimal Conversion.

So for example.. the Hex value of "7A" converts to "122".
And the Hex value of "B3" is 179 in decimal.

Now after you do all that. I'm not sure how you get an X,Y window position out of it.. maybe someone else can help you out??

[B1inkFan]

yeah i knew it was hex... REG_BINARY is the key type. i guess i didn't really make that clear. and i know how to convert between number bases... what i'm really looking for is how i should break up the very large number into x and y coordinates and height and width.

thanks for the info though

[chris83us]

why?

[punkster103]

I'm with Chris on this one, why do you want to do this?

[B1inkFan]

i got bored one day and i started writing an instant messenger program in C to teach myself about sockets and Windows API and whatever else i happen to run into. I'm a CS student at Purdue and they're moving a little too slow for my tastes so I wanted to get a head start on some more advanced topics. i think i'm just going to create my own keys, but i'd like the user to be able to import their settings from AIM. window position isn't really a big deal, i was just wondering.

[AnyoneEB]

If a coordinate is stored as one number, which makes no sense on a system that supports more than one res, then it's just counting from top-left, going all the way across then starting on the left-most pixel of the next line. Can you point out where the key is or at least say what it is on your computer?

EDIT: I found what you're talking about and I see why you're confused those values are way too long to be just x, y, width, height, and weather it's maxized...
I'll guess that all the F's are meaning that the window isn't maximised and on my computer all the values start with

Code: Select all

2c 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 01 00 00 00 ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff

The other 16 bytes aren't the same between any two. They probably hold x, y, width, and height. But then what does the start mean?

EDIT2: The rest is definatly 4 values each 4 bytes because they all end in 00.

GOT IT!
All four values bytes are in reverse order meaning if I see 03 01 00 00, I enter 00 00 01 03 and convert to decimal and get the right value. (I guess this it normal)
The first value two values are the x, y coordinates of the top-left corner, the last two values are the x, y coordinates of the bottom-right corner.
So it's left edge, top edge, right edge, bottom edge.

[B1inkFan]

ROCK AND ROLL DUDE!!!! thanks for the help!!!