Is the Window handle revealed by Spy++ unique to that computer, or unique to the application

Question

Ok, so I have a Microsoft Access form which contains a textbox which I am trying to get a handle on from .Net

My form is below:

Using Spy++, I have found my textbox handle. A screenshow is below:

Is this handle unique to my PC or frmTest? As in, if I open frmTest on another computer will the handle for my textbox still be 001E1A6E?

Thanks

Answer 1

A window handle is allocated when the window gets created. If you run an application multiple times, an application window will get a new window handle every time. And if the application destroys and recreates the window, it'll get a new handle too.

The handle is unique across processes. i.e. you can pass a window handle to another application, and it will still be valid(unlike kernel handles). I'm not sure if they are unique per desktop, or per running instance of windows.

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You should use the information from Spy++ to create a series of FindWindow(Ex) calls, that get the handle to the control you want.

Answer 2

It is unique only for this instance of this window. If you completly exit MS Access, then start your app again, you will have another handle.