How can I trigger an event when the mouse leaves my control? - delphi

Question

How do I create an OnMouseLeave event?

Answer 1

Another alternative to the Andreas solution, is use the CM_MOUSELEAVE VCL Message which is already defined in delphi 7.
check this sample using a interposer class for the TButton
type
TButton = class(StdCtrls.TButton)
private
FOnMouseLeave: TNotifyEvent;
procedure CMMouseLeave(var Message: TMessage); message CM_MOUSELEAVE;
protected
property OnMouseLeave: TNotifyEvent read FOnMouseLeave write FOnMouseLeave;
end;
TForm1 = class(TForm)
Button1: TButton;
Edit1: TEdit;
procedure FormCreate(Sender: TObject);
private
procedure ButtonMouseLeave(Sender: TObject);
public
end;
//handle the message and call the event handler
procedure TButton.CMMouseLeave(var Message: TMessage);
begin
if (Message.LParam = 0) and Assigned(FOnMouseLeave) then
FOnMouseLeave(Self);
end;
procedure TForm1.ButtonMouseLeave(Sender: TObject);
begin
//your code goes here
end;
procedure TForm1.FormCreate(Sender: TObject);
begin
//assign the event
Button1.OnMouseLeave:=ButtonMouseLeave;
end;

Answer 2

You can tell Windows to post you a message, more specifically a WM_MOUSELEAVE message, when the mouse leaves the control. To do this, call the TrackMouseEvent function. In the TRACKMOUSEEVENT structure, specify the TME_LEAVE flag.
On request, some code:
When the control has been created, and the mouse is inside the client area of the control, tell Windows that you want to be notified about the mouse leaving the control:
procedure TMyControl.SetMouseEvent;
var
tme: TTrackMouseEvent;
begin
tme.cbSize := sizeof(tme);
tme.dwFlags := TME_LEAVE;
tme.hwndTrack := Self.Handle;
TrackMouseEvent(tme);
end;
Call this procedure when the control has been created and the mouse is inside the control. Now you just have to listen to the WM_MOUSELEAVE mesage. In your WndProc procedure (a protected member of the class), add a WM_MOUSELEAVE case.
procedure TMyControl.WndProc(var Message: TMessage);
begin
inherited;
case Message.Msg of
WM_MOUSELEAVE:
beep;
end;
end;
I think that Windows removes the notification request when a message has been created, so you have to rerequest the notification when you have recieved a message. You cannot call SetMouseEvent in the WndProc, because the mouse needs to be inside the client area of the control when you call TrackMouseEvent. I think you could place your SetMouseEvent inside the OnMouseMove of the control:
procedure TMyControl.WndProc(var Message: TMessage);
begin
inherited;
case Message.Msg of
WM_MOUSELEAVE:
beep;
WM_MOUSEMOVE:
SetMouseEvent;
end;
end;
I haven't tested the code above myself, because I use a newer version of Delphi, Delphi 2009, which does things like this behind the scenes (I think, because there is now a OnMouseLeave event in controls), and I think that will interfere.