How to: Open Messages View from Find Window

Applies to: yesVisual Studio noVisual Studio for Mac

Note

This article applies to Visual Studio 2017. If you're looking for the latest Visual Studio documentation, see Visual Studio documentation. We recommend upgrading to the latest version of Visual Studio. Download it here

You might find it convenient to use the Find Window dialog box to select a target window, and then open a Messages view of that window.

To open a Messages view window using the Find Window dialog box

  1. Arrange your windows so that both Spy++ and the target window are visible.

  2. From the Spy menu, choose Find Window.

    The Find Window Dialog Box opens.

  3. From the Windows tab, drag the Finder Tool over the target window. As you drag the tool, the Find Window dialog box displays details on the selected window.

    • or -

      If you have the handle of the window you want to examine (for example, copied from the debugger), you can type it into the Handle text box.

  4. Under Show, select Messages.

  5. Press OK.

    A blank Messages View window opens, and a Messages menu is added to the Spy++ toolbar.

  6. From the Messages menu, choose Logging Options.

    The Message Options Dialog Box opens.

  7. Select the options for the messages you want to display.

  8. Press OK to begin logging messages.

    Depending upon the options selected, messages begin streaming into the active Messages view window.

  9. When you have enough messages, choose Stop Logging from the Messages menu.