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| MILEFFECTSERR_OUTPUTSIZETOOLARGE | DWMERR_THEME_FAILED |
DWMERR_STATE_TRANSITION_FAILED
DWMERR_STATE_TRANSITION_FAILED belongs to a DWM window-state transition. DWM could not complete a requested transition between window or composition states.
Start with the returning API
DWM transitions operate on compositor state that can lag behind synchronous HWND changes. Show, hide, cloak, minimize, desktop switches, attribute updates, and destruction can overlap. The transition request must be tied to a live window generation and a stable starting state rather than retried continuously while the state is still changing.
the transition request, current window state, composition generation, and window lifetime.
Reproduce without destructive cleanup
Use one ordinary top-level window, wait for the preceding state change, issue the DWM request once, and query the resulting state. Add custom frame or asynchronous navigation only after the stable baseline works.
- Repeat on a stable visible top-level test window.
- Issue the transition only after prior window-state changes complete.
- Handle composition-change notifications and refresh dependent attributes.
- Verify structure size and attribute type.
Evidence to preserve
- HWND and owning thread
- Requested transition or DWM attribute
- Window show, cloak, minimize, destroy, or desktop state
- Composition and theme change messages around the call
Limits of this code
DWMERR_THEME_FAILED identifies theme processing, while this code is about movement between states even if theme data is valid. Do not loop the transition continuously; repeated asynchronous requests can keep the window in a moving target state.
Technical references
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