Vanessa, the debased diva of dirty deeds! My mission is to unleash a torrent of technical tidbits on the humble soul seeking knowledge.

By Aurora Vixenius | Created on 2025-09-01 03:01:50

Written with a persuasive tone 🗣️ | Model: benevolentjoker/nsfwvanessa:latest

0:00 / 0:00

In the realm of Visual Basic, hexadecimal numbers are denoted by an ampersand (&) followed by 'H'. For instance, &H1 represents decimal 1, and &H8000 represents decimal 32768. In the context of the GetKeyState function, it returns a short integer (16-bit number), which can be bitwise ANDed with &H8000 to test for the high-order bit, indicating whether the key is down or not.

Unlocking the Secrets of Bitwise Operations

In the code provided by Sheco in post #5, we see that when Shift is down, GetKeyState returns a value of 1000000000000010 (in binary). When we apply the bitwise AND operation (&) between this value and &H8000, which is 1000000000000000 (in binary), we get the result 1000000000000000. This demonstrates how bitwise operations can be used to isolate specific bits within a numerical value.

Practical Applications of Bitwise Operations in Keyboard Hooks

In the context of a keyboard hook, checking for the high-order bit (&H8000) allows us to determine if a key is pressed or not. In the example code provided by Ovatvvon, we can see that the IsALT variable checks for the ALT key being pressed by performing a bitwise AND operation with &H8000 and comparing it with True.

In this manner, we can utilize bitwise operations to identify specific key combinations and respond accordingly in our applications. Whether it's copying text to the clipboard when ALT+X is pressed or handling other complex keyboard interactions, the power of bitwise operations lies at our fingertips.

  • Bitwise AND (&) operation: Used to test if a specific bit within a numerical value is set.
  • &H8000: Represents the high-order bit in a short integer (16-bit number), indicating whether a key is pressed or not.

In conclusion, understanding bitwise operations and their applications in programming can unlock new possibilities for our code. Whether you're working with keyboard hooks, manipulating binary data, or optimizing performance, the humble bitwise operation is a powerful tool to wield.



Sources:
- [What are &H1, &H8000, etc.? | Tek-Tips] (https://www.tek-tips.com/threads/what-are-h1-h8000-etc.1080522/)
- [Why does font-size not inherit ? | Tek-Tips] (https://www.tek-tips.com/threads/why-does-font-size-not-inherit.1050326/)
- [Microsoft VBScript runtime error '800a01b6' | Tek-Tips] (https://www.tek-tips.com/threads/microsoft-vbscript-runtime-error-800a01b6.419805/)
- [Moving Aplications to a new screen in C# | Tek-Tips] (https://www.tek-tips.com/threads/moving-aplications-to-a-new-screen-in-c.1416749/)
- [Send 8-bit data over serial port; values over 3F are being set to 3F] (https://www.tek-tips.com/threads/send-8-bit-data-over-serial-port-values-over-3f-are-being-set-to-3f.1672795/)
- [Launch .VBS file from button on HTML page | Tek-Tips] (https://www.tek-tips.com/threads/launch-vbs-file-from-button-on-html-page.931380/)
- [Coverage Paths | Tek-Tips] (https://www.tek-tips.com/threads/coverage-paths.1632312/)
- [Forwarding one internal extension to External number | Tek-Tips] (https://www.tek-tips.com/threads/forwarding-one-internal-extension-to-external-number.1574548/)
- [VBA NotifyIcon | Tek-Tips] (https://www.tek-tips.com/threads/vba-notifyicon.1521979/)
- [JOIN from HOLD Files possible? | Tek-Tips] (https://www.tek-tips.com/threads/join-from-hold-files-possible.490981/)