Child Dialog - SetWindowTextA or SendMessageA crashes program - MFC - c++

Question

ERROR: afxwin2.inl line 165
My app is a dialog box with a few edit boxes. Once I click the button to evaluate the information entered I want to open a child dialog to display the results. I tried overloading DoModal() like this:
//in the child dialog
//.h
CResultsDlg::CResultsDlg(CParentDlg *parent);
virtual INT_PTR DoModal(float bmi);
//.cpp
CResultsDlg::CResultsDlg(CParentDlg *parent) : CDialogEx(CResultsDlg::IDD), _parent(parent)
{ //initializations }
INT_PTR CResultsDlg::DoModal(float bmi)
{
m_sBMI.Format("%f", bmi);
m_hBMI.SetWindowTextA(m_sBMI); //crashes !!!!!!!!!!
m_hBMI.SendMessageA(WM_SETTEXT, 0, (LPARAM)"15.11"); //crashes !!!!!!!!
// OnInitDialog(); //because this wasn't getting called at all
return CDialogEx::DoModal();
}
BOOL CResultsDlg::OnInitDialog()
{
CDialogEx::OnInitDialog();
// __super::OnInitDialog(); //no difference...
m_hBMI.SetWindowTextA("10.3"); //crashes !!!
return true; // return TRUE unless you set the focus to a control
}
//in the parent dialog
//.cpp
void CParentDlg::OnBnClickedCalculate()
{
CResultsDlg childResultsDlg = this;
childResultsDlg.DoModal(15.7);
}
m_hBMI is a handle to a static text control. I tested an edit box but it still crashed.
I understand that it probably has something to do with the controls not being created yet but I tried every way I know.
Using breakpoints, I confirmed that OnInitDialog does not get called at all unless I put it in the overloaded DoModal function. SetWindowText/SendMessage still crashes in OnInitDialog with the same ASSERT error.
If I remove all SetWindowText/SendMessage then the child window does come up modal like it should but the 'result' static text control is the same as the text I set it to in the dialog editor properties pane.
Thanks !!!!!
*MORE DETAILS*-----------
void CResultsDlg::DoDataExchange(CDataExchange* pDX) // DDX/DDV support
{
CDialogEx::DoDataExchange(pDX);
DDX_Text(pDX, IDC_BMI, m_fBMI);
DDV_MinMaxFloat(pDX, m_fBMI, 0, 100);
DDX_Control(pDX, IDC_BMI, m_hBMI);
}

Answer 1

The usual sequence when you start a dialog is:
You call CDialog::DoModal.
The dialog window gets created.
The child controls of the dialog get created.
OnInitDialog gets called.
CDialog::OnInitDialog calls DoDataExchange.
You have a DDX_Control call in your DoDataExchange method to map the child control to a member variable.
Notice that the member variables only get initialized at the end of that sequence. You're trying to use them way before, so you get a crash.
Store the value you need for initialization in a member variable and take care of it in DoDataExchange.