When creating a frame window, an application also can create one or more frame controls as child windows of the frame window. Most frame windows contain at least a system menu and title bar. Other optional controls might include a menu bar and scroll bar as shown above.

An application can create a frame window with specified frame controls by calling WinCreateStdWindow with the appropriate frame-control flags.

The frame window owns the child frame-control windows, which can send notification messages that tell the frame window what the user is doing with the frame controls. For example, using a mouse, a user can move a window by clicking the title bar and dragging the window to a new position. The title-bar control responds to the click by sending a message to the frame window, notifying it of the user's request to move the window. Then the frame window tracks the mouse motion and moves the frame window and all of its child windows to the new position.

PM, rather than the application, handles the processing of the frame controls, thus providing the user a consistent interface for manipulating and interacting with windowed applications on the screen. Frame controls are described in individual chapters. For more information about control windows, see Control Windows.