There are many other types of properties or hints that can be set on windows to help guide users through an application. Depending on the toolkit, it may be possible to set the window type. This is usually handled automatically when displaying a dialog window (as they can have special properties) but may not be handled for other types of window creation. Check out the window API in your chosen toolkit to see whether you can set the type of window when doing things such as creating a toolbox window or information panel that should belong to a parent window somehow.

The most instructive window hint is the icon that's displayed in places such as the task bar, application switcher, and possibly the window border. On some systems, the default icon is that of the application, and in others it's a window specific image. Generally, it's a good idea to set the same icon on your application windows and application icon, which may be handled by the toolkit you're using. Setting a different icon for a window should be reserved for times when the window serves a different purpose to the main window. To avoid user confusion, window icons that differ from the main one should indicate through style or content which main icon they relate to. Setting a window icon is usually achieved by calling window.SetIcon() or widget.SetWindowIcon() (for top-level widgets). In some cases, application.SetDefaultIcon() may allow you to set the icon for all windows with a single call.

Setting the application icon is platform-specific and is explored further in Chapter 14, Distributing Your Application. It's important to be aware that some systems allow custom icon themes to be loaded. In this case, a custom application or window icon may be less familiar to the user, so you may consider including some branding within the application itself.