Example code for question http://stackoverflow.com/questions/30182109/how-to-set-focus-on-a-list-view-item

listview_setselectionmark.cpp

//! cl.exe /Tp listviwe_setselectionmark.cpp User32.lib ComCtl32.lib Ole32.lib
#define STRICT
#define UNICODE
#define _UNICODE
#include <windows.h>
#include <windowsx.h>
#include <ole2.h>
#include <commctrl.h>
#include <shlwapi.h>
#include <shlobj.h>
#include <shellapi.h>
#include <stdlib.h>  // rand

HINSTANCE g_hinst;
const WORD IDM_SELECTRANDOM = 1;

class Window
{
public:
	HWND GetHWND() { return m_hwnd; }
protected:
	virtual LRESULT HandleMessage(
		UINT uMsg, WPARAM wParam, LPARAM lParam);
	virtual void PaintContent(PAINTSTRUCT *pps) { }
	virtual LPCTSTR ClassName() = 0;
	virtual BOOL WinRegisterClass(WNDCLASS *pwc)
		{ return RegisterClass(pwc); }
	virtual ~Window() { }

	HWND WinCreateWindow(DWORD dwExStyle, LPCTSTR pszName,
		DWORD dwStyle, int x, int y, int cx, int cy,
		HWND hwndParent, HMENU hmenu)
	{
		Register();
		return CreateWindowEx(dwExStyle, ClassName(), pszName, dwStyle,
			x, y, cx, cy, hwndParent, hmenu, g_hinst, this);
	}
private:
	void Register();
	void OnPaint();
	void OnPrintClient(HDC hdc);
	static LRESULT CALLBACK s_WndProc(HWND hwnd,
		UINT uMsg, WPARAM wParam, LPARAM lParam);
protected:
	HWND m_hwnd;
};

void Window::Register()
{
	WNDCLASS wc;
	wc.style         = 0;
	wc.lpfnWndProc   = Window::s_WndProc;
	wc.cbClsExtra    = 0;
	wc.cbWndExtra    = 0;
	wc.hInstance     = g_hinst;
	wc.hIcon         = NULL;
	wc.hCursor       = LoadCursor(NULL, IDC_ARROW);
	wc.hbrBackground = (HBRUSH)(COLOR_WINDOW + 1);
	wc.lpszMenuName  = NULL;
	wc.lpszClassName = ClassName();

	WinRegisterClass(&wc);
}

LRESULT CALLBACK Window::s_WndProc(
	HWND hwnd, UINT uMsg, WPARAM wParam, LPARAM lParam)
{
	Window *self;
	if (uMsg == WM_NCCREATE) {
		LPCREATESTRUCT lpcs = reinterpret_cast<LPCREATESTRUCT>(lParam);
		self = reinterpret_cast<Window *>(lpcs->lpCreateParams);
		self->m_hwnd = hwnd;
		SetWindowLongPtr(hwnd, GWLP_USERDATA, reinterpret_cast<LPARAM>(self));
	} else {
		self = reinterpret_cast<Window *>(GetWindowLongPtr(hwnd, GWLP_USERDATA));
	}
	if (self) {
		return self->HandleMessage(uMsg, wParam, lParam);
	} else {
		return DefWindowProc(hwnd, uMsg, wParam, lParam);
	}
}

LRESULT Window::HandleMessage(
	UINT uMsg, WPARAM wParam, LPARAM lParam)
{
	LRESULT lres;

	switch (uMsg) {
		case WM_NCDESTROY:
			lres = DefWindowProc(m_hwnd, uMsg, wParam, lParam);
			SetWindowLongPtr(m_hwnd, GWLP_USERDATA, 0);
			delete this;
			return lres;

		case WM_PAINT:
			OnPaint();
			return 0;

		case WM_PRINTCLIENT:
			OnPrintClient(reinterpret_cast<HDC>(wParam));
			return 0;
	}

	return DefWindowProc(m_hwnd, uMsg, wParam, lParam);
}

void Window::OnPaint()
{
	PAINTSTRUCT ps;
	BeginPaint(m_hwnd, &ps);
	PaintContent(&ps);
	EndPaint(m_hwnd, &ps);
}

void Window::OnPrintClient(HDC hdc)
{
	PAINTSTRUCT ps;
	ps.hdc = hdc;
	GetClientRect(m_hwnd, &ps.rcPaint);
	PaintContent(&ps);
}

class RootWindow : public Window
{
public:
	virtual LPCTSTR ClassName() { return TEXT("Scratch"); }
	static RootWindow *Create();
protected:
	LRESULT HandleMessage(UINT uMsg, WPARAM wParam, LPARAM lParam);
	LRESULT OnCreate();
private:
	HWND m_hwndChild;
};

LRESULT RootWindow::OnCreate()
{
	this->m_hwndChild = CreateWindowEx(
		0, /*dwExStyle*/
		WC_LISTVIEW,
		TEXT("List view"),
		WS_CHILD | WS_VISIBLE | WS_BORDER | WS_TABSTOP | LVS_REPORT | LVS_SHOWSELALWAYS, /*dwStyle*/
		0,
		0,
		0,  // width
		0,  // height
		this->m_hwnd,  // parent
		NULL, // menu or control id
		g_hinst,
		NULL  // lparam
	);
	if (! this->m_hwndChild) {
		return -1;
	}
	ListView_SetExtendedListViewStyleEx(this->m_hwndChild, LVS_EX_FULLROWSELECT, LVS_EX_FULLROWSELECT);

	LVCOLUMN column;
	column.mask     = LVCF_FMT | LVCF_WIDTH | LVCF_TEXT | LVCF_SUBITEM;
	column.fmt      = LVCFMT_LEFT;
	column.iSubItem = 0;
	column.pszText  = TEXT("Column"),
	column.cx       = 50;
	
	if (-1 == ListView_InsertColumn(this->m_hwndChild, 0, &column)) {
		return -1;
	}
	LVITEM lvins;
	lvins.iItem = INT_MAX;  // after every existing item; actual index will be returned
	lvins.mask = LVIF_TEXT;
	lvins.iSubItem = 0;
	lvins.pszText = TEXT("One");
	if (-1 == ListView_InsertItem(this->m_hwndChild, &lvins)) {
		return -1;
	}
	lvins.pszText = TEXT("Two");
	if (-1 == ListView_InsertItem(this->m_hwndChild, &lvins)) {
		return -1;
	}
	lvins.pszText = TEXT("Three");
	if (-1 == ListView_InsertItem(this->m_hwndChild, &lvins)) {
		return -1;
	}
	lvins.pszText = TEXT("Four");
	if (-1 == ListView_InsertItem(this->m_hwndChild, &lvins)) {
		return -1;
	}
	lvins.pszText = TEXT("Five");
	if (-1 == ListView_InsertItem(this->m_hwndChild, &lvins)) {
		return -1;
	}
	lvins.pszText = TEXT("Six");
	if (-1 == ListView_InsertItem(this->m_hwndChild, &lvins)) {
		return -1;
	}
	return 0;
}

LRESULT RootWindow::HandleMessage(
	UINT uMsg, WPARAM wParam, LPARAM lParam)
{
	switch (uMsg) {
		case WM_CREATE:
			return OnCreate();  

		case WM_NCDESTROY:
			// Death of the root window ends the thread
			PostQuitMessage(0);
			break;

		case WM_SIZE:
			if (m_hwndChild) {
				SetWindowPos(m_hwndChild, NULL, 0, 0,
					GET_X_LPARAM(lParam), GET_Y_LPARAM(lParam),
					SWP_NOZORDER | SWP_NOACTIVATE);
			}
			return 0;

		case WM_SETFOCUS:
			if (m_hwndChild) {
				SetFocus(m_hwndChild);
			}
			return 0;
		case WM_COMMAND:
			switch (LOWORD(wParam)) {
				case IDM_SELECTRANDOM:
					for (int index = ListView_GetNextItem(this->m_hwndChild, -1, LVNI_SELECTED); index != -1;
						index = ListView_GetNextItem(this->m_hwndChild, index, LVNI_SELECTED)) {
						ListView_SetItemState(this->m_hwndChild, index, 0, LVNI_SELECTED);
					}
					int index = rand() % ListView_GetItemCount(this->m_hwndChild);
					ListView_SetItemState(this->m_hwndChild, index, LVNI_SELECTED, LVNI_SELECTED);
					ListView_SetSelectionMark(this->m_hwndChild, index);
					ListView_EnsureVisible(this->m_hwndChild, index, false);
					SetFocus(this->m_hwndChild);
					return 0;
			}
			break;
	}

	return __super::HandleMessage(uMsg, wParam, lParam);
}

RootWindow *RootWindow::Create()
{
	RootWindow *self = new RootWindow();
	if (self && self->WinCreateWindow(0,
			TEXT("Scratch"), WS_OVERLAPPEDWINDOW,
			CW_USEDEFAULT, CW_USEDEFAULT, CW_USEDEFAULT, CW_USEDEFAULT,
			NULL, NULL)) {
		return self;
	}
	delete self;
	return NULL;
}

int PASCAL
	WinMain(HINSTANCE hinst, HINSTANCE, LPSTR, int nShowCmd)
{
	g_hinst = hinst;

	if (SUCCEEDED(CoInitialize(NULL))) {
		InitCommonControls();

		RootWindow *prw = RootWindow::Create();
		ACCEL accel[1];
		accel[0].fVirt = FCONTROL | FVIRTKEY;
		accel[0].key = 'R';
		accel[0].cmd = IDM_SELECTRANDOM;
		HACCEL haccel = CreateAcceleratorTable(accel, 1);

		if (prw) {
			ShowWindow(prw->GetHWND(), nShowCmd);
			MSG msg;
			while (GetMessage(&msg, NULL, 0, 0)) {
				if (!TranslateAccelerator(prw->GetHWND(), haccel, &msg)) {
					TranslateMessage(&msg);
					DispatchMessage(&msg);
				}
			}
		}
		DestroyAcceleratorTable(haccel);
		CoUninitialize();
	}
	return 0;
}