Create shaped forms with C++

[Barov4e]

Hello,
I searched the forums and google, but didn't find anything. Ok here is my problem: I have seen that some programs use for their screens different bitmaps. I suppose that the button clicks can be handled by the mouse coords, but how they do it with editbox, memos, grids and all of these stuffs?

[sec_ware]

Hi

I have no idea what you are talking about, so I assume you refer to
windows forms objects, like buttons, datagridviews, ..., which seem
to be customised by the developer?

That can be easily done by creating your own controls. Instead of
implementing all the handlers yourself, you have the possibility to
inherit from the windows forms objects thus having available all
that management functionality.


Cheers

[Barov4e]

No, no, no.
I talking about something else. It is a bitmap that is the form shape with buttons, grids and all other used controls and when I open the program it looks like the picture. Hicap DVR software uses this technology. It has different pictures for different screens.

[sec_ware]

Hi

Although not all programs are using the same framework it is likely
that also Hicap DVR software implements its own form-control,
which is also a windows forms control, by inheriting from the base
form control.

Example:
Start Windows Media Player - What you see is that the "screen" (or
form, if I understand you correctly) has a different shape than the
usual forms. This can be done by inheriting from windows.forms.form
and customising (overriding, shadowing) certain properties.

Hope this helps. We are talking Windows, are we?

Cheers

[Barov4e]

Yes, something similar. But what they do exactly is that they draw their screen with all controls and use this picture as the screen for their program. May be I can't explain exactly my problem, but I am trying

[delstar]

They use alpha transparency. I could probably find some documentation backing this up, if you're really that interested.