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Transparent Window

Is there anyway of making a transparent window on a Win32 platform with vc++?

Blokey

cdesigner

hmmm
what you want?

same transparent areas?

this can be made with regions

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Wyn

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blokey

ASKER

is it possible to give me any examples?

Blokey

akalmani

Hi blokey !!
Set the extended window styles for the window i.e
WS_EX_TRANSPARENT
Specifies that a window created with this style is to be transparent. That is, any windows that are beneath the window are not obscured by the window. A window created with this style receives WM_PAINT messages only after all sibling windows beneath it have been updated.

U can override PreCreateWindow() and set in the CREATSTRUCT of cs.exStyle.

cdesigner

try this example

http://codeguru.developer.com/bitmap/bmp2rgn_tool.shtml

akalmani

Hi blokey !!
I am sorry its
cs.dwExStyle = WS_EX_TRANSPARENT;

Wyn

Agree.
There are two ways.

One is using extra style ws_ex_transparent.When the wm_paint comes,you can only draw the part you want.

The second is using setwindowrgn(),this is more convenient.

E.G:
//First,let's create a region.

HRGN hgn;
hgn=CreateEllipticRgn(0,0,100,100);

//apply this region to the window

SetWindowRgn(hwnd,hgn,TRUE);

.............
//delete the created region
DeleteObjetc(hgn);

This example make your window as transparent elliptic contour.
You can use CombineRgn() to create a rgn which make your window has a hole and or so by specifying xor,or,and parameters in this function.

All in all,the region is the area your window appears in.If you construct a text region(using path),your window will transparent inbounding the region.

Best Regards
Wyn