Title bar colour

Use the SetSysColors function with the following elements.

COLOR_ACTIVECAPTION
COLOR_CAPTIONTEXT
COLOR_GRADIENTACTIVECAPTION
COLOR_GRADIENTINACTIVECAPTION
COLOR_INACTIVECAPTION
COLOR_INACTIVECAPTIONTEXT

It will take more than a tweak.
I assume that you don't want to change the title bar of _all_ windows.

I found this microsoft article on the subject:
HOWTO: Draw a Custom Window Caption
http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q99/0/46.ASP

explanations, sample code etc...

Good luck, Mike

I am a real beginner and would like further explanation on how to do this on a dialog box's caption bar instead of the mainframe's...

mjswart,
may i know which methods of the dialog box must i override...

I don't understand how dialog boxes handle their caption bar. Hope you could shine some light here.

You'll have to add handlers for
WM_NCPAINT and
WM_NCACTIVATE.

Use the class wizard to create OnNcPaint and OnNcActivate for you. Call the default implementations: CDialog::OnNcPaint and CDialog::OnNcActivate and then do your own thing similar to microsoft's page.

Mike

Try to expand on the following:

void CTestingDlg::OnNcPaint()
{
    RECT rc1, rc2;

    // Let Windows do what it usually does. Let the window caption
    // be empty to avoid any Windows-initiated caption bar drawing
    CWnd::OnNcPaint();

    CDC *pDC = GetWindowDC();
    GetWindowRect( (LPRECT)&rc2 );

    // Compute the caption bar's origin. This window has a system box
    // a minimize box, a maximize box, and has a resizeable frame

    int x = GetSystemMetrics( SM_CXSIZE ) +
        GetSystemMetrics( SM_CXBORDER ) +
        GetSystemMetrics( SM_CXFRAME );
    int y = GetSystemMetrics( SM_CYFRAME );
        rc1.left = x;
        rc1.top = y;

    // 2*x gives twice the bitmap+border+frame size. Since there are
    // only two bitmaps, two borders, and one frame at the end of the
    // caption bar, subtract a frame to account for this.

    rc1.right = rc2.right - rc2.left - 2*x -
        GetSystemMetrics( SM_CXFRAME );
    rc1.bottom = GetSystemMetrics( SM_CYSIZE );

    // Render the caption. Use your own color...

    COLORREF cr = pDC->SetBkColor( 0x00777777 );
    pDC->DrawText( (LPSTR)"Left Justified Caption", -1,
        (LPRECT)&rc1, DT_LEFT );
    pDC->SetBkColor( cr );
}