Layering in Windows Form

[vikash]

Hi,

I want to develop a windows based application using .Net 2.0

The application will have the heavy UI and it will have the lots of
drawing to do on the form.

So can any one give me the direction how can i handle the different
issues that will arise in the same due to paint event and due to other
issues.

Also i want to have the layer concept in the same .e.g we have
something in Adobe Photoshop. so that the user can categorize the items
for the layers. also user should be able to on - off the layer and
should be able to change the order of layers.

So can any one suggest me what can be the good way to do the same.

Thanks

Vikash

[Jani Järvinen [MVP]]

Hi Vikash,

I want to develop a windows based application using .Net 2.0
Also i want to have the layer concept in the same .e.g we have
something in Adobe Photoshop. so that the user can categorize the items
for the layers.

As you might already be aware, traditional Windows UI (which also .NET's
WinForms presents) doesn't have the concept of layers. The closest thing to
layers in Windows is Z-order, i.e. the fact that windows can be on top of
each other.

If I understood your e-mail correctly, you are going to draw on the windows
yourself. Although Windows doesn't give you ready-made support for layers,
emulating them should be too difficult. In fact, you need to have some kind
of data structures to keep up the data that needs to be drawn, and this
would be the place where you would track your layers.

So, when you need to draw your images/objects on the screen, you would start
from the bottom layer, and draw the layers one at a time if they are
visible. The end result should be what you get for example from Photoshop,
except that Photoshop supports transparency and merging of layer contents.

Does this make any sense to you?

--
Regards,

Mr. Jani Järvinen
C# MVP
Helsinki, Finland
ja***@removethi s.dystopia.fi
http://www.saunalahti.fi/janij/

[Özden Irmak]

Hello Vikash,

You have 3 options to achieve the layer effect, actually 2 and 1 option
divides into 2 sub options :) :

1) You can use Layered Windows API. This scenario only applies to forms so
your layers will be actually forms. You can remove the border of a form, set
a transparenc key into it and than set z-orders to those forms to use as
layers.

2) You can create transparent controls which will be used as layers. There
are 2 methods for it :

a) You can create a region from your control drawing and set to the control
so all other pixels which aren't drawn will become transparent.
b) You can create real transparent controls. Please take a look at the url
below for a sample :

http://www.bobpowell.net/transcontrols.htm

Hope these helps...

Regards,

Özden

<vi****@nagarro .com> wrote in message
news:11******** **************@ d56g2000cwd.goo glegroups.com.. .

Hi,

I want to develop a windows based application using .Net 2.0

The application will have the heavy UI and it will have the lots of
drawing to do on the form.

So can any one give me the direction how can i handle the different
issues that will arise in the same due to paint event and due to other
issues.

Also i want to have the layer concept in the same .e.g we have
something in Adobe Photoshop. so that the user can categorize the items
for the layers. also user should be able to on - off the layer and
should be able to change the order of layers.

So can any one suggest me what can be the good way to do the same.

Thanks

Vikash

[vikash]

Hi,

Thanks for the suggestion. I was really trying to do it with the
Transparent control, but I am really getting a lots of problem
especially when it comes to Repainting and Invalidating.

I want to categorize the things in my UI and i want to place the things
in layers depending on the category. I was planning to go for Layer
architecture as in Photo shop application as i was thinking it will
make my life more easy with respect to repainting only a particular
area.

I think i will have to go for smart data structure design for the same
as -- making it using the transparent controls dont seems to make the
things easy.

What if i plan to go for WinFx SDK -- Windows Presentation Foundation
library??

is it stable enough to use?? any sussestion for the same?
Özden Irmak (at) wrote:

Hello Vikash,

You have 3 options to achieve the layer effect, actually 2 and 1 option
divides into 2 sub options :) :

1) You can use Layered Windows API. This scenario only applies to forms so
your layers will be actually forms. You can remove the border of a form, set
a transparenc key into it and than set z-orders to those forms to use as
layers.

2) You can create transparent controls which will be used as layers. There
are 2 methods for it :

a) You can create a region from your control drawing and set to the control
so all other pixels which aren't drawn will become transparent.
b) You can create real transparent controls. Please take a look at the url
below for a sample :

http://www.bobpowell.net/transcontrols.htm

Hope these helps...

Regards,

Özden

<vi****@nagarro .com> wrote in message
news:11******** **************@ d56g2000cwd.goo glegroups.com.. .

Hi,

I want to develop a windows based application using .Net 2.0

The application will have the heavy UI and it will have the lots of
drawing to do on the form.

So can any one give me the direction how can i handle the different
issues that will arise in the same due to paint event and due to other
issues.

Also i want to have the layer concept in the same .e.g we have
something in Adobe Photoshop. so that the user can categorize the items
for the layers. also user should be able to on - off the layer and
should be able to change the order of layers.

So can any one suggest me what can be the good way to do the same.

Thanks

Vikash