Truly transparent controls are very difficult to create because you have to
get the parent to draw it'd background and foreground before drawing the
control itself.
MS cheat by getting the parent to draw it's background onto the
pre-transformed Graphics of the control which implements partial
transparency.
The "real" transparency seen in some windows is implemented by the
LayeredWindow API, Form opacity is an example of this, but windows that use
the LayeredWindow API must be toplevel windows.
For an example of better, but not perfect, transparency see Windows Forms
Tips and Tricks.
--
Bob Powell [MVP]
Visual C#, System.Drawing
Ramuseco Limited .NET consulting
http://www.ramuseco.com
Find great Windows Forms articles in Windows Forms Tips and Tricks
http://www.bobpowell.net/tipstricks.htm
Answer those GDI+ questions with the GDI+ FAQ
http://www.bobpowell.net/faqmain.htm
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"Simon Tamman {Uchiha Jax}"
<i_**********************************@NOSPAMhotmai l.com> wrote in message
news:x8******************@newsfe6-win.ntli.net...
I understand that MS made their controls annoyingly difficult to modify
(for
example transparency on a listbox, tab control, treeview etc) to ensure
they
didn't torpedo the third party control library industry (or is this just
an
excuse to fob us off with controls that are difficult to extend?).
Therefore could anyone tell me of a company that offers decent transparent
controls?