50 % opaque normal window, impossible in WPF?

[Sin Jeong-hun]

With Windows Forms application, just setting the opacity to 0.5 gave
me a 50% opaque normal styled (with the title bar, familiar three
buttons, borders and resizable) window. Did the same thing to a WPF
application, but the window didn't get translucent, instead only the
client area got gray. Then I found I have to set AllowTransparency to
true but then the window style must be set to None to set the
AllowTransparency to true. In short, those translucent normal styled
window, which could be achieved just one line of code in Windows Forms
application, is IMPOSSIBLE in WPF?

[Peter Duniho]

On Tue, 05 Aug 2008 13:49:53 -0700, Sin Jeong-hun <ty*******@gmail.com>
wrote:

[...]

In short, those translucent normal styled

window, which could be achieved just one line of code in Windows Forms
application, is IMPOSSIBLE in WPF?

That was my impression when I played around with this, after you posted
your previous "transparent window" question.

Seems odd, I'd agree. But that's the conclusion I came to.

Of course, for an expert opinion, you'll probably want to check on
Microsoft's web-only WPF forum. Microsoft has apparently decided to
forego the better user experience and efficiency of newsgroups like this
one for web-based forums. That's the only place I know of to reilably
find the WPF experts (occasionally some read and post here, but this
newsgroup isn't a very good place for WPF questions generally).

Pete

[Sin Jeong-hun]

On Aug 6, 5:59*am, "Peter Duniho" <[e-mail]>
wrote:

On Tue, 05 Aug 2008 13:49:53 -0700, Sin Jeong-hun <[e-mail]*
wrote:

[...]

In short, those translucent normal styled

window, which could be achieved just one line of code in Windows Forms
application, is IMPOSSIBLE in WPF?

That was my impression when I played around with this, after you posted *
your previous "transparent window" question.

Seems odd, I'd agree. *But that's the conclusion I came to.

Of course, for an expert opinion, you'll probably want to check on *
Microsoft's web-only WPF forum. *Microsoft has apparently decided to *
forego the better user experience and efficiency of newsgroups like this *
one for web-based forums. *That's the only place I know of to reilably *
find the WPF experts (occasionally some read and post here, but this *
newsgroup isn't a very good place for WPF questions generally).

Pete

Thank you for the information. I searched Google for it. By
Microsoft's web-pnly WPF forum, you mean this (http://
forums.msdn.microsoft.com/en-US/wpf/threads/) site right? I'll check
out that forum for WPF issues from now on.

[Peter Duniho]

On Tue, 05 Aug 2008 15:51:40 -0700, Sin Jeong-hun <ty*******@gmail.com>
wrote:

Thank you for the information. I searched Google for it. By
Microsoft's web-pnly WPF forum, you mean this (http://
forums.msdn.microsoft.com/en-US/wpf/threads/) site right? I'll check
out that forum for WPF issues from now on.

Yup, that's the one.

I wish we could have been more helpful; I'd love to see a non-web-based
forum, such as this newsgroup, be viable for WPF questions. But that
seems like it's just not going to happen. The people who really know WPF
well I think are mostly elsewhere. :(

[Pavel Minaev]

On Aug 6, 12:49*am, Sin Jeong-hun <[e-mail]:

With Windows Forms application, just setting the opacity to 0.5 gave
me a 50% opaque normal styled (with the title bar, familiar three
buttons, borders and resizable) *window. Did the same thing to a WPF
application, but the window didn't get translucent, instead only the
client area got gray. Then I found I have to set AllowTransparency to
true but then the window style must be set to None to set the
AllowTransparency to true. In short, those translucent normal styled
window, which could be achieved just one line of code in Windows Forms
application, is IMPOSSIBLE in WPF?

It is quite possible. Here's a bit of code that does it:

<Window x:Class="WpfApplication2.Window1"
xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
Title="Window1" Height="300" Width="300" AllowsTransparency="True"
Background="Green" Opacity="0.5" WindowStyle="None">
<Grid>
<TextBlock>Hello, world!</TextBlock>
</Grid>
</Window>

The only bummer is that you have to have WindowStyle set to "None"...
meaning that you'll have to draw your own title bar and border.

[Pavel Minaev]

Sorry, I missed the point where you explicitly say that you want the
titlebar.

Now that is tricky, but one thing that might work is wrapping your
Window into HwndSource as a top-level Win32 window, and applying
WS_EX_LAYERED style to that using P/Invoke.

[Chris Jobson]

See http://blogs.interknowlogy.com/johnb.../20/20458.aspx
for an article showing how to simulate the title bar and close button.

Chris Jobson

[Sin Jeong-hun]

On Aug 8, 3:29*am, "Chris Jobson" <[e-mail]:

Seehttp://blogs.interknowlogy.com/johnbowen/archive/2007/06/20/20458.aspx
for an article showing how to simulate the title bar and close button.

Chris Jobson

Thanks. But I have already seen that post before. What I wanted was to
keep Vista's Aero window frame, not implemening my own.

[Sin Jeong-hun]

On Aug 6, 7:37*pm, Pavel Minaev <[e-mail]:

Sorry, I missed the point where you explicitly say that you want the
titlebar.

Now that is tricky, but one thing that might work is wrapping your
Window into HwndSource as a top-level Win32 window, and applying
WS_EX_LAYERED style to that using P/Invoke.

Thanks. That seems to be a solution even though the clue is not
detailed. I'll study for more details.