Softer Windows Forms

[IcedCrow]

I've noticed that a lot of programs have began to use a "softer" windows form. By that I mean the caption bar has lighter, softer colors and the corners are more rounded

How do you go about getting that look in a Visual Basic application? (v6 or .NET

Thanks~

[Herfried K. Wagner [MVP]]

* "=?Utf-8?B?SWNlZENyb3c =?=" <ch********@aol .com> scripsit:

I've noticed that a lot of programs have began to use a "softer"
windows form. By that I mean the caption bar has lighter, softer colors
and the corners are more rounded.

I have never seen such an application.

--
Herfried K. Wagner [MVP]
<URL:http://dotnet.mvps.org/>

[Brian Henry]

if you mean forms like Roxio's CD-Creator 6 has, that's all custom drawn.
"IcedCrow" <ch********@aol .com> wrote in message
news:C7******** *************** ***********@mic rosoft.com...

I've noticed that a lot of programs have began to use a "softer" windows form. By that I mean the caption bar has lighter, softer colors and the
corners are more rounded.
How do you go about getting that look in a Visual Basic application? (v6 or .NET)
Thanks~

[cod3b453]

To get rounded corners try the following code in a module (.bas): [VB6

Private Declare Function GetWindowRect Lib "user32" (ByVal hWnd As Long, lpRect As RECT) As Lon
Private Declare Function SetWindowRgn Lib "user32" (ByVal hWnd As Long, ByVal hRgn As Long, ByVal bRedraw As Boolean) As Lon
Private Declare Function CombineRgn Lib "gdi32" (ByVal hDestRgn As Long, ByVal hSrcRgn1 As Long, ByVal hSrcRgn2 As Long, ByVal nCombineMode As Long) As Lon
Private Declare Function CreateEllipticR gn Lib "gdi32" (ByVal X1 As Long, ByVal Y1 As Long, ByVal X2 As Long, ByVal Y2 As Long) As Lon
Private Declare Function CreatePolygonRg n Lib "gdi32" (lpPoint As POINTAPI, ByVal nCount As Long, ByVal nPolyFillMode As Long) As Lon

Private Type POINTAP
X As Lon
Y As Lon
End Typ

Private Type REC
Left As Lon
Top As Lon
Right As Lon
Bottom As Lon
End Typ

Public Function RndRect(ByVal hWnd As Long, ByVal Arc As Long, Optional ByVal Redraw As Boolean = True) As Lon

' Written By: COD3B453 [co******@hotmai l.com
' Legal: This comment MUST remain in this code snippe
' Description: Set window region so that it has rounded corner

Dim PointRgn(0 To 7) As POINTAP
Dim PolyRgn As Lon
Dim CircA As Lon
Dim CircB As Lon
Dim CircC As Lon
Dim CircD As Lon
Dim lArc As Lon
Dim W As Lon
Dim H As Lon
Dim wRect As REC

lArc = 2 * Ar
GetWindowRect hWnd, wRec
W = wRect.Right - wRect.Lef
H = wRect.Bottom - wRect.To

PointRgn(0).X = Ar
PointRgn(0).Y =

PointRgn(1).X = W - Ar
PointRgn(1).Y =

PointRgn(2).X =
PointRgn(2).Y = Ar

PointRgn(3).X =
PointRgn(3).Y = H - Ar

PointRgn(4).X = W - Ar
PointRgn(4).Y =

PointRgn(5).X = Ar
PointRgn(5).Y =

PointRgn(6).X =
PointRgn(6).Y = H - Ar

PointRgn(7).X =
PointRgn(7).Y = Ar

PolyRgn = CreatePolygonRg n(PointRgn(0), 8, 1
CircA = CreateEllipticR gn(0, 0, lArc, lArc
CircB = CreateEllipticR gn(W, 0, W - lArc, lArc
CircC = CreateEllipticR gn(W, H, W - lArc, H - lArc
CircD = CreateEllipticR gn(0, H, lArc, H - lArc

CombineRgn PolyRgn, PolyRgn, CircA,
CombineRgn PolyRgn, PolyRgn, CircB,
CombineRgn PolyRgn, PolyRgn, CircC,
CombineRgn PolyRgn, PolyRgn, CircD,

RndRect = SetWindowRgn(hW nd, PolyRgn, Redraw

End Functio

NOTE
'hWnd' should be the form's hwnd propert
'Arc' should be the radius of the curved corners in pixel
'Redraw' is optional and doesn't really matter too muc

Changing the colour of the caption bar is much harder, using the SetDIBitsToDevi ce API can do this but you have to override the window process for the form so that it doesn't draw the default one back on it

good luc

cod3b453

[Rob Oldfield]

Not having run anything that I've developed in XP I'm guessing, but are you
talking about just the standard XP 'look'?
"IcedCrow" <ch********@aol .com> wrote in message
news:C7******** *************** ***********@mic rosoft.com...

I've noticed that a lot of programs have began to use a "softer" windows form. By that I mean the caption bar has lighter, softer colors and the
corners are more rounded.
How do you go about getting that look in a Visual Basic application? (v6 or .NET)
Thanks~

[CJ Taylor]

Perhaps its even the new Microsoft Office look...
"Herfried K. Wagner [MVP]" <hi************ ***@gmx.at> wrote in message
news:c6******** ****@ID-208219.news.uni-berlin.de...

* "=?Utf-8?B?SWNlZENyb3c =?=" <ch********@aol .com> scripsit:

I've noticed that a lot of programs have began to use a "softer"
windows form. By that I mean the caption bar has lighter, softer colors
and the corners are more rounded.

I have never seen such an application.

--
Herfried K. Wagner [MVP]
<URL:http://dotnet.mvps.org/>

[Herfried K. Wagner [MVP]]

* "CJ Taylor" <[cege] at [tavayn] dit commmmm> scripsit:

Perhaps its even the new Microsoft Office look...

This look still doesn't change the border and buttons of a form.

--
Herfried K. Wagner [MVP]
<URL:http://dotnet.mvps.org/>

[CJ Taylor]

*Perhaps*

I don't know what else to suggest. =)
"Herfried K. Wagner [MVP]" <hi************ ***@gmx.at> wrote in message
news:c6******** ****@ID-208219.news.uni-berlin.de...

* "CJ Taylor" <[cege] at [tavayn] dit commmmm> scripsit:

Perhaps its even the new Microsoft Office look...

This look still doesn't change the border and buttons of a form.

--
Herfried K. Wagner [MVP]
<URL:http://dotnet.mvps.org/>

[IcedCrow]

Check out the new Yahoo Messager (Beta) for an example. The borders are rounded, the buttons are rounded, the colors softer

I am running windows 2000 at work so it's not an XP thing, though I notice XP has this as well.

[CJ Taylor]

I just realized maybe it's not good for me to comment on colors given that
I'm color blind and all. ;)

"Herfried K. Wagner [MVP]" <hi************ ***@gmx.at> wrote in message
news:c6******** ****@ID-208219.news.uni-berlin.de...

* "CJ Taylor" <[cege] at [tavayn] dit commmmm> scripsit:

Perhaps its even the new Microsoft Office look...

This look still doesn't change the border and buttons of a form.

--
Herfried K. Wagner [MVP]
<URL:http://dotnet.mvps.org/>