Transparent Control Library

[Simon Tamman {Uchiha Jax}]

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?

 

[Kevin Spencer]

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?).

The System.Windows.Form class has a property called "TransparencyKey" which
is a System.Color. When any child control of the Form has a BackColor that
is the same as the TransparencyKey, it becomes transparent.

Therefore could anyone tell me of a company that offers decent transparent
controls?

Microsoft?

--
HTH,

Kevin Spencer
Microsoft MVP
..Net Developer
Ambiguity has a certain quality to it.

"Simon Tamman {Uchiha Jax}"

 

[Bob Powell [MVP]]

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}"