This may be an easy subject, but...: Windows media player does it, Real JukeBox too. Skin mode, ya know, without a title bar and more than just a 4 sided Window (any shape really). What kinda window mode is that and how do I create one with Visual C++ 6.

To get a non-rectangluar shaped window, use the function SetWindowRgn() under Win 95, 98, ME and NT <= 4.0. In Windows 2000, there''s a new (faster) way, and that''s to use Layered Windows (See SetLayeredWindowAttributes())

To use SetWindowRgn() you first need to define a HRGN - a handle to a region. This is quite simple to do: use one of CreatePolygonRgn(), CreateEllipticalRgn(), CreateRectRgn() etc (there''s a few of them) If your shape is very irregular, you can use a series of CreateRectRgn() and combine them with CombineRgn(). One way is to take a bitmap, and for each pixel of your window, do a CreateRectRgn() with a rect that is 1x1 pixel, and CombineRgn() it with the other pixels. It''s quite slow, but you usually only do it at application startup anyway.

SetLayeredWindowAttributes() is a bit simpler to use (but only supported on Win2k and XP) You just give it a colour that you want to be the transparent colour, and that''s about it You can also do semi-transparent windows with this one.

War Worlds - A 3D Real-Time Strategy game in development.

To create a window without title-bar, borders, etc. Just specify WS_POPUP as the style when creating the window (and '|' it with other styles you want, but not WS_OVERLAPPED, WS_OVERLAPPEDWINDOW or similar)

If you have Visual C++ there is a tool included called Spy++ (spyxx.exe) that you can use to look at different properties of a window in a running program (such as seeing what window-styles were specified for that window etc).

Edited by - Dactylos on June 10, 2001 4:55:50 AM