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Serge

hi,

is there an api call i can use to change the background colours of edit boxes, list boxes and drop down lists? i am wanting to change the background colours on the fly without using STYLE...

thanks in advance

serge

ps i did a search of the forum and found nothing...may be i used the wrong keywords...

CodeScript · Posted: Fri Nov 14, 2003 6:14 am Post subject:

Hi Serge
To change the color of VDS edit/other controls on the fly may not be possible as far as I know (unless some undocumented features exist)
This is because the VDS runtime is continously drawing the background and changes made by your API calls may dissapear even before you can even see it.
So IMO U have do draw your own controls - list box/edit box etc.
You need to wait for the VDS 5 update for doing this.

I have done that with Richeditbox using VDSUG.dll
Richedit with green background and can be changed to anything on the fly
http://codescript.vdsworld.com/VDS5src/richedit.zip
Transparent RichEdit box (U can add a background Image)
http://codescript.vdsworld.com/VDS5src/TranparentRichedit.zip

These examples may not be a good starting point to learn @LIB/@UG as they are bit complex and I have not seperated the code into a DSU.
You can refer Win 32 Programmers reference and VDS API constants Reference I wrote for getting details on each API as PGWARE already said.

Serge · Posted: Fri Nov 14, 2003 6:45 am Post subject:

gggrrr...and i thought that it was a simple request...thanks for your help codescript...i have downloaded the 2 zip files and i will study them

serge

Skit3000 · Posted: Fri Nov 14, 2003 3:52 pm Post subject:

You should also be able to simulate editboxes. This way, you can modify them however you like... Smile

See this topic:
http://forum.vdsworld.com/viewtopic.php?p=15654#15654

Serge · Posted: Sat Nov 15, 2003 7:57 am Post subject:

thanks for your suggestion skit...but it's not what i need Sad

codescript, how come you managed to come up with api codes for the table element whereby rows could be coloured on the fly...but there is nothing for edit boxes and others...i'm only saying that because of what you said in your reply which seems to contradict what you managed to do with the table element (which was and is absolutely fantastic!)

CodeScript · Posted: Sat Nov 15, 2003 11:43 am Post subject:

Hi Serge

I don't think I am contradicting myself Wink

IMO in a nutshell Listview control(VDS Table) and EDIT/LIST BOX are entirely
different beasts.

Listview has easier API calls to set color which wrap the low level functions
which EDIT/LIST BOX donot have. Also VDS runtime ha hardly utilized the
large number of options which are available in Listview.

Intercepting/hooking WM_CTLCOLOREDIT/WM_CTLCOLORLISTBOX messages are
the starting point of what U R trying to do I think though I may be wrong.

vdsalchemist · Posted: Sat Nov 15, 2003 3:56 pm Post subject:

Hi All,
CodeScript is exactly right and he is not contradicting himself. The VDS Table is not a complete wrapper of the ListView control's abilities. Also as for changing the color of the VDS Edit box with WM_CTLCOLOREDIT. I have tried this many times with Gadget's GetMsg functions and it's not possible do to the fact that VDS keeps changing the color back because it is defined at the class level and we cannot return a Brush in response to the WM_CTLCOLOR messages. You have to understand that most of the VDS elements are sub-classed controls. Trying to get between VDS and it's sub-classed control is sometimes not possible. In the case of the VDS table element it has richer API messages for you to change colors and many other things about it. I think the ListView control was one of MS first attempts for a Grid like control and it just stayed with Windows and now it is used everywhere. Windows Explorer uses the ListView control to display all kinds of things.

Skit3000 · Posted: Sat Nov 15, 2003 3:59 pm Post subject:

Isn't it possible to add these dialog elements yourself by using APIs? Or do we have to wait for the update for that (because of the 8 parameters limitation)?

vdsalchemist · Posted: Sat Nov 15, 2003 4:12 pm Post subject:

Well,
Really I don't think it would be possible unless you use a DLL to handle the returns for the messages properly. Also I think that it would be better for this to be done inside VDS or at the very least give us the ability to set the return values for the WindowProc of each element that VDS has.

CodeScript · Posted: Sat Nov 15, 2003 5:25 pm Post subject:

Yes as mindpower said even though you can create a edit box
after the VDS update it would still require a dll.

I think it may be more easily possible in VDS to add such a command

(feature request)

Serge · Posted: Sun Nov 16, 2003 8:37 am Post subject:

hi codescript,

thanks for your reply...i understand now...i assumed that edit boxes and table elements were the same type of thing and could not understand why one can be manipulated with api's while the other can't

now i understand that they are not the same thing and understand your earlier reply

thanks for clarifying that up

serge

vdsalchemist · Posted: Mon Nov 17, 2003 4:23 pm Post subject:

CodeScript · Posted: Tue Nov 18, 2003 2:22 am Post subject:

Very much mindpower, But I was talking of a Non API solution in case a "SET STYLE" command is added to VDS in future.
In that case more than likey then a refresh command will also be added.
But as of now everything is just a wish and hypothetical.

CodeScript · Posted: Thu Jan 08, 2004 5:08 pm Post subject:

I think that should be very much possible (tested) now in a subclassing dll I am building.
It is likely to be in C and only a few kb.
It may take sometime before I make things more generic including
ability to add background images to textbox/listboxes and more ...

Serge · Posted: Fri Jan 09, 2004 1:56 am Post subject:

cool codescript...will look forward to it Very Happy

serge