_GUIBox - Rubberband selection boxes using GUIs

[Ascend4nt]

_GUIBox

Rubberband selection boxes using GUIs

Create Rectangles using GUI boxes. Great for Rubber-band selection (as an alternative to DrawFocusRect), or just putting box outlines on the screen period!

Example code included (including rubber-band style box-selection simulation).

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#include <_GUIBox.au3>
; ===============================================================================================================================
; <TestGUIBox.au3>
;
;   Tests for _GUIBox UDF.
;
; Author: Ascend4nt
; ===============================================================================================================================

; ===================================================================================================================
; GLOBAL VARIABLES
; ===================================================================================================================

Global $bEscPressed=False,$bHomeKeyPressed=False,$bEndKeyPressed=False,$aHomeLoc[2]=[-1,-1]

; ===================================================================================================================
; HOTKEY FUNCTIONS
; ===================================================================================================================

Func _EscHotKeyPressed()
    $bEscPressed=True
EndFunc

Func _HomeKeyPressed()
    If Not $bHomeKeyPressed Then
        $bHomeKeyPressed=True
        $aHomeLoc=MouseGetPos()
    EndIf
EndFunc

Func _EndKeyPressed()
    If $bHomeKeyPressed Then $bEndKeyPressed=True
EndFunc

; ===================================================================================================================
; MAIN START
; ===================================================================================================================

Test1()
Test2()

; Test 1
Func Test1()
    MsgBox(0,"Rubber-Band Box Example","After Clicking OK, the Rubber-Band GUI-Box Example will start."&@CRLF& _
        "Press [Home] to set the initial Box start, and then [End] to set the end location of the box."&@CRLF& _
        "You may stop the routine at any time by pressing [Escape].")

    HotKeySet("{ESC}","_EscHotKeyPressed")

    Dim $aCurMousePos,$aRubberBandGBox

    $aRubberBandGBox=_GBoxCreate("",3,0xFF0000)
    HotKeySet("{HOME}","_HomeKeyPressed")
    HotKeySet("{END}","_EndKeyPressed")

    While Not $bEscPressed And Not $bEndKeyPressed
        If $bHomeKeyPressed Then
            $aCurMousePos=MouseGetPos()
            _GBoxShowAt($aRubberBandGBox,$aHomeLoc[0],$aHomeLoc[1],$aCurMousePos[0],$aCurMousePos[1])
        EndIf
        Sleep(5)
    WEnd
    If $bHomeKeyPressed And IsArray($aCurMousePos) Then
        MsgBox(0,"Rubber-band box example complete","Last coordinates of the Rubber-band box: "& _
            "X1:"&$aHomeLoc[0]&" Y1:"&$aHomeLoc[1]&" X2:"&$aCurMousePos[0]&" Y2:"&$aCurMousePos[1])
    EndIf
    _GBoxDestroy($aRubberBandGBox)
EndFunc

; Test 2
Func Test2()
    Local $aBugaBox,$aBoxRed,$aBoxGreen,$aBoxBlue,$aBoxFADED

    $aBugaBox=_GBoxCreate()
    $aBoxRed=_GBoxCreate("",5,0XFF0000)
    $aBoxGreen=_GBoxCreate("",1,0xFF00)
    $aBoxBlue=_GBoxCreate("",1,0xFF)
    $aBoxFADED=_GBoxCreate("",1,0x0FADED)

    MsgBox(0,"Test 2 - Multiple GUI Boxes","Ready to show boxes - Click OK")

    _GBoxShowAt($aBugaBox,100,100,800,800)
    _GBoxShowAt($aBoxRed,300,400,700,700)
    _GBoxShowAt($aBoxGreen,400,800,402,802)
    _GBoxShowAt($aBoxBlue,801,200,900,900)
    _GBoxShowAt($aBoxFADED,410,410,790,790)

    MsgBox(0,"Now to Hide them","Click OK to Hide the boxes now")

    _GBoxHide($aBugaBox)
    _GBoxHide($aBoxRed)
    _GBoxHide($aBoxGreen)
    _GBoxHide($aBoxBlue)
    _GBoxHide($aBoxFADED)

    MsgBox(0,"Now to Redisplay Them","Click OK to Re-display the boxes, though one will have a new color, transparency, and thickness")

    _GBoxSetDisplayProps($aBugaBox,3,0x0899CC,255)  ; Changing the thickness, color, and transparency (to non-transparent)
    ; Since the box was invisible, we need to force it to recognize a resize (last parameter=True) as we altered the thickness
    ;   If we had instead put _GboxShow($aBugaBox) prior to _GBoxSetDisplayProps(), we would not need to force a resize
    _GBoxShow($aBugaBox,False,True)
    _GBoxShow($aBoxRed)
    _GBoxShow($aBoxGreen)
    _GBoxShow($aBoxBlue)
    _GBoxShow($aBoxFADED)

    MsgBox(0,"That's all folks!","Now click OK to delete")

    _GBoxDestroy($aBugaBox)
    _GBoxDestroy($aBoxRed)
    _GBoxDestroy($aBoxGreen)
    _GBoxDestroy($aBoxBlue)
    _GBoxDestroy($aBoxFADED)
EndFunc

Download the ZIP from my site

Ascend4nt's AutoIT Code License agreement:

While I provide this source code freely, if you do use the code in your projects, all I ask is that:

• If you provide source, keep the header as I have put it, OR, if you expand it, then at least acknowledge me as the original author, and any other authors I credit
• If the program is released, acknowledge me in your credits (it doesn't have to state which functions came from me, though again if the source is provided - see #1)
• The source on it's own (as opposed to part of a project) can not be posted unless a link to the page(s) where the code were retrieved from is provided and a message stating that the latest updates will be available on the page(s) linked to.
• Pieces of the code can however be discussed on the threads where Ascend4nt has posted the code without worrying about further linking.

*edit: clarified with the word 'outlines' so as not to confuse people. (creating resizable solid boxes is a much simpler task not even needing a UDF - I just posted code to do exactly this -> ) Edited September 26, 2011 by Ascend4nt

[Bot]

Such a great script. However, I see in the source file that $iGBoxColor = background color but in fact, it's the border color of the box not the background one. So can you add an option to set the background color of the box and its transparency as well? Thanks Edited June 23, 2010 by Bot

[Ascend4nt]

Such a great script. However, I see in the source file that $iGBoxColor = background color but in fact, it's the border color of the box not the background one. So can you add an option to set the background color of the box and its transparency as well? Thanks

Are you kidding? What do you suppose this line does?:

GUISetBkColor($iGBoxColor,$aBoxRet[$i])

The GUI's are created *without* borders, so I don't know where you get the idea that there even is one.

*edit: Bot, I think you misunderstood - if you are looking to create full boxes (not outlines like my code creates), then you've got a much simpler task. I clarified the wording in my first post, hopefully that should make it more clear. The 'outline' created by my code is actually 4 separate GUI's.

Edited June 23, 2010 by Ascend4nt

[Bot]

Are you kidding? What do you suppose this line does?:

GUISetBkColor($iGBoxColor,$aBoxRet[$i])

The GUI's are created *without* borders, so I don't know where you get the idea that there even is one.

*edit: Bot, I think you misunderstood - if you are looking to create full boxes (not outlines like my code creates), then you've got a much simpler task. I clarified the wording in my first post, hopefully that should make it more clear. The 'outline' created by my code is actually 4 separate GUI's.

OK I see. Then I will create a full box. Thanks for your answer