Problem with Listviews and Transparent GUI

[RagsRevenge]

Hi,

I'm creating an AutoIt script to put an overlay over a non-unicode program, to provide the ability to put unicode text over it.

I have successfully created labels and buttons on this overlay.

However, now I need to create a listview and listviewitems.

The first problem (and less important) is that the code to create the listviewitems is dead slow in my program. I ran it in a standalon program and the exact same listviewItem creation code zips along.

But the main problem I have is that the GUI is acting very unpredictably and I've chased the problems down to the way I create the second GUI in my code (this is the GUI where I place the controls for overlaying on top of the program underneath), with the line...

$gui2 = GUICreate("child", 1280, 1024, 0, 0, $WS_POPUP, BitOR(0x2000000, $WS_EX_LAYERED, $WS_EX_TOOLWINDOW));$WS_EX_COMPOSITED = 0x2000000

and especially the extended styles, seemingly creating the problems.

I can get the GUI to behave if I remove the Ex styles: 0x2000000, $WS_EX_LAYERED, but unfortunately, I lose the transparency.

Here's an excerpt from the code whcih should display the problems, I'm having.

Thanks for any advice you can give me.

expandcollapse popup

#include <GUIConstantsEx.au3>
#include <WindowsConstants.au3>
#include <EditConstants.au3>
#include <ListviewConstants.au3>
#include <GuiListView.au3>

Opt("TrayIconDebug", 1)        ;0=no info, 1=debug line info
Opt("GUIDataSeparatorChar","|") ;"|" is the default

Global $lvSchedule          ;Maintenance Schedule Listview
Global $msg 
Global $editInfo            ;edit Box for Maintenance info
const $TransparentColour = 0xABCDEF     ;any element this colour will be transparent

;notWorkingCreateGui()

WorkingCreateGui()

$lvSchedule = GUICtrlCreateListView("1 Column", 110, 10, 100, 100)
GUICtrlCreateListViewItem("test1", $lvSchedule)
GUICtrlSetState($lvSchedule, $Gui_Show)

$editInfo = GUICtrlCreateEdit("", 10, 10, 100, 100)
GUICtrlSetData($editInfo, "hello")
GUICtrlSetState($editInfo, $Gui_Show)

Do
        $msg = GUIGetMsg()
        
        
Until GUIGetMsg() = $GUI_EVENT_CLOSE
    
func WorkingCreateGui()
    ;Program nearly works as expected if the Guis are created in the following manner, except transparency is lost.
    $gui1 = GUICreate("test", 300,300,0,0,  BitOR($WS_MAXIMIZEBOX,$WS_POPUP,$WS_TABSTOP),BitOR($WS_EX_TOPMOST, $WS_EX_TOOLWINDOW))
    GUISetState()
    $gui2 = GUICreate("test 2", 300,300,300,300, $WS_POPUP, $WS_EX_TOOLWINDOW);, BitOR($WS_EX_LAYERED, $WS_EX_TOOLWINDOW))
    GUISetBkColor($TransparentColour)
    _API_SetLayeredWindowAttributes($gui2, $TransparentColour, 255);set special colour fully transparent
    GUISetState()
    WinSetTrans($gui1,"",0)     ;Makes underlying GUI totally transparent
    WinSetOnTop($gui2,'',1)
EndFunc

func notWorkingCreateGui()
    $gui1 = GUICreate("Parent GUI", 1280, 1024, 0, 0, BitOR($WS_MAXIMIZEBOX,$WS_POPUP,$WS_TABSTOP),BitOR($WS_EX_TOPMOST, $WS_EX_TOOLWINDOW))
    GUISetFont(6)
    GUISetState()
    $gui2 = GUICreate("child", 1280, 1024, 0, 0, $WS_POPUP, BitOR(0x2000000, $WS_EX_LAYERED, $WS_EX_TOOLWINDOW));$WS_EX_COMPOSITED = 0x2000000
    GUISetBkColor($TransparentColour)
    _API_SetLayeredWindowAttributes($gui2, $TransparentColour, 255);set special colour fully transparent
    GUISetState()
    WinSetTrans($gui1,"",0)     ;Makes underlying GUI totally transparent
    WinSetOnTop($gui2,'',1)
EndFunc

;===============================================================================
; Function Name:   _API_SetLayeredWindowAttributes
; Description::    Sets Layered Window Attributes:) See MSDN for more informaion
; Parameter(s):
;                  $hwnd - Handle of GUI to work on
;                  $i_transcolor - Transparent color
;                  $Transparency - Set Transparancy of GUI
;                  $isColorRef - If True, $i_transcolor is a COLORREF-Strucure, else an RGB-Color
; Requirement(s):  Layered Windows
; Return Value(s): Success: 1
;                  Error: 0
;                   @error: 1 to 3 - Error from DllCall
;                   @error: 4 - Function did not succeed - use
;                               _WinAPI_GetLastErrorMessage or _WinAPI_GetLastError to get more information
; Author(s):       Prog@ndy
;===============================================================================
Func _API_SetLayeredWindowAttributes($hwnd, $i_transcolor, $Transparency = 255, $isColorRef = False)
    Local Const $AC_SRC_ALPHA = 1
    Local Const $ULW_ALPHA = 2
    Local Const $LWA_ALPHA = 0x2
    Local Const $LWA_COLORKEY = 0x1
    If Not $isColorRef Then
        $i_transcolor = Hex(String($i_transcolor), 6)
        $i_transcolor = Execute('0x00' & StringMid($i_transcolor, 5, 2) & StringMid($i_transcolor, 3, 2) & StringMid($i_transcolor, 1, 2))
    EndIf
    Local $Ret = DllCall("user32.dll", "int", "SetLayeredWindowAttributes", "hwnd", $hwnd, "long", $i_transcolor, "byte", $Transparency, "long", $LWA_COLORKEY + $LWA_ALPHA)
    Select
        Case @error
            Return SetError(@error, 0, 0)
        Case $Ret[0] = 0
            Return SetError(4, 0, 0)
        Case Else
            Return 1
    EndSelect
EndFunc ;==>_API_SetLayeredWindowAttributes

Edited August 10, 2009 by RagsRevenge

[Michel Claveau]

Hi!

In the func WorkingCreateGui(), replace

$gui2 = GUICreate("test 2", 300,300,300,300, $WS_POPUP, $WS_EX_TOOLWINDOW)

by

$gui2 = GUICreate("test 2", 300,300,300,300, $WS_POPUP, BitOR($WS_EX_LAYERED, $WS_EX_TOOLWINDOW))

[RagsRevenge]

Hi!

In the func WorkingCreateGui(), replace

$gui2 = GUICreate("test 2", 300,300,300,300, $WS_POPUP, $WS_EX_TOOLWINDOW)

by

$gui2 = GUICreate("test 2", 300,300,300,300, $WS_POPUP, BitOR($WS_EX_LAYERED, $WS_EX_TOOLWINDOW))

Wow. Thanks. I had implemented a workaround by simply creating a non-transparent GUI for the listviews. It isn't ideal, and when I get a chance, I'll go back to refactor in this fix.