Win32/64 C / C++ Skinning For Menus Using The Windows Api

[Bit_Hacker]

I see a few skins around the forum and I want to build my own skins with photoshop or some graphics program.

 

Example:

 

 

Currently I have this written in win32/64 old school c / c++ using the windows api.

 

Basically I have an outter main window with a child window inside the main window and you can move it around and minimize it.

 

I want to create something like the above picture with buttons that are clickable and some check boxes.

 

So, the question is how do I map the pictures to the window and make the pictures clickable?

 

-Bit_Hacker

Edited December 11, 2014 by Bit_Hacker

[simple]

Not possible w/winapi.

 

You'll need to use DirectX, GDI, Qt, etc. In Qt you'd use a graphicsview, then make a .png of each button and draw those to widgets in a graphicsview. Many tuts.

[atom0s]

If you want to check out an old example of doing similar with GDI, you can check my old project patchLib.

https://forum.tuts4you.com/topic/24901-patchlib-v3-release/

The download links are broken, but the last post I made has the latest version attached to the post.

I do not work on the project anymore, and it was more of a hobby project at the time. You can redo a lot of what it does better in GDI+ but at that time I was focused on keeping it GDI/DIB based. I do encourage you to look into GDI+ though if you plan to remake something similar, as it can do a lot more, easily, then GDI itself.

There are a lot of examples of GDI+ online too, such as on sides like CodeProject and so on.

If you do not need to stick with C/C++ as well, WPF is something to look into with C#. It uses GDI/Direct3D to create amazing UIs.

Edited December 24, 2014 by atom0s