Hye!
I want to create an application in which your form's opacity should be less, but the controls im using on the forms such as pictureBox and buttons should have opacity 100%. Like the new Picasa. Where the picture is not transparent but the background is. Although that transperancy created by Picasa is artificial i.e. the form is not really transparent. They capture the screen, decrease the opacity and set it as form's background image.
But i want it to be real. When i try to decrease opacity of my form it decreaes the opacity of all other controls aswell. Plz help!

In Vista and later you can use Glass, but for previous OS's it is a lot more complicated.

Using Glass in Vista:
http://www.codeproject.com/KB/vista/VGGlassIntro.aspx


For other OS's you will need to either create 2 forms (one with transparency and one without) and synchronise the two so that the non transparent one (which contains the controls)floats over the transparent one, or you will have to use a Layered Window and manually paint each child as it needs painting.

It's not C++ but there's an example of the latteron my Form tips page (although in Framework 1.1 there is no DrawtoBitmap() so you'll have to use WM_PRINT instead or other methods for controls, such as RichTextBox, where WM_PRINT is not supported.):
http://dotnetrix.co.uk/form.htm

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Mick Doherty
http://dotnetrix.co.uk

http://www.c-sharpcorner.com/UploadFile/scottlysle/XparentFormsCS10282007212944PM/XparentFormsCS.aspx

Check this link.

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Hi! Sudhir.
Thanks for the reply but the link you provided tells how to create transparent background for classier look. I've already done that and know how to do that. What im trying to do here is not create 100% transparent forms. I want something like glassy look Vista provides. That the form should be like only 20% transparent but the controls should not be transparent. I know it has something to do with "Opacity" property of forms. But if you decrease opacity of form it decreases the opacity of complete form (including controls).

And sorry for not mentioning before but im using
Language - Visual C++
Compiler - Visual Studio 2003
Framework - .Net Framework 1.1

It was what my instructor wanted. So i dont have any other choice.

In Vista and later you can use Glass, but for previous OS's it is a lot more complicated.

Using Glass in Vista:
http://www.codeproject.com/KB/vista/VGGlassIntro.aspx


For other OS's you will need to either create 2 forms (one with transparency and one without) and synchronise the two so that the non transparent one (which contains the controls)floats over the transparent one, or you will have to use a Layered Window and manually paint each child as it needs painting.

It's not C++ but there's an example of the latteron my Form tips page (although in Framework 1.1 there is no DrawtoBitmap() so you'll have to use WM_PRINT instead or other methods for controls, such as RichTextBox, where WM_PRINT is not supported.):
http://dotnetrix.co.uk/form.htm

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Mick Doherty
http://dotnetrix.co.uk

Thanks Mick! Im using Vista and the first link was really helpful. Thankx!