C# shell

[nssltd]

hi well i have been doing c sharp for a while and i think i'm getting quite good at it.
I have began to add my own person touch to my applications IE custom cursors and custom buttons. I was just wondering if it is possible to make a custom shell in c# a bit like the one that comes with adobe update products or in internet security applications.
A screen shot of what i want is here. i was wondering if this could be done in c# or i needed to learn some other language if so please can you please provide some links to sites so that i can better understand this language

Thanks in advance

NSSLTD

[cale.macdonald]

Take a look at drawing with GDI+. That is where you will need to focus on. Code project has a good article showing you how to draw non-rectangular forms

[nssltd]

Thanks this could be just what i need!

[CloneXpert]

Hey there,

you should try WPF, it's newer and much better than the older windows forms. It's graphical interface is way better than the GDI+. With Expression Blend you can create custom controls, templates and anything you want. Watch youtube videos about Expression blend and you will see.

I hope it helps, have fun :)

[Diamonddrake]

I personally never got into WPF, I like my old winform applications.

in C# you can't do true gradient transparency but you can achieve that look a multitude of ways. If you set the formborderstyle to none and set an image as a background you can use a color key to make a single color transparent like any gif image on the web does. to bring that further to light you can layer your form and add true full 255 levels of transparency but that requires 2 forms one for the border and another for the use-able part of the form. Looks great but gets complicated, then the last honorable option would be to capture the desktop and draw it on any transparent areas and use that as the form's background.

Anyway, once you get your borders looking how you want you just create custom buttons that have the desired effect for the Minimize/maximize/close.

Anyway, Attached is an example of using an image with a transparency key, custom image rollover buttons for shell, with all the code there, even for moving the form. I was working on this for an article that I never got around to working on. I'm sure its right up your alley. It even includes the photoshop psd files of the images i created.

i hope it servers you well.