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Possible Duplicate:
How to Skin an Win32 Application

I'm trying to learn to design a application, but I'm stuck.

For a example, how would I code/get this kind GUI ( Background image, navigation, the engineering icon in the up left corner, styled minimize and quit icons ... etc ) in C/Win32API as represented on that picture?

BF3 C# GUI Thanks.

Community
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Genert Orginaal
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  • Is there a specific thing that you tried and it didn't work? Your question is way too broad to be answered in a simple form expected from StackOverflow – YePhIcK Jul 23 '12 at 12:39
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    It is a borderless window with lotsa code in the WM_ERASEBKGND and WM_PAINT message handlers. Always a bug factory, getting the headers misaligned with the columns is pretty typical when you have to do *everything*. – Hans Passant Jul 23 '12 at 12:47
  • @HansPassant I assumed they were centered :) – Deanna Jul 23 '12 at 13:02
  • It looks like you're trying to create a web page. Have you considered writing it in HTML and CSS instead? – Cody Gray - on strike Jul 23 '12 at 23:26

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This is called "skinning".

See this article for example: (Flipcode)

All you have to do is to create the HBITMAP object (load it from Resource or from File) and the use the SelectObject to choose it as a background.

Viktor Latypov
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  • "the plague that kills windows" makes no sense. It's just hyperbole; skinning hasn't "killed" windows. Your answer would be better without that statement. If you think skinning is bad, that's ok, but explain your opinion rather than try to be dramatic. – Bryan Oakley Jul 23 '12 at 13:05
  • It's all about consistency, which cannot be expressed but can be felt. A while back I also loved custom interfaces, but now I use only the default settings. OK, "it's been emotional" :) – Viktor Latypov Jul 23 '12 at 13:16
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    Skinning has not killed Windows [yet], but it has killed individual applications. I kill applications with custom skins all the time. The uninstaller is the most important part of a skinned app. The WinAMP folks learned this years ago. I don't understand why everyone else is so slow to the party. Don't copy what Microsoft is doing, they're just thrashing around desperately trying to beat Apple in the "cool factor" department, rather than just making solid software that works. It's not their finest moment. – Cody Gray - on strike Jul 23 '12 at 23:30