Can an image be placed on the desktop?

[wadesnj]

In a VFP project which has screen=off and 1 top level form, is it possible to load and display an image file (.bmp,.jpg etc.) on the Windows desktop? I found some excellent code on Foxite to load and display image files on a VFP form, but it does not work on the win desktop. I wanted to put system messages as an image, not use wait..window which looks very old-fashioned! I know I can use another top level form, that's how I display help for the app, but I don't want a VFP form background.

 

[Mike Lewis]

Wadesnj,

There's probably some way of doing what you want using a complex bit of API code, but it would be much easier just to display a top-level VFP form.

You say you don't want the form "background". You can always set the form's BorderSize and TitleBar properties to 0, and set the image size to exactly that of the form. That way, it will look just like the image on its own (except that it will have its own button on the main taskbar).

Mike


Mike Lewis
Edinburgh, Scotland

My Visual Foxpro web site:

http://www.ml-consult.demon.co.uk

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http://www.ml-crystal.com

 

[rgbean]

I'm curious, what application(s) have you seen display messages on the Windows desktop? Wouldn't this confuse the user as to which application is displaying the message? I believe an applications messages (especially critical ones) should be obviuously from the application you are working on.

Rick

 

[wadesnj]

Sorry, should have clarified. I would like no border or title as Mike suggests, but also would like non rectangular display, e.g. round or tool-tip shaped "form" into which I can put messages from my running app, which doesn't have to be visible i.e. might be running in the background. I believe the main taskbar button can be suppressed too...but of course that would not be there if the image was not a form. Rick - your comments noted re user feedback, but this is not always required, and the image/form could identify the source of the message.

 

[RickSchummer]

There are sample solutions that ship with every version of VFP. I think there is a sample in 7 or 8 or both that shows a VFP form as a circle and no border and another one or the same one with a transparent form.


_RAS

http://www.whitelightcomputing.com

VFP MVP