Transparent PopUp Gui [Solved]

[IanN1990]

Hi,

I am looking to make a transparent background for my GUI 

#NoTrayIcon
#include <GUIConstantsEx.au3>
#include <WinAPI.au3>
#include <WindowsConstants.au3>

Example1()
;Example2()


GUICtrlCreateLabel("This is text on a transparent Layered GUI", 10, 10, 200, 20, -1)
 GUICtrlCreateButton("Button", 10, 40, 40)
GUISetBkColor(0xABCDEF)
_WinAPI_SetLayeredWindowAttributes($hGui, 0x010101)
_WinAPI_SetLayeredWindowAttributes($hGui, 0xABCDEF, 255)
GUISetState(@SW_SHOW)

Do
Until GUIGetMsg() = $GUI_EVENT_CLOSE
Exit

Func Example1()
Global $hGui = GUICreate("trans", 300, 400, -1, -1, -1, $WS_EX_LAYERED)
EndFunc

Func Example2()
Global $hGui = GUICreate("trans", 300, 400, -1, -1, -1, BitOR($WS_POPUP, $WS_EX_TOPMOST, $WS_EX_LAYERED))
EndFunc

From my research here is the code i found, which works though but when i change the style to include popup the GUI is invisible?

The only other idea i can think of is keeping it as a non-popup but removing the border (it was a long time ago but isnt there a _WinAPI_ command that can crop windows? Though i could be way off the mark on the best way to deal with this problem

Edited September 7, 2016 by IanN1990

[InunoTaishou]

You've got $WS_POPUP in the wrong argument spot.

#NoTrayIcon
#include <GUIConstantsEx.au3>
#include <WinAPI.au3>
#include <WindowsConstants.au3>

Global $hGui = GUICreate("trans", 300, 400, -1, -1, $WS_POPUP, BitOR($WS_EX_TOPMOST, $WS_EX_LAYERED))


GUICtrlCreateLabel("This is text on a transparent Layered GUI", 10, 10, 200, 20, -1, $GUI_WS_EX_PARENTDRAG)
GUICtrlCreateButton("Button", 10, 40, 40)

_WinAPI_SetLayeredWindowAttributes($hGui, 0xF1F1F1, 255)
GUISetState(@SW_SHOW, $hGui)

Do

Until GUIGetMsg() = $GUI_EVENT_CLOSE

Exit 0 * GUIDelete($hGui)

 

Edited September 7, 2016 by InunoTaishou

[IanN1990]

Ah it was something as simple as that Thanks

[timmy2]

On 9/6/2016 at 8:15 PM, InunoTaishou said:

You've got $WS_POPUP in the wrong argument spot.

#NoTrayIcon
#include <GUIConstantsEx.au3>
#include <WinAPI.au3>
#include <WindowsConstants.au3>

Global $hGui = GUICreate("trans", 300, 400, -1, -1, $WS_POPUP, BitOR($WS_EX_TOPMOST, $WS_EX_LAYERED))


GUICtrlCreateLabel("This is text on a transparent Layered GUI", 10, 10, 200, 20, -1, $GUI_WS_EX_PARENTDRAG)
GUICtrlCreateButton("Button", 10, 40, 40)

_WinAPI_SetLayeredWindowAttributes($hGui, 0xF1F1F1, 255)
GUISetState(@SW_SHOW, $hGui)

Do

Until GUIGetMsg() = $GUI_EVENT_CLOSE

Exit 0 * GUIDelete($hGui)

@InunoTaishou, the above code does not create a transparent GUI for me. Changing the second parameter, 0xF1F1F1, in the _WinAPI_SetLayeredWindowAttributes function to 0xABCDEF does nothing, either. (I assume the color 0xABCDEF  is "transparent" because it is used in the Example for _WinAPI_SetLayeredWindowAttributes.   What am I misunderstanding?

 

[AutoBert]

Just insert

GUISetBkColor(0xF1F1F1)

after GuiCreating line.

[IanN1990]

Hi,
 

Following the responses i have updated two examples encase others need this idea.

 

#NoTrayIcon
#include <GUIConstantsEx.au3>
#include <WinAPI.au3>
#include <WindowsConstants.au3>

Example1()
;Example2()

Do
Until GUIGetMsg() = $Buttton
Exit

Func Example1()
Global $hGui = GUICreate("trans", 300, 400, -1, -1, $WS_POPUP, BitOR($WS_EX_TOPMOST, $WS_EX_LAYERED))
GUICtrlCreateLabel("This is text on a transparent Layered GUI", 10, 10, 200, 20, -1)
Global $Buttton = GUICtrlCreateButton("Button", 10, 40, 40)
GUISetBkColor(0xABCDEF)
_WinAPI_SetLayeredWindowAttributes($hGui, 0xABCDEF, 255)
GUISetState(@SW_SHOW)
EndFunc

Func Example2()
Global $hGui = GUICreate("trans", 300, 400, -1, -1, $WS_POPUP, BitOR($WS_EX_TOPMOST, $WS_EX_LAYERED))
GUICtrlCreateLabel("This is text on a transparent Layered GUI", 10, 10, 200, 20, -1)
Global $Buttton = GUICtrlCreateButton("Button", 10, 40, 40)
GUISetBkColor(0xF1F1F1)
_WinAPI_SetLayeredWindowAttributes($hGui, 0xF1F1F1, 255)
GUISetState(@SW_SHOW)
EndFunc

 

Example 1 uses " transparent" Style which gives some sort of black-glow

Example2 uses Timmy style, which gives a much cleaner finish. I did some testing though and you can use any colour to get the same cleaner finish (ie 0xffffff)

See screenshot below (The grey colour is not the Gui, but SciTE Lite as its transparent and sees though it)

 

Edited September 15, 2016 by IanN1990

[timmy2]

Thank you @AutoBert for the helpful reply.  

@IanN1990, I appreciate the additional effort but I couldn't get your latest script to display anything, even after correcting the spelling of $Button and declaring it as a Global variable prior to its use. Were you able to run the script as typed?

Edited September 15, 2016 by timmy2

[Malkey]

Playing around with this example (rainy day), if you can click on the moving text, you can then drag the screen-size transparent GUI.  The label controls always move on, and relative to, the transparent GUI's position on the screen.  
Even though you can't see the transparent GUI, you can imagine where it is - in theory.

expandcollapse popup

; https://www.autoitscript.com/forum/topic/184448-transparent-popup-gui-solved/?do=findComment&comment=1325725

#NoTrayIcon
#include <GUIConstantsEx.au3>
#include <WinAPI.au3>
#include <WindowsConstants.au3>

HotKeySet("{ESC}", "Terminate") ; Even if this program's GUI does not have focus, this hotkey, "Esc", will end the script immediately.

Local $hGui = GUICreate("trans", @DesktopWidth, @DesktopHeight, 0, 0, $WS_POPUP, BitOR($WS_EX_TOPMOST, $WS_EX_LAYERED, $WS_EX_COMPOSITED))
GUISetBkColor(0xF1F1F1, $hGui)
;GUISetFont(24, 600)

Local $idCtrlLabel = GUICtrlCreateLabel("This is text on a transparent Layered GUI", 0, 0, 800, 100, -1, $GUI_WS_EX_PARENTDRAG)
GUICtrlSetColor(-1, 0xFF0000) ; Set Text colour.
GUICtrlSetFont(-1, 24, 600)

Local $idCtrlLabel2 = GUICtrlCreateLabel("This text is on a different label on the same transparent layered GUI", 0, 0, 700, 80, -1, $GUI_WS_EX_PARENTDRAG)
GUICtrlSetColor(-1, 0x0000FF) ; Set Text colour.
GUICtrlSetFont(-1, 18, 600)

Local $aPosLabel = WinGetPos(GUICtrlGetHandle($idCtrlLabel)), $xDir = 1, $yDir = 1, $iSpeed = 5

_WinAPI_SetLayeredWindowAttributes($hGui, 0xF1F1F1, 250)
GUISetState(@SW_SHOW, $hGui)

Do
    ; A moving Label control on GUI.
    $aPosLabel[0] = ($xDir ? $aPosLabel[0] + $iSpeed : $aPosLabel[0] - $iSpeed)                   ; 'X' coordinate of Label.
    $aPosLabel[1] = ($yDir ? $aPosLabel[1] + $iSpeed : $aPosLabel[1] - $iSpeed)                   ; 'Y' coordinate of Label.
    $xDir = ($xDir ? ($aPosLabel[0] > @DesktopWidth - 700 ? 0 : 1) : ($aPosLabel[0] < 0 ? 1 : 0)) ; Change horiz. direction 700 from right side of screen, and, left side of screen.
    $yDir = ($yDir ? ($aPosLabel[1] > @DesktopHeight - 40 ? 0 : 1) : ($aPosLabel[1] < 0 ? 1 : 0)) ; Change vert. direction 40 up from bottom of screen, and, top of screen.
    GUICtrlSetPos($idCtrlLabel, $aPosLabel[0], $aPosLabel[1])                                     ; Reposition Label control.
    GUICtrlSetPos($idCtrlLabel2, $aPosLabel[0], @DesktopHeight - $aPosLabel[1] - 50)              ; Reposition Label2 control.
    Sleep(10)
Until GUIGetMsg() = $GUI_EVENT_CLOSE


Func Terminate()
    Exit 0
EndFunc   ;==>Terminate