My LabVIEW-WinAPI Fails

[zou]

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@bienieck wrote:

Yes, I'm certain it is doable. Here are examples, even from LV:

http://www.codeproject.com/Articles/34158/Cool-Semi-transparent-and-Shaped-Dialogs-with-Stan

http://www.oocities.org/gzou999/features.htm

http://www.oocities.org/gzou999/grf/semitransparent.gif

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My code is in C, not LabVIEW.

Integrated into LabVIEW with Code Interface Node.

[bienieck]

So it is doable 🙂 Have you used UpdateLayeredWindow?

@nathand I started this thread as a generic discussion about issues with WinAPI. It was a result of my frustration. But I was asked by Kyle97330 about particular problem, so I explained it. I think that the main problem is not in one's knowledge of C but in the specifics of WinAPI and in the way how it is documented.

[nyc_(is_out_of_here)]

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I think that the main problem is not in one's knowledge of C but in the specifics of WinAPI and in the way how it is documented.

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I think this is where you are fooling yourself.

You want someone else to re-gurgitate it down to a level that you can understand it, and that does not seem likely given your knowledge of C

[bienieck]

Thank you for your opinion nyc. You've been very helpful in this thread. Want some kudos?

[nyc_(is_out_of_here)]

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@bienieck wrote:

Thank you for your opinion nyc. You've been very helpful in this thread. Want some kudos?

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I don't need kudos as validation. LOL.

By the way, it looks like George Zou who answered above and wrote the G Toolbox may be available if you want to pay him for his services.

http://webspace.webring.com/people/og/gtoolbox/

[nathand]

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bienieck wrote:

@nathand I started this thread as a generic discussion about issues with WinAPI. It was a result of my frustration. But I was asked by Kyle97330 about particular problem, so I explained it. I think that the main problem is not in one's knowledge of C but in the specifics of WinAPI and in the way how it is documented.

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In my opinion, the MSDN documentation is good, but if you feel that it should be more accessible to non-C programmers, then you should take that up on the Microsoft forums and not here. I don't think you'll get much support, though, as additional documentation for people who don't know C would be unwanted clutter for experienced C (and WinAPI) programmers.

Take a look at the screenshot below from the LabVIEW context help (I've deliberately picked a complicated example). As a LabVIEW programmer, you quickly see that most of the inputs and outputs are 1D arrays of floating point numbers but that "termination" is a cluster of numerics, "number of function calls" is a scalar integer, f(x,a) is a reference, and perhaps that "covariance" is a matrix; you understand the purpose of the error wire; and you know which inputs are required. This image wouldn't mean much to a C programmer, though. Conversely, when a C programmer sees a function prototype in the MSDN documentation, or in a header file, he or she recognizes a lot about how to call that function. Of course, in both cases (C and LabVIEW), reading through the function's documentation is still necessary to understand what the function does and what values should be passed.

[zou]

There is an easy way to achieve this with 2 windows instead of one multilayer window:

1. make the top window transparent but the controls aren't with Windows API.  Make this window floating or modal.

2. make the bottom window semi-transparent.  This window only provide a background.

The only problem is how to make the bottom window move with the top window.

You can NOT make the top window a child window of bottom window.

You might be able to use the queue.  Or you can send a Windows message to bottom window.

[Regulator]

FP NET REFNUM BD Select .NET Class

[bienieck]

@Regulator What do you mean?

[bienieck]

Is it possible to call UpdateLayeredWindow function with use of .NET constructor node? If so how to find proper assembly? I've never used .NET assemblies and even don't know how it actually works...