Using a graphic instead of the standard window shape

[Ken Norris (dialup)]

on 2/3/02 6:16 AM, Roger.E.Eller at sealedair.com at
Roger.E.Eller at sealedair.com wrote:

> 
> Hello,
> 
> Does anyone know if it is possible to use a graphic image (gif, jpg, etc.)
> as the actual window of a stack? What I have in mind is similar to Windows
> Media Player's skins. In other words, I don't want the window to have sharp
> corners. Thanks in advance.
----------
Try making a 'borderless' window and just use your own graphic background
image within it. I think the actual window has to have corners, though, and
you probably can't make them transparent, so you'll need to match the bg it
appears in. In other words, you 'fake' it. It APPEARS to be a 'skin' object
because of how it's painted and manipulated. I'm working with this sort of
thing myself. I'll post my results here or send off list, if you prefer,
when I get to an appropriate point in my experiments with RR.

One of the things I do on a regular basis, both in HC, and now in RR, is
make a general graphic to fit the size and position I need using the local
paint tools. Then, import it to a sophisticated paint program, like
Photoshop, detail it to perfection, then put it back in the dev program,
using its tools to locate and position it exactly. It's all about
ILLUSION...SFX. Using layers and transparent objects, taking screen shots,
manipulating images, windows, buttons and field styles, until I achieve the
desired effect.

Jeanne has written some books about doing these things in HyperCard. The
principals are much the same, I suspect, but easier to implement in RR.

HTH,
Ken N.