Hi Barbara
Actually that is not the effect. Setting a backround image to the form is just that. The form has a background, in your case a gradient.
But the effect here is that of one form overlaying the other with the image of the first form in the background "seeping" through the background of the second form, giving the impression that the second form is transparent.
I have created a couple of forms that exaggerate the effect so that the effect is clearly visible. In my normal forms the effect is very subtle.
The main form in the background has a picture as the background, similar to your form. But the form in front of it, has the controls that are opaque but it appears that the form itself is semi-transparent, allowing the background image of the form behind to be seen through it.
That is the effect. This cannot be done in XP even with API's.
> OIC. It's like the washout option you have for images in Word. Still, you do that with an image editor (which Boudewijn mentioned he used) and just use that image on your form. I've done something along those lines, where all the forms in an app use a gradient image as the background, like this:
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> Just like Boudewijn, I have code in my base form class that sizes the image to the form's size and calls zorder(1). BTW, the label with the copyright info in the lower right corner is also part of that base form, and it automatically shows the current year as the ending year in the date range.
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> > > Is the "see through" part the fact that the image "bleeds" over the edge of the form? That's the only thing I see that looks different from what I've done, which is to have an image that covers a form in the background.
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> > This is an image that covers a form in the background. This is what you are talking about.
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> > This is the same form with another form on top (with opaque objects), with the image below "bleeding through". This is what BL has done.
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> > This gives a transparent effect. See better images at:
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> > http://weblogs.foxite.com/bernardbout/archive/2006/08/16/2261.aspx
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> -BP
> www.peisch.com