gradform.txt

动态提示控件

TdfsGradientForm v2.03

Description:
  A form that paints it's caption bar in a gradient pattern, like the new
  Microsoft Office applications.  It starts with black and moves gradually
  to the system defined color.


Contact Information:
  The lateset version will always be available on the web at:
    http://www.delphifreestuff.com
  If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please use the Delphi
  Free Stuff Support Forum at:
    http://www.delphifreestuff.com/discus/
  If, for some reason, you can not use the web-based support forum, you can
  email me at [e-mail].  However, the support forum will
  always take precedence over direct email since it provides a resource that
  others can use when they have a problem.  Every message posted to the forum
  is emailed directly to this account, so emailing me directly will not get
  your message to me any faster.  It will only make the message less important
  for me to respond to since only one person (you) is benefiting from it
  instead of everyone interested.  Having said all that, please do email me
  directly if it is regarding something that isn't really support related,
  i.e. just to say thanks (as novel as that idea is).


Installation:
  Delphi 1:
    * This class is not compatible with Delphi 1.

  Delphi 2, C++Builder 1:
    * Simply place the files in the directory of your choosing.  There is no
      component involved.

  Delphi 3, 4, 5, C++Builder 3 & 4:
    * Do one of the following:
      + Create a new package by selecting File | New and choosing Package from
        the New tab in the dialog.
      + Open an existing package file.  I suggest you do this if you already 
        have a package that you like to use for small, third party components.
        I specifically have a package named "3rdParty.dpk" that I use for 
        small components that come from other people.  Or, if you are using
        several of my components, you might create a "DFS.dpk" package and 
        use it for all of my DFS components.
    * In the resulting package window, click the Add button.
    * In the Add dialog, on the Add Unit tab, enter the full path name of the 
      component's registration unit (the unit that ends with 'Reg.pas', i.e. 
      'BrowseDrReg.pas') and click OK.
    * You may want to add the other source files (*.pas) to the package as
      well in the same manner as you did the registration unit.  While this is
      not required, not doing it will cause compiler warnings when the package
      is compiled.  The component will function fine either way, but I 
      personally find the warnings very irritating and am not happy until 
      every compiler warning and hint is gone.
    * If this package is new, or it has never been installed, click the 
      Install button in the package window.  If this package is already 
      installed in Delphi, click the Compile button.
      Note that this will NOT add any items to your component palette.  
      TdfsGradientForm is not a component, but a TForm descendant class.  So, 
      instead of a component palette icon, you will instead have a new "DFS" 
      tab added to the Object Repository (File | New).  If you prefer a tab
      name other than "DFS", you can edit the sGradFormObjRepositoryPage and
      sGradFormProjObjRepositoryPage constants in DSAMsgReg.pas and recompile
      the package.  Note that you can use the name of an existing tab 
      ("Forms" for example) to have the items added there.

  C++Builder 5 and up:
    * Perform the "Delphi 3 and up, C++Builder 3 and up" steps above, except
      for the last step (Compile or Install).
    * Select the package the component has been added to, and choose 
      Project | Edit Option Source to open the package options in the editor.
    * In the entry for PFLAGS, add the "-LUvcl50" option.  For example:
        <PFLAGS value="-$YD -$W -$O -v -JPHNE -M -LUvcl50"/>
    * Perform the final step from above, Compile or Install.
    * For Borland's official word on this situation, open the C++Builder help
      file and search the index for "dsgnintf.dcu" and see the "Compiling
      packages with DsgnIntf" section.

  Delphi 6 and up:
    * Perform the "Delphi 3, 4, 5, C++Builder 3 & 4" steps above, except
      for the last step (Compile or Install).
    * Add the DesignIDE package to the Requires list of the package into which
      the component is being installed.
    * Perform the final step from above, Compile or Install.
    * This is necessary because of changes to the design-time support units
      introduced in Delphi 6.  For complete information, see the Del6New.hlp
      file in your Delphi 6 Help directory.  In the index, search for
      "upgrade issues" and in the resulting list of topics, select the
      "DsgnIntf renamed and related changes" topic.

  Help File:
    * Copy GradForm.Hlp to your Delphi\Help (or Builder\Help) directory.
    * Edit the Delphi3.cnt (or Delphi4.cnt or bcb3.cnt) file and add the following
      line to the Index section:
        :Index TdfsGradientForm Reference=GradForm.hlp


Design-Time Access to TdfsGradientForm Properties:
  NOTE:  This information applies only to Delphi 3 and above, and C++Builder 3
         and above.  Previous versions of Delphi and C++Builder do NOT support
         design-time access of TForm descendants.  Sorry.  You can still use
         this class with those prior versions, you just won't have access to
         the new properties at design-time.
  * Create a new application project.
  * Select File | New and choose the "DFS" tab in the Object Repository window.
  * Select the "Gradient Form" item and click the OK button.
  * You should now have a new TdfsGradientForm type form added to the project, and
    when you select it all new properties should be visible in the IDE.


Adding Help to Delphi 2:
  * Copy GradForm.Hlp and GradForm.Kwf to your Delphi\Help directory.
  * Use the HelpInst tool included with Delphi to install the GradForm.Kwf
    into Delphi.


Delphi 2 and C++Builder 1 Notes:
  * The best way to use this form is to add it to your Object Repository.
    Simply open this unit in Delphi (or C++Builder 1, right click on the form
    and select Add To Repository.  Then, when you want a TdfsGradientForm, you
    just select it from the repository (File | New) and use the "Inherit"
    option so you don't have to see all this code in your form.

    Delphi 2: If you have existing forms that you want converted to gradient
    forms in Delphi, simply add "GradForm" to your "Uses" clause, and change
    your form's ancestor to TdfsGradientForm.  An example:
       Change:
          TMyForm = class(TForm)
       To:
          TMyForm = class(TdfsGradientForm)

    C++Builder 1: To convert existing forms, add the GradForm.pas file to the
      project (using Project Manager), then open the form's header file and add:

       #include "gradform.hpp"

    above the form class declaration.  Next, change the form's class declaraion:
      Change:
        class TForm1 : public TForm
      To:
        class TForm1 : public TdfsGradientForm

    And finally, change the form's constructor in the source (.cpp) file:
      Change:
        __fastcall TForm1::TForm1(TComponent* Owner)
          : TForm(Owner)
        {
      To:
        __fastcall TForm1::TForm1(TComponent* Owner)
          : TdfsGradientForm(Owner)
        {


Developer's Notes:
  * Special thanks go to Michiel Ouwehand of Epic MegaGames for the
    clipping region tips (See the WMNCPaint method) and for pointing out
    the DrawFrameControl API function (see the PaintCaptionButtons method).
  * Be aware that this form has had some problems in MDI applications.  I
    think I have worked them out, but I suggest you test everything very
    thoroughly.  I used a small hack to do it (see GradClientWndProc).
  * I've used strictly GDI calls for the painting in this component.  No
    TCanvas, TBitmap, TBrush, etc.  This is because that although they are
    extremely nice to use, they are not nearly as efficient.  That's not a
    slam on them.  They have to be able to know how to do a lot of things,
    and that requires overhead.  I have a very specific set of things to do
    here, and I am *very* interested in getting it to do it as fast as
    possible, so I'm willing to sacrifice the convenience of the classes
    for the speed of the API.  One day I'll sit down and do a speed
    comparison to see if I really gained that much this way.  If you don't
    understand the GDI calls, leave them alone, or use them to experiment
    with in learning how to use them.
  * This form will only work in the 32-bit world.  I have used very few calls
    that would prevent it from working on Delphi 1, so it will be fairly simple
    to convert to Delphi 1, but there is a lot of stuff that would have to
    be changed to make it look right.  For instance, I paint an icon in the
    left corner for the system menu.  This is a Win95 style only.  Also, I
    allow for BorderStyles like bsToolWindow that don't exist in Delphi 1.
    Converting to Delphi 1 could be done, and shouldn't be all that
    difficult since all the painting routines should work fine except for
    the icon painting, and you don't need that for Win 3.1x anyway.
    I just don't do any Delphi 1 development any more, so I leave it to one
    of you to implement.  If you do, I would appreciate it if you could do
    it using $IFDEF DFS_WIN32, and send me the changes so others can use it as
    well.


Known Issues:
  * Help file has not been updated from the 1.56 version, so it does not include
    the new stuff.  I'm switching help authoring tools and just don't have the
    time at the moment to convert over the existing stuff into the new tool.
    I will get it in a future version.


Revision History:
  2.03:  + Updated for Delphi 6 compatibility.  See updated install directions
           above.
  2.02:  + Updated for C++Builder 5 compatibility.
  2.01:  + Setting the BorderStyle property to bsNone would cause division by
           zero exceptions.  I'm not sure why you would do this since it results
           in a form without a caption, but it's fixed anyway.
  2.00:  + Mikl髎 Kov醕s was kind enough to fix the known issue of the help
           button not wanting to stay depressed.
         + Fixed problem of restore caption button only being pained on
           minimized MDI child, not on any style child.
         + Some people still got a range check in the FillRectGradient function.
           Should definitely be fixed now.
         + Added some new properties: Logo, InactiveLogo, LogoAlign, and
           LogoLayered.  These are based on code provided by Joe White.  Many
           thanks to him for sharing.  These related properties are for
           displaying an image on the caption.  LogoLayered is probably the only
           one that needs an explanation:  If true, the caption text is drawn
           over the logo, if false it is moved over next to it.
  1.95:  + It's *really* D5 compatible now.  Small change between the D5 eval 
           version and the real, shipping D5 version broke it.
  1.94:  + Classname changed.
           D5 compatibility.
  1.93:  + It was possible to get range check errors under D4 in the NC
           painting (a very bad place for it to happen) because the underlying
           HRGN type was changed in the RTL to an unsigned type and I wasn't
           typecasting a WPARAM value.  Fixed.
  1.92:  + Updated for C++Builder 4 compatibility.
  1.91:  + Cleaned up most of the {$IFDEF DFS_CPPB} stuff to make the code
           easier to read/maintain.  I always do the typecast now, which isn't