.NET Windows Forms make it very easy to create forms that are non-rectangular by assigning a vector based outline as the region of the form. This, paired with appropriate graphics art, makes for very compelling form designs.
by Markus Egger
March 19, 2003
ince the earliest versions of the Windows operating system, all Windows have been rectangular. However, the number of applications that break out of this boring mold is rising. Even Microsoft, the king of rectangularity, is starting to create applications that use shaped windows, such as Media Player. Unfortunately, creating shaped forms has always been quite tricky. Until now that is! The .NET Framework and the Windows Forms package in particular make it easy to produce forms that have rather sophisticated shapes.
Since I already brought it up, I am going to stick to Windows Media Player as an example. You are likely to have Media Player on your computer, so you can easily try out some of the things I will point out to you. Also, Media Player incorporates a number of different techniques that make for excellent examples.
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ince the earliest versions of the Windows operating system, all Windows have been rectangular. However, the number of applications that break out of this boring mold is rising. Even Microsoft, the king of rectangularity, is starting to create applications that use shaped windows, such as Media Player. Unfortunately, creating shaped forms has always been quite tricky. Until now that is! The .NET Framework and the Windows Forms package in particular make it easy to produce forms that have rather sophisticated shapes.
