Advanced Question on transparency.

[Ian Lackey]

Was about to purchase new version of Autoplay and as I looked through the video examples I noticed something... The versions I've used in the past... Not sure version number off the top... (lost in CD collection somewhere) The older version allowed for transparency in menus and the shape and form of the window it's self. From what I've seen in the new software it appears to be holding to an explorer frame and the shape of the window is rectangular in all examples... So please help me out... What I am stating is that I was able to make a menu window in any shape... Say a donut... and the places that should be see through were... So the center you could see the desktop or what ever was behind it and the outside border would be round... Any close or minimize button was designed and placed where ever you chose to place it... The close button could be a cat on the other side of the screen not any where near the donut... And if you clicked a folder icon on the desktop through the center of the the donut hole, you would be interacting with the desktop... I hope this is understandable... I explain things oddly some times... Please help... I don't want the new version if it doesn't work like this any more... and If it doesn't then the development team needs to go back to the drawing board because they messed up big time... If it doesn't don't tell me it's due to the functionality of Windows 10 and interferes with some function or that the graphical variables create crash errors with certain video drivers or that the newest version of the explorer shell doesn't support that kind of thing any more... I'm the guy that knows the answers to these functions... And if you question that... All I need to say is "Rainmeter". So I hope Indigo didn't change this and I'm just seeing bad examples. This was my go to software for presentations and interactive menu's for CD file archiving... My current project is working on making an interactive resume and thought why not use Autoplay as a representative menu interface system... I have other options but Autoplay has always been that reliable quick and insanely customizable solution for a simple project...

Please someone that knows what I'm talking about, Help...
I don't want to buy something that is not even remotely what I'm looking for...
And I hope they didn't mess up Autoplay... Not many products are worth anything but this was one of the few that I recommended so often...

[kingzooly]

AMS supports normal window style but also flat styles where you can load your own map and images to make your app



This is not a donut but it would be possible but that kind of UI is no longer acceptable in the new world lol, but yes you can still do that with AMS, since you can just add the mask and like you could be for, the old things AMS could do it can still do from atlest version 5 when I first used it lol

All buttons can be created from imagers or using the butten creation tool built in AMS

Also all the videos for AMS are old, and windows 10 supports almost every function in app design as all the older OS's AMS can't make metor/store apps for windows but still makes normal exe's like before I not sure why you thought it did, it even looks almost the same as it used to not many things ever changed in AMS over the years it still looks and feels the same.

I say it's worth buying it if you want to support the software and the team that created it, I been using it since 2007 old username was rexzooly,

[BioHazard]

As Rex mentioned, 'Masking' will give you any window-shape your little heart desires. Plenty of threads here on 'masking' - but specifically you might like to check out something done by 'clueless' from 'way back in the day'. He called it the Dynamic Masking Tool. See this old thread:

https://forums.indigorose.com/forum/old-versions/autoplay-media-studio-7-5/22950-free-dynamic-masking-tool-dmt-v2?t=22729&page=

Note: Seems the links on that thread are long since dead - so have attached an archived copy of his Dynamic Masking Tool v2, to give you an idea. (Sorry, don't have copy of v3).

As for your question on 'Transparency' - yep, of course - all still possible mate. Search the forum for 'Opacity' and you should find quite a few threads. Again, here's something specific to give you an idea on how transparency/opacity can be manipulated. Not sure who produced this one (it's been awhile) - but by memory, I'm guessing it's probably one of Worm's releases). See attached zipfile.

[colc]

Hi Ian Lackey Welcome This is not a donut but close - you see desktop & access thru
If you are good at graphics you can make your own
MyMask.apz
Cheers

[BioHazard]

//EDIT
That enclosed version of the Dynamic Masking Tool by 'clueless', is version-3, apparently.
So there ya' go.- it's the latest one after all.

And here's another simple example of Opacity-Transparency built with latest version of AMS (v8.5.2.0), using Worm's (???) wTrans.dll.

[colc]

Hi BioHazard, For your examples to work on above XP you must edit or remove code for OSname

--sOS=String.Right(System.GetOSName(),2);
--if (sOS == "XP" ) or (sOS == "00") or (sOS == "03") then
    blnFade = true;
    Opacity = 0;
    handle = Application.GetWndHandle();
    result = DLL.CallFunction("AutoPlay\\Docs\\wTrans.dll", "SetWindowTransparency", handle..","..e_Pos, DLL_RETURN_TYPE_LONG, DLL_CALL_STDCALL)
--end 

otherwise good examples
Cheers

[BioHazard]

@colc,
Yeah, cheers mate - I keep forgetting I'm a dinosaur when it comes to my OS of choice. The code's actually archival-stuff from circa 2005 (LOL, it may be even older).
Helll, I think some of the stuff in my library might be older than some of the forum members!

Yawn - think my geriatric, doddering frame may be telling me it's past my bedtime.
Warm milk and cookies, anyone?

[colc]

Found another masking apz in my archives, added a donut on P4

How to apply 2 or more pages with different masks.apz