Vista: Hide window without animation ?

[c4s]

When I use HideWindow() it takes a while until the window is invisible
because Windows Vista (and 7 too?) makes a transparency fade etc by
default.
I need it to be hidden immediately without any animations.

Is there a way I can temporarily disable this?

[srod]

Try moving the window off-screen before hiding it.

[c4s]

This looks like a good idea - I don't even have to hide it.

Thanks.

[UserOfPure]

If you don't hide it, it will still have a button on the Taskbar.

[Fluid Byte]

First move it then hide it:

Code: Select all

OpenWindow(0,0,0,320,240,"void",#PB_Window_SystemMenu | #PB_Window_ScreenCentered)
ButtonGadget(0,5,5,120,25,"untitled")

Repeat
	EventID = WaitWindowEvent()

	If EventID = #PB_Event_Gadget
		ResizeWindow(0,5000,#PB_Ignore,#PB_Ignore,#PB_Ignore)
		HideWindow(0,1)
	EndIf
Until EventID = #PB_Event_CloseWindow

[c4s]

...I don't like that I always find my own posts here when I'm try to find something in the www.

Anyway, I didn't find an answer for this: Is it save to assume that negative positions are not on the screen? What about multiple monitors/desktops? (can't test it)

[MachineCode]

Is it save to assume that negative positions are not on the screen? What about multiple monitors/desktops? (can't test it)

Yes, and yes. Just use a LARGE negative number though, like -999999, because no monitor will have a desktop size of 999999 pixels wide.

[RASHAD]

@c4s Hi
You can disable the animation flag before hiding window
It works fine with win 7 and I guess it will be OK too with vista

Code: Select all

OpenWindow(0,0,0,100,100,"Test",#PB_Window_SystemMenu| #PB_Window_ScreenCentered)
ButtonGadget(1,10,10,80,25,"Test",#PB_Button_Toggle)
anm.ANIMATIONINFO\cbSize = SizeOf(ANIMATIONINFO)
anm.ANIMATIONINFO\iMinAnimate = 0                   ;1 to enable
SystemParametersInfo_($0049, SizeOf(ANIMATIONINFO), @anm, 0)

Repeat
  Select WaitWindowEvent()
      
    Case #PB_Event_CloseWindow
      Q = 1   
       
    Case #PB_Event_Gadget
        Select EventGadget()
          Case 1
              HideWindow(0,1)
               Delay(2000)
               HideWindow(0,0)
               
        EndSelect
             
  EndSelect 
Until Q = 1

Good luck mate

[c4s]

@MachineCode
What do you mean by large negative number? I mean the window width plus some pixels for shadows etc. should be enough if a negative is always invisible?!


@Rashad
Thanks for your help. But I don't want to mess with the users system settings, so I rather stick with moving the window to a negative value and then hiding it.
Too bad that there doesn't seem to be a flag that allows to dynamically set the animation state just for the current window...

[RASHAD]

@c4s
If it works with Vista and the timing is fine with you
So no problem with the user settings
See next

Code: Select all

Global Animflag

;Get minanimation flag
anm.ANIMATIONINFO\cbSize = SizeOf(ANIMATIONINFO)
SystemParametersInfo_($0048, SizeOf(ANIMATIONINFO), @anm, 0)
Animflag = anm.ANIMATIONINFO\iMinAnimate

OpenWindow(0,0,0,100,100,"Test",#PB_Window_SystemMenu| #PB_Window_ScreenCentered)
ButtonGadget(1,10,10,80,25,"Test",#PB_Button_Toggle)

Repeat
  Select WaitWindowEvent()
     
    Case #PB_Event_CloseWindow
      Q = 1   
       
    Case #PB_Event_Gadget
        Select EventGadget()
          Case 1              
              anm.ANIMATIONINFO\iMinAnimate = 0
              SystemParametersInfo_($0049, SizeOf(ANIMATIONINFO), @anm, 0)
              HideWindow(0,1)
              If Animflag = 1
                anm.ANIMATIONINFO\iMinAnimate = 1
                SystemParametersInfo_($0049, SizeOf(ANIMATIONINFO), @anm, 0)
              EndIf
               
        EndSelect
             
  EndSelect
Until Q = 1

[MachineCode]

What do you mean by large negative number? I mean the window width plus some pixels for shadows etc. should be enough if a negative is always invisible?!

A negative number isn't going to hide the window unless it's a large negative number. Look:

Code: Select all

OpenWindow(0,0,0,150,50,"Test",#PB_Window_SystemMenu)
ButtonGadget(1,10,10,120,20,"Click to move to -50")

Repeat
  Event=WaitWindowEvent()
  If Event=#PB_Event_Gadget
    ResizeWindow(0,-50,#PB_Ignore,#PB_Ignore,#PB_Ignore)
  EndIf
Until Event=#PB_Event_CloseWindow

When you click the button, the window moves 50 pixels to the left, but it's still visible. But surely you knew that?

So what you do is use a LARGE negative number, like -999999, to ensure that no monitors (or dual monitors!) will show the window. Because if you have dual monitors and both are 2048 pixels wide, and the window opens on the right-hand one and moves -1000 pixels to the left, then it will be shown on the left-hand one (that is, still visible). So using something insanely large like -999999 gets rid of that possibility, because it's unlikely that the user will be using a monitor that is 999999 pixels wide.

[c4s]

I just wanted to know if negative values can be visible in general.
I think I'm going to use ResizeWindow(0, -WindowWidth(0) - 50, WindowHeight(0) - 50, #PB_Ignore, #PB_Ignore) because I don't feel good about using something like -999999...

[nco2k]

if the user has a second monitor attached left from his primary monitor, he might see your window. yes, desktop values can be negative.

WindowWidth/Height() return the size of the window client area, so WindowHeight(0) - 50 might not be enough, since you dont know how large the titlebar+borders of the user is. yes, the size of the titlebar can be changed.

if you need the real width/height of a window, use something like this:

Code: Select all

Procedure WindowRealWidth(WindowID)
  Protected Result, WinRect.RECT
  If GetWindowRect_(WindowID, @WinRect)
    Result = WinRect\right - WinRect\left
  EndIf
  ProcedureReturn Result
EndProcedure
Procedure WindowRealHeight(WindowID)
  Protected Result, WinRect.RECT
  If GetWindowRect_(WindowID, @WinRect)
    Result = WinRect\bottom - WinRect\top
  EndIf
  ProcedureReturn Result
EndProcedure

but there is nothing wrong with -99999 though.

c ya,
nco2k

[Fluid Byte]

Clean solution:

Code: Select all

OpenWindow(0,0,0,320,240,"void",#PB_Window_SystemMenu | #PB_Window_ScreenCentered)
ButtonGadget(0,5,5,120,25,"Test")

Repeat
   EventID = WaitWindowEvent()

   If EventID = #PB_Event_Gadget
   	HideWindow(0,1)
   	SendMessage_(WindowID(0),#WM_SETREDRAW,1,0)
   EndIf
Until EventID = #PB_Event_CloseWindow

Works fine on Windows 7

[MachineCode]

I just wanted to know if negative values can be visible in general

If you ran my example, you'd have your answer. That's why I posted it.

I don't feel good about using something like -999999

Why not? X and Y values for window positions, and gadgets, can be anything. It won't crash. When you think about, the desktop area that you see is just a small part of an insanely huge "virtual" desktop, with the top-left of your desktop being co-ordinates 0,0. You can position a window anywhere on the visible desktop, or anywhere outside it in the "virtual" unseen area around it (above, below, left or right).

Here's a visual example which assumes your Windows desktop is 1024x768 pixels:

Code: Select all

-999999,-999999
       +----------------------------------+
       |                                  |
       |                                  |
       |                                  |
       |          0,0                     |
       |           +---------+            |
       |           | Desktop |            |
       |           | display |            |
       |           +---------+            |
       |                 1024,768         |
       |                                  |
       |                                  |
       |                                  |
       +----------------------------------+
                                    999999,999999