>Re: controls with transparency
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>An interface idea I've been experimenting with is to build floating status indicators based on a transparent container with Zorder(0) with lots of images/shapes/labels displaying critical information. This works great except when this container is displayed over an input control that has focus.
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>VFP appears to do an automatic Zorder(0) to the control that has focus so it pops up over this transparent container. This behavior results in an ugly and unprofessional appearance.
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>One solution might be to place a transparent form or toolbar over this type of transparent container to prevent the control with focus from bleeding through the interface. There are Windows API calls to make a form transparent but I have not yet experiemented with these calls in this context.
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>Perhaps my experience/experiments might give you guys some ideas.

How about showing some respect to the sanctity of the control with focus, and moving this transparent container automatically out of the way? IOW, in each control's .gotfocus(), add a call to thisform.CheckIfContainerIsCovering(this), which would move it away from the center of the form just enough to have the control with focus visible.