>It sounds like we're both toying with some similar ideas. I am working on a "button" idea with transparent containers inside transparent containers, floating over a form. It should be able to work with any "background" scheme.

I hate to rain on people's parades. I've been reading this thread since it started. I'm as interested in striking, interesting, and intuitive interfaces as anyone else. But I have to point out...

Interfaces need to be accessible to people with disabilities. That means that everything on them needs to work without touching a mouse. It means that everything still needs to "fit" in some fashion if the user runs at a low resolution on a big monitor or uses a screen magnifier or larger fonts. And it means that everything on them needs to be "speakable" by screen-reader software.

VFP standard controls allow for hotkeys. In VFP 7 SP 1 and above, the controls natively "speak" pretty well with screen readers.

When you get into creating custom "buttons" and such by means of shapes and images, you get stuff that won't respond to keystrokes and can't be comprehended or announced by screen readers. If you're going to do this, you need to either build this functionality into them some way, or provide a complete alternate interface for people who can't use a mouse or see the screen.

Here's a good place to get started:

http://www.usability.gov/

Thanks.

Ken Dibble
www.stic-cil.org