Michel:

VFP pretty much follows the microsoft windows standard for command buttons, which means that very pleasant raincloud gray (sarcasm!) is the color you get unless you want to dink about with the API.

What I have done is design a "button" consisting of a container, an image and a label.

Design a container to the size button you want in raised style. Put an image on it in the position you want, and a label. You will have to transfer the mousedown, mouseup and click events of the image and label to the underlying container. In the mousedown event of the container, your code should change the container to a a recessed form, and set the label disabled. The Mouseup event should return the button's features to their normal state. To the user the button appears to have been depressed and released when mouseclicked. The click event then contains the code for what you want the button to do.

If you define a .statusbartext and .tooltip propery for the pseudo button, you can make tooltips and the statusbar message display just like a regular command button.

Save the whole thing as a class in your base class library, and use it whenever you would normally use a command button.

The advantages of the pseudo button are:

1. You can make in any color you want.

2. You can have the picture display at the top, left, right or bottom of the button text -- unlike the commandbutton which displays at the top only.

3. You can design it is a long, narrow button with the picture on the same line as the text -- which fits better in may of my forms. I standardize my button at 24 pxls high and 100 pxls wide, which is the same height as most of my textbox objects, making it convenient to place a textbox and pseudobutton on the same horizontal plane of the form.

I'm not at the office now, but I can send you my code on Monday, if you wish.

Regards,

JME