[question] Question About Objectbar, Mcbar& Winmac

[vneumann 0]

I am trying to implement a hidden menu in the next version of NeXplorer that would be detected by objectbar and mcbar ( perhaps winmac too)

One question I have is if any of these programs support menu icons or bitmaps?

I have OB version 1.55 and although I can put bitmaps or icons in fixed objectbar menu items , it doesn't seem to capture application menu items with icons or bitmaps . I think it is the same for MaBar.

Does anyone know if I set some options wrong or if it is not supported at all?

[Dream_Team 0]

In my developp environnement (you can't know it) there is icons for the menus , one menu is JUST an icon , it's an blank space , i think it's a problem of objectbar.

[herd 0]

Hello vNeumann,

unfortunately, Windows has only limited support for menu bitmaps. All you

can do with SDK means is change a checkmarks checked/unchecked icon

but the "get" counterpart API is missing. All major frameworks like MFC and WTL

do it by doing an owner draw of each bitmapped menu item, hence OB and

other menu snatchers are out of luck, unless they'll go through the great

pains of hooking every BitBlt involved - which hasn't been managed yet as I see.

I was amazed to see that OB is capable of catching (internet-) explorer menu

bar, which is, strictly speaking not a menu bar but an owner drawn toolbar and

a lot of dirty tricks to let it behave like a real menu bar.

If you want to know how this works, there is an article named

"Creating an Internet Explorer-style Toolbar" in the MSDN.

Likewise, the sources of the WTL Command bar class are a good informational

resource.

with Sorrow,

herd

[vneumann 0]

Originally posted by herd@Jun 26 2004, 10:43 AM

Hello vNeumann,

unfortunately, Windows has only limited support for menu bitmaps. All you

can do with SDK means is change a checkmarks checked/unchecked icon

but the "get" counterpart API is missing. All major frameworks like MFC and WTL

do it by doing an owner draw of each bitmapped menu item, hence OB and

other menu snatchers are out of luck, unless they'll go through the great

pains of hooking every BitBlt involved - which hasn't been managed yet as I see.

I was amazed to see that OB is capable of catching (internet-) explorer menu

bar, which is, strictly speaking not a menu bar but an owner drawn toolbar and

a lot of dirty tricks to let it behave like a real menu bar.

If you want to know how this works, there is an article named

"Creating an Internet Explorer-style Toolbar" in the MSDN.

Likewise, the sources of the WTL Command bar class are a good informational

resource.

with Sorrow,

herd

Thanks a lot , herd. You really know a lot about what's going on under the water.

Yeah, as you said, using commandbar instead of traditional menu is kinda like a fashion these days so it gets harder and harder for OB-like programs to snatch menus. OB can't capture menus of about half of apps I use. (Office, VS, Firefox, ...)

I'm not disappointed though. That means I don't have to spend time in drawing some menu bitamps