Problems with splash screen

Hallo,

I am trying to make a splash screen for my application, but the window that the splash screen should be in is transparent for some reason. Anyone experienced the same?

The image I am loading is located at the correct place, as I am loading it later on with the exact same code, and it works then

Here is code that I think is relevant:

Code:

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HWND  splashScreen = CreateWindowEx( WS_EX_CLIENTEDGE,"STATIC","",
                                        WS_POPUP|WS_DLGFRAME|SS_BITMAP,xPos,yPos,xSize,ySize,
                                                                        hWnd,NULL,(HINSTANCE)GetWindowLong(hWnd, GWL_HINSTANCE),NULL);

// Load the picture for the splash screen
SendMessage( splashScreen, BM_SETIMAGE, IMAGE_BITMAP,
        (LPARAM)LoadImage(NULL, TEXT("UI\\newFilmButton.bmp"), IMAGE_BITMAP,100,50,LR_LOADFROMFILE));

// Show the splash screen
ShowWindow(splashScreen,SW_SHOWNORMAL);
UpdateWindow(splashScreen);

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Thanks,

Transparent as in you can't see it, or transparent as in it looks like a layered window?

Also, splash screens are usually top most and have no parent or owner.

The most platform independant way to do this is to actually have a function that sets the transparency separately (which should also double check the OS version and whatnot). I would post code, but I don't feel like rewriting code that I am damn sure I have posted on the forums a few times before.

Thanks for the replies.

This is my first win32 projects, so there are so many things I do not know how to do, and do not know how the api solves.

I have fixed it now.

I'm just asking - you sure that this thing isn't always on top? As in it will hover above ALL windows?
Because that's a design flaw - a quite common one, as well, and annoying.
The splash window should be on top of your application's windows, but nothing else...

Just checking here!

>> The splash window should be on top of your application's windows, but nothing else...
Hmm, I'm not so sure I agree. I like to know when somethings loading, and, when something big enough to have a splash screen is loading it would bog down the system to the point that you really wouldn't want to do anything else. It's like like it stays up that long.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Yarin

>> The splash window should be on top of your application's windows, but nothing else...
Hmm, I'm not so sure I agree. I like to know when somethings loading...

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I agree. I like that too.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Yarin

...and, when something big enough to have a splash screen is loading it would bog down the system to the point that you really wouldn't want to do anything else...

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That's certainly not true. I can do a lot of things while stupid apps are loading. It's the essence of multi-tasking. To be able to do stuff while something else is doing stuff.

And a big splash window staying on top on everything will block your view when you try to do something else. It's very annoying.
Put the splash window into the taskbar as "My app - loading..." or something. Much, much better.

Moin,

maybe the link below will give you some examples for a Splash Screen ... :)

http://www.codeguru.com/cpp/w-d/dislog/splashscreens/


Greetz
Greenhorn

Well, I dont really need a splash screen in the sense that it takes ages to load the application. It is more the people I am making the application for that wants to have a splash screen first.

So basically I have:
Make splash screen
sleep for x second
remove splash screen.

>>I'm just asking - you sure that this thing isn't always on top? As in it will hover above ALL windows?
The entire program runs in full screen (no task bar - no nothing), so it does not really matter I think.

Thanks for the link Greenhorn__ :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by h3ro

Well, I dont really need a splash screen in the sense that it takes ages to load the application. It is more the people I am making the application for that wants to have a splash screen first.

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Then perhaps it's a good idea to redo your application to start quicker? [Yes, that may be difficult, I know - but often the bottleneck of applications starting is either loading vast amounts of data that may not be needed, or loading vast amounts of data in an ineffecient way - or both]

Quote:

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So basically I have:
Make splash screen
sleep for x second
remove splash screen.

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Surely this should not use "sleep", but rather WaifForSingleObject (or WaitForMultipleObject), where the object is an indicator of "load finished".

Quote:

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>>I'm just asking - you sure that this thing isn't always on top? As in it will hover above ALL windows?
The entire program runs in full screen (no task bar - no nothing), so it does not really matter I think.

Thanks for the link Greenhorn__ :)

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Is that really necessary at startup? I'd let the app switch to full-screen once it has loaded up - that allows better ability to do other things during startup.

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Mats

Yes but it also can be annoying, it's loading so you do otherthings... then all of a sudden it goes fullscreen.

Better, do all the loading and display a splash and when finished, the flash screen blinks for attention in the taskbar.
Click on it and click anywhere on the splash screen and it goes fullscreen since loading is done.
Too many apps these days steal focus when they shouldn't. And by that I mean 99.99%.

Quote:

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Then perhaps it's a good idea to redo your application to start quicker? [Yes, that may be difficult, I know - but often the bottleneck of applications starting is either loading vast amounts of data that may not be needed, or loading vast amounts of data in an ineffecient way - or both]

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99% of the start up time goes into connecting to a webcam. Not sure I can speed that up?

Quote:

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Is that really necessary at startup? I'd let the app switch to full-screen once it has loaded up - that allows better ability to do other things during startup.

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Its an aplication for kids, so we wanted the application to be "kid prof". There is no easy way to exit the program, and while you are in the program you cant do anything else then using it.

Well, I guess that makes it pretty special case, so it may be fine as it is then.

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Mats