GUI Programming (Not Games), OpenGL vs DirectX?

I'm new to both, but i was just curious which is better for programming GUIs? As in Not Games? I want to make Clean, none Win32 Style Programs for various things.

Basically everything Win32 Windows offer, just better looking lol.

But which API is better for this? I never took this into consideration when a decided to start learning OpenGL (still amazingly basic though).

Also, for whichever one you chose in your opinion or w/e, if at all possible, can you provide any links to tuts for this? All i have ever seen for These API's is Game Tutorials.

Thanks!

Are you wanting to make skin? Search the Windows board - there've been many resources posted on how to do this.

Well from my understanding of "skins", i do not believe this is what i wish. Like have you ever used Trillian? They have a simple example of this, and i believe its DirectX coded. But just a nice looking menu system... however advanced.. lol. (I suck at explaining, however i am sure you relize this :p)

OpenGL is a graphics rendering API... there is no widget set associated with it. You'd have to create the entire widget set graphics and use another API for IO to handle events.

Ok, sorry, nub here :p.

But is this doable in DirectX? Or is everyone just heavily modding Win32 and basically making the win32 program have a custom theme.. in a sense.

>>and basically making the win32 program have a custom theme
that would be skinning.

I think what he is trying to say is make a Win32 application, but without the standard looking close, minimize, maximize, menu thing. That might be skinning, i dont know, but I think thats what you're talking about, right?

Yes. That is skinning. Now go do a board search.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Perspective

>>and basically making the win32 program have a custom theme
that would be skinning.

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"and basically making the win32 program have a custom theme",
See if you add the full sentance, i was talking about everyone else.
"Or is everyone just heavily modding Win32 and basically making the win32 program have a custom theme", so to make you happy i will restate my question "Or is everyone else just 'skinning'"

Quote:

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Or is everyone just heavily modding Win32 and basically making the win32 program have a custom theme

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That's what skinning is. Skinning for the most part is just subclassed controls which are modified to follow the same theme. The good news is that the code to do this has been done many times by other people, so you dont have to do it on your own (unless you want to punish yourself for some reason).

Programs like trillian dont use directX or opengl, just the windows API.

ya i just got the wrong impression when it was making sure i had DX installed and updated, ect.

Thanks :)

having written several GUI's in OpenGL of varying complexity, i would recommend against trying one till you have a large body of experience, especially in design, you MUST have the knowledge of how to design very complex interdependent systems, being a GUI is one, especially if you want to have the functionality of something as large and complex as the Windows GUI is not a small or easy task.