Transparent splash screen

[afb]

The transparent splash screen (splash_new.png) doesn't work on Mac OS X:



Should we default it to "off", or should we use the old splash ? (splash.png)

[thomas]

There sure is a way to implement it under MacOS, I just don't happen to know one.
Probably, it even supports hardware transparency and doesn't need that screengrab-blit-hack we're using because of Windows 98.

[afb]

Fixing it would be best, of course. Just that this was easier... :-)
I take it that we don't want to use the old one then, good riddance.

Can always have it default to "hidden" on wxMac, until it is fixed.

[Ceniza]

Hmmm... the screengrab-blit-hack was to get it working on Linux...

afb: could you check the splash screen demo included in wxWidgets' sources and see if it works correctly there?

[afb]

wxFRAME_SHAPED class window "works", but since it seems wx 2.6.3 uses QuickDraw and the Window Manager it is limited to a single "transparent color" type of alpha, and not the full alpha channel that the splash uses (need CoreGraphics for that).

So the best is probably to turn it off for now, and perhaps try again later with wx 2.7.x ?

[takeshimiya]

So the best is probably to turn it off for now, and perhaps try again later with wx 2.7.x ?

Yes, I actually turn it off now; for wx 2.7 CoreGraphics is enabled by default, and there's a chance that QuickDraw will be deprecated, so better we wait.

[afb]

Here were the end results, when using SHAPED=1 (wxFRAME_SHAPED):

ALPHA=0 (i.e. using a white color)


ALPHA=1 (it doesn't work on wxMac)


I'll upload the patch with SHAPED=0, in case it starts to work later on...

Code

#if 0 // defined(__WXMAC__)
#define CBSPLASH_SHAPED	1
#define CBSPLASH_STYLE	wxFRAME_SHAPED
#define CBSPLASH_ALPHA	0
#else
#define CBSPLASH_SHAPED	0
#define CBSPLASH_STYLE	0
#define CBSPLASH_ALPHA	1
#endif

[afb]

http://www.algonet.se/~afb/wx/codeblocks-shapedsplash.patch

[thomas]

Here were the end results, when using SHAPED=1 (wxFRAME_SHAPED)
ALPHA=0 (i.e. using a white color)

Hey, that doesn't even look entirely bad! Different, yes... but not really bad. If one added a bit more border on the left and top-left to the image, it would look like it's actually intended to be that way (though I doubt it's worth the effort). What do you think, should I have a try?

Why don't you just commit it that way and leave it until they update wxMAC

[afb]

Here were the end results, when using SHAPED=1 (wxFRAME_SHAPED)
ALPHA=0 (i.e. using a white color)

Hey, that doesn't even look entirely bad! Different, yes... but not really bad. If one added a bit more border on the left and top-left to the image, it would look like it's actually intended to be that way (though I doubt it's worth the effort). What do you think, should I have a try?

If it's not too much work and don't disturb the other platforms, then by all means do...

[afb]

Why don't you just commit it that way and leave it until they update wxMAC

No change in wx 2.7.2, so this is going in as-is. Maybe tweak the image a little ?

[thomas]

Try if that one works out better, it should have a border contour with alpha = 0.01 (i.e. should be invisible under Windows, but white using your method).

[attachment deleted by admin]

[afb]

Not sure if it made that much of a difference:


If we want good results, I think we need a separate black/white mask ?
(which does require some extra coding work, and another parameter, but)

[thomas]

Hmm.... surprised that the top left corner looks so meek... is the window's size hardcoded?
There should actually be an equally-sized border around it everywhere.

Hmph... hate it when things look so cheap. Might think of a contour that works nicely with CSG, then we can do Windows98/X11/MacOS with hardware region support and without any hacks.

[Der Meister]

Although I like the new design of the splash screen, is it really supposed to look like that? 

Testet on Linux with wxGTK 2.6.2, gcc 4.1.1 and revision, well, you probably can see that.

[PsYhLo]

yes just like my
I was thinking this is because gtk-qt engine
It looks like some kind of bug to me


Sorry for my bad english

[sethjackson]

It looks sorta like that in the about dialog on Windows.......

[thomas]

Although I like the new design of the splash screen, is it really supposed to look like that? 

What the hell, I replied to your post 10 minutes ago, where did it go???
Anyway: No, I had hoped it would look better after 3221  :?

The idea behind this screen (you get it) is to have a less fuzzy outline that can be region-skinned with simple CSG (4 rectangles, available on every platform). Unluckily, in reality, region skinning did nothing at all under Windows, so I emulated it with setting the DC's clip region.
As Yiannis later reported, this does not work for Linux, so I added region-skinning on top (both methods used now). Unluckily, I still have acute Linux shortage, so I can't test

Testet on Linux with wxGTK 2.6.2, gcc 4.1.1 and revision, well, you probably can see that.

Lol, was about to ask "what version"

Could you give it a try please? If nothing helps, one could GetHandle() on the window and use GTK's native function to apply the region. However, it might be that SetBackgroundStyle() in line 121, which used to be the "GTK enabling hack" is the actual cause of this. Or, one might skip OnEraseBackground() entirely, maybe that grey is really some background drawing (which, for some reason draws outside the region?).

It looks sorta like that in the about dialog on Windows.......

Yes, but that's unrelated.

[Der Meister]

Could you give it a try please? If nothing helps, one could GetHandle() on the window and use GTK's native function to apply the region. However, it might be that SetBackgroundStyle() in line 121, which used to be the "GTK enabling hack" is the actual cause of this. Or, one might skip OnEraseBackground() entirely, maybe that grey is really some background drawing (which, for some reason draws outside the region?).

I will have a look at it. Let's hope I find something usefull

[Der Meister]

Got it! 

Here is the patch that works for me:

Code

Index: src/src/splashscreen.cpp
===================================================================
--- src/src/splashscreen.cpp    (revision 3230)
+++ src/src/splashscreen.cpp    (working copy)
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@
   static const wxString release(wxT(RELEASE));
   static const wxString revision(wxT(SVN_REVISION));
 
-  dc.SetClippingRegion(r);
+  dc.DestroyClippingRegion();
   dc.DrawBitmap(m_label, 0, 0, false);
 
   wxFont largeFont(16, wxSWISS, wxFONTSTYLE_NORMAL, wxFONTWEIGHT_BOLD);

Anyway, I noticed that removing the code in OnEraseBackground does not change anything for me. It seems not necessary, at least on my system.

Another strange thing is that SetRegion always returns FALSE here, even with a simple rectangular region. Seems as wxGTK does not implement this function. (As the documentation says, it only works if the platform supports it.)

[MortenMacFly]

Got it! 

Thomas: Is this also something we had forgotten to test for the about dialog??? Should I start over again and loose another 3 hours? ;-)
With regards, Morten.

[thomas]

Got it! 

Here is the patch that works for me:

Great, thank you
Hmm... instead of destroying the clip region right after creating one, shouldn't it work to never create one, too? I'll try that approach (so, only use clip for Windows). Please complain if it doesn't work nicely. 

Another strange thing is that SetRegion always returns FALSE here, even with a simple rectangular region. Seems as wxGTK does not implement this function. (As the documentation says, it only works if the platform supports it.)

Isn't that what Window::shape_combine_region does?
It says: "Makes pixels in window outside shape_region be transparent, so that the window may be nonrectangular.". Strange... but whatever... if we got it to work, it's fine either way:)

Thomas: Is this also something we had forgotten to test for the about dialog??? Should I start over again and loose another 3 hours? ;-)
With regards, Morten.

No, that's a different issue, I think. Why don't you just commit the version you had which worked (without all the double-buffering and stuff). We can always add the overlay stacking another control onto it later (less work).

[MortenMacFly]

Why don't you just commit the version you had which worked (without all the double-buffering and stuff).

Well... erm... because did that already some days ago?! ;-) Anyway: The version that "worked" was nothing else than changing the XRC and pointing to the other image in the code. Everything else I tried didn't work. As soon as I used wxMemoryDC and consorts I ran into trouble.
With regards, Morten.

[Der Meister]

Hmm... instead of destroying the clip region right after creating one, shouldn't it work to never create one, too? I'll try that approach (so, only use clip for Windows). Please complain if it doesn't work nicely. 

Just tested with revision 3234 and it seems to work as it should.

[afb]

This splash window doesn't work OK in wxMac, and seems to be crashing under wx 2.8.0 so I'm going back to the wxFRAME_SHAPED on wxMac. It's pretty much the same, just set's a different window style and avoids the "copy from screen" hack (that crashes). http://www.algonet.se/~afb/wx/codeblocks-shapedsplash-new.patch

After patching:

[afb]

I've patched for wxMac now, so only little issues remain:

• It's drawn with a black background, so it looks a little "grey". Maybe clear to white first ?
• It's centered against the parent window in the Finder, and not against the entire screen...

Too bad that wxWidgets doesn't do alpha windows on wxMac yet, but maybe in wx 2.8.1 or so ?

[thomas]

t's drawn with a black background, so it looks a little "grey". Maybe clear to white first ?

Yes, please do

It's centered against the parent window in the Finder, and not against the entire screen...

Does it matter so much? I figure center on screen is similarly nasty to do as on other platforms... but if you can fix it, sure

[afb]

Does it matter so much?

In a word: no :-)