Windows transparency setting

karimun · Post by **karimun** » Sat Apr 28, 2007 8:09 pm

As it is my first post I want to first say thanks to all for your first class support in this forum.

My questions:

> I need to make specific windows transparent (alpha blending). How does this work in MS?
> Is it possible to produce mouse clicks inside of windows which are placed outside of the visible screen?

JRL · Post by **JRL** » Sat Apr 28, 2007 10:52 pm

I can't answer your first question because I know nothing about transparent windows. But I would ask, how does it work outside of Macro Scheduler? This software is made to automate other software so most of the time if you can do it Macro Scheduler can do it.

For your second question. I move windows off screen all the time. Microsoft won't let the mouse move outside the visible screen. But if you can figure out a way to do keystrokes or button presses with the Pushbutton> function you can do work in windows that are placed in non visible locations.

Hope this is helpful,
Dick

karimun · Post by **karimun** » Sat Apr 28, 2007 11:39 pm

Right now, I use http://www.zeroherosoftware.com/alphaxp.html to make windows transparent but doing it through MS means one program less to handle.
Is there really no way to set transparency via MS ?

jpuziano · Post by **jpuziano** » Sat Apr 28, 2007 11:56 pm

Hi karimun,

Thanks for that link, I didn't know that was out there.

I too would like to know if any transparency effects can be achieved using Macro Scheduler and... perhaps a few Windows API calls?

Marcus, any possibilities? Now or in the future? With everyone moving to Vista, I would think the demand for this can only increase.

Take care

Post by **Marcus Tettmar** » Mon Apr 30, 2007 6:30 am

Just wondering - how does making a window transparent help with automation of a process?

jpuziano · Post by **jpuziano** » Mon Apr 30, 2007 7:53 am

mtettmar wrote:Just wondering - how does making a window transparent help with automation of a process?

Transparecy may not apply much to fully "unattended" automation of a process... but there are plenty of macros out there that simply automate logons and open/size/position appropriate apps for a user in the morning and get their workstation ready to go... just the way they like it.

Whether some users like transparency because they can see activity in a background window "through" a foreground semi-transparent window or just because it looks cool... doesn't much matter. Its possible, its something they want and if Macro Scheduler can automate things here for these "startup" macros, so much the better. Otherwise, people will use whatever other tools they can to do what they want to do... as karimun already seems to be doing.

Just my thoughts, feel free to add if you have further thoughts on transparency. Does anyone else out there think this is something you'd like to manipulate from within a Macro Scheduler macro?

Post by **Marcus Tettmar** » Mon Apr 30, 2007 8:13 am

Ok, run this to make Notepad transparent

Code: Select all

//constants
Let>GWL_EXSTYLE=-20
Let>WS_EX_LAYERED=524288
Let>LWA_ALPHA=2

//opacity
Let>byteOpacity=128

//run notepad and get its handle
Run>notepad.exe
WaitWindowOpen>notepad*
GetWindowHandle>notepad*,nphwnd

//get style attributes of notepad's window
LibFunc>user32,GetWindowLongA,attribs,nphwnd,GWL_EXSTYLE
Let>attribs={%attribs% OR %WS_EX_LAYERED%}

//make notepad transparent
LibFunc>user32,SetWindowLongA,swl,nphwnd,GWL_EXSTYLE,attribs
LibFunc>user32,SetLayeredWindowAttributes,res,nphwnd,0,byteOpacity,LWA_ALPHA

jpuziano · Post by **jpuziano** » Mon Apr 30, 2007 8:20 am

Just tried it in XP, works great... thanks Marcus.

karimun · Post by **karimun** » Mon Apr 30, 2007 1:47 pm

Thank you very much for the code you posted. Yes it works (XP SP2)!

Just wondering - how does making a window transparent help with automation of a process?

I try to establish a more or less hands-free, speech controlled entertainment concept on my local pc (music, news, podcasts, slideshows..). Without MS I would have even not started to..
Why transparency? To generate mouse clicks in programs which dont support shortcuts! The result is that the screen layout doesnt get destroyed through clumsy windows.