A tool to convert bitmaps to region files

Since the arcticle Transparent Window by Franz Polzer helped me a lot, I would like to contribute a little tool that converts bitmaps to region-files suitable to use as a window-mask (SetWindowRgn).

Why does anybody need this tool?

• its flexible; its possible to adjust the key-color
• its fast (not the tool, but your app); loading a region is better than creating it online
• its free; source is included

How to use it?

enter a source bitmap path (or press browse)
• enter a key color (or click onto any pixel of the source bitmap)
• press "calc !" wait and see the result
• enter a destination path (or press browse)
• press "write"

To use those region-files in your own project, you need to do the following: Import the *.RGN-file into your project-resources. The type of that resource needs to be set to "Data".

You can also import it manually by editing your *.rc file. Just insert something like the following:

IDR_SAMPLE_REGION    RCDATA  DISCARDABLE     "res\\sample.rgn"

Below is some example code that loads and activates a region, it should be called from something like "OnInitDialog".

//nRegionID - resource ID of the region data
BOOL CTransparentWnd::InitRegion (unsigned short nRegionID)
{
	const char *MSGCAPTION="Init Region";
	HRSRC hrsrc;		//handle of the resource	
	HGLOBAL hmem;		//handle to resource memory
	DWORD dwSize;		//size of our resource
	RGNDATA *rd;		//region data	
	CRgn rgn;			//the region itself	

	//try to locate the resource
	if ((hrsrc=FindResource(NULL,
	                        (LPCSTR)nRegionID,
	                         RT_RCDATA)) == NULL)
	{
		MessageBox ("failed to find region",MSGCAPTION,MB_OK);
		return FALSE;
	}	
	//load the resource
	if ((hmem=LoadResource (NULL,hrsrc)) == NULL)
	{
		MessageBox ("failed to load region",MSGCAPTION,MB_OK);
		return FALSE;
	}
	//get the size of the region-data structure (= header + data)
	if ((dwSize=SizeofResource (NULL,hrsrc)) == 0)
	{
		MessageBox ("region has an invalid size",MSGCAPTION,MB_OK);
		return FALSE;
	}
	//lock the resource to get a pointer for it
	if ((rd=(RGNDATA *)LockResource (hmem)) == NULL)
	{
		MessageBox ("failed to lock resource memory",MSGCAPTION,MB_OK);
		return FALSE;
	}
	//create a region from our data
	if (!rgn.CreateFromData (NULL,dwSize,rd))
	{
		MessageBox ("failed to create a region from that data",MSGCAPTION,MB_OK);
		return FALSE;
	}
	//setup
	if (!SetWindowRgn (GetSafeHwnd(),(HRGN)rgn,TRUE))
	{
		MessageBox ("failed to set the region for that window",MSGCAPTION,MB_OK);
		return FALSE;
	}
	//NOTE: win32-based apps do not need to unlock or free loaded resources (not manually)
	return TRUE;
}

Download project files - 34 KB