Environment: Windows NT 4 SP5, Visual C++ 6 SP2

This source code demonstrates how you can add buttons to dialog caption bar and also how you can paint the caption.

As you probably now you can add controls only in the client area. To add something similar in the non-client area, you have to draw everything by yourself and handle the mouse message for the non-client area. For this you have just to implement WM_NCPAINT message and draw whatever you want. I drawed a gradient caption and some buttons:

void CTemplateDlg::OnNcPaint()
{
 Default();//call default to let windows handle first

 CRect rc, rcwin;
 CalculateCaptionTextRect(this, &rc);

 CDC* pDC = GetWindowDC();
 CDC dcMem;
 dcMem.CreateCompatibleDC(pDC);
 CBitmap bitmap;
 bitmap.CreateCompatibleBitmap(pDC, rc.Width(), rc.Height());
 CBitmap* pOldBitmap = dcMem.SelectObject(&bitmap);

 CSize sizeButton(GetSystemMetrics(SM_CXSIZE),
  GetSystemMetrics(SM_CYSIZE));
 DoGradientFill(this, acLeft, m_startColor, m_endColor);
 rc.right -= 5;
 rc.top += 1;
 rc.bottom -= 3;
 CRect rcBitBlt = rc;
 for (int i = 0; i < 6; i++)
 {
  rc.right -= sizeButton.cx;
  rc.left = rc.right - sizeButton.cx;
  switch (i)
  {
   case 0:
    {
     if (mPushedButton[i] == TRUE)
     //this draw button
      dcMem.DrawFrameControl(rc, DFC_BUTTON ,
       DFCS_BUTTONPUSH | DFCS_CHECKED);
     else
      dcMem.DrawFrameControl(rc, DFC_BUTTON ,
       DFCS_BUTTONPUSH);//same
     break;
    }
   case 1:
 .
 .
 .
}

PostMessage(WM_NCPAINT,NULL, NULL);