VB6 and XP Icons

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Sep 9th, 2002, 03:39 AM
element05

VB6 and XP Icons

Hi,

I'm having a problem with icons in VB6. I love XP, and I'm a very visually oriented person, so I love the new alpha blended icons that XP can support. I'd like to include such icons in my VB apps, but that's where I run into problems.

I go and create my icon with 16, 256 and 16M colours, in sizes 16x16, 24x24, 32x32 and 48x48. I assign that icon to my form, and then set the project to use that form's icon for the exe file. If I create the exe, the icon appears fine in explorer and what have you, using the best available colour depth and size depending on circumstances.

However, when you actually start up the application, the form's icon, and the icon that appears in the start bar for the application, is the hideous 16 colour 16x16 version of the icon, regardless of what display settings you have.

VB6 won't let me import an icon file that has a 16M colour alpha blended icon in it (it says it isn't a valid icon), so I can't use any resource file tricks.

Does anyone know how I can get my application to use the best colour depth available in the icon? I can post a sample icon, if it'll help...

Thanks,

John
Sep 9th, 2002, 04:07 AM
Pc_Madness

I'd like to see a one of these special icons. :D
Sep 9th, 2002, 04:28 AM
element05

1 Attachment(s)

Hi,

Here's an icon file I made for an app I was working on this weekend. Keep in mind that you'll need Windows XP to be able to see all the alpha-blended goodness ;)

Oh, and this version of the icon doesn't have any of the 16 colour formats (I was testing to see if I removed them, would VB use the 256 versions, which would be the next lowest colour depth. It kinda does; it takes the 256 colour 16x16 icon, converts it to 16 colours and then uses *that*, so it looks even more hideous)

Any thoughts?

John
Sep 9th, 2002, 04:40 AM
Pc_Madness

That is one sweet picture. Did you make it?? How???
That seriously rocks...
Sep 9th, 2002, 04:49 AM
element05

Hi,

Pic was drawn in Illustrator 9, imported into Photoshop 7, I used IconBuilder from the cool guys over at IconFactory (http://www.iconfactory.com) to turn it into an ICO.

However, getting back to the topic, anyone know how I can get VB to use the highest suitable colour depth available in the icon, instead of the lowest available?

John