(Quite Urgent) Complete Clear Of The Primary Surface Direct Draw Surface

[BodwadUK]

Hello I am trying to completely clear the front buffer, i currently clear all black from the screen and write red text to the backdrop, this is in order to be able to view text over a movie, However the Text never disappears it just writes over the top of the original, How can i remove the text and have a completely see through surface to write to again?????

[Machaira]

Use the surface's BltColorFill method:

Dim r As Rect

surface.BltColorFill(r, RGB(0,0,0))

[BodwadUK]

Sorry but i need it transparent when it clears because the movie in the background must be visible

Thanks though

[CornedBee]

There is no background in DirectDraw. You are alone responsible for what is visible, so you have to draw the movie on your surface.

[BodwadUK]

Here is My DX Code

You Will notice it flickers the background and this is because every time i need to change the primary surface i must reload a new one in order to clear it completly of any data. I Need to Clear the data another way and in a way that doesnt require windows to refresh!

[CornedBee]

Where's the movie?

[BodwadUK]

you run the movie in media player

Run the program i gave you now minimize the windows and start anything like a movie in the background The text scrolls above all windows but i cant actually clear the text from the primary surface so it starts becoming blured (Take Out Line 218 to see this)

[CornedBee]

The idea of that app doesn't make sense to me. It is generally a bad idea to mess with other apps.

The way it is you are taking control of the screen and no other app is really allowed to do drawing, windows expects you to hog everything.

[Machaira]

Have to agree with CornedBee - what's the point?

[BodwadUK]

I work for a company and another company has requested a scroll program to scroll a message over a program they cant interact with therfore i have had to turn to dx in order to allow the other app to be visible in the background, i cant rewrite media player!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anyhow the question was do you know how to clear the surface completely without using a color???? Not what do you think of....blah blah blah

I have no choice as to using the other program i am stuck with this one, although my opinion is almost the same as yours. I just take it as a challenge.

[CornedBee]

You could steal that other app's device context and draw on the app. It's not that hard (at least in C++). All you need to do is use Spy++ to find out the window class, use FindWindow to grab the window, take a DC and draw away.

[BodwadUK]

hmm ill look into that thanks