Transparency

[motorollin]

This is a follow on from my AmiNetRadio Skins thread. I am wondering why it seems to be impossible for applications to support transparency on Workbench 3.x? We have had transparent icons for years, and PowerIcons/AfA-OS enhances this with multiple alpha channels. So why can't VisualPrefs, AmiDock and others support transparency?

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moto

[motorollin]

I had a feeling AfA-OS would be able to do it. It would be really great if AROS's skinning engine could be backported to AmigaOS as a replacement to VisualPrefs.

Where would I get the source for the Kitty demo? Is there any instruction on how to compile it? I have not experience of compiling software on an Amiga.

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moto

[motorollin]

@Oli
I think MagicMenu did transparency. Also the borders round icons have been transparent since before AfA-OS, and PowerIcons doesn't use AfA-OS and that supports transparency. So although AfA-OS can probably do it, I don't think it is the only way.

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moto

[motorollin]

I have contacted Bernd Roesch to see if there is any way that AfA can be used to enable transparency in other applications. I'll summarise any reply I get here.

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moto

[motorollin]

I see. So it's fake transparency :-) I assume AfA uses real transparency. I hope we will start to see 68k Amiga apps which require AfA, and which will take advantage of AfA's advanced features.

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moto

[motorollin]

Who cares if it's real or simulated, as long as it works and is fast?

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moto

[motorollin]

I'm not talking about totally transparent windows. I just mean, basically, non-rectangular windows. So VisualPrefs themes with rounded corners, transparent dock, AmiNetRadio themes with transparent backgorunds etc.

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moto

[motorollin]

Stefran wrote:
porting AmiDock would mean a rewrite or to port the whole OS4 to 68k.

Yeah! Someone do that! :-P

So what we're saying is that without (hacked) support from layers.library for non-rectangular windows, any layers.library window transparency is going to be a hack which maps whatever is behind the window in to the transparent areas to give the effect of transparency (slow and no refresh if something behind the window changes)

*However* I have had a response from Bernd Roesch confirming that AfA's graphics features (including transparency) can be used in any 68k AmigaOS application. While this doesn't help for Workbench windows (unless layers library can be patched/replaced to use AfA instead) it does mean other apps like PolyNetNG as a dock replacement could be made transparent.

Bernd did send me some example code but it made little sense to me. I can post it if anyone is interested in seeing it.

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moto

[motorollin]

Those screenshots look really nice! Does AmiStart fake transperency under AmigaOS 3.x as well as AROS? Is there any chance of implementing support for AfA in the AmigaOS 3.x version to allow non-rectangular windows?

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moto

[motorollin]

@DariusB
I have just downloaded and installed AmiStart. When I run it, I just get a grey box in the bottom left hand corner which seems to function as the "start" menu. I can't figure out any way to configure the application, and I can't find any instructions in the guide about how to do this. Can you tell me how I would go about configuring the application to function as a transparent dock?

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moto

[motorollin]

Email sent :-)

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moto

[motorollin]

bernd_afa wrote:
now is new AFA skin system release and skin system support alphablend and so too round egdes.the buttons can move to every place you want, so from skin systems there is no Problem to make skins that work on CGX for 68k with round edges.

Just to clarify, is this working and available now? What skins does it support?

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moto