Creating rich UI based on PNG images

Question

How do I create rich UI in Delphi when I'm having set of PNG images provided? I need to "skin" the buttons / panels / page controls with PNG images. PNG transparency must be supported. Any components / solutions?

to make things clear: I'm not asking for typical "skinning" solution, nor for PNG support in delphi7. Rather for a solution / component set / library which contains basic controls (buttons, page controls) with possibility to set the background image. Each element will have completely different image, so that is not about skinning.

Catwalk

You're looking for completely skinning solution? Commercial or non-commercial? – Assiniboine

Answer 1

You'll have a very hard time doing this in Delphi 7. The latest versions of Delphi have excellent support for PNG including transparency. I know it's not a simple answer to your question but I think it would be the best solution.

Sudra

David, I can't recognize you. +1 anyway – Kore

@daemon_x Someone suggested that I took my winter hat off to mark the summer. This is from the tropic of the Philippines, so most definitely no hat! – Sudra

You lost your hat, even though summer is almost over, if we may cal it a summer :-) – Liquefacient

Philippines? Where exactly? (Yes, I know this is off topic). I was in the Philippines for the largest part of June (Manila, Laguna, Oriental Mindoro, Boracay). – Previdi

the problem is about components to support images, not png support itself (I have a library that handles it natively for TGraphic) – Catwalk

You'll struggle to find good component support on D7. Latest versions have such support. – Sudra

Answer 2

I had been using TPngComponents since Delphi 7. That provide very good png support for most of the delphi build-in / third party components. Embarcadero had purchased another well know Open Sources PNG Supporting component know as TPngImage and build into Delphi's native graphic support in later Delphi versions. However, the native png support seems harder to use and had more problems. Notice that some components do not support the transparency so you have to do some test yourselves.

With a fast search, I had not yet find the original package but find a newer modified package mainly for Delphi 2009/2010 but mentioned "should be compatible downto Delphi 7"

I myself am using that version now in Delphi 2010.

edit : Thanks for Uwe Rabbee for pointing out the product Codegear (now Embarcadero) purchased was another component TPngImage rather then the TPngComponent in This Post

Rorie

Answer 3

We use the DevExpress Skinning Library. With these componentes it is possible to create your own skins with png's. But it will be a lot of work to start from scratch...

Byrdie

Answer 4

You could take a look at the DelphiAsioVST library.

It's an awesome library to help you create audio software, but it contains components where you can use bitmaps, for example for dials or sliders.

For a dial control, you can use series of images for each possible position, to make user interfaces that look like this:

Ulster