Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!usc!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!rosie!aozer
From: aozer@next.com (Ali Ozer)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next
Subject: Re: Nonrectangular Window
Message-ID: <840@rosie.NeXT.COM>
Date: 29 May 91 02:11:39 GMT
References: <1991May22.062559.16193@ccu.umanitoba.ca> <1991May22.082701.14211@neon.Stanford.EDU> <1991May29.011951.18472@dsd.es.com>
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In article <1991May29.011951.18472@dsd.es.com> Doug Quist writes:
>In article <1991May22.082701.14211@neon.Stanford.EDU> Andrew Zimmerman writes:
>> Is it possible to have a nonrectangular window under NextStep.  For example,
>> would it be possible to have a circular window, or a general shape?
>In the Developers examples (I think /NextDeveloper/Examples) there is
>an app called WhatADrag which does exactly that.  It creates a non-
>rectanglular window (really an icon) and allows it to be moved around.

Although you can claim the example shows how to do "non-rectangular"
windows, the bottom line is, no, NeXTstep does not support non-rectangular
windows. The example shows how you can give the illusion of a partially 
transparent window by copying bits from the windows under it. Pretty 
neat for modal situations such as dragging images around on top of other
windows, but not a general solution...  Dragging file icons in Workspace and 
the Color Panel magnifier class also use this technique.

Ali