API that Dimms the Background? | Tech Off

ElucidWeb

Related to this post.

Ok so I have been searching MSDN for a bit now and cant seem to locate the API that creates the darkened desktop. In vista it occurs when you do the Windows+Tab or Secure Desktop. In any case I would like to find this API, I have tried common search phrases but not really sure what to search for in this context.

Any help would be great 9ers! Thanks!

ZippyV
Fired Up

Why does your application need to do that?

ElucidWeb

Because I am creating an application to mimic Expose on OSX and it darkens the background as it shrinks all of the windows and arranges them. Why does everyone always ask why an application has to do something rather than just helping to give an answer?

amotif
No Silver Bullet

ElucidWeb wrote:
Why does everyone always ask why an application has to do something rather than just helping to give an answer?

Many years of experience show that when someone comes into my office asking how to do some obscure thing merely asking "Why?" often sends us down a different path altogether.

I find it likely others have had this experience--and that the related post you mention didn't say as much about what you were trying to do.

ElucidWeb

Well I understand if you were my career manager or mentor or whatever your company may call it. But in any case do you know of a way of doing this?

I have searched and searched but I don't think they have exposed this API to the public and it may be one of those hidden secret API's that Microsoft only has access to and you have to crawl the libraries to find it yourself or something, or just that no-one has a need to do this that often.

In my case I am creating a shell extension so its a useful visual aid to use to help the user visualize they are in a type of window selection mode, but any help would be appreciated!

BryanF

My understanding is that the greyed-out desktop is created by created a private Windows session and using a screen capture of the user's desktop as the background. I don't know the particulars of how to do it, but maybe that provides some direction.

(BTW, I was assuming that you're talking about what you see when you log out on XP or see a UAC prompt in Vista. Otherwise I'm haven't a clue.)

ElucidWeb

BryanF wrote:
My understanding is that the greyed-out desktop is created by created a private Windows session and using a screen capture of the user's desktop as the background. I don't know the particulars of how to do it, but maybe that provides some direction.(BTW, I was assuming that you're talking about what you see when you log out on XP or see a UAC prompt in Vista. Otherwise I'm haven't a clue.)

Thats exactly what I am talking about. They need to create a buzzword for that window state, I searched the UACBlog for a mention of a Buzzword of that but they just call it a dimmed out background area in most technical articals so yeah!Well creating a new Desktop isnt a big problem and making it the active one, I believe I have seen something like that done before...If thats how its done then I guess thats how its done...What a pain in the (I need to watch my language) though!

AndyC

At a guess, just opening a maximized, completely black window with 50% transparency should do the trick. I don't think there is an actual API call to do it.