Selection Color in ListView win32API (C++)

Question

Hi,

Can anyone show me, how to change selection color in a ListView?

I've resolved this problem, but only partially. Here is the code example in c++:

//ListView is my own class
void ListView::SetSelectionColor(COLORREF BkColor, COLORREF TextColor)
{
	int elements[2] = {COLOR_HIGHLIGHT,COLOR_HIGHLIGHTTEXT};
	DWORD newColors[2];

	oldSelColors[0] = GetSysColor(elements[0]);
	oldSelColors[1] = GetSysColor(elements[1]);

	newColors[0] = BkColor;
	newColors[1] = TextColor;

	SetSysColors(2,elements,newColors); //changes system colors:
//COLOR_HIGHLIGHT : bkcolor of selected item in listview
//COLOR_HIGHLIGHTTEXT : textcolor of selected item in listview
}

This resolution works, but unfortunately it additionally changes selection colors everywhere, because that ugly function sends WM_SYSCOLORCHANGE message to all windows (or everywhere, where 'she'[it has to be woman ;P] can 'scream')!
(I am thinking, if I knew the SetSysColors full implementation, I'd help quite good to myself... ;P)

The point is: how to make things right to change selection color only in ListView control?
Please, oh Please, help me!

Answer 1

What else do you expect from a function called SetSys Colors? ;)
Use custom draw to change the color in a single list view control. http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb774865.aspx

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Windows 7 would be much better without DRM and Product Activation ;) (No, I'm no software pirate)

Answer 2

God, please, give me strange!

'Custom draw does not allow you to change the font attributes for selected items.' -> http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb761817%28VS.85%29.aspx

Any more funny ideas...? ;)

p.s. If it's so simple, I'd never ask You and wouldn't waste my precious time signing in at this odd forum :)

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Answer 3

Thanks for your friendly words.

First, your question was about changing colors. The article is about changing fonts.
Second, the article is wrong. Changing the font of selected items using custom draw works well for me.

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Windows 7 would be much better without DRM and Product Activation ;) (No, I'm no software pirate)

Answer 4

1. Be my guest ;P

The rest:

You don't understand me:

Changing colors of item's or subitem's background or text works fine in Custom draw, but: try to change color of SELECTED item by this f...... Custom Draw and tell me if it works. If You will do this and show me how-to-do in your c++ example: You're God for me, and if You're woman: I'll give You my phone number ;P

p.s. remember, that I'm asking about the way to do this in Win32Api !

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Answer 5

You might be right. I use custom draw to give alternating lines a different background color in details view. The code doesn't distinguish between selected items and normal items, yet selected items get the system's default background. Nevertheless the article you've linked, is wrong.

One thing you could try: On CDDS_ITEMPREPAINT draw your own selection rectangle, call SetBkColor with the color you want to use and SetBkMode(OPAQUE) and return CDRF_DODEFAULT.
If this doesn't work, you could still use custom draw to achieve what you want. But you would have to draw the selected item entirely yourself then (and return CDRF_SKIPDEFAULT). For Small Icon and List view, drawing an item yourself isn't that hard. For Details view it's a bit harder, but doable. I'm not sure about Icons view (putting everything at the correct position could become nasty). Tiles view would definitly be painful.

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Windows 7 would be much better without DRM and Product Activation ;) (No, I'm no software pirate)

Answer 6

I'll try and then give You my results, so... We're 'in touch' :)

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Answer 7

It's an old Win32 FAQ (90's..)
You can ask on Win32 ng for usual methods ( in C mainly)

Answer 8

I resolved the problem! TiKu, You didn't help me directly, but Your advice made some idea to born in my mind, and for this I'll give You positive note :) Here is the resolution:

case CDDS_ITEMPREPAINT:
		{
			if (ListView_GetItemState(hListView,lplvcd->nmcd.dwItemSpec,LVIS_FOCUSED|LVIS_SELECTED) == (LVIS_FOCUSED|LVIS_SELECTED))
			{
				RECT textRect;
				wchar_t iSubTxt1[64];
				wchar_t iSubTxt2[64];
				HFONT oldFont, newFont;

				ListView_GetItemRect(hListView,lplvcd->nmcd.dwItemSpec,&ItemRect,LVIR_BOUNDS);
				bgRgn = CreateRectRgnIndirect(&ItemRect);
				MyBrush = CreateSolidBrush(RGB(100,100,100));
				FillRgn(lplvcd->nmcd.hdc, bgRgn, MyBrush);
				DeleteObject(MyBrush);

				SetTextColor(lplvcd->nmcd.hdc, RGB(255,255,255));

				newFont = CreateFont(16, 0, 0, 0, FW_NORMAL, TRUE, FALSE, FALSE,
										EASTEUROPE_CHARSET, 0, 0, CLEARTYPE_NATURAL_QUALITY,
										DEFAULT_PITCH | FF_DONTCARE, L"Times New Roman");
				oldFont = (HFONT)SelectObject(lplvcd->nmcd.hdc,newFont);

				ListView_GetItemText(hListView,lplvcd->nmcd.dwItemSpec,0,iSubTxt1,64);
				SetRect(&textRect, ItemRect.left+5,ItemRect.top, ItemRect.right, ItemRect.bottom);
				DrawText(lplvcd->nmcd.hdc,iSubTxt1,-1,&textRect, DT_LEFT | DT_NOCLIP);
				ListView_GetItemText(hListView,lplvcd->nmcd.dwItemSpec,1,iSubTxt2,64);
				SetRect(&textRect, ItemRect.left+Width/3+5,ItemRect.top, ItemRect.right, ItemRect.bottom);
				DrawText(lplvcd->nmcd.hdc,iSubTxt2,-1,&textRect, DT_LEFT | DT_NOCLIP);

				SelectObject(lplvcd->nmcd.hdc,oldFont);
				DeleteObject(newFont);

				return CDRF_SKIPDEFAULT;
			}

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Answer 9

You don't display any icons for the items, do you? I don't see any code that draws the icon.

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Windows 7 would be much better without DRM and Product Activation ;) (No, I'm no software pirate)

Answer 10

Yes, I do :) Don't have to :)

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