Language Reference - Appendix 

Using the following techniques in PxPlus, you can retrieve and incorporate bitmaps and icons for a variety of uses in your graphical user interface based applications:

In addition, the NOMADS toolset provides a fully integrated development environment for creating and modifying graphical screen layouts. For information on handling images in NOMADS, see Images/Pictures.

Some of the general concepts and PxPlus functionality involving the use of images in PxPlus applications are explained below.

Internal vs. External Images

Images are recognized as internal in PxPlus if they have a leading ! exclamation mark in their filenames:

PRINT 'PICTURE'(220,210,600,500,"!Binoculars",2)

Internal images can be accessed if they are embedded within the PxPlus executable itself, supplied in an associated resource library, or exist in a file located in the *BMP directory. All internal images have an implied light gray transparency.

Note:
When applying transparency to .png and .gif image files, the system will handle them the same, regardless of their source.

(Support for handling .png and .gif image files the same when applying transparency was added in PxPlus 2017 Update 0004.)

Use the 'PICTURE' mnemonic to return a list of available internal images (including the set of standard operating system icons).

Example:

X$='PICTURE'(*)
PRINT X$ 

To access images that are external to PxPlus, specify the path and filename instead of the ! (exclamation point):

PRINT 'PICTURE'(1,1,100,100,"C:\WINDOWS\CLOUDS.BMP,T",0)

Internal Images

The following table shows the internal bitmap images (as of PxPlus 2014) that can be referenced by specifying the image name prefixed by an ! (exclamation point):

Pre-PxPlus 2014 Image Library

Versions of PxPlus/ProvideX prior PxPlus 2014 had a different set of images, mostly low-resolution using only 16 colors. If you wish to retain these older images, PxPlus 2014 is shipped with a .dll (oldimages.dll) which contains these older images that can be added to your system as a resource library using the following command:

SETDEV (0) SET "ResourceLib" TO "oldimages.dll"

Alternatively, the ResourceLib may be included in your INI file.

Recognized File Types

By default, only bitmap (bmp) or icon (ico) file types are supported automatically in PxPlus. By using the Multiple Image Type feature, you can extend graphic image support to include other file types such as jpg, tiff, png, pcx, pax, wmf, emf, apm and tga.

Enhanced Icons

PxPlus is also able to use ico files that contain multiple icons, different sizes, and different colour formats. Icons can also be retrieved from other file types including .exe, .dll, .ocx, .drv, .cpl, .scr and .icl (icon libraries). See Icon File Types below.

The following optional syntax items may be applied in the 'PICTURE' and 'OPTION' mnemonics, as well as in control object directives, to define the location and attributes of an icon to be retrieved from an enhanced icon source: 

[filename] [@resourcename| @resourcenum] [%size] [,T | ,G | ,N ] 

Where:

Note:
Syntax options (if applied) must appear in the above defined order. In addition, note that the T, G or N options can be applied to internal bitmaps (those prefixed with "!").

Standard PxPlus search rules apply to the filenames. A leading exclamation will also search the *BMP directory. Colour depth selection (16, 256 or 24-bit) is chosen automatically by the operating system based on the user's current video card colour depth and the colour depth of the icon available within the file.

Examples:

C:\Pvx\Pvx.ico%16,T C:\Windows\System32\Shell32.dll@137%32,T C:\Windows\System32\Shell32.dll@137%32,T 
!myico.ico%48 
!myico.ico%48,G 
@PxPlus,T 
<path>\pxplus.exe@PxPlus%16,T

Icon File Types

PxPlus accepts icons from the following file extensions:

Enhanced Icons in INI Files

The [Config] section of your INI file, allows for an ICON= using any of the above syntax for specifying the icon. If no filename is given or there is no leading @ sign, then the name given is assumed to be a resource name from either the currently loaded resource library (if any) or from the PxPlus executable:

[Config] 
Icon=myname ! Would be the icon "myname" in a resource library
Icon=@myname ! Same as above 
Icon=mydll.dll@myapp

Note:
Specifying an icon in a INI file can impact your user license count for PxPlus, as the icon name will be used for the Window Class Name, and PxPlus sessions with different Class Names do not share their user licenses.

Enhanced Icons in Objects

When using enhanced icons in objects, the filename and syntax must be enclosed in curly braces:

BUTTON 10,@(40,2,8,3)="{pxplus.exe@PxPlus%32,T}" BUTTON 10,@(40,2,10,2)="{@90w%32,T}"

Note:
Transparency effects are currently not supported in menus or popup menus.