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c++winapiuser-interfaceappearance

Using the Window API, how do I ensure controls retain a native appearance?

Some of the controls I've created seem to default to the old Windows 95 theme, how do I prevent this? Here's an example of a button that does not retain the Operating System's native appearance (I'm using Vista as my development environment):

HWND button = CreateWindowEx(NULL, L"BUTTON", L"OK", WS_VISIBLE | WS_CHILD | BS_PUSHBUTTON,
                                  170, 340, 80, 25, hwnd, NULL, GetModuleHandle(NULL), NULL);

I'm using native C++ with the Windows API, no managed code.

Solution

  • I believe it has got nothing to do with your code, but you need to set up a proper manifest file to get the themed controls.

    Some info here: @msdn.com and here: @blogs.msdn.com

    You can see a difference between application with and without manifest here: heaventools.com