Shaded Buttons 1.50

A custom OS/2 window class that replaces the standard push button with a gradient-shaded alternative. Supports push buttons, check boxes, radio buttons, rounded sides, icon/mini-icon display, vertical (left-to-right) gradient, and PMCX integration for use in URE and Prominare Designer.

Originally written by Hubert Chan (1997–1998). Version 1.50 adds an OpenWatcom 2.0.1 build system so the DLLs and sample programs can be compiled from source on ArcaOS / OS/2 Warp 4.

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Files

h\shadebtn.h        Public header — include this in your application
h\ShBtn.H           PMCX wrapper header
h\pmcx.h            PMCX SDK definitions (IBM/Prominare)

src\shadebtn.cpp    ShadeBtn.dll source
src\ShadeBtn.rc     ShadeBtn.dll resources (pointer icons)
src\ShadeRes.h      Resource IDs for the pointer icons
src\shadebtn.def    Linker definition file for ShadeBtn.dll
src\*.ptr           Extracted OS/2 pointer resources (10 files)

src\shbtn.cpp       ShBtn.dll source (PMCX wrapper)
src\ShBtn.rc        ShBtn.dll dialog resources
src\ShBtn.def       Linker definition file for ShBtn.dll

lib\ShadeBtn.lib    OpenWatcom import library (built from source)

dll\ShadeBtn.dll    Main shaded button window class DLL
dll\ShBtn.dll       PMCX wrapper DLL

sample\Test1\       C++ PM demo — colour-swatch controls
sample\Test2\       C++ PM demo — resize window with icon buttons
sample\Test3\       C   PM demo — rotating cube icon button

doc\HTML_Docs\      Original HTML documentation
doc\FILE_ID.DIZ     Package description

makefile.wat        OpenWatcom wmake build file

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Building from Source

Requires OpenWatcom 2.0.1 (or compatible) installed and on the PATH.

wmake -f makefile.wat

This builds in order:

1. dll\ShadeBtn.dll and lib\ShadeBtn.lib
2. dll\ShBtn.dll
3. sample\Test1\Test1.exe, sample\Test2\Test2.exe, sample\Test3\Test3.exe

To clean all generated files:

wmake -f makefile.wat clean

The PMCX SDK header (pmcx.h) is included under h\. No external SDK installation is required.

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Using Shaded Buttons in Your Application

1. Add h\ to your compiler include path.
2. Include h\shadebtn.h in your source file.
3. Call shBtnInit() to register the window class (WC_shBUTTON).
4. Use WC_shBUTTON wherever you would use WC_BUTTON.
5. Link against lib\ShadeBtn.lib.
6. Place ShadeBtn.dll in a directory on your LIBPATH.

For PMCX support, register ShBtn.dll with URE or Prominare Designer. ShadeBtn.dll must be on the LIBPATH as well.

Changing button colour at run time

Send shBM_SETCOLOR to the button window:

• mp1 — RGB colour value
• mp2 — shBSC_BUTTONFACE for the button face, or shBSC_BACKGROUND for the window background

Colour can also be changed by dragging from the Mixed Color Palette.

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Button Styles

Style	Description
shBS_PUSHBUTTON	Push button (default)
shBS_CHECKBOX	Check box
shBS_AUTOCHECKBOX	Auto check box
shBS_RADIOBUTTON	Radio button
shBS_AUTORADIOBUTTON	Auto radio button
shBS_3STATE	Three-state button
shBS_AUTO3STATE	Auto three-state button
shBS_ICON	Display icon instead of text
shBS_MINIICON	Display mini-icon instead of text
shBS_BITMAP	Display bitmap instead of text
shBS_HELP	Sends WM_HELP when clicked
shBS_SYSCOMMAND	Sends WM_SYSCOMMAND when clicked
shBS_NOLEFTLINE	Remove left border
shBS_LEFTROUND	Round left side
shBS_NORIGHTLINE	Remove right border
shBS_RIGHTROUND	Round right side
shBS_VERTICAL	Vertical gradient (left-to-right)
shBS_NOTOPLINE	Remove top border (vertical only)
shBS_TOPROUND	Round top side (vertical only)
shBS_NOBOTTOMLINE	Remove bottom border (vertical only)
shBS_BOTTOMROUND	Round bottom side (vertical only)
shBS_NOPUSH	Non-pushable (e.g. status bars)
shBS_NOBORDER	Remove all edge borders

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History

v. 1.50 (2026)

• Ported build system to OpenWatcom 2.0.1 (makefile.wat).
• Guarded EMX-specific runtime calls (_CRT_init, __ctordtorInit, etc.) with #ifdef __EMX__ so the source compiles cleanly under OpenWatcom.
• Extracted the ten OS/2 pointer resources from the original ShadeBtn.dll binary (LX format) and added them as src\*.ptr files with accompanying src\ShadeBtn.rc and src\ShadeRes.h.
• Fixed Test3.Rc hard-coded absolute icon paths; converted to relative names.
• Removed redundant root-level redirect header; samples now include h\shadebtn.h directly.
• Fixed PFN callback casts in shbtn.cpp for OpenWatcom strict C++ rules.
• Cleaned up all compiler warnings (unused variables, unreachable code).

v. 1.15 (1998)

• Added radio buttons and check boxes; integrated styles into PMCX dialog.
• Icon and text can now be displayed simultaneously.
• Focus indicator (dotted box) drawn around button text.
• Button gains focus on mouse-button release, matching system behaviour.
• Documentation moved to HTML.

v. 1.10 (1998)

• Gradient pattern corrected (Bresenham-style integer math).
• Became a PMCX control (URE / Prominare Designer compatible).
• Auto-redraws on font presentation-parameter change.

v. 1.06 (unreleased)

• Added second demo program; restructured directory layout.
• shBS_MINIICON style implemented.

v. 1.05

• All symbols renamed with shB prefix to avoid scroll-bar class conflicts.
• Button styles aligned with OS/2 standard values.
• Disabled-button icon support added.
• Vertical buttons working.

v. 1.01

• Background colour fix for Warp 4 (RGB vs. indexed colour default).
• Disabled buttons rendered with chiselled look.

v. 1.00

• First DLL release.
• shBtnInit() and shBtnQueryVersion() API established.
• Rounded-side drawing and background-colour support added.

v. 0.20

• shBM_SETCOLOR message added.
• Rounded sides implemented.
• Freeware licence declared.

v. 0.10

• Initial release.

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Licence

Free. Original code by Hubert Chan. Modifications for OpenWatcom compatibility contributed 2026.