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I've recently come across this popular application called Rainmeter (https://www.rainmeter.net/), that allows users to create custom "skins" to display instead of the default Windows 10 Desktop and was wondering how it works behind the scenes.
More specifically, how does its code manage to override the default Windows 10 wallpaper, or whatever is drawn on the Desktop?
kirtan-shah
Posted 2020-01-27T02:11:58.410
Reputation: 3
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As far as I know, Rainmeter isn't being displayed instead of your desktop. It is being displayed on your desktop – it simply uses ordinary windows that are 1) borderless, 2) semitransparent according to selected theme, and 3) configured to always be "on the bottom" of the window stack, somehow.
"Borderless" (aka undecorated) and "semitransparent" are quite ordinary features that you'll see being used by various media players and other apps. I don't know how exactly the window is made to be "on bottom", it might be something like this StackOverflow post.
user1686
Posted 2020-01-27T02:11:58.410
Reputation: 283 655
Oh, this makes a lot of sense - thank you! – kirtan-shah – 2020-01-27T06:06:53.987
It is slightly more elegant. In Windows, you can zet the z-index of a window. By setting it higher, you make it always on top. But by setting it lower, you can make it always on bottom, as in: show directly on the desktop. This makes it so that even if you have a window partially on-top of rainmeter's window, clicking rainmeter will not bring up that widget nor bring up the desktop. – LPChip – 2020-01-27T09:53:50.853
Is the z-index setting permanent for the window, or does rainmeter have to reapply it whenever the user tries to click on the window? – user1686 – 2020-01-27T10:07:44.937
1The desktop is an ordinary window sized so it's border is just off screen and minimise etc disabled - you can do that to any window. It hosts a folderview set to open in a new window on anything you click (that an option in folderviews and both IE and Explorer have it).. – Mark – 2020-01-27T02:15:30.717