TextTrayIcon, ver. 1.0.0

[Properties] [Methods] [Events]
[Known Bugs] [Hints] [Comments]

TextTrayIcon is a tray icon component. It is an expanded version of the CoolTrayIcon component, so you need CoolTrayIcon to make it work.

TextTrayIcon allows you to easily show custom text inside the tray icon. If you need tray icons with just regular icons I suggest you use CoolTrayIcon in stead.

This document describes only the added features of TextTrayIcon. For an explanation of all the standard features of this tray icon component, see the CoolTrayIcon documentation.

Properties

ShowTextIcon

Whether to draw the tray icon as text, using the properties you've specified. This property is intended for when you have a regular graphic icon which you don't want to overwrite with one generated from text.

Default true

Text

The text to show in the tray icon. The text is always centered horizontally and vertically.
NOTE: You can have multiple lines of text. Separate the lines with #13 (CR).

Font

The font to use when drawing the text.

Color

The (background) color of the tray icon. Use clBtnFace to show it in the color of the task bar.

Default clBtnFace

Border

Whether to draw a border at the edges of the tray icon. This is a rectangle 1 px. wide using the color specified by BorderColor.

Default false

BorderColor

The color of the tray icon's border rectangle.

Default clBlack

Options

You will likely prefer to adjust the text inside the tray icon. Use the following layout options for that purpose:

OffsetX	Adjust the text X pixels horizontally.
OffsetY	Adjust the text Y pixels vertically.
LineDistance	Add or delete Y pixels between multiple lines of text. A value of -2 is a good idea in most cases of multiline text.

Methods

Draw

Redraws the tray icon using the current colors, font, and border properties described above.
NOTE: The tray icon is automatically redrawn when one of these properties change if and only if ShowTextIcon is true.
NOTE: Calling draw directly (or by assigning to one of the properties mentioned) will set CycleIcons to false, as it doesn't make sense to draw an icon and then immediately replace it with a new one.

Events

No new events.

Known Bugs

No known bugs at this point.

Hints

What are some good rules for showing text in a tray icon?
You only have 16x16 pixels to draw inside, so use only 1 or 2 lines of text. Use high contrast colors, like white background and black text, perhaps with a border. Don't use fonts with serifs. For multiline text I think the font 'Small Fonts' approx. size 6 looks best. Set OffsetY to -1 and LineDistance to -2. NOTE: It's easy to experiment if you enable the DesignPreview property.
How do you start your app. with the tray icon visible and the main form invisible?
Very simple: at design time set StartMinimized and IconVisible to true and set the form's Visible property to false.
What is the proper way to restore the form?
ALWAYS use the method ShowMainForm! This method contains important calls that affect how the form and the application display themselves.

Comments

The TextTrayIcon component is freeware (along with the CoolTrayIcon component). Feel free to use and improve it, but please include all original files if you redistribute the zip-file. If you have any comments or corrections to the component I would very much like to hear them.

The component should work on any Windows platform (Win9x, ME, NT, 2000, XP). The demo exe-file may have to be recompiled (?), though I don't think so. If you experience any problems related to the operating system you use, please tell me. Also, it should work in Delphi 4 and up (2 and 3?) and C++Builder 3 and up. Again, tell me if I'm wrong.

Get the latest version from http://www3.ewebcity.com/troels/delphi.asp.

Troels Jakobsen
delphiuser@get2net.dk