Cloud Toolkit.Net / News: Recent posts

After we have provided you next stable release (version 0.5) of Cloud Toolkit.Net, we are going to focus on new skinning feature.

This is an e-mail which I receaved from Jacob some days ago:

I've been thinking about a generic way to enable skinning
for controls. You guys are using custom painting for each and every control, so
this project interests me.. :) You've probably seen the WPF framework and how
things are solved. I think this project can become interesting for developers if
it responds to the WPF hype and deliver a windows form alternative. ... read more

I just released new version of Cloud Toolkit. Here is main features of it:

Bug fixes

• Fix 1: Cloud Button hover state
• Fix 2: Cloud PictureBox ImageState
• Fix 3: Cloud Form CaptionButtons
• Fix 4: Cloud Button Animation feature deleted (high CPU usement)
• Fix 5: Cloud Form caption buttons are now separate controls and work correctly
• Fix 6: Cloud Form's caption is no more two color, it has Office 2007 style caption colors (4 colors, two gradients)
• Fix 7: Cloud Form has one bold border like Office 2007 style theme has
• Fix 8: Cloud Form has now separate graphics for Active and Deactive states.
• Fix 9: Cloud Form now supports icons in its header... read more

I fixed most of the bugs.

PictureBox ImageAlign
Button Hover remaining
Form CaptionButton

We have a new logo. I made it with Photoshop today, please take a look at screenshots to see it. Don't forget to click thumbnail image to see full size image (it looks much better when scaled to its full size)

I added one more feature to Cloud GroupBox control. It's image header control which allows user to define header parts as images. There is following parts of the control which are used:

Left
Center
Right

I will upload new package after sending this news

This version would fix many bugs and there will be new controls included with the package (Cloud ProgressBar, Cloud CheckBox, Cloud GroupBox etc).

Cameron D just finished his work on Cloud Toolkit.Net's website which is currently located at:

www.cloud-toolkit.tk

He was really fast, huh... :D

This release will contain following things:

11 controls
Documentation in two languages (fi, en)
Installation program

etc.

I released Release Candidate 1 of Cloud Group Box. Yesterday I had huge problems with the control, but I overcame them and now I'm proud to release working version of the control.

TODO:
-----

Cloud List Control Framework:
*****************************

- A couple of days ago I created a new control which is button listing control. Currently I'm planning to create a new List Control Framework. It's useful for complicated contact forms, Mozzilla style property dialogs, etc.

Cloud CheckBox:
***************

- This was in my list, but Cameron D just told me that he has finished working on this control, I have to check what he has done.... read more

- Documentation
- Installation
- Cloud List Control Framework:

Subproject for this Cloud Toolkit.Net project. It's going to implement some controls and classes for creating easy to use filling forms etc. It's going to be whole new extension for Cloud Toolkit.Net control collection! I'm waiting to show it to you all!

Cloud GroupBox is a control which I started to work on today. It's similar to windows explorer sidepane group boxes. There will be more themes available for that control. I will just upload new image of the control to my personal website so you can take a look at the first preview (I've been working on the control for only one hour so it's in very early state.)

I have just uploaded preview of Cloud ButtonList control and it can be downloaded from Future Previews section.

Cameron D just said that he's going to implement Cloud CheckBox. I will finish Cloud Image Editor's alpha version and upload it here.

New members needed! Join the project if you have some talent which could help us making this ultimate tool package available to all the developers in this world.

Cameron D just sent me an e-mail to announce that he released Cloud ProgressBar as part of Cloud Toolkit.Net 0.4.3 release! Check it out, it's great control and it has very small amount of code. Not complicated, but really good looking.

This project is really growing. It may not be seen from outsiders view, but as far as I know, there's going to be new release (at least alpha or beta release) of Cloud Toolkit.Net soon. There will be many new things in it and you will be able to check it out in next days/weeks.

I have made a new control for Cloud Toolkit.Net. It's a control which can present statistics in easy column style graph. It will be available some day soon. I'm still waiting that Cameron D joins the team (comes back from holiday or something... :D). Then I will make Cloud Progress Bar, Cloud Update System and Cloud Statistic Viewer available.

Today I finished Cloud Update System's first version. It's pretty much in alpha state, but it works and I have working example (which is Cloud Web Browser's new version's update functionality). Dll will be released in this project and in my web browser project too, so I have to do some more work before the dll is ready to be released (both projects should work correctly).

I just started to create a new control for Cloud Toolkit.Net. It's a great image editor control, which is very very simple to use and it can be sized as the user wants. I will implement some cool image editor features in it so you can use it when you want to provide some easy-to-use and small drawing capatibilities in your own program! Alpha download coming soon!

Cloud PictureBox is a picturebox control for .Net Framework 2.0 programs. It introduces transparent background colo, transparent images and some other useful features. Now downloadable from Cloud Toolkit.Net version 0.4.3!

Now introducin 1 new control, plenty of fixes and new features:

- Cloud PictureBox control:
* Transparent image feature
* Backcolor styles:
- Linear gradient
- Solid

* Backcolor transparency

- Cloud Form improvements:
* Caption buttons working!

- Fixes, fixes, fixes

I just released preview program of Cloud ComboBox. It's not ready, but it's functional in runtime. Go on and test it.

NOTICE! Send some comments into forums please!

Cloud ComboBox will soon be ready to download. It's custom made, so it's not derived from System.Windows.Forms.ComboBox class. That's because I wanted to owner draw things that weren't possible. So I made my own implementation, which is pretty cool, I think!

I started to record some video tutorials regarding Cloud Toolkit.Net. I will upload them as soon I get something ready. Tutorials will be suitable for beginners, because they tell how to use controls in their own applications. Maybe I could make some professional tutorials in future, but I can't think of any topics which should be discussed in those tutorials. Maybe YOU have some ideas?