Theme-Compliant Controls

Controls are graphical objects, such as buttons, scroll bars, or tabs, that the user can manipulate to take an immediate action or change settings to modify a future action. Your program can use the Control Manager to create standard Mac OS controls. To be theme-compliant, your program should either use standard controls or use the Appearance Manager to adapt its custom control elements. For examples and descriptions of the standard Mac OS 8. x controls, see the Mac OS 8 Human Interface Guidelines at

<http://developer.apple.com/techpubs/mac/HIGOS8Guide/thig-2.html>

Although your program (and the Control Manager) may typically define many different types of buttons, for simplicity the Appearance Manager treats various types of buttons--including push buttons, checkboxes, radio buttons, arrow buttons, pop-up menu buttons, disclosure triangles, increment/decrement buttons, and bevel buttons--within a single concept of "buttons." The Appearance Manager provides the following functions for creating theme-compliant custom buttons:

DrawThemeButton draws a button.
DrawThemePopupArrow draws a pop-up arrow.
GetThemeButtonBackgroundBounds obtains the rectangle that contains a button.
GetThemeButtonContentBounds obtains the rectangle where content can be drawn for a button.
GetThemeButtonRegion obtains the region occupied by a button.
GetThemeCheckBoxStyle obtains the system preference for the type of mark to use in a checkbox.

The Appearance Manager also treats various types of rectangular controls--including scroll bars, sliders, and progress bars--as a single concept of " tracks." The Appearance Manager provides the following functions for creating theme-compliant custom tracks:

DrawThemeTrack draws a track.
DrawThemeTrackTickMarks draws tick marks for a track.
DrawThemeTickMark draws a tick mark.
DrawThemeScrollBarArrows draws scroll bar arrows consistent with the current system preferences.
GetThemeTrackBounds obtains the bounding rectangle of a track.
GetThemeTrackDragRect obtains the area in which the user may drag a track's indicator.
GetThemeTrackLiveValue obtains the current value of a track's indicator, given its relative position.
GetThemeTrackThumbPositionFromOffset obtains the relative position of a track's indicator, given an offset from its prior position.
GetThemeTrackThumbPositionFromRegion obtains the relative position of a track's indicator, given its current position.
GetThemeTrackThumbRgn obtains the region containing a track's indicator.
GetThemeScrollBarTrackRect obtains the area containing the track portion of a scroll bar.
HitTestThemeTrack returns whether the user clicked upon the specified track.
HitTestThemeScrollBarArrows returns whether the user clicked upon the specified scroll bar's arrows.
GetThemeScrollBarArrowStyle obtains the system preference for the type of scroll bar arrows to be used.
GetThemeScrollBarThumbStyle obtains the system preference for the type of scroll box to be used.

The Appearance Manager provides the following functions for creating theme-compliant custom tabs:

DrawThemeTab draws a tab.
DrawThemeTabPane draws a tab pane.
GetThemeTabRegion obtains the region occupied by a tab.

The Appearance Manager provides the following other functions for creating theme-compliant custom controls:

DrawThemeChasingArrows draws an asynchronous arrows indicator.
DrawThemeEditTextFrame draws an editable text frame.
DrawThemeFocusRect draws or erases a focus ring around a specified rectangle.
DrawThemeFocusRegion draws or erases a focus ring around a specified region.
DrawThemeGenericWell draws an image well frame.
DrawThemeListBoxFrame draws a list box frame.
DrawThemePlacard draws a placard.
DrawThemePrimaryGroup draws a primary group box frame.
DrawThemeSecondaryGroup draws a secondary group box frame.
DrawThemeSeparator draws a separator line.