How can I display text in the system tray?

[RichardLee]

I have looked on the net for demos of how to display a text message in the system tray, but all I can find are examples which say you need to use trayicons. Where you render your string into a bitmap, and then point the trayicon at the bitmap to display it.

Unfortunately this is no good for what I want to do, the trayicon is limited to only 16x16 pixels, and I want to display a longer message, which will just not fit. I can't resize the size of the icon, and if I make the source bitmap larger, it just gets scaled to fit within the 16x16 space (crushing it together into an awful mess)

So I tried using an array of trayicons and split the bitmap between them, but this also fails, because windows inserts about 3-4 pixels of padding between each tray icon.

So at the moment I am all out of ideas, but I know this is possible because I have seen other applications which can render text of any length into the system tray. Take tClock for instance.

Anyone got any ideas on how I should proceed?

 

[JohnH]

You can't use ShowBalloonTip method?
Anyways, perhaps you're thinking about (except clock ) a desk band, see Creating Custom Explorer Bars, Tool Bands, and Desk Bands, if so this library may also help Extending Explorer with Band Objects using .NET and Windows Forms.

 

[RichardLee]

"You can't use ShowBalloonTip method?"

No because its not a popup that I want.

Lets say for the sake of argument, that it is my current IP address that I want to display in the system tray.

That link to the bands is interesting, giving me the possibility of placing text almost anywhere I would like, except the one place that I actually need it. So its close, but still no cigar.

 

[JohnH]

I think a desk band in taskbar placed next to the tray icons is as close as you get.

 

[RichardLee]

I think a desk band in taskbar placed next to the tray icons is as close as you get.

Thanks, but no thanks.

I know this is achievable, I have already provided an example showing an application which works in the way I want, if they can do it in C++, then why is it not possible in VB.net?

 

[JohnH]

I don't see you have given any example, the image you posted show custom text for system clock. I also haven't seen this in any other Windows application, desk bands are common, but not text in the icon area itself.