Xiaoth

May I recommend dropping in an Interop file for Microsoft Script Control, which I believe comes standard with Windows XP and 2003? You can pass in C# objects and the CLR will automatically generate CCWs for ActiveScript (JavaScript / VBScript). I've done this before, it's a pretty simple task, but it does limit you to working with value type object properties and simple methods as the CCWs produced are pretty basic. In other words, you can work with C# objects (Set myLayer = Application.Layers.Item(2)) and pass them around (Application.Layers.Add(myLayer)), but you cannot work with their properties beyond value type variables (MyTextBox.Text = "Hello World"). In other words, you cannot, for instance, use VBScript to instantiate a new System.Xml.XmlDocument object and work with its NodeLists, etc. Perhaps you've looked further into this for Paint.NET specifically and I'm being a little simplistic. Jon

I think superimposing a transparent highlight color was a bad design idea. It does look cool and it helps you see what you've selected. But at the same time it "defaces" the image you're trying to edit, making it difficult to know for certain that your color-related edits (i.e. applying color filters to your selection) is accurate, at least not without clicking out to get a clean preview and then going back to your history list to undo the deselect... what a PITA. At minimum, selection highlighting should be togglable for the user to turn off using either a toggleable menu item or a checkbox in an Options dialogue. Alternatively, you could make the highlighting appear when the mouse hovers over the area. But if you do this, you should detect mouse hover even if an effect window is still open, assuming the effect window offers a non-closing "Apply" or "Preview" button.