Overlay arrows and more

WARNING: This library is still at an early stage of development.

Description

The 'Overlay arrows and more' library displays a transparent window on top of all other windows. The transparent window serves as a support for adding graphical elements such as arrows, rectangles, circles, text, etc...

Features

• Transparent overlays that don't block underlying applications
• Multiple shapes: rectangles, ellipses, arrows, triangles, and images
• Customizable styling: colors, brushes, line thickness, fonts
• Rotation support for any graphical element
• Auto-refresh capability with configurable frequency
• Multi-threaded design for smooth performance
• Multi-monitor support

Installation

pip install overlay_arrows_and_more

Usage

This is a simple example:

import overlay_arrows_and_more as oaam
import time

main_overlay = oaam.Overlay()
transparent_overlay = oaam.Overlay(transparency=.5)

transparent_overlay.add(geometry=oaam.Shape.rectangle, x=300, y=300, width=100, height=100, thickness=10, color=(0, 255, 0))
transparent_overlay.refresh()

main_overlay.add(geometry=oaam.Shape.ellipse, x=10, y=10, width=40, height=40, thickness=1)
main_overlay.add(geometry=oaam.Shape.rectangle, x=100, y=100, width=100, height=100, color=(0, 0, 255), thickness=5)
main_overlay.add(geometry=oaam.Shape.rectangle, x=300, y=100, width=100, height=100, thickness=10, color=(0, 255, 0))
main_overlay.refresh()

time.sleep(9.0)
main_overlay.clear_all()
main_overlay.refresh()

Functions

Classes

Overlay

Overlay(transparency=0.0, frequency=None)

Main class for creating overlay windows.

Parameters:

• transparency (float): Transparency level (0.0 = opaque, 1.0 = fully transparent)
• frequency (float): Auto-refresh frequency in Hz (optional)

Methods:

• add(**kwargs): Add a graphical element to the overlay
• refresh(): Update the overlay display
• clear_all(): Remove all graphical elements
• quit(): Close the overlay and clean up resources

Shape (Enum)

Available shapes for drawing:

Shape.rectangle: Rectangular shape Shape.ellipse: Elliptical/circular shape Shape.arrow: Arrow shape Shape.triangle: Triangular shape Shape.image: Image/icon

Brush (Enum)

Fill patterns for shapes:

• Brush.solid: Solid color fill
• Brush.b_diagonal: 45° upward diagonal lines
• Brush.cross: Horizontal and vertical crosshatch
• Brush.diag_cross: 45° crosshatch
• Brush.f_diagonal: 45° downward diagonal lines
• Brush.horizontal: Horizontal lines
• Brush.vertical: Vertical lines

Element Properties

When adding elements with add(), you can use these properties:

Position and Size

• x, y: Position coordinates
• width, height: Element dimensions

Appearance

• color: Outline color as RGB tuple (r, g, b)
• thickness: Line thickness (0 for filled shapes)
• brush: Fill pattern (Brush enum)
• brush_color: Fill color as RGB tuple
• angle: Rotation angle in degrees
• center_of_rotation: Rotation center as tuple (x, y)

Text Properties

• text: Text content
• text_color: Text color as RGB tuple
• text_bg_color: Text background color
• font_size: Font size in pixels
• font_name: Font family name
• text_format: Text alignment flags

Special Properties

• geometry: Shape type (Shape enum)
• xyrgb_array: Vertex data for triangles
• hicon: Icon handle for images

Examples

Recording Indicator

import overlay_arrows_and_more as overlay
import time

# Create overlay
rec_overlay = overlay.Overlay()

# Blinking recording indicator
for i in range(20):  # Blink 20 times
    rec_overlay.clear_all()

    # Show red dot on even iterations (blinking effect)
    if i % 2 == 0:
        rec_overlay.add(
            geometry=overlay.Shape.ellipse,
            x=50, y=50,
            width=20, height=20,
            brush=overlay.Brush.solid,
            brush_color=(255, 0, 0),
            thickness=0
        )

    # Recording text (always visible)
    rec_overlay.add(
        x=80, y=50,
        width=100, height=20,
        text="REC",
        text_color=(255, 0, 0),
        text_bg_color=(255, 255, 254),
        font_size=16
    )

    rec_overlay.refresh()
    time.sleep(0.5)  # Half second intervals

rec_overlay.quit()

Highlighted Area

import overlay_arrows_and_more as overlay
import time

# Create transparent overlay
highlight_overlay = overlay.Overlay(transparency=0.7)

# Highlight rectangle
highlight_overlay.add(
    geometry=overlay.Shape.rectangle,
    x=200, y=150,
    width=400, height=300,
    thickness=5,
    color=(0, 255, 0),
    brush=overlay.Brush.solid,
    brush_color=(0, 255, 0)
)

# Instruction text
highlight_overlay.add(
    x=220, y=170,
    width=360, height=50,
    text="Click here to continue",
    text_color=(255, 255, 255),
    text_bg_color=(0, 0, 0),
    font_size=18
)

highlight_overlay.refresh()
time.sleep(5)
highlight_overlay.quit()

Animated Elements

import overlay_arrows_and_more as overlay
import time

# Create auto-refreshing overlay
animated_overlay = overlay.Overlay(transparency=0.3, frequency=30)

# Animate a rotating arrow
for i in range(360):
    animated_overlay.clear_all()
    animated_overlay.add(
        geometry=overlay.Shape.arrow,
        x=400, y=300,
        thickness=8,
        color=(0, 0, 255),
        angle=i,
        center_of_rotation=(20, 10)
    )
    time.sleep(1/30)  # 30 FPS

animated_overlay.quit()

Use Cases

• Screen recording tools: Recording indicators, selection frames
• Tutorial applications: Highlighting UI elements, step-by-step guides
• Presentation tools: Annotations, pointers, emphasis
• Gaming overlays: Status displays, minimaps, notifications
• Accessibility tools: Visual indicators, screen readers
• Development tools: Debug information, performance metrics

Utility Functions

load_png

load_png(filename, size_x, size_y)

Load a PNG image for use in overlays.

Parameters:

• filename: Path to PNG file
• size_x, size_y: Desired icon dimensions

Returns: Icon handle for use with hicon property

load_ico

load_ico(filename, size_x, size_y)

Load an ICO file for use in overlays.

Parameters:

• filename: Path to ICO file
• size_x, size_y: Desired icon dimensions

Returns: Icon handle for use with hicon property

Important Notes

• This library only works on Windows systems
• Overlays are always on top of other windows
• The overlay window is transparent to mouse clicks
• Remember to call quit() to properly clean up resources
• For animated overlays, consider using the frequency parameter for smooth updates

Color Key Warning:

Pure white (255, 255, 255) is used as a transparency key and will be invisible. Use almost-white (255, 255, 254) or light gray (250, 250, 250) instead, either for color or brush_color.