<Path x:Name="MaximizeGlyph" Stroke="White" StrokeThickness="1.5" Data="M 6 6 L 16 6 L 16 16 L 6 16 Z"/> Use a LinearGradientBrush on the Background property of the Button ControlTemplate. For true Aero glass, you actually need the BlurEffect :
<Path x:Name="MinimizeGlyph" Stroke="White" StrokeThickness="1.5" Data="M 5 15 L 17 15"/>
So, fire up your IDE. Disable the default chrome. Draw your first rectangle. And for a moment, pretend your modern SSD is running an Intel Core 2 Duo. windows 7 exe buttons scratch
Pixel Perfect: Recreating Windows 7 EXE Buttons from Scratch Subtitle: Reverse engineering the glass, the glow, and the 1-pixel shadow. Introduction There is a specific kind of nostalgia attached to Windows 7. Before the flat, monochromatic rectangles of Windows 10 and 11, there was Aero . The "EXE buttons" (the Minimize, Maximize/Restore, and Close controls in the top-right corner) were a masterpiece of skeuomorphic design. They weren't just buttons; they were liquid, glowing, glass orbs.
But how do you rebuild those from absolute scratch? Whether you are writing a custom WinForms application, a WPF control, or just a CSS experiment, recreating the Windows 7 chrome is a lesson in precision rendering. Draw your first rectangle
Don't use DrawString("X") . Fonts are never perfectly centered. Use DrawLine .
.win7-close-btn { width: 22px; height: 22px; background: linear-gradient(180deg, rgba(255,255,255,0.8) 0%, rgba(200,220,255,0.4) 100%); border: 1px solid rgba(255,255,255,0.5); border-radius: 2px; position: relative; } .win7-close-btn:hover { background: linear-gradient(180deg, #ff8a8a 0%, #c42e2e 100%); border-color: #9b2e2e; } .win7-close-btn:hover::before { /* The white X glow */ content: "✕"; color: white; text-shadow: 0 0 4px rgba(255,255,255,0.8); } Why build these from scratch when the OS already draws them perfectly? Because customization costs control . Introduction There is a specific kind of nostalgia
// The "Red" isn't pure red. It's a gradient. Color topColor = Color.FromArgb(255, 235, 110, 110); Color bottomColor = Color.FromArgb(255, 165, 50, 50); // Draw rounded rectangle (2px radius) GraphicsPath path = GetRoundedRect(buttonRect, 2); LinearGradientBrush brush = new LinearGradientBrush(buttonRect, topColor, bottomColor, LinearGradientMode.Vertical); FillPath(path, brush);
// The Glow (Inner shadow) DrawInnerGlow(graphics, buttonRect, Color.FromArgb(120, Color.White), 1);