How can I make a custom cursor's color change depending on the background color, just like the system default cursor behaves?

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How can I make a custom cursor's color change depending on the background color, just like the system default cursor behaves?

censv 40

For example, the system default text selection cursor (Ibeam). When the background color is white, it is black. When the background color is black, it becomes white again. And when selecting text, its color keeps changing with the background color.

But with my custom red cursor(using WinAPI SetSystemCursor function), it just displays red no matter what the background color is. When the background color is red, the cursor blends in with the background and can't be seen anymore!

David Lowndes 2,640 Reputation points MVP

2023-12-19T10:28:24.96+00:00

Presumably you need to use the "inverse" colour to have that behaviour, so if yours is red, I suspect you can't get that.
censv 40 Reputation points

2023-12-19T12:33:04.2433333+00:00

Even when I use black, it doesn't work
censv 40 Reputation points

2023-12-19T17:03:23.6933333+00:00

Thank you so much! I understand that the Inverse color is not an actual color. Rather, it represents something like a marker, which I misunderstood before.
David Lowndes 2,640 Reputation points MVP

2023-12-19T18:46:17.85+00:00

No problem. Does using the inverse colour do what you expect (albeit not being red)?
censv 40 Reputation points

2023-12-20T03:39:41.98+00:00

Yeah, it's done.
Xiaopo Yang - MSFT 12,731 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff

2023-12-20T07:02:57.17+00:00

@censv, could you please mark answer for completion of the question?

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David Lowndes 2,640 Reputation points MVP

2023-12-19T10:28:24.96+00:00

Presumably you need to use the "inverse" colour to have that behaviour, so if yours is red, I suspect you can't get that.
censv 40 Reputation points

2023-12-19T12:33:04.2433333+00:00

Even when I use black, it doesn't work
censv 40 Reputation points

2023-12-19T17:03:23.6933333+00:00

Thank you so much! I understand that the Inverse color is not an actual color. Rather, it represents something like a marker, which I misunderstood before.
David Lowndes 2,640 Reputation points MVP

2023-12-19T18:46:17.85+00:00

No problem. Does using the inverse colour do what you expect (albeit not being red)?
censv 40 Reputation points

2023-12-20T03:39:41.98+00:00

Yeah, it's done.
Xiaopo Yang - MSFT 12,731 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff

2023-12-20T07:02:57.17+00:00

@censv, could you please mark answer for completion of the question?

Answer 1

David Lowndes 2,640 MVP

Black isn't the inverse colour. See here for a description of using the VS image editor.

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How can I make a custom cursor's color change depending on the background color, just like the system default cursor behaves?

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