Rectangle Function (GDI)

The Rectangle function draws a rectangle using the current pen and brush. It can be used to render simple shapes or as the basis for more complex drawings.

Syntax

C++
BOOL Rectangle(
    HDC   hdc,
    int   left,
    int   top,
    int   right,
    int   bottom
);

Parameters

• hdc – Handle to the device context.
• left – X-coordinate of the upper‑left corner.
• top – Y-coordinate of the upper‑left corner.
• right – X-coordinate of the lower‑right corner.
• bottom – Y-coordinate of the lower‑right corner.

Return Value

If the function succeeds, the return value is non‑zero. If it fails, the return value is zero. To get extended error information, call GetLastError.

Remarks

• The rectangle is drawn using the current pen for its border and the current brush for filling.
• If the brush is NULL, the interior of the rectangle is not filled.
• Coordinates are expressed in logical units; use SetMapMode to change mapping.
• To draw only the outline without filling, select a NULL brush before calling.

Example

#include <windows.h>

int WINAPI WinMain(HINSTANCE hInst, HINSTANCE, LPSTR, int nCmdShow)
{
    HWND hwnd = CreateWindowA("STATIC","Rectangle Demo",
        WS_OVERLAPPEDWINDOW|WS_VISIBLE,
        100,100,400,300,
        NULL,NULL,hInst,NULL);

    HDC hdc = GetDC(hwnd);
    SelectObject(hdc, GetStockObject(BLACK_PEN));
    SelectObject(hdc, GetStockObject(LTGRAY_BRUSH));
    Rectangle(hdc, 50, 50, 250, 150);
    ReleaseDC(hwnd, hdc);
    MSG msg;
    while (GetMessage(&msg,NULL,0,0))
    {
        TranslateMessage(&msg);
        DispatchMessage(&msg);
    }
    return 0;
}

For more examples, see the GDI Samples page.