If you insist on making custom gadgets, GDI is a good place to start.
Canvas-Based Gadgets
BlitzMax Forums/BlitzMax GUI Programming/Canvas-Based GadgetsThe forum is locked. These are the original blitzbasic.com forums, kept so they can still be read. No new topics, replies or edits can be made here. To join in, head over to the Blitz3D+ forums.