'/// the Class that will build your Custom ToolTip...

#Region " Custom ToolTip Builder "

Public Class CustomTip
    Private Enum ToolTipIcon
        TTI_INFO = 1
        TTI_WARNING = 2
        TTI_ERROR = 3
    End Enum

    Private Enum ToolTipStyle
        TTS_BALLOON = 64
        WS_BORDER = 8388608
        TTS_NOPREFIX = 2
        TTM_SETTITLE = 1056
        TTM_UPDATETIPTEXT = 1036
        TTM_SETTIPBKCOLOR = 1043
        TTM_SETTIPTEXTCOLOR = 1044
    End Enum

    Public Sub CustomBalloon(ByVal tip As ToolTip, Optional ByVal style As Integer = 0)
        '/// the first 5 lines are from Divil's Balloon tip example
        '/// i've marked them with a * at the end.
        '/// start of *
        Dim hwnd As NativeWindow = DirectCast(GetType(ToolTip).GetField("window", Reflection.BindingFlags.NonPublic Or Reflection.BindingFlags.Instance).GetValue(tip), NativeWindow) '/// *
        style = Win32.GetWindowLong(hwnd.Handle, Win32.GWL_STYLE) '/// *
        style = style Xor ToolTipStyle.WS_BORDER '/// *
        style = style Or ToolTipStyle.TTS_BALLOON Or ToolTipStyle.TTS_NOPREFIX '/// *
        Win32.SetWindowLong(hwnd.Handle, Win32.GWL_STYLE, style) '/// *
        '/// end of *
        '/// the remaining code , for colors / caption / icon is all by me ( Dynamic Sysop )
        '/// no to set the caption / icon & colors up...
        SetToolTipCaption(hwnd, "this is the Caption")
        SetToolTipBackColor(hwnd, Color.GhostWhite)
        SetToolTipForeColor(hwnd, Color.BlueViolet)
    End Sub

    Private Sub SetToolTipCaption(ByVal tip As NativeWindow, ByVal Caption As String)
        Win32.SendMessage(tip.Handle, ToolTipStyle.TTM_SETTITLE, ToolTipIcon.TTI_WARNING, Caption)
    End Sub

    Private Sub SetToolTipBackColor(ByVal tip As NativeWindow, ByVal c As Color)
        '/// set the back color of the tooltip
        Dim Col As Integer = ColorTranslator.ToWin32(Color.FromArgb(Convert.ToInt32(c.R), Convert.ToInt32(c.G), Convert.ToInt32(c.B)))
        Win32.SetToolColors(tip.Handle, ToolTipStyle.TTM_SETTIPBKCOLOR, Col, 0)
    End Sub

    Private Sub SetToolTipForeColor(ByVal tip As NativeWindow, ByVal c As Color)
        '/// set the back color of the tooltip
        Dim Col As Integer = ColorTranslator.ToWin32(Color.FromArgb(Convert.ToInt32(c.R), Convert.ToInt32(c.G), Convert.ToInt32(c.B)))
        Win32.SetToolColors(tip.Handle, ToolTipStyle.TTM_SETTIPTEXTCOLOR, Col, 0)
    End Sub
End Class

#End Region

'/// the Win32 Api calls to be used by the above Class...

#Region " Win32 Api Calls "

Public Class Win32

    Public Declare Function SendMessage Lib "user32.dll" Alias "SendMessageA" (ByVal hwnd As IntPtr, ByVal wMsg As Integer, ByVal wParam As Integer, ByVal lParam As String) As Integer
    Public Declare Function SetToolColors Lib "user32.dll" Alias "SendMessageA" (ByVal hwnd As IntPtr, ByVal wMsg As Integer, ByVal wParam As Integer, ByVal lParam As Integer) As Integer
    Public Declare Function GetWindowLong Lib "user32" Alias "GetWindowLongA" (ByVal hwnd As IntPtr, ByVal nIndex As Integer) As Integer
    Public Declare Function SetWindowLong Lib "user32" Alias "SetWindowLongA" (ByVal hwnd As IntPtr, ByVal nIndex As Integer, ByVal dwNewLong As Integer) As Integer
    Public Const GWL_STYLE As Integer = (-16)

End Class

#End Region