1.18.1 Using Rectangles in a Windows Application

Rectangles are used to specify rectangular areas on the display or in a window, such as the cursor clipping area, the client repaint area, a formatting area for formatted text, and the scroll area. Rectangles are also used to fill, frame, or invert an area in the client area with a given brush, and to retrieve the coordinates of a window or a window's client area.

Since rectangles are used for many different purposes, the rectangle functions do not use an explicit unit of measure. Instead, all rectangle coordinates and dimensions are given in signed, logical values. The actual units are determined by the function in which the rectangle is used.