An image list is a collection of images that are all the same size. You can create the images in a single wide bitmap or as individual bitmaps that you add to the list one at a time. Image lists manage images, but they do not display the images directly. They can be used independently or in conjunction with list view and tree view controls.
There are two types of image lists, nonmasked and masked. A nonmasked image list consists of a color bitmap that contains one or more images. A masked image list consists of two bitmaps of equal size. The first is a color bitmap that contains the images, and the second is a monochrome bitmap that contains a series of masks—one for each image in the first bitmap.
Windows CE draws a nonmasked image by simply copying it into the target device context, and drawing it over the existing background color of the device context. Windows CE draws a masked image by combining its bits with the bits of the mask, typically producing transparent areas in the bitmap where the background color of the target device context shows through.
Note Most Windows CE-based platforms do not support cursors, except for the wait cursor, which resembles a spinning hourglass. Therefore, image lists cannot contain cursors.