View Full Version : Dialogs, Windows, TBGL and other ugly stuff :)
Michael Hartlef
20-03-2007, 14:23
Hi folks,
I have some questions about TB/TBGL.
1) It seems that TB supports only dialogs, or am I wrong here?
2) I remember reading on other forums, that windows are just dialogs with less features, right?
3) If windows are not supported, an MDI application would be out of question then, right?
4) For thinPOSE I would like to have at least one TBGL area inside the window. Is this possible right now?
5) With compiled executeables, someone can make a manifest file to get XP style on some parts of an app.
Could I archive this only with thinBundle, or can a manifestfile for thinbasic.exe can do the trick also?
cheers
Michael
Petr Schreiber
20-03-2007, 14:28
Hi Mike,
I will let the answering to Eros :), but your question regarding TBGL area sounds interesting.
Do you mean to have TBGL window embedded like a control inside other dialog ?
Bye,
Petr
P.S. Now I see whole title of your post ... ugly stuff, huh ? Ok, let your Luigi gets ready to an offer he can't refuse ;)
Maybe I am not Italian, but remember game "Mafia" was developed by company from my city ! :D
Michael Hartlef
20-03-2007, 14:34
Best would be an MDI application, where I could have TBGL child windows inside.
But you are right, the ability to render and interact with TBGL inside a regular TB dialog/window would be nice.
Right now I think I would have several dialogs with my controls and an extra TBGL window for the output.
Or maybe there is another way, I have to study TB more.
ErosOlmi
20-03-2007, 16:08
Mike
1) It seems that TB supports only dialogs, or am I wrong here?
2) I remember reading on other forums, that windows are just dialogs with less features, right?
Windows or dialogs are all windows. The differences are the flags and the reply to message pumps.
Under Microsoft OS all is a window: a button is a window, a listbox is a window.
Usually in the common sense, a dialog is a window with a parent handle (so something like to say it is modal) but at the end it is a window.
What is difficult to handle by an interpreter is the huge amount of messages every single window fire every second.
3) If windows are not supported, an MDI application would be out of question then, right?
I have already some MDI examples I'm working on but the current message pump routines are nor ready to manage all the necessary messages. So right now my reply is that thinBasic is not able to handle them.
4) For thinPOSE I would like to have at least one TBGL area inside the window. Is this possible right now?
Nice idea. I talked about that with Petr many months ago. This means TBGL would not be a window but a child window or even a control reacting and responding with messages. This is an hard work but can have great results if developed as a general control. It will be even possible to sell it as stand alone control.
5) With compiled executeables, someone can make a manifest file to get XP style on some parts of an app.
Could I archive this only with thinBundle, or can a manifestfile for thinbasic.exe can do the trick also?
Creating a manifest file for thinbasic.exe should make the trick but not fully tested.
Mike all interesting questions and I see where you would like to move to. I like it a lot but we have still to make some road to be able to second you ideas. Sorry.
Eros
Michael Hartlef
20-03-2007, 16:21
Hi Eros,
thank you for the detailed explanation. Just wanted to clear these questions before I pull my nonexsiting hairs out ;D
Mike you can make the interface as I did with the Nebula Star Creator in Delphi. This way you can setup your MDI windows for all your controls. Then you can make your TBGL window a window instead of fullcreen. Of course you could use any other language for development, but I know you like Delphi too.
Also you could make opengl window as an mdi I think in Delphi too, but I didn't experiment. I might try out a quick test for you and get back with how far I get....
ErosOlmi
20-03-2007, 17:01
Mike,
I played some time ago with MDI but than gave up for a while due to more important priorities.
Here attached a very basic example from that time.
I will work a lot on UI module in next weeks but I cannot give any anticipation right now.
Ciao
Eros
Michael Hartlef
20-03-2007, 17:15
Kent, thanks for the suggestion. I want to code this totally in thinBasic . Maybe create a new control or two as a new module in PowerBasic. For an example, I will need a control that displays some kind of timeline.
Eros, thanks again and no need to rush. I think I will get my way around with the current toolset. Plus I can allways make API calls.
Anyway, maybe you have a little PowerBasic->ThinBasic sample project that you can share. A sample project that shows how you would create a new control for thinBasic and how the interaction is handled. Don't go deaper into this if you don't have something to share, I will try then myself. I knwo you have enough to do. :)
Michael Hartlef
20-03-2007, 17:54
Eros, am I right, that regular popup menus that show up when someone do a right click over a control are not
supported in thinBasic?
ErosOlmi
20-03-2007, 18:09
Mike,
right click menues are not standard behave but personalized by application.
So I suppose thinBasic can do something like that but I have to check if all is already there or I have to develop some other interfaces.
I will let you know.
Eros
ErosOlmi
20-03-2007, 18:48
Mike,
I'm sorry but I cannot give an answer now. I need to check more and have more time.
Sorry
Eros
Kent, thanks for the suggestion. I want to code this totally in thinBasic . Maybe create a new control or two as a new module in PowerBasic. For an example, I will need a control that displays some kind of timeline.
Eros, thanks again and no need to rush. I think I will get my way around with the current toolset. Plus I can allways make API calls.
Anyway, maybe you have a little PowerBasic->ThinBasic sample project that you can share. A sample project that shows how you would create a new control for thinBasic and how the interaction is handled. Don't go deaper into this if you don't have something to share, I will try then myself. I knwo you have enough to do. :)
Mike sorry I worked on it while you posted I guess. So decided to put up the files here anyways in case anyone is interested.
It has a parent MDI window with 2 children windows.
The first child is color controls
The second child is the openGL window with triangle.
Hope someone finds it useful, it was fun working on it today to see how it all worked.
Michael Hartlef
20-03-2007, 19:24
Kent, no problem. I'm sure someone will find it useful. Thanks again :)
It was fun working on it as I never really made an MDI program before, or not that I recall anyways. That is good you have powerbasic, as Eros and Petr use it all the time and really like it.
Petr Schreiber
20-03-2007, 21:19
Hi kryton,
very nice MDI sample! I like it.
Bye,
Petr
THanks Petr. I hope I can learn c++ as easilly as I am Delphi, time will tell :)
Michael Hartlef
21-03-2007, 09:23
I hate C++ and find it most unintuitive.
Mike, I used to feel that way as well and still might. But since reading and watching tutorials but not really applying it yet, it is starting to sink in a bit and I can see why it is like it is in a way now. It does seem to be growing on me, but wow with all the strange typecasting and pointers everywhere it can get really confusing. And there are so many options that need to be set just right in the compiler and IDE, that is what scares me. Watching them troubleshoot on the videos it makes sense, but on ones own, there is probably no real chance to know where in a submenu somewhere you need to check something or set a path or lib just right. I guess the real test will come when I try to write something complicated. I just hope by then I can recall what I have seen.
Michael Hartlef
21-03-2007, 20:35
That is exactly what I hate about C++. Half of the time I'm fighting settings or type cast problems.
I know what you mean Mike. It is going to take me some time to get over that hump, believe me!!