[beginner] widget layout and resizing

[Axel FILMORE <axel filmore gmail com>]

Hi there,

I'm developing an experimental panel, not something really serious 
currently, just to learn Gtk+ and Vala.

I've done a few things yet, creating an application menu, adding some 
launchers, adding some widgets like, a pager, a window list from libwnck.

I searched into existing panels how things work, read some docs, but 
something I still can't understand is how I can set a fixed size for my 
panel and avoid any widget or container to resize the top level window.

I tried "set_size_request or "size_allocate", for some reasons, only 
"size_allocate" seems to work to resize a libwnck pager, but it doesn't 
work for a Button.

I tried to use a Box, Fixed or Grid container without much success, I 
suspect that I would need to handle some particular signals to do the 
widget layout, but, I just don't know what signal I should handle.

I would like an efficient method to resize any widget or container in 
order that it fits into the top level window and that no widget can 
resize the top level window.

Any help would be greatly appreciated,

Regards.

--
Axel FILMORE