>Vivien Malerba wrote: > >>On Sat, 19 Mar 2005 20:55:38 +1300, Dru <andru treshna com> wrote: >> >> >>>Rodrigo Moya wrote: >>> >>> >>> >>>>On Fri, 2005-03-18 at 12:32 +1300, Dru wrote: >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> >>[...] >> >> >>>I'm currently working on updating my gtk support and removing >>>everything thats depreciated from my projects. Has anyone >>>had experence with GtkComboBox? I'm finding it less friendly >>>than the older GtkCombo code with lots of little issues. Has >>>anyone else used it in databases and know how to make >>>combo boxes more user friendly to people who spend there >>>entire day entering records. I modify the listings a lot >>>before display so i am not really interested in using something >>>that binds directly to a database object. >>> >>> >> >>Just for information, I wrote the GnomeDbCombo widget with the purpose >>of displaying and remaining up to date with a GdaDataModel contents >>(which can be modifed in any way you want). That widget does not by >>itself allow modifications to the GdaDataModel, but that could be >>added. >> >> >I'm still trying to work though my ComboBox problems. > >I've found a header for GtkDbCombo and going though it now. >I dont know what it looks on the screen, any apps you can think >of the top of your head that use it? I will give it a try it > >Heres my current rant of GtkComboBox/GtkComboBoxEntry problems >from a database user perspective. Sorry for whinning so much. >I dont like been beaten by a problem. If GtkDbCombo doesnt some of these >issues let me know. > >GtkComboEntry issues are: >* Does not do selection, you dont know what at all you have selected in >the list. >The popup list does not scroll to currently selected cell. This is >proberly >the biggest thing that makes GtkComboEntry unuseable. >* Takes 2 tab stops when it should be one. I can work around this with >signals. >* Difficult to work with autocompletion to jump to record. (I tried using >GtkEntryCompletion but very slow and segfaults on UTF-8). I think i will >try GCompletion next) >* If you type a value into the GtkEntry that matchs a list item. it >doesnt recongise >what you have selected in that list item. This is a debatable if its a >good or bad >thing and i can work around it. >* Entry box should retain focus after selection not the list activiation >button. >* UTF-8 causes a few problems with blank population under some situations. > >GtkComboBox issues are: >* Not keyboard input friendly, need to be able to start typing and it >jumps to the row in a ComboBox. >(As you can do with other widgetsets like html). >* For larger lists (20 + items) it looks unfriendly with it taking up >all the veritical space. >* Shows blank space fillers when near window edge. >* The popup list covers up widgets above it. A person doing data entry may >often have to check back to what they typed into a field previsouly but >they can't see it because there pop up list covers what they type. (if >list pops up >below it doesnt matter because they havn't filled in data below them yet) >* If you have a number of GtkComboBox's on the form close together the >user very >quickly confuses them and has no idea on what field they are actually >entering >data into. > >I should really only use GtkComboBox for very small fixed record sets of >less than 8 >items but because GtkComboBoxEntry issues I'm trying to use it in places >i shouldnt. > >These items may seem minor, but if your doing a lot of data entry it is >quite >critical. > >Should I be writing my own widget using GtkEntry and GtkTreeView to >accomplish >these things and works correctly? Try using GtkDbComboBox? Switch back >to GtkCombo? >Or try make GtkComboBox/ComboBoxEntry work correctly? > Well, GtkComboBox has some issues, personally I don't like drop of GnomeEntry with some important features, like gconf session support directly in entry. But those things are already in the past. Now we should just make GtkComboBox better :) Probably first step in this direction can be filling bugzilla bugs about all problems you've found. First, you should note that ComboBoxEntry is nothing more than ComboBox with simplified interface. So there is no sence to talk about GtkComboBoxEntry and GtkComboBox as a different widgets. Some problems above are caused by GtkCombobox implementation with menus. You should know that two types of comboboxes are possible - implemenation with GtkMenu and with TreeView. Tree view implementation works much better since TreeView selection capabilites and scrolling capabilities are much more advanced when GtkMenu's one. The attached patch fixes one of your problems - it scrolls to active cell when combobox popups GtkMenu , so current ComboBoxEntry will always visible. It would be nice if someone could review and commit it. About current element selection - menu selection is a bit floating thing, it should always follow the cursor, so probably there should be implemented some prelight of active menu element, but this requires work. So those kind of problems is solvable, just need some work. Filling bugs against gtk can help to start.
Attachment:
menu-patch.diff
Description: Binary data