Re: [gtk-list] Re: Resizing widgets with a mouse [OT]

["Emmanuel DELOGET" <logout free fr>]

From: Trog <trog@gtk.org>
> 
> I guess you're asking 'is there a Windows like MDI interface for GTK+'.
> 
> The short answer is no. MDI (the MS way) is considered evil UI design.
> 
> There are alternatives within GTK:
>  o Multiple top-level windows
>  o GtkNotebook
>  o GtkPaned
> 
> -tony
> 

    Hi Tony.

    Well... There are some cases where such an Evil Design may offer
    good services (for ex., cut/copy/paste is easier for the user since 
    he can see both MDI windows at the same type).
    And you can find drawbacks in your proposed alternatives :

        * Multiple toplevel windows : since the WM uses the same acclerator
        key to run through the list of all your windows, you can't really 
        switch from a window to the other by using the keybord. If the
        WM proposes a Windows-like taskbar, you'll have to deal with
        a *lot* of window representation.
        
        * GtkNotebook : you only see a single view at one time
    
        * GtkPaned : all the windows lies on the same plane - they don't
        overlapp, so the more you add views, the smaller they will be

    while I actually like the GtkNotebook implementation of MDI, it could
    be interesting to have a module-based WiW MDI implemetation.

> On Wed, Feb 23, 2000 at 11:07:15PM -0500, Steven M. Campbell wrote:
> > How does one go about resizing widgets with the mouse?
> > 
> > I have a window with a fixed-layout widget (I'm assuming this is a good start) with several
> > framed widgets each containing a scrolled window.   I'd like the user to be able to treat
> > these frame widgets (or whatever widget I need wrap the whole thing in) to work same way
> > windows do, that is, drag a corner to resize, drag the title to move (or whatever close
> > equivalent there may be).  I've 'manually' resized them using gtk_container_set_usize and all
> > works well but I'm starting starting to feel like Rube Goldberg thinking through ways to get
> > the mouse interaction working.  Is there an easy way to do this or had I start rereading the
> > "Writing a GTK Widget" chapter?  ;-)
> > 

    The better way to do this is probably to write a small WM outline (a
    GtkWiWContainer) that will be able to handle any number of GtkWiWWindow.
    When you add a child window in the parent container, the parent of the newly 
    created X Window is the X Window of the container. Since the 
    GtkWiWWindow is a container too (well... it really looks lie a GtkWindow in
    fact) it will gracefully handle evey added any kind of widgets.
    
    If you add a title bar and a resize zone that is able to send signals to
    the the GtkWiWContainer, you should be able to support resize, move and 
    overlapping of the windows without needing a fixed layout container.

    I agree that this solution requires more work (you'll need to write
    two widgets, and one of them is really complex) but this is (I think)
    the better solution.

    Yours,

    Emmanuel