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

[Trog <trog gtk org>]

On 26-Feb-2000 Emmanuel DELOGET wrote:
> 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).

May be, but it is still a bad UI. And your cut/copy/paste example
doesn't hold water. I can see multiple top-level windows at the same
time.


>     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.

I don't understand what you mean when you say "you can't really 
switch from a window to the other by using the keybord". Thats what
the WM accelerator keys are for (WM dependent though, of course).


>         
>         * 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.

Don't forget you can use these both in combination with one another
and with other widgets (such as lists) to build a UI that meets the
requirements of the application. There is no single solution, just do
the UI design right for your application.


> 
>> 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.
> 

Why can't you do this by using multiple top-level windows and
managing the size/position of those windows within the deskyop area?


-tony


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