Moving Controls around in an already created GUI

[nitekram]

NO code, but a question...what is your method for adding a control in an already created GUI.

Say you created your GUI, and then decided that there was something missing, and you wanted to put it in the middle or where ever...you have to move all the controls after it and it is a pain.

Does anyone have an easy method, or the method you choose to begin with so you do not have to worry about this coming up in the future?

[jdelaney]

I like to dock all my controls...and as more functionality is needed, i expand the gui to make room for a new section, or the like...or tabs are helpful...you can then add more tabs and have full free space of that new tab

Edited June 5, 2013 by jdelaney

[Melba23]

nitekram,

If I have banks of controls, I sometimes use Opt("GUICoordMode") to link them - that way moving them is easy.

Here is an example - just change the values of the initial constants and see how the groups are moved as one:

#include <GUIConstantsEx.au3>

$hGUI = GUICreate("Test", 500, 500)

$iButton_X = 10
$iRadio_Y = 10

GUICtrlCreateRadio("Radio 1", 10, $iRadio_Y, 100, 20)
Opt("GUICoordMode", 0)
GUICtrlCreateRadio("Radio 2", 0, 20, 100, 20)
GUICtrlCreateRadio("Radio 3", 0, 20, 100, 20)
GUICtrlCreateRadio("Radio 4", 0, 20, 100, 20)
GUICtrlCreateRadio("Radio 5", 0, 20, 100, 20)
Opt("GUICoordMode", 1)

GUICtrlCreateButton("Button 1", $iButton_X, 450, 50, 20)
Opt("GUICoordMode", 0)
GUICtrlCreateButton("Button 2", 60, 0, 50, 20)
GUICtrlCreateButton("Button 3", 60, 0, 50, 20)
GUICtrlCreateButton("Button 4", 60, 0, 50, 20)
Opt("GUICoordMode", 1)

GUISetState()

While 1
    Switch GUIGetMsg()
        Case $GUI_EVENT_CLOSE
            Exit
    EndSwitch
WEnd

I find that quite a help - although obviously not all GUIs have this sort of control grouping.  And it seems I often want to rearrange the groups internally - which means it is as difficult as it always was!

M23

[nitekram]

Thanks, I never knew about that option (Opt("GUICoordMode", 0))...by the way the link to the helpfile online does not have a page for OPT.HTM?

http://www.autoitscript.com/autoit3/docs/functions/Opt.htm

edit - adding this: I read it a couple of times, and still lost. But you do not use the GUICtrlSetPos, in your code? But either way, I like the way it works.

Alters the position of a control defined by GUICtrlSetPos.

1 = absolute coordinates (default) still relative to the dialog box.

0 = relative position to the start of the last control (upper left corner).

2 = cell positioning relative to current cell. A -1 for left or top parameter don't increment the start.

So next line is -1,offset; next cell is offset,-1; current cell is -1,-1.

Obviously "offset" cannot be -1 which reserved to indicate the no increment. But if you can use a multiple of the width you choose to skip or go back.

Edited June 5, 2013 by nitekram

[nitekram]

I like to dock all my controls...and as more functionality is needed, i expand the gui to make room for a new section, or the like...or tabs are helpful...you can then add more tabs and have full free space of that new tab

Not sure what you mean by dock...can you explain?

edit spelling

Edited June 5, 2013 by nitekram

[guinness]

I think he means using GUICtrlSetResizing.

Melba23,

I have never used that option as I'm a little apprehensive of whether it works correctly. Will have to give it a try sometime.

[nitekram]

I think he means using GUICtrlSetResizing.

Funny, never looked at this either, heads up on this, it does not load into SciTE, it opens a blank page with the name of the file, but the page is blank...reporting to thread

[nitekram]

someone care to tell my what is going on in this example?

expandcollapse popup

#include <GUIConstantsEx.au3>
#include <WindowsConstants.au3>
#include <EditConstants.au3>

Example()

Func Example()
    Local $nEdit, $nOk, $nCancel, $msg

    Opt("GUICoordMode", 2)
    GUICreate("My InputBox", 190, 114, -1, -1, $WS_SIZEBOX + $WS_SYSMENU) ; start the definition
    GUISetIcon("Eiffel Tower.ico")

    GUISetFont(8, -1, "Arial")

    GUICtrlCreateLabel("Prompt", 8, 7) ; add prompt info
    GUICtrlSetResizing(-1, $GUI_DOCKLEFT + $GUI_DOCKTOP)

    $nEdit = GUICtrlCreateInput("Default", -1, 3, 175, 20, $ES_PASSWORD) ; add the input area
    GUICtrlSetState($nEdit, $GUI_FOCUS)
    GUICtrlSetResizing($nEdit, $GUI_DOCKBOTTOM + $GUI_DOCKHEIGHT)

    $nOk = GUICtrlCreateButton("OK", -1, 3, 75, 24) ; add the button that will close the GUI
    GUICtrlSetResizing($nOk, $GUI_DOCKBOTTOM + $GUI_DOCKSIZE + $GUI_DOCKHCENTER)

    $nCancel = GUICtrlCreateButton("Annuler", 25, -1) ; add the button that will close the GUI
    GUICtrlSetResizing($nCancel, $GUI_DOCKBOTTOM + $GUI_DOCKSIZE + $GUI_DOCKHCENTER)

    GUISetState() ; to display the GUI

    ; Run the GUI until the dialog is closed
    While 1
        $msg = GUIGetMsg()

        If $msg = $GUI_EVENT_CLOSE Then ExitLoop
    WEnd
EndFunc   ;==>Example

[guinness]

Funny, never looked at this either, heads up on this, it does not load into SciTE, it opens a blank page with the name of the file, but the page is blank...reporting to thread

I copied GUICtrlSetResizing to an au3 file and selected F1.

[BrewManNH]

someone care to tell my what is going on in this example?

Be more specific in your question, what's going on that's not supposed to be going on?

[guinness]

..and did you run the example whilst reading the help file?

[nitekram]

Be more specific in your question, what's going on that's not supposed to be going on?

I guess this example from the heldfile is supposed to show you how expanding your window automatically moves the controls. The buttons do nothing, so it confused me.

But my OP was adding things inside of already created code. Oh $hit, I forgot to add that button, and now I have to adjust all my controls to move down 30 pixels. A pain in the a$$ to change all the controls to make the new one where you want it.

[DW1]

I guess this example from the heldfile is supposed to show you how expanding your window automatically moves the controls. The buttons do nothing, so it confused me.

But my OP was adding things inside of already created code. Oh $hit, I forgot to add that button, and now I have to adjust all my controls to move down 30 pixels. A pain in the a$$ to change all the controls to make the new one where you want it.

Sounds like the start of a very useful scite4autoit tool that would allow you to select multiple controls and add/subtract a specific value to a specific parameter.  Shouldn't be too hard to build with a fairly simple regex.

[Melba23]

nitekram,

Opt is short for AutoItSetOption so you meed to look online here:

http://www.autoitscript.com/autoit3/docs/functions/AutoItSetOption.htm

M23

[guinness]

Sounds like the start of a very useful scite4autoit tool that would allow you to select multiple controls and add/subtract a specific value to a specific parameter.  Shouldn't be too hard to build with a fairly simple regex.

Are you volunteering?

[DW1]

Are you volunteering?

I don't recall volunteering

As of late most of my time has been spent on html, css, and javascript.  That being said, if work calms down a bit, I may give it a shot.  No promises though.

[nitekram]

I do not know why it did not work, I was in the help file and clicked the button to load the text, tried it, then went to another subject and it worked, went back to this one and same issue...but after everyone said it worked - it worked for me...go figure

As for the opt.htm - if it is supposed to be going to another page, then put a redirector in the opt.htm, that way when people click on it - it loads the right page rather then going to a page that does not exist.

so create a file on the server called opt.htm

then add this one line of code to the file and save - fixed for all concerned

<meta http-equiv="refresh" content="0; URL=http://www.autoitscript.com/autoit3/docs/functions/AutoItSetOption.htm">