Recommendation / Modern GUIs

[HurleyShanabarger]

Hello,

in the last 15 year there was not one programming tasks that I could not get done with AutoIt. Research within this forum always helped me to get a good solution for the actual tasks.

I have a new project upcoming and it will be heavily GUI related - and I think will need to implement a modern DataGridView  and this is missing in AutoIt. I think DataGridView is an element from C# and I am wondering what would be the best approach - is Visual Studio a good way to create a program that is using a DataGridView or is there an easier way for someone that is just used to AutoIt?

Thanks for any suggestions

Edited June 18, 2020 by HurleyShanabarger

[BigDaddyO]

is there a reason you can't use ListView?  I know there are some udf's I've used in the past that allow inline edits of a listview item.

[Melba23]

HurleyShanabarger,

Take a look at my GUIListViewEx UDF (the link is in my sig) which allows you to have ListViews with editable cells (plain text, combos, date controls), drag'n'drop, colours and much more. It might allow you to stay with AutoIt for your upcoming project.

M23

[HurleyShanabarger]

Well, currently the data is handled within and excel document and there is a lot of logic put into the macro behind.

So basically the DataGridView would represent the contents of the sheet and the GUI around it would be for handling data import/export/verification.

One of the main features would be to show/hide columns, but the one feature that I have to seen with a ListView is to freeze a column. 

[Melba23]

HurleyShanabarger,

What exactly do you mean by "freezing" a column? Making it uneditable? Making it a fixed width?

M23

[HurleyShanabarger]

I think you see it best in this video; the first column of the upper listview is fixed and will be scrolled horizontally.

 

[Melba23]

HurleyShanabarger,

You can always use 2 synchronized ListViews like this:

expandcollapse popup

#include <GUIConstantsEx.au3>
#include <WindowsConstants.au3>
#include <GuiTreeView.au3>
#include <GuiListView.au3>
#include <Misc.au3>
#include <GuiScrollBars.au3>

Global Const $iMax = 40

Global $iPos_1 = 0, $iPos_2 = 0

$hGUI = GUICreate("Synchro Pair", 255, 240, -1, -1)
$cLV_2 = GUICtrlCreateListView("Col 1|Col 2|Col 3|Col 4", 60, 5, 185, 220)
$hLV_2 = GUICtrlGetHandle($cLV_2)
GUISetState(@SW_SHOW)

$hGUI_Child = GUICreate("", 50, 220, 10, 5, $WS_POPUP, $WS_EX_MDICHILD, $hGUI)
$cLV_1 = GUICtrlCreateListView("Frozen", 0, 0, 85, 220)
$hLV_1 = GUICtrlGetHandle($cLV_1)
GUISetState()

For $i = 1 To $iMax
    GUICtrlCreateListViewItem("Item " & $i, $cLV_1)
    GUICtrlCreateListViewItem("Item " & $i, $cLV_2)
Next

Global $aRect = _GUICtrlListView_GetItemRect($hLV_2, 0)
Global Const $iDeltaY = $aRect[3] - $aRect[1]
GUIRegisterMsg($WM_NOTIFY, "_WM_Notify")

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

Func _WM_Notify($hWnd, $Msg, $wParam, $lParam)
    Local $iLines_1 = _SendMessage($hLV_1, $LVM_GETTOPINDEX)
    Local $iLines_2 = _SendMessage($hLV_2, $LVM_GETTOPINDEX)
    If $iLines_1 <> $iLines_2 Then
        _SendMessage($hLV_1, $LVM_SCROLL, 0, ($iLines_2 - $iLines_1) * $iDeltaY)
    EndIf
    Return "GUI_RUNDEFMSG"
EndFunc   ;==>_WM_Notify

That seems to give you the same sort of effect. Worth pursuing?

M23

Edited June 22, 2020 by Melba23
Better example script

[HurleyShanabarger]

In general this might work; but it might be a pain in the a** to keep the data in both synchronized.

Also I don't thing that end-user will like the flickering while scrolling.

[Melba23]

HurleyShanabarger,

I cannot see why keeping the data synchronised in the pair would be any more difficult than keeping a single ListView up to date - but only you know exactly what is required. And I see no flickering when the pair are scrolled.

M23

[argumentum]

@HurleyShanabarger, that video is of a web thing. If you give me the html, I'll give it a try at having it as a "control" in AutoIt via embedded IE.
Just have all the web interaction via AJAX, where you have the event you'd handle in au3 and i'll pass it back as JSON for the JS to handle.
Is not impossible, just somewhat cumbersome.

or try 

 

Edited February 10 by argumentum
replaced image provider (need the space)

[orbs]

regarding the synchronized ListViews example by @Melba23 above: there is a bug when you scroll all the way down - then the last rows do not remain paired. this is because the frozen listview allows for one extra scroll, because the data area height is greater, because the dynamic listview has an horizontal scrollbar.

a crude solution would be to set the height of the frozen listview minus the height of the horizontal scrollbar, which is roughly 18px, so instead of 220 it should be 202.

EDIT: or perhaps there is a way to calculate the height of the horizontal scrollbar at run-time? i did not find such method, but i guess there must be...

Edited June 26, 2020 by orbs

[HurleyShanabarger]

On 6/23/2020 at 4:37 PM, Melba23 said:

HurleyShanabarger,

I cannot see why keeping the data synchronised in the pair would be any more difficult than keeping a single ListView up to date - but only you know exactly what is required. And I see no flickering when the pair are scrolled.

M23

If you scroll in the first Listview you will have this flickering:

 

Thanks for the other ideas, I will look into it.

[Melba23]

orbs,

Quote

perhaps there is a way to calculate the height of the horizontal scrollbar at run-time? 

Indeed there is:

_WinAPI_GetSystemMetrics(2) ; Width of VScrollbar:  SM_CXVSCROLL
_WinAPI_GetSystemMetrics(3) ; Height of HScrollbar: SM_CYHSCROLL

M23

[FrancescoDiMuro]

@HurleyShanabarger

Did you try to set the extended style $LVS_EX_DOUBLEBUFFER to the ListViews?

It should reduce the flickering during scroll, as it is stated in the Help file about ListView control

Edited June 29, 2020 by FrancescoDiMuro