mysterious listbox!

[dagnabitboy]

I'm trying to implement a recent file function under the file menu.  I discovered that I cannot create a menu item programmatically, so I'm using a listbox.

The list box is initially hidden, but when I click on 'recent file' in my program it enables and shows the list box.  Unfortunately it comes up behind other controls that are already on the screen.  When I click anywhere inside the listbox it then appears on top of the other controls, which is what I want.  I've tried all the various listbox commands such as enable, show, and set focus but none do what I need!  Any suggestions?  I've attached a couple of images that shows the issue.

Thanks!

This is how the listbox appears when first enabled.

This is how it appears when I click anywhere in the listbox itself, and how I'd like it to appear when first opened.

[tsh73]

Any suggestions?

Open separate modal window with just the file list.
Close it after selection is made.

(sorry I could not make controls "behave" then one over the other.
Let's see if other folks could)

[Rod]

You can show and hide some controls so you can replace one with another if they occupy the same space. You would need to hide all overlapping controls in the example shown. So tsh73’s advice about opening a modal window is much cleaner and easier to implement.

[cundo]

What about a popup menu?

[tsh73]

Oct 15, 2019 9:08:02 GMT -5 cundo said:

What about a popup menu?

Author said:

I discovered that I cannot create a menu item programmatically

So if you have example, post it (or give a link)

[dagnabitboy]

Oct 15, 2019 9:08:02 GMT -5 cundo said:

What about a popup menu?

the problem with the popup is the same issue as the main menu, I cannot create a menu item programmatically because the menu function does not accept a string variable as input.  It would be awesome if it did!  Since I want to create a list of files (that change) the user can select from it has to be programmable.

It sounds like the best solution is to open a new modal window per tsh73.

Thanks!

[dagnabitboy]

Oct 15, 2019 1:34:27 GMT -5 tsh73 said:

Any suggestions?

Open separate modal window with just the file list.
Close it after selection is made.

(sorry I could not make controls "behave" then one over the other.
Let's see if other folks could)

Good suggestion!  I'll implement this!

[cundo]

Sorry, you were right. I did this fast using a popup window. Might need fixes.

nomainwin

   WindowWidth = 640 : WindowHeight = 480
   UpperLeftX = INT((DisplayWidth-WindowWidth)/2)
   UpperLeftY = INT((DisplayHeight-WindowHeight)/2)
   textbox #main.tb1,10,10,230,28
   textbox #main.tb2,250,10,230,28
   textbox #main.tb3,10,48,230,28
   textbox #main.tb4,250,48,230,28
   textbox #main.tb5,10,86,230,28
   button #main.b1, "menu", [doButton],ul,250,86,230,28

   Open "Window" for Window as #main
       #main "font arial 12"
       #main "trapclose [quit]"

   wait

   [quit]

   close #main : end

[doButton]

for i = 1 to 10
   ar$(i) = "test_" ;int(rnd(0)*10000)
next

   WindowWidth = 320 : WindowHeight = 240
   UpperLeftX = INT((DisplayWidth-WindowWidth)/2)
   UpperLeftY = INT((DisplayHeight-WindowHeight)/2)
   #main "disable"
   listbox #101.listbox1, ar$(, doListboxAction, 0,0,320,240
   stylebits #101, _WS_SYSMENU, 0,0, 0 '_WS_SYSMENU needed for the Kill BASIC Apps'
   open "" For window_popup As #101
   #101 "trapclose [quitPop]"
   #101 "font arial 10"

wait

[quitPop]
   #main "enable"
   close #101
wait

sub doListboxAction h$
   #main "enable"
   close #101
end sub


[dagnabitboy]

The modal window works nicely. When I click on 'recent files' it opens a new window with the listbox showing. However, if I move the main window before I open the modal window, the placement of the modal window is messed up. Is there a way to detect the current location of the main window? I tried the resize handler but that only shows a new window size and is not even trapped when just moving the main window.

Nevermind!  I found the DLL call to get the main window position on Alice's Restaurant!

[Brandon Parker]

The issue with it showing up behind the other controls might be that it has a lower Z-Order preference.  You can change that if you would like, but ...

Also, you can most certainly create Popup Menus in Liberty BASIC using the Windows API. You can use the code below to create different menus, using CreatePopupMenu() and InsertMenu()," on the fly, and then check the result that you get back from TrackPopupMenu() to determine which item was selected. The fourth parameter in InsertMenu() is a number that you specify when creating the menu item; that number is returned from TrackPopupMenu(). Wrap it all up in a Function, and it can be a nice and tidy way to create as many different Popup Menus as you would like. To get the window to execute the Function, one could use WMLiberty.dll to trap the right-click and direct it to the function via CallBack.

'Programmed by Brandon R. Parker

Struct point, x As long, y As long
Struct rect, left As long, top As long, right As long, bottom As long
Global hMenu


Open "Window" For Window As #Test
#Test "TrapClose Quit"

selectionArray$(0) = "Hello World!!"
selectionArray$(1) = "Good-Bye World!!"

hMenu = CreatePopupMenu()
result = InsertMenu(hMenu, 0, _MF_BYPOSITION Or _MF_STRING,  1, selectionArray$(0))
result = InsertMenu(hMenu, 1, _MF_BYPOSITION Or _MF_SEPARATOR,  _NULL, "")
result = InsertMenu(hMenu, 2, _MF_BYPOSITION Or _MF_STRING,  2, selectionArray$(1))
result = TrackPopupMenu(hMenu, _TPM_RETURNCMD Or _TPM_LEFTALIGN Or _TPM_TOPALIGN Or _TPM_LEFTBUTTON, Hwnd(#Test))

If (result = 0) Then
   Print "No menu item selected."
Else
   Print selectionArray$(result - 1)
End If
Wait

Sub Quit handle$
   result = DestroyMenu(hMenu)
   Close #handle$
   End
End Sub

   Function CreatePopupMenu()
       CallDLL #user32, "CreatePopupMenu", CreatePopupMenu As ulong
   End Function


   Function DestroyMenu(hMenu)
       CallDLL #user32, "DestroyMenu", hMenu        As ulong, _
                                       DestroyMenu  As long
   End Function

   Function DeleteMenu(hMenu, uPosition, uFlags)
       CallDLL #user32, "DeleteMenu", hMenu        As ulong, _
                                      uPosition    As ulong, _
                                      uFlags       As ulong, _
                                      DeleteMenu   As long
   End Function

   Function InsertMenu(hMenu, uPosition, uFlags,  uIDNewItem, lpNewItem$)
       lpNewItem$ = lpNewItem$ + chr$(0)
       CallDLL #user32, "InsertMenuA", hMenu       As ulong, _
                                       uPosition   As ulong, _
                                       uFlags      As ulong, _
                                       uIDNewItem  As ulong, _
                                       lpNewItem$  As ptr, _
                                       InsertMenu  As long
   End Function

   Function TrackPopupMenu(hMenu, uFlags, hWnd)
       result = GetCursorPos()
       xPos = point.x.struct
       yPos = point.y.struct
       CallDLL #user32, "TrackPopupMenu", hMenu            As ulong, _
                                          uFlags           As ulong, _
                                          xPos             As long, _
                                          yPos             As long, _
                                          _NULL            As long, _
                                          hWnd             As ulong, _
                                          rect             As struct, _
                                          TrackPopupMenu   As long
   End Function

   Function GetCursorPos()
       CallDLL #user32, "GetCursorPos", point As struct, GetCursorPos As uLong
   End Function


{:0)

Brandon Parker

[dagnabitboy]

Thanks Brandon! I'll keep that for reference. I do have it working nicely with a second window on top of the main. It looks unusual of course, but it's simple and was easy to program in LB. My old brain gets overwhelmed sometimes with Windows API!

[Brandon Parker]

No problem...

I was playing around with what you were describing in your first post, and I wanted to share a way to actually get what you were trying to do to work. The way to just work with what you had originally, without opening another window, would be to do the following.

1. Disable the TextBox and StaticText Controls on the window
2. Show the ListBox Control

This assumes the ListBox is created after any control that would be "under" it.

This should force the ListBox to actually show in front of the Textbox and StaticText Controls.  Disabling the other controls in that case if what you would want anyway since you would want the user to only be able to select from the ListBox.

The Modal window completely takes care of that though as would a Popup menu.

Glad you got something working to your satisfaction!!


{:0)

Brandon Parker

[dagnabitboy]

I considered that as well, Brandon, but I've got a lot doo-dads on the screen that I'd have to disable and then re-enable. Plus, I think it might look a bit weird! Although, I've done it on a different program. Anyhoo, I did get it all working opening up another window. I also made a call to windows to get the start x and y location of the programs first window so I place the next window on top in an overlapping fashion, so it looks decent!

Thanks!