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PHP WinBinder: Tab Control: Difference between revisions
Proofreading and grammatical changes; some minor reformatting
(New page: {{Nav PHP WinBinder}} '''''Tab Control''''' When applications become too visually large its better to split the functionality into logical sections and use a tab control to access each se...) |
(Proofreading and grammatical changes; some minor reformatting) |
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'''''Tab Control''''' | '''''Tab Control''''' | ||
When applications become too visually large | When applications become too visually large, it's better to split the functionality into logical sections and use a tab control to access each section. | ||
This page covers creating a | This page covers creating a Windows application based only on the tab control and controls placed on the tabbed pages. The techniques used are applicable to larger applications where a tab control is part of a larger application. | ||
== | == Control Creation == | ||
Creating a tab control and adding controls to each tab requires the use of all parameters that can be passed to the create control function. | Creating a tab control and adding controls to each tab requires the use of all parameters that can be passed to the create control function. | ||
For reference the parameters are shown below: | For reference, the parameters are shown below: | ||
{| | {| | ||
|- | |- | ||
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|'''ntab'''|| is the index of the tab page that the control is to be inserted on, if any. | |'''ntab'''|| is the index of the tab page that the control is to be inserted on, if any. | ||
|} | |} | ||
'''''[[#top | Top]]''''' | '''''[[#top | Top]]''''' | ||
== Tabs == | == Tabs == | ||
To create a tab application, start with a blank canvas (use example1 as a template) and follow this sequence: | To create a tab application, start with a blank canvas (use example1 as a template) and follow this sequence: | ||
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'''''Note'':''' Individual tabs have a numerical index, first tab starts at 0. | '''''Note'':''' Individual tabs have a numerical index, first tab starts at 0. | ||
=== Main Tab Area === | === Main Tab Area === | ||
{| | {| | ||
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[[Image:WinBinder_4.gif]] | [[Image:WinBinder_4.gif]] | ||
|} | |} | ||
=== Add individual tabs === | === Add individual tabs === | ||
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'''''[[#top | Top]]''''' | '''''[[#top | Top]]''''' | ||
== Handles and | == Handles and IDs == | ||
Everyone has his or her own personal preference regarding programming style. I like to define handles to variables with a name that reflects the tab page and allocate ID’s to match tab page and control type. | Everyone has his or her own personal preference regarding programming style. I like to define handles to variables with a name that reflects the tab page and allocate ID’s to match tab page and control type. | ||
{| | {| | ||
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| | ||
| | | | ||
''''' | '''''IDs'':''' | ||
* Labels start at 100 | * Labels start at 100 | ||
* Push buttons start at 200 | * Push buttons start at 200 | ||
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Handle variable '''$label_p2_1''' with an ID (2000+100) '''2100''' | Handle variable '''$label_p2_1''' with an ID (2000+100) '''2100''' | ||
'''''Note 1'':''' The above is just a guide | '''''Note 1'':''' The above is just a guide. However what is written in stone is that all variables and IDs '''must be unique'''. | ||
'''''Note 2'':''' Although assigning handles to variables appears a logical way to proceed code becomes difficult to maintain. Similarly using pure | '''''Note 2'':''' Although assigning handles to variables appears a logical way to proceed, code becomes difficult to maintain. Similarly using pure IDs makes it difficult to change code. We'll address these issues a bit later. | ||
'''''[[#top | Top]]''''' | '''''[[#top | Top]]''''' | ||
== Adding controls to tabs == | == Adding controls to tabs == | ||
We currently have three tabs | We currently have three tabs. To each of these we will add two labels, three buttons and a EditBox. This will allow you to easily see the differences. | ||
{| | {| | ||
|- | |- | ||
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| | | | ||
The far right digit assigns a control to that tab number (remember tabs are indexed starting at 0) | The far right digit assigns a control to that tab number (remember, tabs are indexed starting at 0) | ||
Fourth number from right is a controls ID. This must be unique. It follows the convention outlined above. | |||
For labels and edit boxes their handle is captured in a variable | For labels and edit boxes, their handle is captured in a variable following the convention. | ||
|} | |} | ||
The above produces the following: | The above produces the following: | ||
[[Image:WinBinder_6.gif]] | [[Image:WinBinder_6.gif]] | ||
Currently there is no functionality hence pressing a button has no effect. | Currently there is no functionality, hence pressing a button has no effect. | ||
'''''[[#top | Top]]''''' | '''''[[#top | Top]]''''' | ||
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</pre> | </pre> | ||
| | | | ||
'''''Functionality''''' | '''''Functionality''''' | ||
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Navigate to folder | Navigate to folder | ||
UniServer\plugins\winbinder\'''examples''' | UniServer\plugins\winbinder\'''examples''' | ||
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I mentioned | I mentioned code maintainability above. | ||
Each use of a handle variable in a function requires that it be declared as a global. This just adds to bloat and makes code a little more difficult to read and is to be avoided. | Each use of a handle variable in a function requires that it be declared as a global. This just adds to the bloat and makes code a little more difficult to read and is to be avoided. | ||
Using raw ID numbers means if you | Using raw ID numbers means if you decide to change the numbering order, you need to change all occurrences. On a single script this is probably not to difficult, but if this is over several scripts, it can be a pain. | ||
The above are resolved on the next page | The above problems are resolved on the next page. | ||
In this example, the structure of the script is the important part. It’s a working script that we can change into a working template. | |||
|} | |} | ||
'''''[[#top | Top]]''''' | '''''[[#top | Top]]''''' | ||
== Summary == | == Summary == | ||
The tab control is an excellent choice for producing windows applications. It allows you to have separate functionality on individual pages (tabs). Using the tab control although a little more complex to | The tab control is an excellent choice for producing windows applications. It allows you to have separate functionality on individual pages (tabs). Using the tab control, although a little more complex to configurem is well worth the effort. | ||
Even though this is a working script, we want to modify it to a working template for a real application. The [[PHP WinBinder: Tab Control 2 | '''next page''']] shows how to resolve the issues that were highlighted. | |||
'''''[[#top | Top]]''''' | '''''[[#top | Top]]''''' | ||