How to save a dynamic window layout

I wonder what the best way might be to save a dynamic window layout's
current sizes. I have a resizing splitter and want to query and later
restore its position (when loading a file).

Is there a standard method for this?

Thanks,
Andre

Andre:

Possibly you could go nuts and try to do what the UIPainter does i.e.  
construct a literal spec from a target component tree i.e. the app  
component tree and then persist to a file , when opening again you check  
if you have a file and build your fullSpec based on the file.

See:
UIPainter>>>extractFullSpec

it would be interesting to have the capability of extracting the a  
fullSpec from any applicationModel and not just UIPainter. A quick look  
and we find:

UIPainter>>>
builderComponentWrappers

        ^builder composite components select: [:each | each isKindOf: SpecWrapper]

which is called down the line from #extractFullSpec

I really have not taken the time but it seems that there may be some hope  
:)

so please let us know what you come up with, it might be quite nice to have

on the other hand I guess just persisting the resizingSplitter's position  
or offset from its container may do you just fine but not as much fun.

hth,

-Charles



On Tue, 11 Jul 2006 18:18:03 -0400, Andre Schnoor <[hidden email]>  
wrote:

> I wonder what the best way might be to save a dynamic window layout's  
> current sizes. I have a resizing splitter and want to query and later  
> restore its position (when loading a file).
>
> Is there a standard method for this?
>
> Thanks,
> Andre



--
Charles A. Monteiro
http://wiki.nycsmalltalk.org
http://www.monteirosfusion.com
http://monteirofusion.blogspot.com

Charles A. Monteiro wrote:
> Possibly you could go nuts and try to do what the UIPainter does i.e.
> construct a literal spec from a target component tree i.e. the app
> component tree and then persist to a file , when opening again you
> check if you have a file and build your fullSpec based on the file.

Although the idea looks interesting, that'll be too much of an effort.
> so please let us know what you come up with, it might be quite nice to
> have

I will.
>
> on the other hand I guess just persisting the resizingSplitter's
> position or offset from its container may do you just fine but not as
> much fun.

That seems to be a more rewarding direction. The problem is not so much
how to _get_ the current sizes, it is rather how to _restore_ them on
load. Will just sending #bounds: to the splitter also re-arrange the
other views automatically? Well, I'll see.

Regards,
Andre

Andre Schnoor wrote:
>> on the other hand I guess just persisting the resizingSplitter's
>> position or offset from its container may do you just fine but not as
>> much fun.
>
>
> That seems to be a more rewarding direction. The problem is not so much
> how to _get_ the current sizes, it is rather how to _restore_ them on
> load. Will just sending #bounds: to the splitter also re-arrange the
> other views automatically? Well, I'll see.
Well,

we have just that although we use it when spawning windows or tabs, but it
should work as well when opening the window. I am not sure if it will work
in postBuild but it will definitely work in postOpen.

There are basically two methods in ResizingSplitterView: #actualPosition and
#moveTo:. The first one returns splitter's current position as a point where
one of the coordinates is always zero (horizontal vs. vertical).

Examples:
        splitter moveTo: splitter actualPosition
                "moves splitter to its current position (effectively does nothing)"
        splitter moveTo: 0@0
                "moves splitter to the left (top)."

For details see attached package with these methods and some comments.

Ladislav Lenart

<?xml version="1.0"?>

<st-source>
<time-stamp>From VisualWorks®, 7.4 of 5. prosinec 2005 on 18. červenec 2006 at 9:41:56</time-stamp>
<!-- Package ResizingSplitterView moveTo(1.1,Petr Skala)* -->


<component-property>
<name>ResizingSplitterView moveTo</name> <type>package</type>
<property>packageName</property> <value>'ResizingSplitterView moveTo'</value>
</component-property>

<component-property>
<name>ResizingSplitterView moveTo</name> <type>package</type>
<property>fractalCreator</property> <value>'fractal'</value>
</component-property>

<component-property>
<name>ResizingSplitterView moveTo</name> <type>package</type>
<property>comment</property> <value>'ResizingSplitterView moveTo

This package adds two methods to ResizingSplitterView: #moveTo: and #actualPosition.

#actualPosition returns splitter''s current position and #moveTo: is used to programmaticaly move
splitter to specified position. It is strange that splitter itself does not have this quite natural behavior.

Actual position is based on center of the splitter''s bounds within its container. This result is then
multiplied by axis so one of the coordinates is always 0. In the case of error, 0@0 is returned.
'</value>
</component-property>


<methods>
<class-id>UI.ResizingSplitterView</class-id> <category>sizing / moving</category>

<body package="ResizingSplitterView moveTo" selector="moveFromBottomTo:">moveFromBottomTo: aPoint

        | widget |
        widget := self specWrapper.
        widget ifNil: [^self].
       
        self moveTo: widget container bounds extent - aPoint.</body>

<body package="ResizingSplitterView moveTo" selector="moveTo:">moveTo: aPoint

    self moveBy: self axis * aPoint - self actualPosition.</body>
</methods>

<methods>
<class-id>UI.ResizingSplitterView</class-id> <category>accessing</category>

<body package="ResizingSplitterView moveTo" selector="actualPosition"> actualPosition

        | widget layout rectangle |
        widget := self specWrapper.
        widget isNil ifTrue: [^0@0].
        (widget component isKindOf: LayoutWrapper) ifFalse: [^0@0].
        layout := self layoutFor: widget.
        rectangle :=
                "Procentual layout is used to calculate splitter's absolute
                bounds within its container."
                layout
                        rectangleRelativeTo: widget container bounds
                        preferred: widget container preferredBounds.
        ^rectangle center * self axis.
                "Center of this bounds multiplied by the sign (horizontal
                vs. vertical splitter) is the current splitter position."
</body>
</methods>



</st-source>

Thank you, Ladislav!

that's a perfect solution. I added it to my generic application window
state management.

BTW: It works in a #postBuild: context, i.e. the window need not to be
open.

Andre