[Boa Constr] Re: selecting a hidden control

[Bryan <be...@gm...>]

Tim Black wrote:
> Bryan wrote:
> 
>> Werner F. Bruhin wrote:
>>
>>>> i just went through the boa notebook tutorial can someone tell me 
>>>> how to:
>>>>
>>>> 1. select the frame (or other containers or controls hidden behind 
>>>> other controls) in the designer once a control has taken over the 
>>>> entire client area.  in the tutorial, i'm unable to select the frame 
>>>> to change properties in the inspector, because the textctrl is 
>>>> covering the entire frame.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> When calling up the Designer or by clicking on the title bar of the 
>>> designer, then in the Inspector go to the Objects (Objs) pane and 
>>> select the control you want to work on.
>>
>>
>> great, i didn't know about the object pane.  i brought up the designer 
>> with a frame covered up with a control so i can't see the frame.  then 
>> i selected a new button to add, went to the inspector's object window 
>> and clicked on the frame, but the new button didn't get added.  so you 
>> can't add controls this way?  if not, i still don't see how to add 
>> controls to a hidden container.
> 
> 
> A normal way to create a frame in Boa is to follow this general pattern:
> 
> Editor::File::New::wx.App  (this creates the app's first frame for you)
> Editor::File::New::wx.Frame (to create a second frame if you need one)
> Editor::(click on "Frame Designer" button)
> Palette::Containers/Layout::(click on wx.Panel button)
> Designer::(click on center of frame to paste new panel into the frame)
> (click on "Post the session" button in Inspector, or the "Post" button 
> in the Editor, or just close the Designer window)
> Editor::(click on "Frame Designer" button)  (reopens frame in Designer; 
> now the new panel covers the whole area of the frame)
> Palette::(click on any control you desire to paste on the panel)
> Inspector::(make sure the panel is selected in the Inspector)
> Designer::(click on panel to paste new control onto the panel)
> 
> In other words, the steps you followed *won't* paste a new control in 
> the frame:
> 
>  > then i selected a new button to add, went to the inspector's object 
> window and clicked on the frame, but the new button didn't get added.
> 
> But these steps *will* paste a new control in the frame:
> 
> Select a new button to add (from the Palette), check to ensure the 
> proper parent object is selected in the Inspector, then click on that 
> object **in the Designer**.  This adds the new button to the frame.
> 
> Hope that helps!
> 
> Tim Black
> 
> 

tim,

i understanding what you are saying, but it's not quite the scenario i'm trying 
to explain.  for any container such as a frame, panel, etc., if a control takes 
over the entire area of that container, how do you add another control on it? 
it seems that you must be able to physically click on a container in the 
designer to add a control to it, but if a control takes over the entire area, 
you are out of luck.  if i remember correctly, in dialogblocks, you always have 
a treeview in addition to a designer, so you can always add a control at any 
level whether or not you have physical access to the container in the gui.  i'm 
sure boa can do this, i just don't know how.  also, i don't understand why you 
cannot drop a control on a container in the the object pane of the inspector. 
it was the first thing i thought of when i saw it.

thanks,

bryan