I have a requirement to allow users to tab around a Delphi application screen in a certain order. This is fine for almost everything, except that I can't seem to find a way to tab OUT of a memo component. I realise that Tab, itself, is a legitimate key in a memo for formatting purposes.
Does anyone know if it is possible at all to tab to the next control from a Tmemo? I don't need the Tab format in the Memo, so I'm quite happy to sacrifice that.
I'm using Delphi 5 Enterprise.
Thanks in advance.
Related
So in the program I'm writing, I'm using a TPageControl component with multiple tab sheets. I want to change the color of the tab of the sheet that is currently the active page on the PageControl and then have the color be reset after clicking on another page (then that tab will change due to it being the active page and so on...), to make navigating the page control a bit easier. But I'm not sure how to do it? I did try using the OnChange procedure of the page control and some code like this (I know it's horribly wrong but I ran out of ideas and google searches. It didn't work anyway.):
with pgcTabs.ActivePage do
begin
brush.color:=clBlue;
font.color:=clWhite;
end;
Thanks in advance for the help!
Kind Regards
PrimeBeat
You can't. Apart from using TTabSheet.Highlighted you have no control over how the tabs are displayed.
Or you have to fully draw it yourself, as usual as for most other controls: set TPageControl.OwnerDraw to true, then use the OnDrawTab event to paint whatever you want to. It should be identical to TTabControl.OnDrawTab (see answer). The drawbacks (pun intended) of painting everything yourself is usually all the extra work to do: checking dimensions, interpreting accelerator keys, respecting system colors and settings (i.e. LTR)...
In my opinion "just adding a color" has little to no value compared to how the control by default paints already with all its advantages and features. Consider color blindness: those people might rather have problems.
I'm trying to activate Hint from control of different application created from delphi upon focus, I'm using hook to identify the focused control, and then use WM_MOUSEMOVE, which I think will activate the Hint of that control, the handle would be the Control itself and the lParam is the Left and Top of the Control. The Control activate the OnMouseMove Event, but the Hint never shows. but when I use SetCursorPos, Hint show, but I need to show the Hint with out the cursor move on that Control. Can you please help me with this? Thank you in advance... by the way I'm using Delphi XE4
Among the really asked question is how to show the hint of a control that resides on another application (i am afraid without hook that application can not be done), the title is "Delphi - Activating the Hint from another control of Application".
First is first: That can be done without knowing what language the other app was done, but it is very complex to put it here (and i am not an expert on such way of coding, also i hate apps that work that way).
Second: The main idea is to hook the other application, search on Google some code of that apps, that can show you a rectangular hole square of the object the mouse is passing over, that application while doing it is iconized (i do not remember the name of it).
Waht such app does: As you move the mouse over the screen it overlays a rectangular over the control that mouse is over, then if you press the key to print screen, that small region is the only thing that goes to clipboard; on of such apps i saw had an extra funcion, they can move such controls if you press cursors on keyboard, also can hide/enable/disable such control... more, it can also make controls that are invisible to be visible, etc... i saw it working on my computer, and hey, for fun it is pretty and to DeBug or get extra things on some apps is also great (make some menús to be visible and enabled and then can use such funtions).
Please, please, understand i am agaist piracy and also against using such apps to let code to be run... some apps need pay for letting some menus enabled, but they have the code there, no need to change EXE to have/use that menus; just using this kind of apps makes that limited apps to be unlimited (just enable or show hidden menus and voila).
Note: To unhide menus, mouse point is not needed to be over the app, can be anywhere and is not moved.
The idea i want to say is: Any app can move, alter any control on any other app (at least on Windows) that is running, so maybe there can be a way to show such hint.
In the past i had use such app (sorry i do not remember the name) for DeBug my own apps, so i do not need to recompile in such cases where something was wrongly hidden, also work with buttons, labels, texts, combos, memos, etc.
Now my small problem is: I just need exactly what title say, but i can not make it to work.
Must be:
Mouse position must be irrelevant (it also must be able to be outside the application)
Just when a button that has focus is pressed with keyboard (Space or Enter) or just after some code somewhere on my application, i want to show the Hint of a specific TEdit for a short period of time.
I did not get Hint to be shown; not unless mouse point is over such TEdit but i want/need mouse pointer to not be over it, neither it to jump to the TEdit.
Idea Conept for that Hint to be shown: After doing some code that changes something, show extra info associated.
Example:
A button with that loads a file using an open dialog, filename is put on a ReadOnly TEdit (so it let user copy the text, but not change it); i want extra info that i punt on .Hint of such TEdit to be shown inmediatly.
That hint use is for not overload window with a lot of fields (TLabels) for showing such file data.
Simple idea: such Hint shows TimeStamp and size of the selected file.
P.D.: Not much related (since i am trying with a normal plain text hint), but hints can also store a full HTML page and with 3rd party tools be shown as an HTMLhint, so they can show a lot info of that file (also its content, etc) in a web based format; as i say i first try with standard plain text hints.
In order to show hint programatically you need to call TApplications ActivateHint method to which you specify the position parameter.
http://docwiki.embarcadero.com/Libraries/XE3/en/Vcl.Forms.TApplication.ActivateHint
Based on position parameter Application automatically finds which controll is at that position and shows its hint.
NOTE: Position parameter screen coordinates in pixels and not your controll coordinates. So you will have to use ClientToScreen method to change your coordinates apropriately.
You can see simple example of how to use this here: https://stackoverflow.com/a/15031208/3636228
Now if you need to do this from another application then you will have to add some comunication mechanizm to these two application so that one could send a proper message to tell the other to show the hint at specific position. But this does require you to be able to change both applications.
EDIT: This works with VCL applications but I'm not sure if it would work with FireMonkey applications.
I have a lot of files to keep open, and the current single line of tabs is just difficult. I see that GExperts and CNPack does not have that (unless I missed that).
Is there any trick to achieve that, or any other suggestion that I could have more tabs visible?
The TIDEGradientTabSet (if it's still used in modern Delphi) doesn't support multiline view, so the only option for those IDE experts could be making own tab set control hiding the original one.
Alternatives are:
On the far right of the tabs is a small down arrow. Press that, and you'll see a list of all the files that are open in the editor;
Pressing Ctrl+B will open up a dialog to select a tab;
TMS has a free tool AltTab but it did not get update for while. That was exactly what was needed for Delphi IDE;
I have an interesting observation and question, but first a comment. I have been using Delphi for 14 years and have taken a job developing an iOS mobile application using XE5. This is my first time using FMX and frankly I feel like I am stepping back in time many moons ago. In other words, if this is the future, then it feels like I have crippled. No problem though. Roll with the punches. Developing in this brave new world is not just a job. It is an adventure.
Now my question. Start a FMX mobile project using the "Header/Footer with Navigation" as your base. Then add an edit control (Edit1) to the first tab item. Then set the tab control align to none and move it to the right until you can clearly see the form itself. Then add an edit control (Edit2) to the form.
Now set the form's active control to Edit1 and run the app - no focus on Edit1. Now set the form's active control to Edit2 and run the app - focus is placed on Edit2. Interesting. Tab is a foreign word to tablets, right? Why have active control or even setfocus available? Is this an oversight by Embarcadero? Any thoughts?
Long story short I think they both have potential uses.
I use the SetFocus call to manually show the keyboard. Lets say the user navigates to a page where they're 100% sure to be putting in their username (or any text), I'll use ctrl.SetFocus to show the keyboard just to save them having to click (or is it press now?) on the edit.
I don't see ActiveControl being as useful, but it could definitely still be used. You could possibly use it to set up some sort of tabbing like structure for when the user presses Next on the keyboard (when the edit's ReturnKeyType is rkNext).
I am using the new BrowserField2 in BlackBerry OS5 to display HTML content in my app. There are 3 options available for navigation through links in that content.
CURSOR navigation uses a block cursor and actually moves through the characters of the page. Not very useful for me.
POINTER navigation uses a mouse like pointer that you move around the screen and hover over elements. This could work but there is a bug however in that the browser field captures navigation and never lets go so this mode is effectively broken if you share a screen with any other managers. Once your focus enters the browser field you cannot move focus back out and into neighboring fields. RIM has acknowledged the bug but has no work around.
NONE which is for custom navigation but they offer no explanation as to how you would do this.
What I ideally want is to simply have trackpad movements move the focus through the links and highlight them. Then a click would activate the link. I assume I would select the NONE option above and implement my own focus navigation but I am not clear how this can be accomplished with the new APIs.
Is anyone familiar with the new browser2 component could give some guidance?
Thanks!
There's a workaroudn to getting back the focus out of the BrowserField using the NAVIGATION_POINTER.
I found it in this thread:
http://supportforums.blackberry.com/t5/Java-Development/BrowserField-2-Navigation-Mode/td-p/632172
"farahh" posted this:
I found out a hack..
with the navigation set to pointer mode, a click outside the browserfield manager invokes Manager.invokeAction(int). I used the getFieldWithFocus to verify which field has focus and then switch the focus to something else.
Cheers.
Nahuel
PD: i havent found out how to get the behaviour you want, i need that as well so if you got it working please let me know, its kinda urgent in my project =(
I actually reverted back to the older browser1 (OS4) component because the navigation problems in browserField2 (OS5) were a deal breaker for me. Luckily the OS4 browser does everything I need in terms of functionality and it has the exact navigation behavior I need and there are no focus problems mixing it with other views.