RibbonBar ALT key

[Otto]

Hello Antonio,
I changed the method in TRibbonBar and added a class TXPanel.
But I must do something wrong. If I press the ALT key I don’t see the panel. Would you be so kind to post a working sample.
Thanks in advance
Otto

Otto,

We are working on a Method KeybMode() that first of all may show those little buttons with the letters.

This is still a work in progress but here you can review it:

Code: Select all Expand view

METHOD KeybMode() CLASS TRibbonBar

local oPanel, oBtn

oPanel = TXPanel():New( 0, 0, ::nHeight(), ::nWidth(), ::oWnd )

SetWindowLong( oPanel:hWnd, GWL_EXSTYLE, nOr( GetWindowLong( ::hWnd, GWL_EXSTYLE ), WS_EX_TRANSPARENT ) )

BringWindowToTop( oPanel:hWnd )

@ 20, 20 BTNBMP oBtn SIZE 20, 20 OF oPanel 2007

return nil

CLASS TXPanel FROM TPanel

METHOD Paint() VIRTUAL

ENDCLASS

The idea is to place a transparent Panel on top of the Ribbon, so we can place some BtnBmps (or standard Buttons with accelerators) and the user may select the accelerator for each little button.

[Antonio Linares]

Otto,

On the current development stage you can not invoke Method KeybMode() pressing Alt. You can call it from a button action:

Code: Select all  Expand view  RUN

   oTBtn0 = TRBtn():New( 4, 0, 70, 20, "..\bitmaps\rbnmenu.bmp", { || oRBar:KeybMode() }, oRBar ,;
                         ,,,,,, .T., .T.,,,,,, "POPUP", oMenu,,,,,,,,,,,,, aClrMenu1, nRGB( 125, 172, 215 ),;
                         nRGB( 65, 106, 189 ) )
 

Anyhow, we haven't found yet a way to paint the little boxes on top of everything

[Otto]

Hello Antonio,

thank you for your answer.
At the moment I use menu + ribbonbar to have keyboard navigation.
Would you be so kind to explain me how the ALT key event is passed to the menu.
ALT key is working here with the menu. Maybe it can be done the same way or
one could hide the menu and fire from there an event.
Best regards,
Otto

[Antonio Linares]

Otto,

You just gave me the idea we were looking for

The Class Menu uses an accelerators table that is automatically invoked when Alt is pressed. All we need is to define an accelerators table for the Ribbon

We should add this DATA to the ribbon (same as we have it in Class TMenu):

Code: Select all  Expand view  RUN

   DATA   oAccTable       // Accelerators table object
   ...

   METHOD New() CLASS TRibbonBar
      ...
      ::oAccTable = TAccTable():New()
      ...
 

And then add as many accelerators as we need (same as we do from Class TMenuItem):

Code: Select all  Expand view  RUN

   oRibbon:oAccTable:Add( nVirtKey, nVKState, nId )
 

Please review FWH\source\classes\tacctbl.prg to understand how to use it. Each accelerator issues a WM_COMMAND msg that should be processed from the Ribbon.

[Otto]

Hello Antonio,
Would you please provide my some more help.
Do I have to add
::oAccTable = TAccTable():New()
to the tRibbon and then
use
oRibbon:oAccTable:Add( nVirtKey, nVKState, nId )
in my source.
What should I pass as: nVirtKey, nVKState, nId
and how do I get the ALT key event to execute KeybMode.

Thanks in advance
Otto

[Antonio Linares]

Otto,

If you review FWH\include\menus.ch there you will see how nState and nVirtKey are managed:

Code: Select all  Expand view  RUN

#xcommand MENUITEM [ <oMenuItem> PROMPT ] [<cPrompt>] ;
...
             [ ACCELERATOR <nState>, <nVirtKey> ] ;
...
 

You can review FWH\samples\TestMenu.prg for an example of use:

Code: Select all  Expand view  RUN

         MENUITEM oFirst PROMPT "&First Alt-F2" MESSAGE "First option" ;
            ACTION If( oFirst:lActive, oFirst:Disable(), oFirst:Enable() ) ;
            ACCELERATOR ACC_ALT, VK_F2
 

And in FWH\source\classes\pdmenu.prg you find this code:

Code: Select all  Expand view  RUN

function MenuAddItem( ... )
   ...
  oAccTable:Add( oItem:nVirtKey, oItem:nVKState, oItem:nId )
 

nId is the WM_COMMAND value that will be sent to the main window.

The control that has focus in your app will receive the Alt notification, not the Ribbon. So your focused control will have to invoke oRibbon:KeybMode()

[Otto]

Hello Antonio,
thank you for your help.
I feel I have to wait for Fivewin 10.2 to find a working sample.
Best regards,
Otto

[Antonio Linares]

Otto,

The accelerators issue should not be a problem.

To paint on top of all the RibbonBar controls is getting more complicated, but we expect to find a solution for it.

[Antonio Linares]

Otto,

Ok, we just found a way

oRibbon:SaveToBmp( cFileName ) creates a BMP file on disk that could be used to place a bitmap on top of the ribbon, and there we can paint the little boxes

We are going to implement the code...

[Antonio Linares]

This is a very early test for a proof of concept:

Code: Select all  Expand view  RUN

METHOD KeybMode() CLASS TRibbonBar

   local hBitmap := WndBitmap( ::hWnd ), oBmp, oBtn

   @ 0, 0 BITMAP oBmp OF Self:oWnd SIZE ::nWidth(), ::nHeight() NOBORDER PIXEL
   oBmp:hBitmap = hBitmap
   oBmp:Move( -1, -1 )

   ::Super:Hide()
   
   @ 20, 20 BTNBMP oBtn SIZE 20, 20 OF oBmp 2007 ACTION MsgInfo( "click" )
   
return nil
 

[Antonio Linares]

Some more testing:

Code: Select all  Expand view  RUN

METHOD KeybMode() CLASS TRibbonBar

   local hBitmap := WndBitmap( ::hWnd ), oBmp, oBtn

   @ 0, 0 BITMAP oBmp OF Self:oWnd SIZE ::nWidth(), ::nHeight() NOBORDER PIXEL
   oBmp:hBitmap = hBitmap
   oBmp:Move( -1, -1 )

   ::Super:Hide()
   
   @ 22,  20 BTNBMP oBtn PROMPT "&1" SIZE 20, 20 OF oBmp 2007 ACTION MsgInfo( "click" )

   @ 22, 105 BTNBMP oBtn PROMPT "&2" SIZE 20, 20 OF oBmp 2007 ACTION MsgInfo( "click" )

   @ 22, 195 BTNBMP oBtn PROMPT "&3" SIZE 20, 20 OF oBmp 2007 ACTION MsgInfo( "click" )

   @ 22, 265 BTNBMP oBtn PROMPT "&4" SIZE 20, 20 OF oBmp 2007 ACTION MsgInfo( "click" )

   @ 22, 340 BTNBMP oBtn PROMPT "&5" SIZE 20, 20 OF oBmp 2007 ACTION MsgInfo( "click" )
   
return nil
 

We just need to take those button coordinates from the tabs positions and implement the accelerators